In 1966 when Lower MANH.s SQ*8 was disbanded they basically became BKLYN's LAD*174.....back then 174 was put in place to add LAD availability in the expanding Fire area stemming from Brownsville....years later up into today Fire Duty has extended to the East Flatbush area & 174 is right in the heart of it....I had some memorable Fires & Emergencies both while running in with 174 while I was a FF in R*2 & later as a LT Covering in 174 at times.
From 1929 to 1961, no new ladder companies were organized. In the 1960's, eight new ladders were established. In the Bronx, Ladders 54 and 55 received the next available numbers, and on Staten Island, Ladders 85 and 86 were next up.
In Brooklyn and Queens, the next up numbers began at 171, but five lower numbers had been skipped going back to 1929. Thus, the Snyder Ave firehouse, scheduled and once lettered for Ladder 160, instead received Ladder 174. It wasn't until 1984 that Ladder 160 was finally organized in Queens, having been scheduled in 1927 for 310 house. Ladders 139, 141 and 145 also have different units in their scheduled locations.
