FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies

[fdhistorian]

"Ladder 133 organized 111-16 111-16 Merrick Boulevard w/Engine 275      1960"

I believe 133 Truck was formed in the late 1990s, 1998 maybe?  Typo?

Thanks CVILLE - L 133 was organized in 1998.

Ladder 133 had originally been planned to be quartered with Engine 206 in Brooklyn, 85 years earlier, but that did not happen.
Several site members recall seeing old Engine 206 on Metropolitan Ave being lettered for Ladder 133.

 

[guitarman314]

  I remember reading that one of the reasons for adding L133 was their were many 10-45's in E275's response area.

 

[68jk09]

"Ladder 133 organized 111-16 111-16 Merrick Boulevard w/Engine 275      1960"

I believe 133 Truck was formed in the late 1990s, 1998 maybe?  Typo?

Thanks CVILLE - L 133 was organized in 1998.

Ladder 133 had originally been planned to be quartered with Engine 206 in Brooklyn, 85 years earlier, but that did not happen.
Several site members recall seeing old Engine 206 on Metropolitan Ave being lettered for Ladder 133.

When i was appt to LAD*108 in 1968 ENG*206 was in our BN the 35 ....206's FH (still standing but now a few civilian occupancies later) had 2 doors but a wall down the middle separated both halves on all 3 floors...206 was on the left hand side & the right hand side was lettered for LAD*133 that side was pretty rundown & basically used for storage .....the 1st floor had some old hand & horse drawn antiques Rigs that were later moved after refurbishment & displayed at  the FDNY Museum & the lower level of the Dept Shops..the 2nd floor of the Truck side was filled with the old WW2 Four Gallon hand pump water extinguishers called "Stirrup Pumps" which i believe the name had something to do with the foldout foot piece that you stepped on to hold down the extinguisher as it got almost empty & you pulled up the pump handle while pumping ...http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Fyr-Fyter-Hand-Pump-Fire-Extinguisher-w-Foot-Pedal-and-Hose-Empty/263177518897?_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D46089%26meid%3D3f6e1429553e41dcbba0fc0c080aeb51%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D192309068110&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982    .....the e bay listing mention's a foot pump but the water was pumped by the handle the foot piece or "stirrup" like used on a horse saddle was to step on when pulling the pump handle up...plenty were around NYC in the '50s & were great fun for kids to play with...many still appear on e bay .....the 3rd floor was filled w/old WW2 steel pot brim all around red CD Helmets many also still appear on e bay....206 while they still had their Hosewagon well into the late '60s (maybe longer but i don't remember) rode with seven FFs & when a FF was detailed there for a tour he would ride in the Officers seat of the Hosewagon blowing the siren & ringing the Bell ....the reason for the Wagon was a carryover from the days when many , many lumberyards etc filled a lot of 206s 1st Due area....towards the end of the Wagon being In service at 206 it was no longer an old time Wagon but actually another regular Pumper w/pumps.... i remember for a short period after SQ*3 had gotten a Pumper... on a few boxes near 237's Qtrs on a Pull Box if all assigned Units were available a Pull Box could give you five Pumpers ....3 Regular ENGs & SQ*3 & 206's 2nd piece.... as far as the 133 lettering over the Truck side the "3"s were commendeered by SQ*3 ( there are a few pictures around showing them on the side of the SQ's Pumper....as far as the "K" from H&L .....well lets just say i know where it is....the rest of the letters i don't know about.

 

[guitarman314]

  E206 was one of the last 2pc. engine companies going into the early 70's. In fact, from 1970 to 1973, E206 ran with twin 1965 Mack C-95 1000gpm pumpers. The engine was shop#1314 that came in late 1969 from E231 and the wagon was #1321 that came in 1970 from E41.   In 1973, they got a 1970 Mack CF then their engine (#1314) became their 2nd pc. wagon and #1321 was reassigned to E158 as a 2nd pc. wagon.  

 

[memory master]

296 was supposed to go in with 103 at the onset, but was established in Queens instead. The numbers were over the door of the Bklyn. house already.

 

[68jk09]

In regard to reply # 1957 above by mack ..EXCELLENT AS USUAL...some memories of a GREAT UNIT.... i was privileged to be assigned there as the CPT of 275 in Jan 1994....some additional facts & or trivia on the post... in the photo labeled FH1 showing the early FH w/the Mack Pumper notice there is no lettering  above the door....this is because out of the picture on the right hand side of the FH there is a 10 ft brick wall w/the lettering on it from when the house was built....when i was there we took down this wall to allow cars to pull into the right side of the FH & replaced it w/a large steel roll down door this was accomplished by a FF in the Company who was involved in an overhead door business ...the original door he put there was one that had been on the WTC during the 1993 bombing.. his company replaced all the doors after that & stored the still serviceable ones in their lot so he was able to get one  (the job since replaced it w/an new roll down door when they made several upgrades to the FH in 1998 when 133 was organized including new lettering over the door) ....we placed the original ENGINE 275 lettering re painted red on a piece of silver Diamond Plate & fastened it above the apparatus door which is visible in the photo labeled AP11 showing the 1987 Mack that was my Rig when i was there...the Patch on the door of that Rig is the 275 "Merrick Blvd Magic...Now You See It Now You Don't" original Company Patch .....the plaque w/the Knight on it mounted on the front of the FH is a later edition after 133 arrived...it came from a Diner nearby that was being demolished ......missing from the photos is the experimental HUSH Pumper that 275 had for awhile but in the end did not get accepted (290 ..64..& ? also had it for trail periods)....the 59*BN was in the FH from 1970 to 1975 then disbanded during the "supposed" fiscal crisis  ( the 59 w/different personnel was re organized in 319 in 1984 in an attempt to ease the workload on the 46 & the 28 but was only on the slower fringe of both BNs & did not have much impact on either BN & was disbanded again in 1989).....while i was in 275 as CPT the Allen AME Church was located on the left side of the FH (visible in the aerial photo) & on the right side was an abandonded Garden Center (now a HIP Medical Center built on the large tract of land) the Pastor of the Church was the Reverend Floyd Flake who was a former politician & a big name in the Community who also ran the Allen School on Linden Blvd...he wanted to build a Cathedral encompassing the area of the existing Church & the FH site & the abandoned Garden Center site (almost a whole block) so he offered the City a deal ... he said he would build a FH of the City's design on a piece of property he had on Linden & Sutphin Blvd's in return for the property we were in on Merrick Blvd ...they said NO so he then built the large Cathedral on the other side of Merrick BLVD at 110 Ave a block up....while i was there the Minimum  Manning of 5 FFs was cut back to 4 in many ENGs but due to our workload we always started the tour w/5 FFs & were the last QNS ENG to loose the 5th FF if details were needed mid tour to fill in for injured FFs in other Units......    a funny story during my time there was in 1995 the job wanted to replace the sidewalk (apron) in the front of the FH ...so the Rig would have to be outside for awhile...i wanted a cage built but they said "no you can respond out of your parking lot onto the back St" (169 St)...so i was working the night tour before the work was to begin & was told have the Rig in the lot since they will be breaking concrete out front early...well if you look at the photo in the post labeled REAR you will see that the gate only opens so wide...to back the Rig in there we had to pull the mirrors in & after pulling Rig out on a Run stop & re adjust both mirrors  & relock the gate ...among many  other runs that night we had two that were jobs at our 1st Due boxes that we got beat into because of the delay getting out of the lot & re adjusting the mirrors & locking the gate ...after the second job i had enough of getting beat in i also figured it would be daylight in an hour or two so i said just park near the front of the FH on Merrick until the workers show up....now i am in my office trying to finish paperwork & i hear this tremendous BANG....my first thought was someone crashed into the Rig which was supposed to be in the back lot...i run to the window & look out...what happened was there was a large dumpster being delivered to be used to contain the concrete they would break & since the guy delivering it figured the street was pretty much deserted & had room in the Fire Zone IFO Qtrs he rather than properly unloading it using the winch he just unhooked it & slightly tilted the truck bed then pulled forward fast & shot it off onto the street. 

 

[soda-acid]

In the "Big House" on 162 St. Eng. 275 was in the right bay and responded to the north while Eng. 299 was in the left bay and responded to the south. When those two companies were moved it was reversed. Anyone have any idea why? Maybe just another FDNY mystery!

 

[lucky]

Re Engine 206's quarters on Metropolitan Avenue: I don't remember if I had ever mentioned this but they had a strange bunkroom in that each bunk was enclosed in a mosquito net and you had to open the zipper to get out of it. They were very close to Newton Creek which was quite polluted in those days.

 

[mack]

In regard to reply # 1957 above by mack ..EXCELLENT AS USUAL...some memories of a GREAT UNIT.... i was privileged to be assigned there as the CPT of 275 in Jan 1994....some additional facts & or trivia on the post... in the photo labeled FH1 showing the early FH w/the Mack Pumper notice there is no lettering  above the door....this is because out of the picture on the right hand side of the FH there is a 10 ft brick wall w/the lettering on it from when the house was built....when i was there we took down this wall to allow cars to pull into the right side of the FH & replaced it w/a large steel roll down door this was accomplished by a FF in the Company who was involved in an overhead door business ...the original door he put there was one that had been on the WTC during the 1993 bombing.. his company replaced all the doors after that & stored the still serviceable ones in their lot so he was able to get one  (the job since replaced it w/an new roll down door when they made several upgrades to the FH in 1998 when 133 was organized including new lettering over the door) ....we placed the original ENGINE 275 lettering re painted red on a piece of silver Diamond Plate & fastened it above the apparatus door which is visible in the photo labeled AP11 showing the 1987 Mack that was my Rig when i was there...the Patch on the door of that Rig is the 275 "Merrick Blvd Magic...Now You See It Now You Don't" original Company Patch .....the plaque w/the Knight on it mounted on the front of the FH is a later edition after 133 arrived...it came from a Diner nearby that was being demolished ......missing from the photos is the experimental HUSH Pumper that 275 had for awhile but in the end did not get accepted (290 ..64..& ? also had it for trail periods)....the 59*BN was in the FH from 1970 to 1975 then disbanded during the "supposed" fiscal crisis  ( the 59 w/different personnel was re organized in 319 in 1984 in an attempt to ease the workload on the 46 & the 28 but was only on the slower fringe of both BNs & did not have much impact on either BN & was disbanded again in 1989).....while i was in 275 as CPT the Allen AME Church was located on the left side of the FH (visible in the aerial photo) & on the right side was an abandonded Garden Center (now a HIP Medical Center built on the large tract of land) the Pastor of the Church was the Reverend Floyd Flake who was a former politician & a big name in the Community who also ran the Allen School on Linden Blvd...he wanted to build a Cathedral encompassing the area of the existing Church & the FH site & the abandoned Garden Center site (almost a whole block) so he offered the City a deal ... he said he would build a FH of the City's design on a piece of property he had on Linden & Sutphin Blvd's in return for the property we were in on Merrick Blvd ...they said NO so he then built the large Cathedral on the other side of Merrick BLVD at 110 Ave a block up....while i was there the Minimum  Manning of 5 FFs was cut back to 4 in many ENGs but due to our workload we always started the tour w/5 FFs & were the last QNS ENG to loose the 5th FF if details were needed mid tour to fill in for injured FFs in other Units......    a funny story during my time there was in 1995 the job wanted to replace the sidewalk (apron) in the front of the FH ...so the Rig would have to be outside for awhile...i wanted a cage built but they said "no you can respond out of your parking lot onto the back St" (169 St)...so i was working the night tour before the work was to begin & was told have the Rig in the lot since they will be breaking concrete out front early...well if you look at the photo in the post labeled REAR you will see that the gate only opens so wide...to back the Rig in there we had to pull the mirrors in & after pulling Rig out on a Run stop & re adjust both mirrors  & relock the gate ...among many  other runs that night we had two that were jobs at our 1st Due boxes that we got beat into because of the delay getting out of the lot & re adjusting the mirrors & locking the gate ...after the second job i had enough of getting beat in i also figured it would be daylight in an hour or two so i said just park near the front of the FH on Merrick until the workers show up....now i am in my office trying to finish paperwork & i hear this tremendous BANG....my first thought was someone crashed into the Rig which was supposed to be in the back lot...i run to the window & look out...what happened was there was a large dumpster being delivered to be used to contain the concrete they would break & since the guy delivering it figured the street was pretty much deserted & had room in the Fire Zone IFO Qtrs he rather than properly unloading it using the winch he just unhooked it & slightly tilted the truck bed then pulled forward fast & shot it off onto the street.

Chief - This looks like the E-One pumper that was tested by Engine 275:

   


Fire-Apparatus-Journal-July-August-1996-Vol-13-4

   

 

[68jk09]

Re Engine 206's quarters on Metropolitan Avenue: I don't remember if I had ever mentioned this but they had a strange bunkroom in that each bunk was enclosed in a mosquito net and you had to open the zipper to get out of it. They were very close to Newton Creek which was quite polluted in those days.

YES I remember the netting but remember more so the actual mosquitos ...almost all FHs back then had no AC & no window screens but did not have all those mosquitos from the Creek.....the Creek  as well as the Freight Rail Lines in the area were the reason for the amount of lumber yards etc back when 206 had the Hose Wagon  (many Units had wagons way back but 206 had their's long after other ENGs lost theirs....incidentally during Sandy Newtown Creek overflowed & flooded both 206s old Qtrs as well as the new Qtrs a few blocks over. 

 

[68jk09]

mack in regard to reply # 1972 above....Yes the is the HUSH test Pumper....it was quiet inside because the motor was in the rear under the hose bed but the crew compartment was just a wide open area w/no real provision to store gear or mount equipment like whats done on a conventional rig w/the motor in the crew cab including handles to hold onto also when any major work including some maintenance was needed the entire hose load had to be removed to access the motor.

 

[68jk09]

296 was supposed to go in with 103 at the onset, but was established in Queens instead. The numbers were over the door of the Bklyn. house already.

LAD*160 numbers were over the door at ENG*310 when that FH was built but LAD*160 did not exist until 1984 where it is in QNS today.

 

[811]

I remember Engine 206's two pieces were the last, lasting into the 1970s. While most other two-piece engines had 1954 Macks or 1950s Wards as second pieces.  Last I remember was 206 had a pair of c1965 Mack C-model diesels.  A really sharp looking set.

 

[68jk09]

I remember Engine 206's two pieces were the last, lasting into the 1970s. While most other two-piece engines had 1954 Macks or 1950s Wards as second pieces.  Last I remember was 206 had a pair of c1965 Mack C-model diesels.  A really sharp looking set.

I remember 2 occasions in 108 were we had 206s 2nd piece .....one time when our Rig broke down & there was to be no spare available until the next day when the Shops got parts  the BC ordered 206 to give us the 2nd piece to respond on until we got a spare...we left the hose on but added our 25' & 35' extension ladders on top of the hose bed....another time in '71 when we were moving from Siegel St to Union Ave the BC ordered 206 to empty the hose bed & give us the Rig for the day tour that we moved on to haul stuff.

 

[mack]

I remember Engine 206's two pieces were the last, lasting into the 1970s. While most other two-piece engines had 1954 Macks or 1950s Wards as second pieces.  Last I remember was 206 had a pair of c1965 Mack C-model diesels.  A really sharp looking set.

Engine 206 1965 Mack Model-C 1000 GPM Pumpers:

   


Engine 206 1198 Metropolitan Avenue Firehouse:

   


1198 Metropolitan Avenue Former Quarters:

   


Engine 206 - Old and New Firehouses:

   

 

[fdhistorian]

296 was supposed to go in with 103 at the onset, but was established in Queens instead. The numbers were over the door of the Bklyn. house already.

LAD*160 numbers were over the door at ENG*310 when that FH was built but LAD*160 did not exist until 1984 where it is in QNS today.

Ladder 160 was planned to be with Engine 310 in 1927.  When it finally happened in 1966, the Ladder was 174, even though 160 had never been used.
Ladder 141 was planned to be with Engine 292 in 1915 - still hasn't happened.
Ladder 145 was planned to be with Engine 296 in 1915 and Engine 296 was scheduled for the house that became Engine 290 and later Ladder 103.  Engine 296 wound up in College Point in 1918.

Engine 290 was most likely originally planned for Queens (haven't verified that yet.)

 

[811]

Nice shot with the two Macks, Mack. 

Location is not too far from Box 290, Stewart Ave & Scholes St which had a 5 alarm Borough Call on 8/12/1965 Signal was
77-290-66-55-277 (the supply box Manhattan Box 277 is now Clinton & Delancey Sts, just across the Williamsburg Bridge). 

(JK: do you remember another Borough Call at Box 290 around that time?  Can't find any record of it but I was told years ago there had been two different Borough Calls at Box 290).

 

[68jk09]

8-11 ^^^ I do remember 1 Boro Call at box 290 not sure about another Boro Call but several multiple's at that box.

 

[memory master]

There was a boro call there in the late 40's or early 50's. Check the WNYF from that time frame. I'm pretty sure it made the front cover.

 

[guitarman314]

There was a boro call there in the late 40's or early 50's. Check the WNYF from that time frame. I'm pretty sure it made the front cover.

  It was in the early 50's and there is a WNYF cover photo showing a 1940's vintage Mack pumper.