Fire Stations and the FDNY

A fire station (also known as a fire hall, firemen’s hall, or engine house) is a structure or area for storing the equipment and vehicles used by a fire department. These include fire engines, personal protective gear, fire hoses, and other items needed for responding to an emergency. Fire stations may also contain living quarters for full-time career firefighters who sleep during a shift. Firestations are typically located near residential areas, and can be found in cities, towns, and villages as well as in small rural communities.

Firehouses are also the headquarters for a fire department, and may house administrative offices, training facilities, a fire academy, and other functions. They are often located in cities, towns, or villages and may be large buildings or structures such as warehouses. Fire stations are generally staffed with firefighters and administrative personnel, and may also contain living quarters for firefighter or paramedic recruits.

The city of New York has 218 firehouses, which are staffed by the FDNY’s 218 fire companies. These companies are similar to military units, and are commanded by an officer (lieutenant or captain). A fire company is manned by four firefighters for engine companies, five firefighters for ladder companies, six firefighters for rescue or squad companies, and seven firefighters for hazardous materials companies.

Fire calls are received at firehouses from the public through a variety of means. Most callers dial 9-1-1, which routes the incident directly to a fire department communications dispatch office. The call is then passed to a decision dispatcher, who assigns the appropriate personnel and equipment to the incident. Fire alarm boxes, which at one time lined many street corners and the doors of some buildings, are now handled by the fire department’s system of electronic fire alarm dispatching.

When a call is made, an alarm bell rings in the firehouse, and the firefighters are alerted to leave their beds or other living areas, and to prepare to respond. Upon arriving at the scene of an emergency, the crew is assigned to an apparatus, usually by radio, and the incident commander is called in for further instructions.

In addition to fires, the FDNY responds to medical and other emergencies, as well as disasters such as terrorist attacks. Often these incidents require specialized skills, such as firefighting, rescue, and hazmat operations. The FDNY has trained personnel for these incidents as well as for homeland security incidents. The FDNY is a unionized organization, with firefighters represented by IAFF Local 94, paramedics by IAFF Local 2507, and officers by IAFF Local 3621. Several television series have been filmed at FDNY firehouses, including the NBC drama Third Watch, which ran from 1999 to 2005. In 2019, the semi-autobiographical film King of Staten Island, directed by and starring Pete Davidson, made reference to his father Scott Matthew Davidson, a member of the FDNY, who was killed in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.