New York City Fire Stations

A fire station is a facility in which a local fire company is quartered. Often it is also home to one or more specialized firefighting units such as rescue companies, hazmat companies, marine (or fireboat) companies, or ambulances. Fire stations typically have living quarters for the full-time career firefighters, along with offices and vehicle maintenance areas. If the station houses a rescue company or hazmat unit, there are additional training and living facilities for those members.

Firefighters are called up from the station to respond to emergency calls via sirens, pagers, or radio. Those that live at the firehouse are usually on a shift schedule that includes either day or night shifts. Most stations have a kitchen and dining room, living rooms, bathrooms, and exercise equipment for the firefighters to use during their off hours. There may also be a library of reference materials and a “trophy wall” where firefighters display memorabilia.

Most large cities have multiple fire stations, with the number of units in each facility varying depending on the type of specialized response required. For example, an aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) station would likely be located near an airport, while a hazardous waste response team might be located nearby to a potential spill site.

The New York City Fire Department has 218 firehouses, each of which is staffed by four shifts of firefighters and company officers. The department is organized into battalions, each of which consists of three to eight firehouses. Each of these is staffed by a battalion chief, who commands the company officers and firefighters that serve on that shift.

In addition to the traditional firefighting services offered by the FDNY, it has responded to emergencies that have included subway or tunnel collapses, unstable buildings or collapsed structures, transit incidents, secluded bridges and tunnels, brush or other large-scale wildfires, and many other hazards. Its personnel have also rescued victims from auto accidents, extricated them from gas emergencies and other dangerous situations, and provided medical aid and assistance to those who have been injured in accidents or through natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods.

The FDNY’s unique challenges include the fact that many of its buildings are high-rise, that there are numerous secluded bridges and tunnels, and that the city is surrounded by dense wooded and other rural areas that are prone to fires. This means that the FDNY has to provide more emergency services than almost any other city.