FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies

[mack]

Engine 166/Ladder 86:

- Engine 166 went into service on April 15, 1963 with a 1953 Ward LaFrance pumper.  Ladder 86 had a 1955 FWD 75 ft wooden tiller.  Captain Jerome Breem and Captain Charles Badenhop were engine and truck captains and 50 firefighters were assigned.

- February 10, 1973 - first due at LNG tank explosion in Bloomfield, SI - 40 workmen killed:

   

   

   

   

    http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/02/40_years_ago_today_staten_isla.html


- Ladder 86 - only truck on West Shore SI - 1st due truck with Engine 158, Engine 154 and Engine 166


- Brush Fire Unit at Engine 166 designation changes:

    BFU 2 (1970) to BFU 86 (1980) to BFU 166 (1981) to BFU 506 (1982) to BFU 2 1997


- Engine 166/Ladder 86 have active volunteer fire company in response area - Oceanic H&L 1 - active since 1881 - company responds with pumper and/or brush truck

   

 

[memory master]

The "Oceanic" volly house is just a short distance from the quarters of E154 on Victory Blvd.

 

[mack]

Engine 28/Ladder 11 firehouse 222 East 2nd Street, East Village, Manhattan

    Engine 28 organized 604 East 11th Street former volunteer Forest Engine 3 quarters      1865
    Engine 28 moved 735 East 11th Street                                                                        1879
    Engine 28 new firehouse 604 East 11th Street                                                              1880
    Engine 28 new firehouse 222 East 2nd Street w/Ladder 11                                            1959

    Engine 28-2 organized 604 East 11th Street at Engine 28                                              1889
    Engine 28-2 disbanded                                                                                                1900

    Ladder 11 organized 742 East 5th Street former volunteer Mechanics Hose 47cfirehouse  1865
    Ladder 11 moved 342 East 5th Street at Engine 25                                                        1883
    Ladder 11 new firehouse 742 East 5th Street                                                                1883
    Ladder 11 new firehouse 222 East 2nd Street w/Engine 28                                            1959


Engine 28:

   


604 East 11th Street former firehouse Engine 28:

   

   


Ladder 11:

   


222 East 2nd Street firehouse:

   

   

   

   

   

   


Engine 28:

    1924 ALF 700 GPM:
   

    1944 Mack LS 1000 GPM:
   

   

    1954 Mack High Pressure 1000 GPM:
   

   

   

   

   

   

   


Ladder 11:

    1937 Seagrave 100 ft:
   

    1960s Mack 100 ft:
   

    1984 Seagrave 100 ft RM:
   

   

   

    2013 Ferrara 100 ft RM:
   


Engine 28/Ladder 11:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t77qMrGGzRU

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0r4mJvL4LU


Engine 28 responding:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6iGi8YtIjA


Ladder 11 responding:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p0EDX6HFIw


Ladder 11 new Ferrara:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeTPVuJqc-A

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rB6EjGaPPs


Ladder 11 LODDs  September 11, 2011 World Trade Center:

     


    Lt. Michael Quilty

   


    FF Richard John Kelly
 
   


    FF Edward James Day

   


    FF John F. Heffernan

   


    FF Matthew Rogan

   


    FF Michael F. Cammarata

   


    Never forget.



Engine 28/Ladder 11 - Alphabet City - 1970s:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


East Village, Manhattan:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Village,_Manhattan

 

[mack]

Engine 28/Ladder 11 - Alphabet City - 1970s:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

1970s Alphabet City fires:

E 8th street vacant:


302 E 8th Street:


306 E 8th Street:


E 8th Street vacant:



- Photos taken by Ralph Feldman (retired E 45/E 37/Fire Marshal)

Story accompanying pictures:  http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/viewfinder-a-burning-passion/

 

[mack]

Former Manhatan firehouses:

http://forgotten-ny.com/2003/06/manhattans-ancient-firehouses/

 

[mack]

Engine 235/Battalion 57 firehouse    206 Monroe Street, Bedford Stuyvesant
    (prior quarters of Squad 3)
   
    Engine 35 BFD organized 206 Monroe Street                  1895
    Engine 35 BFD became Engine 35 FDNY                          1898
    Engine 35 became Engine 135                                        1899
    Engine 135 became Engine 235                                      1913
    Engine 235 moved 850 Bedford Avenue at Ladder 102    2005
    Engine 235 returned 206 Monroe Street                          2005

    Squad 3 organized 206 Monroe Street at Engine 235        1955
    Squad 3 moved 701 Park Avenue at Engine 230              1966
    Squad 3 disbanded                                                        1975

    Battalion 57 organized 206 Monroe Street at Engine 235  1969
    Battalion 57 moved 850 Bedford Avenue at Ladder 102    2005
    Battalion 57 returned 206 Monroe Street                          2005

    (-thanks fdhistorian)


206 Monroe Street:

    1980s:
   

    Current:
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


Engine 235:

    1898:
   

    Hose wagon early 1900s:
   

    1947 Mack:
   

    Seagrave:
   

   

   


Squad 3:

   


Battalion 57:

   


Engine 235 responding:

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


Engine 235/Squad 3/Battalion 57 LODDs:

    FF James W. Robertson, Engine 235, heart attack, Brooklyn box 22-961, July 8, 1975
   

    FF Ernest J. Marquart, Squad 3, died from injuries, Brooklyn box 670, June 26, 1964
   


    World Trade Center, Monroe 6:
    http://patch.com/new-york/bed-stuy/video-engine-235-honors-the-monroe-six


    BC Dennis A. Cross, Battalion 57, World Trade Center, September 11, 2011
   

    Lt. Steven J. Bates, Engine 235, World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
   

    FF Nicholas P. Chiofalo, Engine 235, World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
   

    FF Francis Esposito, Engine 235, World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
   

    FF Lee Fehling, Engine 235, World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
   

    Lawrence Veling, Engine 235, World Trade Center, September 11, 2001
   

    Never forget.



Bedford-Stuyvesant:  "Bedford was the first major settlement east of the then Village of Brooklyn on the ferry road to the town of Jamaica and eastern Long Island. Stuyvesant Heights, however, was farmland; the area became a community after the American Revolutionary War. . . In 1800, Bedford was designated one of the seven districts of the Town of Brooklyn, and in 1834 it became part of the seventh and ninth wards of the newly incorporated City of Brooklyn."  - Wikipedia

    History:  http://theweeklynabe.com/2012/06/23/bed-stuy-brooklyn-a-very-brief-history/

 

[mack]

Engine 235 question - Fireman George Hamilton, Engine 235, was reported to have died from heart attack in quarters, November 2, 1938, in the newspapers.  Maybe he was off duty and in quarters, but maybe a LODD? 

   
    (from Brooklyn Eagle, November 2, 1938)

 

[mack]

Engine 235/Battalion 57 206 Monroe Street firehouse history:

"History Of Engine 235 Fire Department Of New York

By Michael Boucher

Over 100 years ago, Engine 235 was not known as 235 and was not part of the Fire Department of New York. It was the 35th engine company placed in service by the City of Brooklyn, the fourth largest city in the country at the time. The Brooklyn Fire Department was organized on September 15, 1869 with a paid force of thirteen engine and six ladder companies. They replaced fifty-three volunteer fire companies that protected only half of what is Brooklyn today. The rest of Brooklyn was made up of small towns that had their own fire departments and were annexed by Brooklyn in 1894.

Engine 35 was placed in service on July 1, 1895 in new quarters at 206 Monroe Street. Also on the same day, Engine 36 was placed in service in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Both companies were added to fill in the gaps in fire protection. Engine 35 filled the hole between Engine 9 to the north, Engine 22 to the east, Engine 14 to the south and Engine 19 to the west. The 25-feet wide by 100-feet deep lot was purchased on August 28, 1894 from the Bedford Bank of Brooklyn for $3,000. The new building cost $16,365 to build. The three-story firehouse had a single door for the exit of the apparatus. On the first floor, a house watch desk was located to the right of the apparatus door and an entrance doorway was located to the left of the apparatus door. A one-story addition for the horse stalls was attached to the rear. Behind the station was a one-story building to store the feed and hay for the horses. On the second floor in the front were the Captain's quarters and office. The rest of the floor was the bunkroom and lockers for the crew. The third floor was a sitting and recreation room.

Engine 235's first horse drawn apparatus was a new 1895 LaFrance 3rd size steamer that could pump around 500-600 gallons per minute. In 1917, the company received a new 1917 Robinson 700 gpm piston pumping engine, thus ending the era of horse-drawn engines. Over the years, Engine 235 has used apparatus built by American LaFrance, International, Mack, Seagrave, and Ward LaFrance. Today the company responds with a 1994 Seagrave that can pump 1000 gallons per minute.

Today, Engine 235 shares its quarters with Battalion 57. Battalion 57 was organized on November 29, 1969 to help cover the heavy workload of the area. Three members of Engine 235 have been awarded medals for rescuing people trapped in fires. The Brooklyn Citizens Medal went to Lieutenant John D. McDonald for a rescue he made on January 17, 1943. A second Brooklyn Citizens Medal was awarded to Lieutenant William J. McGraw on January 13, 1952. Firefighter Dennis W. Williams received the Chief Wesley Williams Medal for a rescue he made on March 3, 1985. In addition, Battalion Chief Raymond M. Brown of Battalion 57 earned the Captain Denis W. Lane Memorial Medal for heroic work on August 29, 1982. Also, Engine 235 has earned 25 Unit Citations for teamwork at fires over the years.

Two members of the house have been killed in the line of duty protecting the citizens of New York City.* Fireman Ernest J. Marquart of Squad 3 died from injuries he received while operating at Brooklyn Box 670, located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Walworth Street, on June 26, 1964. Fireman James W. Robertson of Engine 235 suffered a heart attack on July 8, 1975 while operating at a second alarm Fire at 1190 Fulton Street. Engine 235 was the first company to be trained for CFR-D when the Fire Department took over Emergency Medical Services in 1995. The first day, Engine 235 responded to 25 EMS runs and two 'All Hands' fires in a 24-hour period. Engine 235 has been faithfully protecting the citizens of Brooklyn for over 100 years, regardless of the number, whether 35, 135 or 235. As the community changed from rural to densely populated, the dedication of the members in the firehouse on Monroe Street has never changed. No matter what the need is, whether air in a bicycle, a safe haven for a child, a cut Finger or a battle with the 'Red Devil,' Engine 235 can be and will be counted on to serve with pride and dedication."

* 6 additional members died at World Trade Center.

 

[1261Truckie]

E-235...good house...great guys. Years ago (early 70's), while operating at a bitterly cold, multiple alarm, fatal fire E-235 was finally given the order to take up. It was around 5 AM and after we helped them load frozen hose on their rig, off they went back to quarters. A short while later, while standing in the street, the BC looked down the street and saw an engine approaching the scene, no lights or siren. The Chief asked his Aide if they had special called anyone, to which the Aide answered "No".
E-235 pulled up and they proceeded to dispense some hot coffee and pasteries.......they had gone back to quarters, brewed several pots of coffee, then found a bakery getting ready to open, bought a bunch of stuff and returned to the scene. They refused all offers of payment. That's Brotherhood

 

[fdhistorian]

   
    Engine 35 BFD organized 206 Monroe Street                  1895
    Engine 35 BFD became Engine 35 FDNY                          1898
    Engine 35 became Engine 135                                        1899
    Engine 135 became Engine 235                                      1913

Engine 235 and BC 57 moved in with Ladder 102 (and former Engine 209) quarters temporarily in 2005.
Not sure why they moved or when they returned to their own quarters.

 

[everybodygoes]

   
    Engine 35 BFD organized 206 Monroe Street                  1895
    Engine 35 BFD became Engine 35 FDNY                          1898
    Engine 35 became Engine 135                                        1899
    Engine 135 became Engine 235                                      1913

Engine 235 and BC 57 moved in with Ladder 102 (and former Engine 209) quarters temporarily in 2005.
Not sure why they moved or when they returned to their own quarters.

235 moved in with 102, i believe in 2008 to get their floor redone.  They were there for about 8 months, and were preceded by 217 who was there for about the same amout of time for the same thing (apparatus floor, minor renovation, painting)

 

[JOR176]

Yes and before 235 & 217    230 was in 102 for renovation for some reason.

 

[nfd2004]

E-235...good house...great guys. Years ago (early 70's), while operating at a bitterly cold, multiple alarm, fatal fire E-235 was finally given the order to take up. It was around 5 AM and after we helped them load frozen hose on their rig, off they went back to quarters. A short while later, while standing in the street, the BC looked down the street and saw an engine approaching the scene, no lights or siren. The Chief asked his Aide if they had special called anyone, to which the Aide answered "No".
E-235 pulled up and they proceeded to dispense some hot coffee and pasteries.......they had gone back to quarters, brewed several pots of coffee, then found a bakery getting ready to open, bought a bunch of stuff and returned to the scene. They refused all offers of payment. That's Brotherhood

  A GREAT story there "1261Truckie". Really enjoyed reading it. "What a Class Act - RIGHT" !!

  And without "mack", maybe none of this would be known. Thank you.

 

[fdny1075k]

E-235...good house...great guys. Years ago (early 70's), while operating at a bitterly cold, multiple alarm, fatal fire E-235 was finally given the order to take up. It was around 5 AM and after we helped them load frozen hose on their rig, off they went back to quarters. A short while later, while standing in the street, the BC looked down the street and saw an engine approaching the scene, no lights or siren. The Chief asked his Aide if they had special called anyone, to which the Aide answered "No".
E-235 pulled up and they proceeded to dispense some hot coffee and pasteries.......they had gone back to quarters, brewed several pots of coffee, then found a bakery getting ready to open, bought a bunch of stuff and returned to the scene. They refused all offers of payment. That's Brotherhood

Great story, 1261Truckie, thanks for sharing.

 

[mack]

E-235...good house...great guys. Years ago (early 70's), while operating at a bitterly cold, multiple alarm, fatal fire E-235 was finally given the order to take up. It was around 5 AM and after we helped them load frozen hose on their rig, off they went back to quarters. A short while later, while standing in the street, the BC looked down the street and saw an engine approaching the scene, no lights or siren. The Chief asked his Aide if they had special called anyone, to which the Aide answered "No".
E-235 pulled up and they proceeded to dispense some hot coffee and pasteries.......they had gone back to quarters, brewed several pots of coffee, then found a bakery getting ready to open, bought a bunch of stuff and returned to the scene. They refused all offers of payment. That's Brotherhood

Thanks for the story, Truckie.  This is a picture of Engine 235 members after fighting a fire on Myrtle Avenue in a school on June 26, 1964 and losing a brother - Ernest Marquart.

   


Picture was on cover of NY Journal American newspaper which was then a large NYC daily newspaper.  Firefighter Marquart had been a member of Engine 235 and had moved over to Squad 3 which located with them on Monroe Street. 

   


Squad 3 would still have been responding with their converted 1940 Mack hose wagon:

   

 

[mack]

E-235...good house...great guys. Years ago (early 70's), while operating at a bitterly cold, multiple alarm, fatal fire E-235 was finally given the order to take up. It was around 5 AM and after we helped them load frozen hose on their rig, off they went back to quarters. A short while later, while standing in the street, the BC looked down the street and saw an engine approaching the scene, no lights or siren. The Chief asked his Aide if they had special called anyone, to which the Aide answered "No".
E-235 pulled up and they proceeded to dispense some hot coffee and pasteries.......they had gone back to quarters, brewed several pots of coffee, then found a bakery getting ready to open, bought a bunch of stuff and returned to the scene. They refused all offers of payment. That's Brotherhood

Thanks for the story, Truckie.  This is a picture of Engine 235 members after fighting a fire on Myrtle Avenue in a school on June 26, 1964 and losing a brother - Ernest Marquart.

   


Picture was on cover of NY Journal American newspaper which was then a large NYC daily newspaper.  Firefighter Marquart had been a member of Engine 235 and had moved over to Squad 3 which located with them on Monroe Street. 

   


Squad 3 would still have been responding with their converted 1940 Mack hose wagon:

   

Additional NY Times article on fire:


"A Fireman Is Killed As Ceiling Falls In At Brooklyn Blaze  JUNE 27, 1964

 
A fireman was killed yester?day after a ceiling collapsed as he was fighting a blaze appar?ently started by children in an abandoned school in the Wil?liamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Five other firemen were in?jured by the collapse in the brick building at 151 Walworth Street.

The dead man was Ernest J. Marquart, 33 years old, of 109?41 115th Street, Richmond Hill, Queens.

The injured were John Wil?liams, Richard Quirke, John McManus, John Mitchell and Charles Ferion. All were re?leased after treatment at Cum?berland and Brooklyn Hospitals.

Two policemen were overcome by smoke and treated at St. John's Hospital. About 25 fire?men were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, cuts and eye injuries. The injured po?licemen were Robert O?Neil Jr. and Charles Miller of the 79th Precinct.

After the blaze, fire marshals and detectives searched the neighborhood for several boys who had been seen running from the building shortly be?fore the fire was reported.

Emergency Surgery

Fireman Marquart was pro?nounced dead at Cumberland Hospital after Dr. Selig M. Ginzburg had performed an emergency tracheotomy in the courtyard in front of the school in a vain effort to save his life.

In addition, about a dozen firemen attempted mouth‐to?-mouth resuscitation.

The fire was in a three‐story red brick building constructed in 1856 as a district school and later designated P. S. 54. It was abandoned by the Board of Edu?cation in 1960.

The four‐alarm fire was re?ported at 12:50 P.M.

The injured firemen and Fire?man Marquart were from Squad 3, a manpower unit of a lieuten?ant and six firemen who worked out of Engine Company 235 at 206 Monroe Street.

The lieutenant, John Carr, said that he and his men had been cutting a hole through the third‐floor ceiling to expose the fire in the cockloft when a sec?tion of the ceiling collapsed and buried the squad. Lieutenant Carr said he had been unable to move and was fortunate to be able to breathe until he was extricated.

The fire was brought under control in about an hour."

  - 1964 NY Times - Archives



Note - fire was in a building abandoned by the city - old PS 54:

   

 

[68jk09]

One of the FFs mentioned in the collapse story John Mitchell was a few years later driving the SQ*3 Carryall in a snow storm & they hit a bank of hard packed snow w/one front wheel causing the steering shaft to shear off......he later was a FF in R*2 then made LT..... nice job locating the photo mack there are very few photos of this unique Rig available.

 

[mack]

Engine 236 firehouse  998 Liberty Avenue, East New York, Brooklyn
    (also former quarters of Battalion 29, Battalion 39 and Battalion 39-2)

    Engine 36 BFD organized 998 Liberty Avenue                            1895
    Engine 36 BFD became Engine 36 FDNY                                    1898
    Engine 36 became Engine 136                                                  1899
    Engine 136 became Engine 236                                                1913

    Battalion 29 located at 998 Liberty Avenue                          1969-1970

    Battalion 39 located at 998 Liberty Avenue at Engine 236      1930-1976

    Battalion 39-2 located at 998 Liberty Avenue at Engine 236  1968-1969


998 Liberty Avenue:

   

   

   
   
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


1965 Mack C-Model 1000 GPM:

   


1971 Mack CF:

   


Engine  236:

   

   

   

   

   

   



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH-hGSGngO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpV9aCNWzWw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiNJLBbKku4


Engine 236 LODD:

    Lt. Frank Smith, Engine 236, Brooklyn Box 1768, January 14, 1973

   

    Never forget.



Engine 236 history:

    Engine 236 mascot - Jocko the Monkey - responded with company:

   


    Engine 236 World War II blood drive:

   

   


East New York history:  http://theweeklynabe.com/2012/07/20/john-pitkin-east-new-york-brooklyn-history/

 

[mack]

City of Brooklyn - firehouse architectural style change:

Engine 234's/Rescue 2's firehouse at 1472 Bergen Street built in 1893 was the last of the simple 2 story BFD firehouses:

    E 234 1472 Bergen Street:
   

    Rescue 2 1472 Bergen Street:
   


Engines 235, 236, 237, 238 and 239 had new firehouses built by BFD in 1895 which reflected larger (3 story), more ornate quarters similar to new FDNY firehouse built in the 1890s and 1900s:

    Engine 235:
   

    Engine 236:
   

    Engine 237:
   

    Engine 238:
   

    Engine 239:
   

 

[mack]

Engine 251 - Brooklyn Union Gas Company Fire - 6 members LODDs - February 26, 1920

Engine 251 history:

    Engine 51 BFD organized 47/48 Washington Avenue to protect the Wallabout Market area of Brooklyn    1897
    Engine 51 BFD became Engine 51 FDNY when Brooklyn became part of NYC                                          1898
    Engine 51 became Engine 151                                                                                                            1899 
    Engine 151 became Engine 251                                                                                                          1913
    Engine 251 moved 166 Clymer Street at Engine 211 due to World War II expansion of Navy Yard            1941
    Engine 251 moved new firehouse 26 Hooper Street w/Engine 211                                                        1944
    Engine 251 disbanded                                                                                                                      1946
    Engine 251 reorganized new firehouse 254-20 Union Turnpike, Queens                                                1952

Engine 251 47/48 Washington Avenue:

   



Brooklyn Union Gas Company 26 February 1920:

"Six members of Engine 251 lost their lives fighting this three-alarm fire in an oil storage tank at the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, Nassau Works at Kent Avenue and Rush Street. A fire started in the drip pan of a forty-foot long by ten-foot high oil tank. The oil tank was burning under a corrugated iron shed. Engine 251, the first company to arrive, started working on the fire in the tank. Other companies were working on protecting the numerous other tanks in the area. An explosion in one of the tar tanks was what the firemen were fighting. Across the Basin (Wallabout Market), a bare 150 yards, were a dozen ships near the Navy Yard?s Cob Dock. North of the gas company plant was the powerhouse of the BRT subway. The combined efforts of the fire companies failed to stem the flames in the fuel tank. The heat became so intense that the windows in the main building began to crack. Acting Chief Ludgate ordered his men away from a smaller tank to pour more water on the surrounding buildings when the tank exploded. The flames flared pointblank into the faces of many firemen, enveloping them suddenly, then clearing, leaving the men staggering back. Their faces and heads were burned almost black and they were dazed and almost crazed by the pain. As quick as it happened it was over. Other firemen ran over to help their brothers. Thomas Brennan and Michael Karkel were dead, burned to a crisp. Acting Chief Lugate, Captain Samuel Brown and Firemen Hughes, Ahrens, Means, Pacollney, James Brennan, and Callmeyer were all taken to area hospitals. Fireman James Brennan died on February 28 from his injuries. On March 3, both James J. Hughes #1 and Frank Callmeyer died a few hours apart. Both were badly burned in the fire. The last victim was Captain Brown who died on March 26 at his home. The other firemen all survived after a long recuperating period. The fire caused very little damage to the complex and only damaged the one oil tank that exploded. Engine 251 had nine men that day, three members were with the apparatus at the time of the explosion."
  -From "The Last Alarm" by Boucher, Urbanowicz & Melahn


WNYF summary of fire:

   

   


Engine 251 members lost - Brooklyn box 33-543, 556 Kent Avenue, February 26, 1920:

    Captain Samuel Brown
   

    FF Thomas F. Brennan
   

    FF James Brennan
   

    FF Michael Karkel
   

    FF Francis A. J. Callmeyer
   

    FF James J. Hughes
   


Never forget.