The Fire Stations of the FDNY
Fire stations are buildings or other structures that house fire fighting apparatus such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment and other specialized equipment. Fire stations are also used as working and living space for firefighters and support staff.
The FDNY has a number of firehouses, most of which are located in New York City’s five boroughs. Some are staffed by career firefighters and some are occupied by volunteers or retained firefighters.
These fire stations usually contain office space for the firefighters, and a library of reference materials. In addition, many have a “trophy wall” or case where the firefighters can display memorabilia from their time as fire fighters.
Stations are usually strategically placed in the communities they serve, allowing them to respond quickly to emergencies in their area. However, traffic problems may affect travel times to an emergency call.
Each fire truck is staffed with one or two firefighters, a captain and a driver. The captain is responsible for directing the crew to an emergency and overseeing their efforts to respond quickly and efficiently.
The Fire Department is organized into battalions, which each have three to eight fire companies. Each company is led by a captain, who commands three lieutenants and twelve to twenty firefighters.
Fire companies are assigned to different areas of the city and have a shift commander who supervises each shift and coordinates responses that require multiple fire trucks and crews. These captains often swap tours and work 24-hour shifts, followed by three days off.
They are backed up by an assistant division chief who is responsible for coordinating a variety of tasks including dispatch, planning and training, while the division chief is tasked with managing the day-to-day activities of the battalions.
Some fire stations are staffed with a full-time fire captain and a part-time fire chief. The captain and fire chief are responsible for ensuring that the department is able to meet its goals of protecting life and property, responding to all-hazards calls, and improving firefighting capabilities.
In addition to providing fire protection, most fire departments also provide emergency medical services, including basic and advanced life support. These fire departments have paramedics, emergency medical technicians and ambulance service workers.
These paramedics are responsible for supplying advanced life support to the patients at the scene of an accident, and they also provide transportation to a hospital. They also assist in the search and rescue operations at scenes of accidents.
The FDNY operates a number of ambulances that are staffed by paramedics and emergency medical technicians. The ambulances are designed to transport patients from an accident scene to the hospital, as well as to provide transportation to other destinations for further treatment.
Some fire departments have their own ambulances, while others use the services of private contractors to provide these services. This provides additional revenue for the fire department, and can increase response speeds on a given day.
A fire engine is a large vehicle that can be towed by a tractor or a trailer, or used as an aerial ladder. The fire engine can carry water and other specialized tools, such as a water sprayer, to fight fires in hard-to-reach locations, such as mountainous terrain or dense brushy areas. The vehicle also contains a supply of bottled water, a fire extinguisher and a hose that can be hooked up to an aerial ladder.