It was posted that this was the assignment for the box -" E-95,81,75,43, L-59,L-33, BN-19,BN-27,R-3,SQ-41,D-7".
1.. If this was read from the star-fire computer system for the history of the incident, it shows the order the companies were assigned to this incident because of their status at the time the alarm was received. This does not mean that E-95 is normally 1st due. It tells that E-95 was the closest engine in service when the alarm was being processed by the dispatchers. E-81 was the second nearest engine in service to respond and so on.
2.. Pre- Rand Corp study of FDNY, in the 1970's, Lad 36 was the second due truck all the way to University Ave & West 183 St. Pre Rand all the assignments for each box was done by hand by the staff in the alarm assignment unit. The members measured each fire station to each box using their response routes. There were rules that they had & a lot of them were hand me downs from old timers. Over the years, a lot of information was lost as members of the unit retired. There were restrictions placed on companies concerning response & also can & can not relocate. In the 70's when the first set of "computer based" assignment cards were generated, the companies that were used to relocate changed. Now work load was considered for the first time. A good example was that coverage for units in the 14th Batt in the South Bronx in stead of coming from near by Harlem, they came from Queens. Today, all relocations have been removed from the cards.
3.. Over the years levels of assignments have changed. Today they are standard throughout the city. So if there is a 5th alarm - you should have 20 engines & 11 ladders no matter where you are. For years in Staten Is the assignment cards when up to a third alarm & then you would have had six engines & two trucks. One the other hand, if you could find boxes where on some multiples you might have received 5 or 6 engines on each higher alarm level based on hazards in the area of the box location. Times have changed, I hope for the better.
4.. Looking over some of the comments concerning this location, I never remember L-46 being assigned on the first alarm. Lad 36 started off at Eng 43 in 1908 & was transferred to Eng 95 in 1913 so 46 days before Lad 46 was organized at Eng 81's quarters. Box 3186 saw for years 75 & 33 first due until West 183 St. from Sedgwick Ave to University Ave was made one way heading east from being a two way street. Eng 43 became first due at that box.
In 1968 Lad 56 was organized at Eng 42, but in 1981 they were relocated to Eng 48 & have remained there since.
Lad 59 moved in with Eng 43 in 1978, & has been there since.
Now I know from the late 50's until the arrival of Lad 59, Lad 36 was the 2nd due truck all the way to University Ave & West 183 St, box 3189. Ladder 27 was the second alarm truck. Lad 46 did not come south of West Fordham Rd. on the first alarm. Things changed when officials decided to add a 90 second time factor onto units responding interboro on the first alarm between Bronx & Manhattan pre Star-Fire Dispatch System. Additional changes were also made when there was ongoing construction at or near the West 207 St Bridge & the same at the West 181 St bridge for Engine 93, Ladder 45, & Battalion 13. For a while they lost all of their Bronx first alarm assignments.
Lad 27's first alarm area ran from Southern Blvd to the Harlem River at one time. Just think how busy they would have been without Lad' 56, 58, & 59 .... all the new companies.
Boy has the times changed!
5.. I remember one of the old bosses in the Alarm Assignment Unit tell me that when he started there one of their unwritten rules was that if the company was east of the Bronx River, north of Fordham Rd - just leave them a lone!!! It was always too much trouble pull them out of there. This was the annex area taken away from Westchester Co years before & added to New York City. Just look today at the fire activity of Batt 15 & their units. Times have really changed!!!!
I wonder if any one has an old assignment book, or even a set of pre-computer cards? They would be interesting to look at!
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