New York’s Bravest

Source – Wikipedia

The New York City Fire Department is the largest municipal fire department in the United States and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. The FDNY employs approximately 11,051 uniformed firefighters and 4,414 uniformed EMTs, paramedics, and fire inspectors. Its regulations are compiled in title 3 of the New York City Rules.^[8] The FDNY’s motto is New York’s Bravest for fire and New York’s Best for EMS. The FDNY serves more than 8.5 million residents within a 302 square mile area.^[9]

The FDNY headquarters is located at 9 MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn,^[10]and the FDNY Fire Academy is located on Randalls Island.^[11]

Organization

Like most fire departments of major cities in the United States, the New York City Fire Department is organized in a paramilitary fashion, and in many cases, echoes the structure of the police department.^[12] The department’s executive staff is divided into two areas that include a civilian Fire Commissionerwho serves as the head of the department and a Chief of Department who serves as the operational leader. The current Fire Commissioner is Daniel A. Nigro, who succeeded Salvatore J. Cassano in June 2014. The executive staff includes several civilian deputy commissioners who are responsible for the many administrative bureaus within the department, along with the Chief of Department, Chief of Fire Operations, Chief of EMS, Chief Fire Marshal, Chief of Training and other staff chiefs. Staff chiefs include the seven citywide tour commanders, the Chief of Fire Prevention, and the Chief of Safety.^[13][14]

Operationally and geographically, the department is organized into five Borough Commands for each of the five Boroughs of New York City. Within those five Borough Commands exists nine firefighting Divisions, each headed by a Deputy Division Chief. Within each Division are four to seven Battalions, each led by a Battalion chief. Each Battalion consists of three to eight firehouses and consists of approximately 180–200 firefighters and officers. Each firehouse consists of one to three fire companies. Each fire company is led by a Captain, who commands three lieutenants and nine to twenty firefighters. There are currently four shifts of firefighters in each company. Tours can be either night tours (6 p.m. – 9 a.m.) or day tours (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.). Under a swapping system called “mutuals”, most firefighters combine tours and work a 24-hour shift, followed by three days off. In one tour or shift, each company is commanded by a Lieutenant or the Captain and is made up of three to five firefighters, depending on the type of fire company/unit: an engine company is staffed by an officer and three to four firefighters; ladder, rescue & squad companies are staffed by an officer and five firefighters; a marine company is staffed by an officer and four firefighters; the hazardous materials (hazmat) company is staffed by an officer and six firefighters.

The FDNY faces highly multifaceted firefighting challenges in many ways unique to New York. In addition to responding to building types that range from wood-frame single family homes to high-rise structures, there are many secluded bridges and tunnels, the New York City Subwaysystem, as well as large parks and wooded areas that can give rise to brush fires. 

The FDNY also responds to many other incidents such as auto accidents, auto extrications, gas emergencies, entrapments, construction accidents, high-angle rescues, trench rescues, confined space incidents, explosions, transit incidents, unstable buildings or collapses, hazardous material incidents and many more.

History

1648–1865

The origins of the New York City Fire Department go back to 1648 when the first fire ordinance was adopted in what was then the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. Peter Stuyvesant, within one year of his arrival, appointed four fire wardens to wooden chimneys of thatched-roofed wooden houses, charging a penalty to owners whose chimneys were improperly swept. The first four fire wardens were Martin Krieger, Thomas Hall, Adrian Wyser, and George Woolsey.^[21]

First firefighting reservoir, behind school, 1831

Hooks, ladders and buckets were financed through the collection of fines for dirty chimneys, and a fire watch was established, consisting of eight wardens which were drawn from the male population. An organization known as the prowlers but given the nickname the rattle watch patrolled the streets with buckets, ladders and hooks from nine in the evening until dawn looking for fires. Leather shoe buckets, 250 in all, were manufactured by local Dutch shoemakers in 1658, and these bucket brigades are regarded as the beginning of the New York Fire Department.^[22]

In 1664 New Amsterdam became an English settlement and was renamed New York.^[23] The first New York fire brigade entered service in 1731 equipped with two hand-drawn pumpers which had been transported from London, England. These two pumpers formed Engine Company 1 and Engine Company 2. These were the first fire engines to be used in the American colonies, and all able-bodied citizens were required to respond to a fire alarm and to participate in the extinguishing under the supervision of the Aldermen.^[24]

The city’s first firehouse was built in 1736 in front of City Hall on Broad Street. A year later, on December 16, 1737, the colony’s General Assembly created the Volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York, appointing 30 men who would remain on call in exchange for exemption from jury and militia duty. The city’s first official firemen were required to be “able, discreet, and sober men who shall be known as Firemen of the City of New York, to be ready for service by night and by day and be diligent, industrious and vigilant.”^[24]

Although the 1737 Act created the basis of the fire department, the actual legal entity was incorporated in the State of New York on March 20, 1798 under the name of “Fire Department, City of New York.”

In 1845, the last great fire to affect Manhattanbegan early in the morning and was subdued that afternoon. The fire killed four firefighters, 26 civilians, and destroyed 345 buildings.^[25][26][27]

1865–1898Edit

Original sheet celebrating the official formation of the Metropolitan Fire Department, 1866

In 1865, the volunteer fire department was abolished by a state act which created the Metropolitan Fire District and the Metropolitan Fire Department (MFD). This effectively gave control of the fire departments in the cities of New York and Brooklyn to the Governor who appointed his Board of Commissioners. There was never any effective incorporation of the fire departments of the two cities during this period. It wasn’t until the Greater City of New York was consolidated in 1898 that the two were combined under one common organization or organizational structure. The change met with a mixed reaction from the citizens, and some of the eliminated volunteers became bitter and resentful, which resulted in both political battles and street fights. The insurance companies in the city, however, finally won the battle and had the volunteers replaced with paid professionals. The members of the paid fire department were primarily selected from the prior volunteers. All of the volunteer’s apparatus, including their fire houses, were seized by the state who made use of them to form the new organization and form the basis of the current FDNY. The MFD lasted until 1870 when the Tweed Charterended state control in the city. As a result, a new Board of Fire Commissioners was created and the original name of the Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) was reinstated.

Battalion Chief John J. Bresnan (left) answering a call in 1887. While leading men into a building fire in 1894, Bresnan became trapped and suffocated when a roof collapsed. It was stated: “no braver, abler or more conscientious man than John J. Bresnan ever drew a paycheck in the service of the City of New York.”^[28]

Initially, the paid fire service only covered present day Manhattan, until the act of 1865 which united Brooklyn with Manhattan to form the Metropolitan District. The same year the fire department consisted of 13 Chief Officers and 552 Company Officers and firemen. The officers and firemen worked a continuous tour of duty, with three hours a day off for meals and one day off a month, and were paid salaries according to their rank or grade. 1865 also saw the first adoption of regulations, although they were fairly strict and straitlaced. Following several large fires in 1866 which resulted in excessive fire losses and a rise in insurance rates, the fire department was reorganized under the command of General Alexander Shaler, and with military disciplinethe paid department reached its full potential which resulted in a general reduction in fire losses. In 1870 the merit system of promotion in the Fire Department was established. Southwestern Westchester County (which would later become the western Bronx) was annexed by New York in 1874 and the volunteers there were phased out and replaced by the paid department. This pattern was repeated as City services expanded elsewhere.

1898–2001Edit

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fireon March 25, 1911

An FDNY ambulance in 1949

FDNY in January 1969

On January 1, 1898 the different areas of New York were consolidated, which ushered the Fire Department into a new era. All the fire forces in the various sections were brought under the unified command of the first Commissioner in the history of the Fire Department. This same year Richmond (now Staten Island) became a part of the City of New York, but the volunteer units there remained in place until they were gradually replaced by paid units in 1915, 1928, 1932 and 1937 when only two volunteer units remained, Oceanic Hook & Ladder Vol Engine and Richmond Fire. 

The unification of the Fire Department, which took place in 1898, would pave the way for many changes. In 1909 the Fire Department received its first piece of motorized fire apparatus. On March 25, 1911 a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company killed 146 workers, most of whom were young female immigrants. Later the same year the fire college was formed to train new fire fighters, and in 1912 the Bureau of Fire Prevention was created.

In 1919 the Uniformed Firefighters Associationwas formed. Tower ladders and the SuperPumper System were introduced in 1965. Major apparatus of the SuperPumper System (the SuperPumper and the SuperTender) was phased out in 1982, in favor of the Maxi-Water Unit. But the 5 Satellite Units of the system, together with the Maxi-Water Unit (known as Satellite 6 since 1999) are still actively used as of 2007 for multiple alarm fires and certain other incidents. These are now called the Satellite Water System. Other technical advances included the introduction of high pressure water systems, the creation of a Marine fleet, adoption of vastly improved working conditions and the utilization of improved radio communications.

On November 23, 1965, incoming Mayor Lindsay announced the appointment of Robert O. Lowery as Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department. His was the first commissioner level appointment announced by the Mayor-elect. Lowery, who was the first African American to serve as a Fire Commissioner of a major U.S. city, served in that position for more than 7 years until his resignation on September 29, 1973 in order to campaign for then-Controller Abraham D. Beame, the Democratic candidate for Mayor.^[29] In 1982 the first female firefighters joined the ranks of the Fire Department.

The Manhattan quarters of FDNY Ladder Company 8, also known as the Ghostbusters’ Firehouse

In 1984 and 1989, the comedy films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II used the Manhattan Ladder Company 8 building for the externals of the Ghostbusters’ office building. On March 17, 1996, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani merged the emergency medical services of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation into the FDNY.

September 11, 2001 attacksEdit

A New York City firefighter looks up at what remains of the World Trade Center after its collapse during the September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were hijacked by Islamic terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda and flown into the World Trade Center‘s North and South Towers, respectively, causing massive damage to both towers during impact, and starting fires that caused the weakened 110-story skyscrapers to collapse within less than two hours.^[30]

FDNY fire companies and EMS crews were deployed to the World Trade Center minutes after Flight 11 struck the north tower. Chief officers set up a command center in the lobby as first arriving units entered the tower and firefighters began climbing the stairs. A mobile command center was also set up outside on Vesey Street, but was destroyed when the towers collapsed. A command post was then set up at a firehouse in Greenwich Village. The FDNY deployed 121 engine companies, 62 truck companies, 5 rescue companies, 6 squad companies, 27 Chief Officers, along with many other units to the site, with more than 1,000 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics on the scene when the towers collapsed.^[31][32]

A New York City Deputy chief coordinates the recovery effortunderway at the World Trade Center

Many firefighters arrived at the World Trade Center without meeting at the command centers. Problems with radio communication caused commanders to lose contact with many of the firefighters who went into the towers; those firefighters were unable to hear evacuation orders.^[33] There was practically no communication with the New York City Police Department, which had helicopters at the scene. When the towers collapsed, hundreds were killed or trapped within. 343 FDNY firefighters who responded to the attacks lost their lives. The fatalities included First Deputy Commissioner William M. Feehan, Chief of Department Peter Ganci^[32] Department Chaplain Mychal Judge,^[34] Battalion Chief Orio Palmer and Fire Marshal Ronald Bucca.^[35][36][37] Hundreds of firefighter funerals were held in the weeks to follow, including 16 in one day on Saturday, September 29, 2001.^[38]

Meanwhile, average response times to fires elsewhere in the city that day only rose by one minute, to 5.5 minutes.^[39] Many of the surviving firefighters continued to work alternating 24-hour shifts as part of the rescue and recovery effort. Firefighters and EMS personnel came from hundreds of miles around New York City, including numerous career and volunteer units in Upstate New York, Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida and even Michigan.

2002–presentEdit

A typical New York City firehouse. Pictured is the Brooklyn quarters of Engine Co. 205 and Ladder Co. 118, depicting a mural dedicated to firefighters lost on 9/11.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Fire Department has rebuilt itself and continues to serve the people of New York. During the Northeast Blackout of 2003, FDNY was called on to rescue hundreds of people from stranded elevators in approximately 800 Manhattan high-rise office and apartment buildings. The entire fire department was held over from the day tour to almost double the total force to 3,401 firefighters to handle the many fires which resulted, reportedly from people using candles for light.^[40]

At the beginning of the 21st century, there were 11,400 uniformed fire officers and firefighters under the command of the Chief of Department. The New York City Fire Department also employed 2800 Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics and Supervisors assigned to Department’s EMS Command, and 1200 civilian employees.

Daniel A. Nigro is the current commissioner of the FDNY. He was appointed to this job by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio in June 2014.^[41]

Fire Companies

A typical FDNY engine company, also known as a pumper or rig. Pictured is Engine Co. 34, quartered in Manhattan.

A typical FDNY ladder company, also known as a truck. Pictured is an aerial ladder truck operated by Ladder Co. 4, quartered in Manhattan.

A tower ladder is another type of truck operated by the FDNY. Pictured is a tower ladder truck operated by Ladder Co. 149, quartered in Brooklyn.

A tiller or tractor-drawn aerial ladder is another type of Ladder Truck operated by the FDNY. Pictured is a tiller ladder truck operated by Ladder Co. 5, quartered in Manhattan.

A typical FDNY rescue company, also known as a rescue truck. Pictured is Rescue Co. 1, which serves a large portion of Manhattan.

Marine Company 1, Fireboat Three Forty Three, quartered on the Hudson River, and Marine Company 9, Fireboat Firefighter II, quartered in New York Harbor.

Haz-Mat. Company 1, quartered in Queens, responds to all major hazardous materials-related calls citywide.

Haz-Mat. Company 1’s second piece of apparatus, which carries additional equipment and responds to all calls with the main apparatus.

Eagle insignia on an FDNY rig, 1974. Photo by Danny Lyon.

The New York City Fire Department is made up of fire companies, similar to military companies of men and women. Each fire company operates a single type of Fire apparatus and has four shifts of firefighters and company officers. Each company responds to emergency calls from one of the city’s 218 firehouses.

There are currently six different types of fire companies in the New York Fire Department which all operate distinct types of apparatus: 197 engine companies, 143 ladder (or truck) companies, 5 rescue companies, 8 squad companies, 3 marine (or fireboat) companies, and the hazardous materials (hazmat) company. In addition to these six types of fire companies, there are numerous other specialized units that are operated by the Special Operations Command (S.O.C.), the Haz-Mat. Division, and the Marine Division. Each fire company has a specific role at the scene of an emergency.

Each type of fire company utilizes a certain type of fire apparatus, colloquially known as “rigs”.

Engine companiesEdit

FDNY engine companies are tasked with fire suppression; securing a water supply from a fire hydrant, deploying handlines, then extinguishing a fire. The apparatus of an engine is known as a pumper truck and carries a pump (usually 1,000–2,000 gallons per minute), a water tank (usually 500 gallons), fire hoses of varying diameters (usually 1 3/4″, 2 1/2″, 3 1/2″ and 4″) in 50′ lengths, emergency medical services supplies, ground extension ladders, and an assortment of tools. There are 197 Engine Companies in the FDNY.

Ladder companiesEdit

FDNY ladder companies (also known as truck companies) are tasked with forcible entry, search and rescue, ventilation, and ladder-pipe operations at the scene of a fire. A Ladder Company can operate three types of ladder trucks: an aerial ladder truck, equipped with a 100′ aerial ladder mounted at the rear of the apparatus; a tower ladder truck, equipped with either a 75′ or 95′ telescoping boom and bucket mounted in the center of the apparatus; a tractor drawn aerial ladder truck, or tiller/tractor trailer, equipped with a 100′ aerial ladder. In addition, A ladder company carries various forcible entry tools, ventilation equipment, and hydraulic rescue tools as well as other equipment to deal with an assortment of fires and technical rescues, including motor vehicle accidents. There are 143 Ladder Companies in the FDNY.

Rescue companiesEdit

FDNY Rescue Companies are composed of the elite, highly and specially trained, most experienced members of the New York Fire Department. A rescue company is tasked with responding to and dealing with specialized fire and rescue incidents that are beyond the scope and duties of a standard engine or ladder company. Rescue companies operate rescue trucks, colloquially known as “tool boxes on wheels”, which carry a wide variety of specialized tools and equipment to aide in operations at technical rescues, such as rope rescue, building collapse rescue, confined space rescue, trench/excavation rescue, machinery rescue, and water rescue. They respond to all structure fires within their response district as well. There are 5 Rescue Companies in the FDNY:

• Rescue 1 serves Manhattan below 125th St. on the West Side and below 116th St. on the East Side. Rescue 1’s quarters are located at 530 W. 43rd St. in the Hell’s Kitchenneighborhood of Midtown, Manhattan.
• Rescue 2 serves central and northwestern Brooklyn. Rescue 2’s quarters are located at 1472 Bergen St. in the Crown Heightsneighborhood of Brooklyn.
• Rescue 3 serves the Bronx and Harlemabove 125th St. on the West Side and above 116th St. on the East Side. Rescue 3’s quarters are located at 1655 Washington Ave. in the Claremont neighborhood of the Bronx. Rescue 3 also has the Collapse Unit.
• Rescue 4 serves Queens. Rescue 4 is quartered with Engine 292 at 64–18 Queens Blvd. in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens.
• Rescue 5 serves Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. Rescue 5 is quartered with Engine 160 and the Chief of the 8th Division at 1850 Clove Rd. in the Grasmereneighborhood of Staten Island.

Squad companiesEdit

FDNY squad companies are also composed of specially trained firefighters of the New York Fire Department. Squad companies were initially established by the FDNY to serve as “manpower companies” to supplement the manpower and operations of engine and ladder companies. Today, squad companies can function as either Engine or ladder companies at the scene of a fire, but are also equipped with the same equipment and specialized tools as the rescue companies. In particular, members of a squad company are highly trained in mitigating hazardous materials (hazmat) incidents, supplementing the FDNY’s single hazmat company. Squad companies also operate a Freightliner M2-based medium rescue as a second piece of apparatus in response to Haz-Mat incidents. There are 8 Squad Companies in the FDNY:

• Squad 1 serves eastern Brooklyn. Squad 1’s quarters are located at 788 Union St. in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.
• Squad 8 serves Staten Island. Squad 8 is quartered with the Staten Island Borough Commander at 3730 Victory Blvd. in the Travis neighborhood of Staten island. Staten Island was served by Squad 1 until 2018, when Engine 154 was disbanded and Squad 8 was organized in the former quarters. Before that, Staten Island was the only borough without its own squad company.^[51]
• Squad 18 serves Manhattan below 125th St. Squad 18’s quarters are located at 132 W. 10th St. in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan.
• Squad 41 serves the southwestern Bronxand Manhattan above 125th St. Squad 41’s quarters are located at 330 E. 150th St. in the South Bronx neighborhood of the Bronx.
• Squad 61 serves the northeastern Bronx. Squad 61 is quartered with the Chief of the 20th Battalion at 1518 Williamsbridge Rd. in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx.
• Squad 252 serves western Brooklyn. Squad 252’s quarters are located at 617 Central Ave. in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.
• Squad 270 serves southern Queens. Squad 270 is quartered with the Chief of the 13th Division at 91–45 121st St. in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens.
• Squad 288 serves northern Queens. Squad 288 is quartered with Haz-Mat. 1 at 56–29 68th St. in the Maspeth neighborhood of Queens.

Hazardous materials companyEdit

The FDNY hazardous materials (hazmat) company, Haz-Mat 1 (quartered in Queens), responds to all major citywide hazardous materials incidents, building collapses, contamination-related incidents, terrorism-related disasters, major emergencies, and a variety of other incidents in which their services may be needed. Like the rescue and squad companies of the FDNY, members of Haz-Mat Company 1 are experienced and specially trained to deal with hazardous situations. The Haz-Mat company operates a Haz-Mat Truck, similar to a rescue truck, which carries a variety of equipment to deal with hazardous situations. Haz-Mat 1 also operates a smaller rescue truck which carries extra equipment not carried on the company’s main piece of apparatus. The Haz-Mat company is supplemented by the squad companies primarily, the rescue companies, and a handful of engine companies whose members are certified Haz-Mat Technicians. These engine companies, like the squad companies, also operate smaller step vans that carry hazmat equipment.

Apparatus manufacturersEdit

Learn more This section needs to be updated. In recent years, FDNY has used several fire apparatus manufacturers nearly exclusively. Beginning in the late 1970s, Mack and American LaFrance made most of the pumpersand ladder trucks in the FDNY fleet. In the late 1980s, Mack made only chassis and not apparatus bodies, so Ward was used for truck bodies. Often Mack would work with Baker Aerialscope to create its tower ladders. Mack left the fire apparatus business in the early 1990s and FDNY turned to Seagrave to develop its next generation of fire trucks. FDNY’s very specific specifications meant that few apparatus manufacturers could compete with Seagrave for the contract. Most of the engine companies in FDNY’s fleet are Seagrave Commander II’s and Seagrave Marauder II’s and include 500 gallon water tanks and either 1,000 or 2,000 gallon per minute pumps. The 2,000 gpm pumps are primarily located in the high-rise districts and are considered high pressure pumpers. With the loss of apparatus which occurred as a result of the September 11 attacks, FDNY began to use engines made by other companies including Ferrara, KME and E-One. The FDNY is making the move from a fixed cab to a “Split-Tilt” cab, so the Seagrave Marauder II Pumper will fill the FDNY’s new order for 69 new pumpers. In 2014, FDNY went to KME for an order of 97 pumpers over the next few years. The new KME pumpers are high pressure pumpers and feature the split tilt cab. As of January 2015, all future pumper orders will be ordered from KME. Ladder companies are generally equipped with Seagrave aerials. Ladder length varies and depends on needs of the communities to which the unit is assigned. Those in the older sections of the city often use tiller trucks to allow for greater maneuverability. Before Seagrave was the predominant builder, Mack CF’s built with Baker tower ladders were popular. Most FDNY aerials are built with 75’, 95′ or 100′ ladders. Tiller ladders, rear mount ladders and mid-mount tower ladders are the types of trucks used. In 2010, The FDNY chose Ferrara over Pierce, and E-One for a new contract that issued for 10–100′ rear-mount ladder trucks, using a chassis and stainless steel cab custom-designed to FDNY specifications. Delivery of the first of these new trucks took place in the 1st quarter of 2011.[needs update] For specialty units, FDNY uses a variety of manufacturers. Its current heavy rescues, often called a ‘toolbox on wheels’ were built by Ferrara. In 2010, a new contract was issued for five new rescue trucks, using a chassis and stainless steel cab custom-designed to FDNY specifications. As of January 2012, the new Ferrara Rescues 1–4 are in service, while the new Rescue 5 was, until it was involved in an incident and was taken out of service for repair. Rescue 5 was returned to service in August 2013.[52] Other specialty units, including hazardous material units, collapse trucks, and reserve rescues are made by American LaFrance, Pierce, E-One, Freightliner, and Ferrara (HAZMAT 1). Various body types include standard heavy rescue bodies, step vans, buses and smaller units built on GMC and Ford pick up truck bodies. FDNY battalion and division chiefs as well as EMS supervisors operate with GMC pick-up trucks with caps and roll out trays in the bed made by Odyssey Specialty Vehicles.[53]However, these are currently being phased out in favor of newer Chevrolet Silverado pick-up trucks with caps and roll out trays. EMS division chiefs use Ford Police Interceptor Utilities. The ambulances used by FDNY EMS are usually manufactured by Horton Ambulance, and the modules are generally mounted on Ford F-450 super duty truck chassis. When NYC EMS merged with the FDNY in 1996, ambulances had their orange stripe replaced with a red stripe, and they were manufactured by Wheeled Coach, again on Ford F-350 chassis. Some of the older ambulances were built by Southern Ambulance Builders and mounted on Chevrolet 3500 chassis. In 2017, the FDNY EMS began using Ford F-550 Super Duty/Wheeled Coach Type I ambulances. FireboatsEdit Main article: Fireboats of New York City In addition to its engine, truck, and rescue companies, FDNY operates three Class I fireboats as marine companies: Marine 1 – Three Forty Three Marine 6 – Bravest Marine 9 – Fire Fighter II Three older fireboats are kept in reserve: John D. McKean, Governor Alfred E. Smith, and Kevin C. Kane. A former FDNY Marine Unit, the John J. Harvey, is notable as having returned to active service as Marine 2 on September 11, 2001, and providing firefighting services for 80 hours following the attack.[54] In 2010, the newly built fireboat Three Forty Three replaced the John D. McKean, which entered service in 1954, as Marine 1. A twin, 140-foot, vessel, Fire Fighter II, replaced Fire Fighter, dedicated in 1938, as Marine 9.[55] The two new boats cost $60 million, funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, and represented the city’s first major investment in new fireboats in 50 years. The $2.4 million Bravest, commissioned on May 26, 2011, is smaller than the other two Class I boats, at 65 feet, but is able to operate in shallower waters, including those near the city’s airports. The department is also building a fleet of 14 smaller, class II fireboats, with ten 33-foot Rapid Response Fire, three 31-foot medical response and one 33-foot SCUBA boats expected to have been delivered by January 2013.[56] Volunteer departmentsEdit Former headquarters of the Brooklyn Fire Department, near MetroTech Center; it was designed by architect Frank Freeman and built in 1892. Nine volunteer fire companies remain in New York City and respond to calls in their neighborhood, in addition to FDNY units. They are typically in more isolated neighborhoods of the city. By borough, the volunteer companies are: Bronx (1) – Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 Brooklyn (1) – Gerritsen Beach Fire Volunteers Inc. Queens (5) – West Hamilton Beach VFD, Broad Channel VFD, Roxbury VFD, Rockaway Point VFD, and Point Breeze VFD Staten Island (2) – Oceanic H&L Company No. 1 & Richmond Engine Co. 1 The Staten Island volunteer companies are dispatched by the Staten Island Communications Office and operate on the FDNY Staten Island frequency. Broad Channel and West Hamilton Beach have teleprinters in parallel with the FDNY fire companies that also serve their area. The Brooklyn and first four volunteer companies in Queens also provide ambulance services. The nine volunteer fire departments supplement the FDNY, however they have sometimes proven essential, for example during storms when flooding conditions prevented FDNY companies from reaching alarms promptly or at all. Typically the departments respond in addition to the initial assignment dispatched by the FDNY. The volunteer departments are fully trained and operational with the apparatus and equipment they have. Therefore, when they arrive to a scene first or when needed they will implement their operations alongside FDNY as applicable. Other unitsEdit FDNY EMS Supervisor 936’s Command pickup, a 2012 GMC Extended Crew Cab 4X4 Diesel Pickup XLS built by Odyssey Specialty Vehicles. Collapse Rescue 1’s apparatus. One of the many smaller S.O.C. Support Trucks operated by the FDNY for use at various emergencies. MERV-1 Battalion Chief’s Unit : A Battalion Chief’s Unit is a command vehicle tasked with the responsibility of delivering a Battalion Chief to the fire scene. Once on the fire scene, the vehicle then takes on the role of a Command Vehicle, utilizing its radios and MDT equipment. There are 53 Battalion Chief’s Units in the FDNY. Division Chief’s Unit : A Division Chief’s Unit, like a Battalion Chief’s Unit, is a command vehicle tasked with the responsibility of delivering a Division Chief to the fire scene. Once on the fire scene, the vehicle then takes on the role of a Command Vehicle, utilizing its radios and MDTequipment. There are 9 Division Chief’s Units in the FDNY. Mask Service Unit (M.S.U.) : The equipment in these vehicles refills the air bottles used by firefighters to breathe in a fire. Recuperation and Care Unit (R.A.C.) : A vehicle that is specially outfitted with equipment that will enable it to provide rehabilitation to firefighters on a fireground. Field Communications Unit (Field Comm.) : A vehicle that is specially equipped with communication equipment such as telephones, broadband internet, and mobile radios. Its main responsibility is to provide communication support to the on scene Incident Commander. Tactical Support Unit (T.S.U.) : A 4×4 vehicle equipped with generators and a variety of high intensity lights to aid firefighters during low light conditions. In addition, specialized equipment such as extrication tools and a six-person Avon boat is also carried. Thawing Unit : The Thawing Units are vehicles that carry a portable steam-generating boiler; its high-pressure steam is used to thaw frozen hydrants,[57]connections, and hoselines,[58] and to keep equipment on the fireground, such as aerial ladders, free of ice.[59] There is only one thawing unit per borough.[57] Brush Fire Unit : A vehicle that is a four-wheel-drive, all-terrain unit used to reach hilly, remote and marshy areas to extinguish fires involving weeds, grass and other vegetation. Along with regular firefighting equipment, it carries its own water, as well as rakes, shovels, and backpack extinguishers. Ambulance : The New York City Fire Department staffs EMT-Basic and EMT Paramedic Ambulances to provide emergency medical services to the city of New York. These are commonly referred to by the slang term bus. Haz-Tac Ambulance : 39 EMS Units are known as the Hazardous Material Tactical Units (Haz-Tac Ambulances), are trained to the Haz Mat Technician level allowing them to provide emergency medical care and decontamination in a hazardous environment, in addition to their normal 911 duties. Rescue Medic : An ALS or paramedic ambulance that are trained to the Haz Mat Technician level and are also trained as Rescue Medical Technicians specializing in medical care in austere environments, the members of a rescue medic units are included in an extra 12% speciality pay. EMS Conditions Unit is a vehicle that is assigned to an Emergency Medical Service supervisor. An Emergency Medical Service supervisor oversees ambulances within his or her assigned area. Haz Tac Battalion Unit is a vehicle that is assigned to an Emergency Medical Service supervisor. This Officer is the Captain of the FDNY EMS SOC unit. The Officer is trained as a Hazmat Technician and as Rescue Technician. The unit responds to speciality assignments to oversee the medical management at special assignments and the overall operation of the Haz Tac Battalion. Haz Tac Officer’s Unit is a vehicle that is assigned to an Emergency Medical Service supervisor. This Officer is trained as a Hazmat Technician and as Rescue Technician. The unit responds to specialty assignments to oversee the medical management at special assignments. There are two units that cover the entire City of New York 24/7. EMS MERV is a vehicle that is assigned to all major medical emergencies within its borough. The Major Emergency Response Vehicle is capable of treating multiple patients at a time. EMS LSU is a vehicle assigned to all medical emergencies that have multiple patients. The Logistical Support Unit carries a surplus of certain medical supplies used at MCIs. EMS Response Physician is a Fire Department EMS Medical Director who is an Emergency Physician with specialized training in Hazardous Material, Technical Rescue, and other specialized prehospital skills such as on-scene limb amputations. The Response Physician responds to major Mass Casualty Incidents or as part of the Rescue Medical Task Force for patients requiring technical rescue or prolonged extrication. There are 9 EMS response physicians throughout the city who go by the radio designation Car 5M[60] (“5 Mary Car”).