Brooklyn Fire Department

Last updated

Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, headquarters of the Brooklyn Fire Department from 1894 to 1898 BrooklynFireDepartment 0751.jpg
Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, headquarters of the Brooklyn Fire Department from 1894 to 1898

The Brooklyn Fire Department (BFD) was a professional fire department that provided fire protection and rescue services to the city of Brooklyn, New York, within modern-day New York City, from 1869 to 1898. The Brooklyn Fire Department, a paid firefighting force, replaced a 3,000-person volunteer fire department that was poorly equipped to serve Brooklyn's growing population.

Contents

The Brooklyn Fire Department consisted of 13 engine companies and 6 ladder companies, as well as two fire boats. A headquarters building was built in Downtown Brooklyn in 1894. and several firehouses were built in the mid-1890s when Brooklyn annexed several smaller towns. The Brooklyn Fire Department was subsumed into the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in 1898, upon Brooklyn's consolidation with New York City.

History

Initially, the city of Brooklyn was covered by several volunteer fire departments, mostly close to the shore of the East River, where there were relatively high land values that consequently warranted more extensive fire protections. The first such company was founded in 1785 in Brooklyn Heights, and consisted of an engineer and five firemen operating from a firehouse near Cadman Plaza. [1] : 3  [2] : 569  The volunteer force grew to 3,000 by the mid-19th century, and as the number of fires increased, so did the amount of losses. Since other cities in the U.S. would develop professional firefighting forces, several residents and insurance workers started advocating for such a force in the city of Brooklyn. [1] : 3  A bill for the establishment of a paid fire department was introduced in the Brooklyn city council in 1858, though the bill was not passed. [3] : 68 

In May 1869, another piece of legislation to create a professional, paid firefighting force was passed and signed by New York governor John T. Hoffman. [1] : 4  [3] : 69  The bill enabled the appointment of several fire commissioners, who in turn hired various staff and procured the BFD's apparatus. [3] : 70–73  The Brooklyn Fire Department, a paid firefighting force, was organized on September 15, 1869, replacing the 3,000-person volunteer force. [3] : 76  [4] [5] According to an official BFD history, the volunteer department had been made obsolete due to technological advances that rendered the volunteers unable to respond efficiently to fires. [3] : 76 

Upon its organization, the Brooklyn Fire Department consisted of 13 engine companies and 6 ladder companies, [3] : 74–76  [6] though several new engine and ladder companies were added over the following years. [6] By 1870, the cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburg had merged their volunteer fire departments with the BFD. [7] Several other towns were annexed into Brooklyn in the 1880s and 1890s, namely Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, and New Utrecht. [8] As they were annexed, these municipalities merged their volunteer fire departments with the BFD. [7] Under Fire Commissioner Frederick W. Wurster, the Brooklyn Fire Department built several new firehouses in the newly annexed areas in 1894. [1] : 4 

After the 1898 consolidation of Brooklyn with the other four boroughs and creation of the modern City of New York, the companies and equipment of the Brooklyn and Long Island City Fire Departments were merged with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) on January 28, 1898. [6] [9] The companies of the former Queens and Brooklyn fire departments were renumbered in 1913. [9]

Equipment

Brooklyn Fire Department fireboat David A. Boody Fireboat David A. Boody.jpg
Brooklyn Fire Department fireboat David A. Boody

The department operated two fireboats, the Seth Low and David A. Boody. The Seth Low, named for Brooklyn mayor Seth Low, was a wooden-hull boat used by the BFD and then the FDNY from 1885 to 1917. [3] : 254–256  [10] The David A. Boody was built in 1892 [10] and was used by the BFD and FDNY until her scrapping in 1916. [11]

Facilities

Former Brooklyn Fire Department firehouse, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn Engine Company 240 Battalion 48 Windsor Terrace.jpg
Former Brooklyn Fire Department firehouse, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Headquarters

Around 1890, the Brooklyn Fire Department began planning for the construction of a new fire headquarters with a tall lookout tower. The BFD commissioned Frank Freeman to design the Brooklyn Fire Headquarters on Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The new building was nearly completed in 1892, although the fire department did not occupy the building until March 1894. [12] Though originally intended as the department's headquarters, it served in this role for only four years until the Brooklyn Fire Department was incorporated into the FDNY. [13] [12] The building was converted to residential use in 2015. [14]

Fire houses and bell towers

Before the rise of the fire alarm system, the Brooklyn Fire Department had four bell towers from which firefighters could spot fires from afar. These were located at Brooklyn City Hall; the intersection of Hicks and Sackett Streets in Cobble Hill, south Brooklyn; the intersection of North First Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, north Brooklyn; and the intersection of Ten Eycke and Manhattan Avenue (formerly Ewen Street) in East Williamsburg, east Brooklyn. Only the City Hall tower was initially able to receive messages from the Brooklyn police department, but within a year of its foundation, lines were also run to North 1st Street and Hicks Street. These towers controlled the 14 districts in the city of Brooklyn. [3] : 77 

The Brooklyn Fire Department also had a firehouse for each engine company. In 2013, two firehouses, Engine Company 240/Battalion 48 in Windsor Terrace and Engine Company 228 in Sunset Park, were made official city landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; both of these remain active FDNY firehouses. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

Los Angeles Fire Department Fire department of the city of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services to the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately 4 million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is one of the largest municipal fire departments in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department may be unofficially referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department which serves the county and whose name may directly confuse people, as the county seat is the city. Another possible reason is that the city and the unincorporated county are often bordering each other and thus the two appear to be serving the same area. The department is currently under the command of chief Kristin Crowley.

New York City Fire Department Fire department in New York City

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection, technical rescue services, primary response to biological, chemical, and radioactive hazards, and emergency medical services responses to the five boroughs of New York City.

New York City Fire Museum

The New York City Fire Museum is a museum dedicated to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is housed in the former quarters of the FDNY's Engine Company No. 30, a renovated 1904 fire house at 278 Spring Street between Varick and Hudson Streets.

Toronto Fire Services

Toronto Fire Services (TFS) provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada.

The New York City Fire Department in the United States, like most fire departments around the world, is organized in a paramilitary fashion. Its organizational structure includes regional commands for various geographic areas within its jurisdiction, operational commands for units of different functions, and administrative units and offices for various administrative functions.

David A. Boody American politician

David Augustus Boody was an American politician and a United States Representative from New York.

Boston Fire Department

The Boston Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts United States. It also provides a response to a variety of additional emergencies such as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, electrical hazards, floods, and construction accidents among others.

Detroit Fire Department

The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan.

Firehouse, Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 9 Fire station in Manhattan, New York

Firehouse, Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 9 is a New York City Fire Department firehouse at 42 Great Jones Street in NoHo, Manhattan. It is the home of Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 9. The building is a Beaux Arts structure built in 1899 by Ernest Flagg and W.B. Chambers.

<i>Fire Fighter</i> (fireboat) New York City fireboat

Fire Fighter is a fireboat which served the New York City Fire Department from 1938 through 2010, serving with Marine Companies 1, 8 and 9 during her career. The most powerful diesel-electric fireboat in terms of pumping capacity when built in 1938, Fire Fighter fought more than 50 major fires during her career, including fires aboard the SS Normandie in 1942 and the SS El Estero in 1944, the 1973 collision of the Esso Brussels and SS Sea Witch, and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Milwaukee Fire Department

The Milwaukee Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department is responsible for an area of 96.12 square miles (248.9 km2) with a population of 594,833. It is the largest fire department in the State of Wisconsin.

Firefighting in the United States Firefighting

Firefighting in the United States dates back to the earliest European colonies in the Americas. Early firefighters were simply community members who would respond to neighborhood fires with buckets. The first dedicated volunteer fire brigade was established in 1736 in Philadelphia. These volunteer companies were often paid by insurance companies in return for protecting their clients.

<i>Firehouse USA: Boston</i> Television series

Firehouse USA: Boston was a 2005 TV series on Discovery Channel. The series followed Boston Fire Department Engine Company 37 and Ladder Company 26, quartered on Huntington Ave., Boston, Massachusetts. The narrator was Mikey Kelley and the executive producer was Mark Kadin. The series premiered September 20, 2005 and was canceled later that year. A likely reason Huntington Ave was chosen was due to it being regarded as one of the busiest firehouses in Boston.

Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters

The Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters is a historic building located at 365-67 Jay Street near Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Frank Freeman in the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style and built in 1892 for the Brooklyn Fire Department, it was used as a fire station until the 1970s, after which it was converted into residential apartments. The building, described as "one of New York's best and most striking architectural compositions", was made a New York City landmark in 1966, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Bridgeport Fire Department

The Bridgeport Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Vulcan Society, founded in 1940, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters in New York City, United States.

<i>David A. Boody</i> (fireboat) Former New York City fireboat (from 1892 to 1914)

The David A. Boody was a fireboat operated on the North River, the lower portion of the Hudson River, within New York state. She was built and commissioned in 1892 for the Brooklyn Fire Department and was operated by the BFD until Brooklyn's fleet was merged with that of nearby New York City.

Firehouse, Engine Company 261 and Ladder Company 116

Firehouse, Engine Company 261 and Ladder Company 116 is a New York City Fire Department firehouse at 37-20 29th Street in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. The firehouse was originally built in 1932 for Engine Company 261 and Ladder Company 116.

Long Island City Fire Department Former fire department of Long Island City, New York

The Long Island City Fire Department was run by the independent municipality of Long Island City, in what is now Queens, New York City.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Firehouse, Engine Company 40 and Hook & Ladder Company 21" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. February 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ Stiles, H.R.; Brockett, L.P.; Proctor, L.B. (1884). The Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History, and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. from 1683 to 1884. New York: county and regional histories and atlases. Munsell.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Our firemen: the official history of the Brooklyn Fire Department, from the first volunteer to the latest appointee". Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Fire Dept. 1892. pp. 100–102. Retrieved October 27, 2019– via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ "The New Fire Department". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 16, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved November 14, 2019– via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  5. ↑ "The New Brooklyn Fire Department". The New York Times. September 14, 1869. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 "Brooklyn Fire Department". nyfd.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Putting Out Fires Since 1865!". Brooklyn Public Library. April 1, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ Burrows, Edwin G. and Wallace, Mike (1999). Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 . New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 1220–1235. ISBN   0-195-11634-8.
  9. 1 2 Manbeck, J.B. (2008). Brooklyn: Historically Speaking. American Chronicles. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 69. ISBN   978-1-61423-789-1 . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  10. 1 2 Meek, Clarence E. (July 1954). "Fireboats Through The Years" . Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  11. ↑ "ADAMSON REDUCES EXPENSES BY $700,000; Cuts Down Fire Companies and Will Retire the Fireboat Boody". The New York Times. June 29, 1914. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Gray, Christopher (April 16, 2006). "Civic Ambition, and Politics, on Jay Street". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Morrone, Francis (2001). An architectural guidebook to Brooklyn. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith. pp. 22, 23. ISBN   978-1-58685-047-0. OCLC   45284576.
  14. ↑ Spellen, Suzanne (July 5, 2017). "Brooklyn's Fire Headquarters, Restored Romanesque Splendor". Brownstoner. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ Harris, Elizabeth A. (February 12, 2013). "5 Firehouses Recognized as City Landmarks". City Room. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Two Brooklyn firehouses named as landmarks". Brooklyn Eagle. February 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.