Roosevelt Island Firehouse

Back when MSU was on Roosevelt Island (then called Welfare Island) they had a CD Pumper in their Qtrs.... there were no Hi Rise Residential Bldgs ......many of the structures were abandoned medical & dormitory type bldgs ( in '68 we drilled in these bldgs while we were there in proby school ).....the main occupied bldgs were the two Hospitals named Goldwater Memorial Hosp. https://forgotten-ny.com/2017/05/goldwater-hospital-roosevelt-island-2002/ & Bird S. Coler Hosp. autopsy-of-a-hospital-a-photographic-record-of-coler-goldwater-on-roosevelt-island when a Box came in two FFs working in MSU would respond with the Pumper & provide a Preliminary for the incoming Units from off the Island & do whatever they could till other Units arrived......( pretty daunting occupied bldgs for the two initial FFs to be responding to with their backup a distance away ).
 
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68jk09 said:
Back when MSU was on Roosevelt Island (then called Welfare Island) they had a CD Pumper in their Qtrs.... there were no Hi Rise Residential Bldgs ......many of the structures were abandoned medical & dormitory type bldgs ( in '68 we drilled in these bldgs while we were there in proby school ).....the main occupied bldgs were the two Hospitals named Goldwater Memorial Hosp. https://forgotten-ny.com/2017/05/goldwater-hospital-roosevelt-island-2002/ & Bird S. Coler Hosp. autopsy-of-a-hospital-a-photographic-record-of-coler-goldwater-on-roosevelt-island when a Box came in two FFs working in MSU would respond with the Pumper & provide a Preliminary for the incoming Units from off the Island & do whatever they could till other Units arrived......( pretty daunting occupied bldgs for the two initial FFs to be responding to with their backup a distance away ).
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cool history brother.
 
In 1900, Engine 49 was a combination company that included a ladder truck. Engine 51 was a floating engine. I guess E16, then in quarters separate from L7, had to ferry over?
 
In addition to 319, the additional Signal 3 (not class 3) Special Building Boxes were on Blackwell's Island:
313 City Hospital
314 Penitentiary
315 Carpenter and Shoe Shop
316 Warden's Residence
317 Women's Almshouse
318 Men's Almshouse
321 Workhouse (not to be confused with Engine 49)
322 Lunatic Asylum (retreat)
323 Lunatic Asylum (lodge)
324 Metropolitan Hospital, Main Building
325 Pavilion, North End
 
entropychaser said:
In addition to 319, the additional Signal 3 (not class 3) Special Building Boxes were on Blackwell's Island:
313 City Hospital
314 Penitentiary
315 Carpenter and Shoe Shop
316 Warden's Residence
317 Women's Almshouse
318 Men's Almshouse
321 Workhouse (not to be confused with Engine 49)
322 Lunatic Asylum (retreat)
323 Lunatic Asylum (lodge)
324 Metropolitan Hospital, Main Building
325 Pavilion, North End
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Love "Lunatic Asylum" & the retreat & lodge. Lol
 
Sure ..it would be nice to have a “real fire house“ on the island , but not very practical ...the runs and work don't really justify it. I worked for 13 years in R-4 and maybe responded to 3 or 4 ,10-75‘s or greater on the island in my time. E-260 is only a few blocks to the bridge and L-116 isn’t that much further.

SOC has to go somewhere...Roosevelt Island isn’t perfect , but it’s SOMEWHAT centrally located in the city with easy Access to Queens , Manhattan and the Bronx. SOC really needs its own new place ....more of a big warehouse or commercial building...centrally located in the city , Maspeth, or LIC ,would be perfect. Needs to be big enough to consolidate, SOC island , the RDC and be able to store all the SOC equipment that is now being stored outdoors and scattered though out the City.
 
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TLTruckie said:
Sure ..it would be nice to have a “real fire house“ on the island , but not very practical ...the runs and work don't really justify it. I worked for 13 years in R-4 and maybe responded to 3 or 4 ,10-75‘s or greater on the island in my time. E-260 is only a few blocks to the bridge and L-116 isn’t that much further.

SOC has to go somewhere...Roosevelt Island isn’t perfect , but it’s SOMEWHAT centrally located in the city with easy Access to Queens , Manhattan and the Bronx. SOC really needs its own new place ....more of a big warehouse or commercial building...centrally located in the city , Maspeth, or LIC ,would be perfect. Needs to be big enough to consolidate, SOC island , the RDC and be able to store all the SOC equipment that is now being stored outdoors and scattered though out the City.
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You speak the truth brother.
 
Beside, if they where to open any new companies ( highly doubtful) I can think of many other place that are way busier or with longer responses time due to companies being so distant from each other. Right now the area around Hudson Yards comes to mind.
 
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For sure! but you said it "highly doubtful", I'll go one further Im 50... not in my lifetime. Mayor & council closed 6 firehouse to save what 18million (They say its cost city 3 million to run FH a year) That's chump change for the city of NY & none of them reopened. Just a shame.
 
Wait until the next mayor is elected (whoever that is). None of the candidates are really addressing the financial hole the city is in. The next mayor may be closing a lot more than 6 companies.
 
soda-acid said:
Wait until the next mayor is elected (whoever that is). None of the candidates are really addressing the financial hole the city is in. The next mayor may be closing a lot more than 6 companies.
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Shoot man..I really really hope not.
 
New York City budget same as State of Florida. Last 18 years, city population up 4%, city payroll up 20%. City employees wage growth three times national average. Busiest stock brokerage in the United States (Citadel Securities), 12 guys in a beachfront hotel in Palm Beach.
Stein's Law: Something that cannot go on forever, won't! (see: City of Detroit).
 
I have previously reported before that the first alarm assignment to Blackwell's Island in the early twentieth century was Engine 49, 16, 51 and the 10th Battalion( In the 10th was E22,39, Boat 43,44,49, and 53 and L13 and 16).
Interestingly, E 16 was the ONLY land engine to respond to Blackwell's, Ward's, and Randall's Islands from their quarters at 223 East 25th Street. There was a ferry slip at East 23rd Street (the General Slocum left from an East 3rd Street pier). There clearly were closer land engines to the islands. The 8th was the closest chief to Blackwell's (and now is first due). On the assignment for Ward's and Randall's Islands was E 16, 51, L 14 and the 12th Battalion from 120 East 125th Street. How did they get to the islands?
The interesting issue was the fire boat assignments to all the islands. Originally, it was E 43 from 99th Street and the East River. They closed in 1903 and moved to the mainland in1904. After that, E 51 from the foot of West 13th Street and the North River was
due to all of the East River islands.
But...they would have had to pass E 57 at the Battery @ Castle Garden and E 66 at the foot of Grand Street and the East River at Pier 55. Plus, they would had to have passed one or two Brooklyn boathouses.
Why?
 
entropychaser said:
I have previously reported before that the first alarm assignment to Blackwell's Island in the early twentieth century was Engine 49, 16, 51 and the 10th Battalion( In the 10th was E22,39, Boat 43,44,49, and 53 and L13 and 16).
Interestingly, E 16 was the ONLY land engine to respond to Blackwell's, Ward's, and Randall's Islands from their quarters at 223 East 25th Street. There was a ferry slip at East 23rd Street (the General Slocum left from an East 3rd Street pier). There clearly were closer land engines to the islands. The 8th was the closest chief to Blackwell's (and now is first due). On the assignment for Ward's and Randall's Islands was E 16, 51, L 14 and the 12th Battalion from 120 East 125th Street. How did they get to the islands?
The interesting issue was the fire boat assignments to all the islands. Originally, it was E 43 from 99th Street and the East River. They closed in 1903 and moved to the mainland in1904. After that, E 51 from the foot of West 13th Street and the North River was
due to all of the East River islands.
But...they would have had to pass E 57 at the Battery @ Castle Garden and E 66 at the foot of Grand Street and the East River at Pier 55. Plus, they would had to have passed one or two Brooklyn boathouses.
Why?
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Engine company numbers were permanently assigned to a specific fireboat and followed it to wherever it was berthed in the early years of the marine fleet.

Engine 51 was assigned to the 'Zophar Mills'. The Zophar Mills (Engine 51) replaced the the 'William F Havemeyer' (Engine 43) at the East 99th Street berth on the East River from 1903 to 1908.

In the Battalion 10 history, Engine 43 was in the battalion until 1903, then replaced by Engine 51. Land Engine 43 was assigned to Battalion 18 in 1904.
Fireboat 'William F Havemeyer' (Engine 43) was out of service from 1901 to 1903.

Engine 16 was the closest land engine to the E 23rd Street ferry slip.

Battalions could respond with the Fireboat until the bridge was built in 1909.

Engine 49 was a combination company and had a ladder apparatus assigned.
 
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fdhistorian said:
Engine company numbers were permanently assigned to a specific fireboat and followed it to wherever it was berthed in the early years of the marine fleet.

Engine 51 was assigned to the 'Zophar Mills'. The Zophar Mills (Engine 51) replaced the the 'William F Havemeyer' (Engine 43) at the East 99th Street berth on the East River from 1903 to 1908.

In the Battalion 10 history, Engine 43 was in the battalion until 1903, then replaced by Engine 51. Land Engine 43 was assigned to Battalion 18 in 1904.
Fireboat 'William F Havemeyer' (Engine 43) was out of service from 1901 to 1903.

Engine 16 was the closest land engine to the E 23rd Street ferry slip.

Battalions could respond with the Fireboat until the bridge was built in 1909.

Engine 49 was a combination company and had a ladder apparatus assigned.
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Cool info as always brother.
 
Before the Bridge from QNS to the Island was built there was an elevator in service up on the Queensboro / 59 St Bridge over the Island..... it could handle a car or a Pumper but no Ladder Rigs....with some of the old Pumpers they had to unbolt the front bumper to fit it into the elevator.....the elevator is no longer in service but as you cross the Bridge heading from QNS to MANH you can see the little setback along the way.
 
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