FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies

[mack]

Summary of Long Island City Fire Department, 1891-1898:

   

   

 

[mack]

Diablo,

82/31 were among the busiest companies in the job almost from the moment they were organized. The reason is simple: population density.

The IRT subway was continued up through that portion of the Bronx as an elevated line in the early 1900's. Even before it was built  speculators gobbled up the land to build apartment houses knowing that commuters would move there from Manhattan. The Longwood neighborhood arose rapidly from farmland. It became the most densely populated area of the Bronx.

Notice that other than Crotona Park, there were no obstacles to blocks upon blocks of apartment houses. The area between the 3d Ave EL through Morrisania and the El up lower Westchester ave and Southern Blvd (eventually up along White Plains Rd) was saturated with people. Just like the Lower East Side, East Harlem, and Brownsville in Brooklyn,  lotsa people meant lotsa work for the FDNY.

Even today,  with the old buildings all burned down and gone,  replaced by townhouses and garden apsrtments, 82/31 are still in the top 50. Similar to 58/26 in Harlem, their reponse area is wide, unblocked by large parks, rivers, college campus, etc.

Thank you sir for clearing this up for me.

Examples of FDNY R&Ws in different eras:

1902 R&W:


1940 R&W:


1941 R&W:


1948 R&W:


1949 R&W:


1954 R&W:


R&W 1964:


R&W 1966:


R&W 1969:


R&W 1970:


R&W 1971:


R&W 1975:


1977 R&W:


1984 R&W:


1990 R&W:

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Mack, interesting post on the R&Ws througout the years. Cool to see some of the same companies you find even today.

One of the articles on E261 says that they responded to 2,100 runs I believe the year before they were closed - probably in 2002. My question is why would the city close down such a decently busy company - 2,100 runs! Obviously there is a need there, no? Not that I support the closure of firehouses - but if they were going to do it no matter what - why wouldn't they choose the company in the area with the slowest amount of runs? (Maybe it was 261)?

 

[nfd2004]

As always...great history post mack.... just one note....the old 116 FH on Northern Blvd is not an ESU response qtrs....there are NYPD Special Operations Units quartered there but they are medical in nature that deal w/sick/ injured PD MOS & provide home services like oxygen etc sort of like our old Oxygen Therapy Unit etc .....the ESU Truck Ten Units that cover this area (as well as most of North Queens) responds out of the 109 Pct on Union St in Flushing.

  Chief, thank you for that information. I would ride by that building and I often wondered what it was used as. I would see NYPD units parked there.

  Mack, if I may say so, "what a GREAT thread this is". Everything possible about any firehouse throughout the city. Pictures of the rigs, videos, company patches, LODDs, and the entire history of each company. I don't know where else anything like this can be found. "I don't think it can be". It is a Collectors Item in itself.

  HAPPY NEW YEAR and Thank you for all of the effort that you have put in here for ALL of us to enjoy.

 

[mack]

Mack, interesting post on the R&Ws througout the years. Cool to see some of the same companies you find even today.

One of the articles on E261 says that they responded to 2,100 runs I believe the year before they were closed - probably in 2002. My question is why would the city close down such a decently busy company - 2,100 runs! Obviously there is a need there, no? Not that I support the closure of firehouses - but if they were going to do it no matter what - why wouldn't they choose the company in the area with the slowest amount of runs? (Maybe it was 261)?

If you eliminate units to address budget problems, you probably want to do so in a way that hurts the least and offers the fewest risks.  Considerations might include response times, proximity of other units, population density, fire threats in district, types construction - and politics.  Eliminating companies is a lousy way to meet budget requirements. 

The runs and OSW totals for Engine 261 and adjacent engine companies in 2002 and 2003 were:

              2002    2002    2003    2003
Engine    Runs    OSW    Runs    OSW
261        2027      189        0        0      Disbanded
260        1789      158    2451    184
258        1105        46    1497      56
259        1617        52    1784      84
262        2444      159      2731    187 
263        2333      132      2276    141
325        2446      156      2716    201

- Engine 261 did not have the lowest number of runs and OSWs prior to being disbanded.
- Adjacent units picked up almost 1800 more runs and 100 more OSWs in 2003 after Engine 261 was disbanded. 
- Response time increases in 2003 for companies unknown.

    (Thanks Chief for edits)

Engine 261 previous workload:
Year  Engine  Runs    EMS  Workers  OSW
1975    261    2082              1194         
1976    261    2047              1023         
1977    261    2229              1115         
1978    261    2257              1081 
1979    261    2127              950 
1980    261    2134              960 
1981    261    2299              1173 
1982    261    2098              1048 
1983    261    1812                941        103 
1984    261    1765                871 
1985    261    2115                957        102 
1986    261    2146              1102          99 
1987    261    1902                995        112 
1988    261    2205              1135          96 
1989    261    2412              1226        113 
1990    261    2349              1112          91 
1991    261    2524              1156        133 
1992    261    2949              1272        144 
1993    261    2749              1188        147 
1994    261    2667              1268        165 
1995    261    2401              1271        143 
1996    261    2628  122      1499        166 
1997    261    2410  436      1443        156 
1998    261    2261  415      1307        136 
1999    261    2297  388      1353        157 
2000    261    2742  543      1774        106 
2001    261    2135  381      1321        133 
2002    261    2027  328      1345        189 
Year  Engine  Runs  EMS    Workers      OSW

 

[68jk09]

Mack, interesting post on the R&Ws througout the years. Cool to see some of the same companies you find even today.

One of the articles on E261 says that they responded to 2,100 runs I believe the year before they were closed - probably in 2002. My question is why would the city close down such a decently busy company - 2,100 runs! Obviously there is a need there, no? Not that I support the closure of firehouses - but if they were going to do it no matter what - why wouldn't they choose the company in the area with the slowest amount of runs? (Maybe it was 261)?

They do not base closings based on activity....if they did most of the War Years Squads & Section Sections would not have been closed back then.

 

[raybrag]

I hate to sound cynical, but I'd be willing to bet that the decisions on which units to close are mostly political:  who's got the council member with the most pull . . . where the votes were in the last election . . . what neighborhood is least likely to raise a stink . . . etc., etc., etc.  And little or no considerationgiven to fire protection.

 

[CVILLE7111]

Looking at the building boom in LIC and Astoria, it's amazing that they closed 261 at all.  Politics indeed!

 

[fdhistorian]

Mack, interesting post on the R&Ws througout the years. Cool to see some of the same companies you find even today.

One of the articles on E261 says that they responded to 2,100 runs I believe the year before they were closed - probably in 2002. My question is why would the city close down such a decently busy company - 2,100 runs! Obviously there is a need there, no? Not that I support the closure of firehouses - but if they were going to do it no matter what - why wouldn't they choose the company in the area with the slowest amount of runs? (Maybe it was 261)?

If you eliminate units to address budget problems, you probably want to do so in a way that hurts the least and offers the fewest risks.  Considerations might include response times, proximity of other units, population density, fire threats in district, types construction - and politics.  Eliminating companies is a lousy way to meet budget requirements. 

Firehouses are semi-permanent fixtures in resource deployment.
Fire companies and their apparatus are mobile and dynamic deployment units.
Run statistics are history and are not a consistent way of predicting where future incidents will occur any more than the previous throws of dice will predict the number on the next throw.
Deploying companies involves predicting where the demands will be by probability using factors such as the ones listed by Mack.

Fire houses provide the basic and uniform level of service throughout the city.  The fire companies assigned to each firehouse and each neighborhood provide the availability of services that address different demand levels.

In a more pictorial way of looking at the issue, consider Engine 70 and Ladder 53 on City Island, two of the companies with the least number of runs.  Politicians always target those companies because they are slow, as if slow was a bad thing.  Slow is not bad, because slow neighborhoods are not being destroyed by fire.

If you remove Engine 70, the next nearest engine is over 4 drive miles away.  Remove Ladder 70 and City Island has nothing.  So what if they don't have many fires?  The fires that do occur would have a 10 minute or more response time from 66/61.  Will fires (few though they may be) be larger because of a 10 minute response time versus 3 minutes elsewhere in the city?  Of course they will.

If you remove Engine 261, there are 17 engines and 11 ladders within approx 4 drive miles.  Also, the firehouse is still open with Ladder 116.

Although it appears counter intuitive, closing slow houses is not the way to go usually.  Busy is better because busy companies tend to be busy because of the many other companies around them for which they are 2nd and 3rd due.

The other reality is that companies and firehouses, once closed, seldom come back again.

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Thanks Mack for the detailed runs and workers of 261 and thanks every one else for clearing things up. Good point FDhistorian...

 

[mack]

Updated 1979 Queens Unit map with disbanded units.




Notes:
- 1939 Worlds Fair had 3 engines (1 was 2 section company) - E 331 and E 332 were later reorganized
- Bn 59 and D 6 were "War Years" organizations
- NYC budget problems - 1970s and 2003 - resulted in FDNY cuts


Let me know omissions or errors.

 

[fdhistorian]

Updated 1979 Queens Unit map with disbanded units.

Notes:
- 1939 Worlds Fair had 3 engines (1 was 2 section company) - E 331 and E 332 were later reorganized
- Bn 59 and D 6 were "War Years" organizations
- NYC budget problems - 1970s and 2003 - resulted in FDNY cuts


Let me know omissions or errors.

Engine 326 & Ladder 160 were added as new companies in 1984.
Engine 294 disbanded in 1975, re-established in 1981, disbanded again in 1991, reorganized again in 1994
Ladder 133 organized in 1998

 

[Atlas]

QUEENS is an area that always could use additional resources - Since this map was produced Ladder 133 was added to Engine 275's quarters. A new fire station was built & Engine 326 & Ladder 160 were established.

There was talk of moving Engine 260 on to Roosevelt Is. but that never happened. If the unit did move, Engine 261 still might be with us today. 

The problem in NYC & a lot of other places, fire station are not constructed with a look toward the future. There is no addition space built into these structures like they did with Engine 168 in Staten Island.

We are lucky that modern day apparatus can fit into these staiions.

 

[mack]

Engine 294/Ladder 143/Battalion 51/Foam 294  firehouse  101-02 Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hills, Queens

    Engine 294 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue w/Ladder 143                      1915
    Engine 294 disbanded                                                                              1975
    Engine 294 reorganized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Ladder 143                  1981
    Engine 294 disbanded                                                                              1991
    Engine 294 reorganized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Ladder 143                  1994
    Engine 294 moved 91-45 121st Street at Squad 270                                  1999
    Engine 294 returned 101-02 Jamaica Avenue                                            1999

    Ladder 143 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue w/Engine 294                      1915
    Ladder 143 moved 89-40 81st Street at Engine 293                                  1999
    Ladder 143 returned 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294                      1999

    Battalion 51 located at 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294              1915-1984
                   
    Foam 294 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294                      2002

101-02 Jamaica Avenue:
   

   

   

   

   


Engine 294 Ahrens Fox pumper 1934:
   

   


Engine 294:
   

   

   


Ladder 143:
   

   

   

   


Engine 294/Ladder 143 responding:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyzRMu7LHlg


Ladder 143 responding:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi3rSK8HD4w

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsAChPxhkIM


Engine 294 reopens 1994:
   


Rally to keep Engine 294 open June 5, 2011:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB7rRqvefgk


Ladder 143 FDNY Medals:

   

   


Engine 294:  FF Mark Janesky was awarded the Walter Scott Medal, April 30, 1922


LODDs:

    FF Arnold Hafner, Engine 294, March 31, 1955

    LT Joseph M. Beetle, Ladder 143, Box 33-6057, Liberty Avenue and 117th Street, collapse, February 8, 1976

    FF Stanley Skinner, Ladder 143, Box 33-6057, Liberty Avenue and 117th Street, collapse, February 8, 1976

    FF Thomas J Earl, Engine 285, Box 33-6057, Liberty Avenue and 117th Street, collapse, February 8, 1976

   

    Never forget


Richmond Hill:

    - Richmond Hill's name was inspired either by a suburban town near London, England or by Edward Richmond, a landscape architect in the mid-19th century who designed much of the neighborhood
    - Battle of Long Island, one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War, was fought in 1776 along the ridge now in Forest Park, near what is now the golf course clubhouse.
    - One of the earliest residential communities on Long Island,well known for its large-frame single-family houses
    - First became developed with the 1868 opening of the Richmond Hill railroad station at Hillside Avenue and Babbage Street, on the Montauk railroad line
    - Further development in 1918, when the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway was extended
        (Wikipedia)

 

[mack]

Brooklyn disbanded units - updated 1979 Unit Location map:




Difficult to be precise.  Did not get all units (2nd sections/TCUs/water towers/special units).  Additions/corrections?

 

[fdhistorian]

Engine 294/Ladder 143/Battalion 51/Foam 294  firehouse  101-02 Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hills, Queens

    Engine 294 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue w/Ladder 143                      1915
    Engine 294 disbanded                                                                              1975
    Engine 294 reorganized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Ladder 143                  1981
    Engine 294 disbanded                                                                              1991
    Engine 294 reorganized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Ladder 143                  1994
    Engine 294 moved 91-45 121st Street at Squad 270                                  1999
    Engine 294 returned 101-02 Jamaica Avenue                                            1999

    Ladder 143 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue w/Engine 294                      1915
    Ladder 143 moved 89-40 81st Street at Engine 293                                  1999
    Ladder 143 returned 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294                      1999

    Battalion 51 located at 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294              1915-1984
                   
    Foam 294 organized 101-02 Jamaica Avenue at Engine 294                      2002

Some additional related history:

On the same day that Engine 294 was organized, Hose 2 at 196 Greenwood Ave (91-70 111th St), Richmond Hill, was disbanded.

On the same day that Ladder 143 was organized, Ladder 35-2 was disbanded.

Battalion 51 had existed earlier, from 1907 to 1909, at 89-58 162nd St, where they operated alone - no other companies in the house.

Foam 294 became Foam 331 in recent times (sometime after 2011).  (Does anyone know a more accurate date?)

 

[fdhistorian]

Brooklyn disbanded units - updated 1979 Unit Location map:

Difficult to be precise.  Did not get all units (2nd sections/TCUs/water towers/special units).  Additions/corrections?

New Locations

Engine 201/Ladder 114/Battalion 40 have new station at 5113 4th Ave (2009)

Engine 233/Ladder 176 have new station at 25 Rockaway Ave (1987)

Engine 332/Ladder 175 have new station at 165 Bradford St (1985)

Rescue 2 moved to 1472 Bergen St (formerly Engine 234) (1985)

Division 11 moved to Engine 207 (1990)

Marine Division/Marine Battalion/Marine 6 moved to Brooklyn Navy Yard (1992)


Not Shown

Ladder 170 with Engine 257


Disbanded

Engine 251, Brooklyn (1946)

Division 12 at Engine 330 (1995) but Division Chief 8 added

Division 17 at Engine 252 (1975)

Battalion 36 at Engine 238 (1975)


Planned but Changed

Ladder 133 at Engine 206 but went to Engine 275

Ladder 145 at Engine 290 but Ladder 103 here instead

Ladder 160 at Engine 310 but went to Engine 326 in Queens

 

[mack]

Engine 204 - firehouse - 299 Degraw Street - Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

    Engine 4 BFD (paid) organized at 299 Degraw Street former volunteer firehouse  1869
    Engine 4 BFD moved to 533 Hicks Street                                                          1893
    Engine 4 BFD new firehouse at 299 Degraw Street                                            1894
    Engine 4 BFD became Engine 4 FDNY                                                              1898       
    Engine 4 became Engine 104                                                                          1899
    Engine 4 became Engine 204                                                                          1913
    Engine 4 became Squad 24 (WWII manpower squad)                                        1943
    Squad 24 became Engine 204                                                                          1945
    Engine 204 disbanded                                                                                    2003

    Battalion 32 located at 299 Degraw Street at Engine 204 (Squad 24)              1940-1944

Volunteer history:
   
    Montauk Engine 22 (volunteer) organized - Degraw Street and Court Street        1855
    Montauk Engine 22 (volunteer) moved to 299 Degraw Street                            1857


   
Engine 4 BFD original quarters:
   


Engine 4 BFD history:
   
    ("Our Firemen - the Official History of the Brooklyn Fire Department")

Engine 4 BFD LODDs:

    FF Wayland Estes, Engine 4, November 22, 1892, roof collapse

    FF John Spaulding, Engine 4, November 22, 1892, roof collapse

   

   

    Never forget


299 Degraw Street firehouse:
   

   

   


299 Degraw Street former firehouse:
   

   

   
 
   

   

   


Engine 204 formed Squad 24 during World War II 1943-1945:
   


Engine 204:
   


1972 parade:
   


Engine 204 disbanded 2003:
   

    http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/26/nyregion/some-firehouses-go-quietly-some-with-rage.html



Engine 204 Runs and Workers 1975-2002:
Year  Engine  Runs  EMS  Workers  OSW
1975  204      2423            1246       
1975  204      2723            1478 
1976  204      2957            1293 
1977  204      2735            1428 
1978  204      3447            2340 
1979  204      2387            1479 
1980  204      2673            1659 
1981  204      1993            1157 
1982  204      1853            1099 
1983  204      1675              931 
1984  204      1816            1094 
1985  204      1597              894      145 
1986  204      1376              784      114 
1987  204      1456              814      109 
1988  204      1431              851      119 
1989  204      1623              960      127 
1990  204      1561              939      128 
1991  204      1610              980      139 
1992  204      1755            1067      155 
1993  204      1502              831      108 
1994  204      1442              812      117 
1995  204      1898            1364      133 
1996  204      1886    277    1287      124 
1997  204      1758    464    1156      140 
1998  204      1714    463    1089      141 
1999  204      1522    422    1069      126 
2000  204      1595    401    1095      105 
2001  204      1614    392    1012      112 
2002  204      1784    412      963        91 


Current use of former firehouse: Engine 204 house at 299 DeGraw in Cobble Hill was taken over by the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The orchestra pledged to invest $2.6 million to convert the building into administrative offices and performance space.

http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2011/10/glimpse-into-degraw-street-former.html

 

[mack]

Oldest firehouse in NYC:  246 West Broadway, Manhattan

    Former firehouse of volunteer  Hope Engine 31.  Built 1823.  Not used by FDNY.


246 West Broadway commercial building:
   

246 West Broadway renovated with additional 3rd floor:
   

   

   

   


Property listing: http://www.stribling.com/properties/3930470
   

 

[mack]

Oldest continuously active FDNY firehouses:

NYC:  Engine 26 - 220 W 37th Street
    - former quarters of volunteer Valley Forge Engine Company 46
    - built 1860
                                               
   




Boro:

Manhattan:
    Engine 26    220 West 37th Street - 1860 - former volunteer firehouse
   

    Engine 5      340 East 14th Street - April 21, 1864 - former volunteer firehouse
   


Brooklyn:
    Engine 218  650 Hart Street - December 1, 1887 - former City of Brooklyn firehouse
   

    Engine 226  409 State Street - January 9, 1889 - former City of Brooklyn firehouse
   

    Engine 228  436 39th Street - December 30, 1891 - former City of Brooklyn firehouse
   

Staten Island:
    Ladder 79    1189 Castleton Avenue - January 1, 1904 - former volunteer firehouse
   
   
    Engine 156    412 Broadway - June 1, 1909
   

Bronx:
    Engine 73 - November 1, 1900   
   
   
    Engine 62/Ladder 32 - December 12, 1903
   
   
    Squad (Engine ) 41    330 East 150th Street - April 4, 1904
   
   
    Engine 43/Ladder 59    1901 Sedgwick Avenue - May 1, 1904
   


Queens: 
    Engine 258/Ladder 115    10-40 47th Street - September 3, 1904
   
   
    Engine 263/Ladder 117    42/06  Astoria Boulevard - May 1, 1909
   


Notes:
    - Manhattan - Metropolitan Fire Department (became FDNY) replaced volunteer companies - 1865
    - Bronx - FDNY expanded intro Bronx - 1874
    - Brooklyn - Brooklyn Fire Department replaced volunteer town departments - 1869
                    - became part of NYC -1898
                    - FDNY expanded into Brooklyn - 1898
    - Queens - became part of NYC - 1898
                    - FDNY expanded into Queens - 1898
    - Staten Island - became part of NYC - 1898
                          - FDNY expanded into SI - 1905

    - Thanks Gman for edits.