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From the New York City Fire Museum . . .
Flashback Friday – This week we look back at the first issue of WNYF in 1942, eighty years ago. The new publication came off the press shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Unites State’s entry into the war. With New York City perceived as a target, the emergency services, particularly the FDNY was preparing for the worst, and the issue talked a lot about those preparations.
Included in that was a short piece on the new “Emergency Utility Unit #1” which was soon to go into service. The former 1921 Mack City Service Hook & Ladder Truck was modified by the Department’s Shops as an apparatus that could perform and support many functions, particularly if they involved wartime threats. But all those functions could also support emergencies not created by an attack. It carried a dozen centrifugal pumps for de-watering operations, along with a variety of hoses to be used in conjunction with the pumps. The 1921 apparatus was retired in 1949 and was replaced by typical civilian box truck.
The unit was placed in service on January 1, 1942 and was housed in the quarters of Engine 260 in Queens. It was moved to the former quarters of Engine 49 on Roosevelt Island (then called Welfare Island) in 1958, then to the quarters of Engine 288 in 1959 and was eventually disbanded in 1960.
FDNY has long been on the cutting edge of innovation, and this is just one example from nearly a century ago.
Flashback Friday – This week we look back at the first issue of WNYF in 1942, eighty years ago. The new publication came off the press shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Unites State’s entry into the war. With New York City perceived as a target, the emergency services, particularly the FDNY was preparing for the worst, and the issue talked a lot about those preparations.
Included in that was a short piece on the new “Emergency Utility Unit #1” which was soon to go into service. The former 1921 Mack City Service Hook & Ladder Truck was modified by the Department’s Shops as an apparatus that could perform and support many functions, particularly if they involved wartime threats. But all those functions could also support emergencies not created by an attack. It carried a dozen centrifugal pumps for de-watering operations, along with a variety of hoses to be used in conjunction with the pumps. The 1921 apparatus was retired in 1949 and was replaced by typical civilian box truck.
The unit was placed in service on January 1, 1942 and was housed in the quarters of Engine 260 in Queens. It was moved to the former quarters of Engine 49 on Roosevelt Island (then called Welfare Island) in 1958, then to the quarters of Engine 288 in 1959 and was eventually disbanded in 1960.
FDNY has long been on the cutting edge of innovation, and this is just one example from nearly a century ago.
