FDNY EMS STATION 44 BROOKLYN
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Archives of the Mayor's Press Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate: Monday, December 7, 1998
Release #550-98
Contact: Colleen Roche/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958Mike Reagan 718-999-2056 (FDNY)
MAYOR GIULIANI AND FIRE COMMISSIONER VON ESSEN CUT RIBBON TO OPEN BROOKLYN'S FIRST NEW EMS STATION
The 'Tin House' - Former Home of FDNY's Engine Company 232 - Reopens To Serve The Brownsville Community
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen today cut the ribbon officially opening Brooklyn's first new EMS Station, FDNY/EMS Battalion 44, at 266 Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville. Also on hand for the celebration was Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden."Today is a great day for the people of Brooklyn," said Mayor Giuliani. "As we celebrate the reopening of the Tin House, following its unceremonious closing ten years ago, we also pay tribute to the men and women who will provide emergency medical services to the residents of Brownsville.
"Each day emergency medical technicians risk their lives when they respond to New Yorkers' calls for help. And for this we are grateful. Since the Fire Department and EMS merged two years ago, EMS response times have fallen significantly and now, more than ever, EMS is using its resources very efficiently. I want to congratulate all of you on your new station house and thank you again for your service to the people of New York City," the Mayor concluded.
During halftime of Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988, Engine Company 232 -- also known as the Tin House -- received a call to cover for another Brooklyn engine company that had allegedly been called out to a fire. Later that evening, the firefighters returned and were met by a large contingent of FDNY Chiefs, fire marshals and police officers -- only to discover that their firehouse was being closed. It was subsequently discovered that the earlier alarm had been a ploy to get them out of the building so it could be closed.
Fire Commissioner Von Essen said, "This station is the seventh of what we hope will be additional community-based EMS stations throughout the City. This facility will not only act as a home base for the Fire Department medical personnel in this area, but will serve as a neighborhood symbol of dedication, pride and commitment to the men and women who work here, as well as to the members of the community."
Brooklyn Borough President Golden said, "I am pleased that after more than ten years, this building will return to service as a neighborhood ambulance station which will reduce response times for medical emergencies in Brownsville and the surrounding area. I am pleased that Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Von Essen also realize the true value of the 'Tin House' - not as a piece of property, but as a life-saving facility."
Due to the deteriorating conditions of the original prefabricated tin structure, the Tin House building was almost completely demolished during the $1,062,627 year-long renovation, by the City Department of Design and Construction, which left only steel girders and one wall standing. The new station is now home to six EMS units - four Basic Life Support and two Advanced Life Support units. The station will also contain training facilities for the 80 men and women assigned to the station.
In celebration of EMS Week, the spotlight is on Station 44 EMTs Martell Rolan and Jordan Tymony, who courageously helped to deliver a baby in the living room of a Brooklyn home last month. Today, join us in learning why these two young heroes decided to work for the largest, most highly-trained EMS in the world.
EMT Martell Rolan
“I joined the FDNY mainly because of my grandmother. Unfortunately, she passed away when I was younger, but I saw the interaction with the unit who was on the call to help her. I told myself I am going to work in my neighborhood and help people in need and treat them with dignity and respect. Being able to render care to people from all walks of life is something that I am proud of. We are not here to judge anybody, we are just here to help,” said Rolan, who has been serving in our Department for nearly three years. “Working within Central Brooklyn is an experience. There is no typical day here. Since I’ve been an EMT here, I’ve delivered two babies. We are unsung heroes. We have so many calls and it’s job after job, and we utilize our training to help people. We meet so many families and we receive plenty of thank you's. It’s a good feeling, but there is always the next call. We do the job that we are trained for and we are prepared for anything we may face.”
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When the BKLYN & the BX Tinhouses opened the concept was that as Fire Duty moved around in the City the Structures could also be moved as they were on a slab & built piece by piece....this never happened but I am surprised that after 50 yrs the original structures are still standing & serviceable......when first built they were looked at as temporary & sort of disposable.
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Chief, I don't think you can say that the Bklyn Tin House is the same building that originally opened as "The Tin House". As mentioned in Mack's post above, the only thing they left standing when they renovated was one wall and the steel girders. Reminds me of what the Air Force did with barracks buildings at the old Lowry AFB in Denver in the mid-60s. They were denied funding for new buildings to replace the "temporary" barracks that were put up during WWII, but were given funds to "renovate" the existing buildings. What the USAF did was jack up the roofs of the barracks and put up entirely new structures under those roofs. Of course, when that was done, they went back for funding to replace the "old, worn out roofs" of the barracks. True story . . . I was stationed there when it happened.
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When I was a new LT I Covered on & off in the BKLYN Tinhouse .....232 was still there & 176 had moved up Rockaway Ave to the new FH with 233..... there was a list of phone numbers in the Office of Officers & Members to call if anything came down from HQ about the rumored closing....I always hoped it did not happen at all but especially on a Tour that I was working there as I knew it would be very emotional for the BROTHERS....I was not working there on the Super Bowl Sunday when the despicable closing took place.....awhile afterward I was at the March from the then HQ on Livingston St & over the BKLYN Bridge.... the March stepped off fronted by a large American Flag & led by CPT Ronnie Q. followed by the LTs & then the FFs.of The Tin House & then BROTHERS from all over the City.....it was very sad seeing so many well known Veteran Officers & FFs together on such a sad occasion after getting unceremoniously screwed & loosing their FH & seeing their Busy Unit dissolved.....BMA.