I would say that the size of the building does in fact matter, especially of non-fireproof construction. A fire in a 3 story wood frame, rescues can be facilitated from portable extension ladders (and you typically see such in the more “residential” outer boroughs.). Once you exceed 4 stories though, portable ladders are ineffective for the roof and upper floors.
Then let’s downsize the trucks in those areas of the city,easy enough right? Not so much. The fire department is built on redundancy and the ability to interchange units throughout the city. A truck in Queens could quite easily wind up responding to a fire in the South Bronx.

As a cyclist I can understand your sentiment. Unfortunately it can not be realized in NYC until all 5-7 story non-fireproof buildings are razed.

Can you provide a reference for the typical construction type of a six story apartment building in Europe? I am not versed in their standards. I do understand though that an overwhelming number of 6-7 story apartment buildings in NYC are considered class 3 non-fireproof (typically brick exterior with wood structural components). These buildings do not require (and thus often do not have) any sort of interior fire protection such as sprinklers. Additionally the stairways are often open and also non-fireproof. A fire can be on a lower floor, but if the apartment door is left open then the stairway acts as a chimney. People on the floors above are not going to be able to get down those stairs (Jan 2022 fire in the Bronx is a tragic example, and that building was fire-resistant with enclosed stairways). And that’s just discussing smoke, let alone fire spreading via open spaces between wooden floors and beams. If you want smaller fire trucks, then you would need to change code and require all non-fireproof multiple dwelling buildings to install sprinklers, and possibly enclose their stairways. Building owners and their lobbyists would never allow it.

And I emphasize 6-7 story buildings for comparison. A 35 foot aluminum extension ladder would probably suffice at most 2-3 story buildings. But for 6-7 stories you’re going to need something vehicle mounted and hydraulically operated (7 stores = 70’ minimum roofline. Now factor the angle/hypotenuse and it’s easily 100’ ladder required from the curb line.)

What happens as NYC continues to add protected bike lanes throughout the boroughs, especially in areas where there are older non-fireproof buildings?? The ladder trucks are now forced to take a position further from the building, necessitating current or longer ladder lengths. And in a vertical city, where new buildings are regularly increasing in height, larger pumps are required to create enough pressure to supply water to those upper floors.

But what would happen if the Secretary of Defense arbitrarily removed senior army generals without conferring with the Sec of Army or the Chief of Staff of the Army?? There’s a chain of command and it works both ways.

It has nothing to with her being female, nor is is it solely about her lack of experience as a firefighter. It is possible to be an effective manager without having the same experience as those you lead. But a good leader would rely on the experience and input of their staff (the Chief of Department and other chiefs in this case). What a good leader would NOT do is is go behind their staff’s back and make changes to the personnel who work directly for that staff. It’s leadership 101, which she obviously missed.