New York City Fire Stations

In a city with many neighborhoods and a lot of buildings, the fire department needs to be able to respond quickly when a call comes in. That’s why it has fire stations, which are facilities where firefighters can gather to get ready for an emergency and to store their equipment. Fire stations can be as complex as a multi-story building or as simple as an old truck garage, depending on the needs of the local community. They can have living quarters, office spaces, kitchens, repair shops, gyms, classrooms, community rooms, training props, warehouse space, and more.

If the fire station is staffed by full-time career firefighters, there will be living quarters where they sleep at night when not on duty. There will also be offices and areas where they work during the day. When a call comes in, the firefighters will wake up and come down to the firehouse, where they will get ready for the emergency. They may then drive to the scene of the emergency, where they will often slide down a pole (a fireman’s ladder) rather than walking down stairs.

Firestations are also often home to the fire department’s fleet services, which is where the trucks are stored and serviced. They can also be home to a fire academy, where the firefighters are trained. Firefighters also work in ambulances and are part of the EMS unit.

The fire department in New York City has 218 firehouses, 39 EMS stations and other support facilities. Each firehouse houses one to three fire companies, which are groups of firefighters whose job is to respond to emergencies. Each company is commanded by an officer, which can be a lieutenant or captain. There can be anywhere from four to eight firefighters in a company.

When a fire station is home to multiple fire companies, there will be a battalion chief who is in charge of the entire group. This can be useful if there are several fires or other emergency situations happening at once. It can also be helpful if there is someone to coordinate all the response teams in an incident.

In some cities, the fire departments are run by volunteers, so the fire stations will be staffed with volunteer firefighters. However, in cities like New York, most of the fire stations are staffed with career firefighters who are paid by the city. The volunteer firefighters are typically allowed to swap shifts with their colleagues under a system called mutual aid, so they can get some time off when needed.

Visit FDNY Engine 95 and Ladder 36 in Inwood, Manhattan to learn more about the different responsibilities of a fire company! The firefighters here are all really friendly dudes, and they LOVE their station. Plus, they have a really cool scrapbook that you can see!