Fire Stations

Fire stations are facilities that house and store fire trucks, fire apparatus and other equipment. They also have a living area for firefighters and staff, offices and other facilities. Fire station personnel perform daily activities, including inspection and maintenance of the vehicles, training drills and responding to emergency calls. Fire stations may host activities for the public, such as community fire prevention weeks. The facility may be operated by a volunteer organization, often called a “firemen’s association” or fire buffs group”.

Fire hydrant: A water fountain type device used to supply water for fighting fires and other emergencies. The New York City Fire Department has 197 engine (or pumper) companies, 143 ladder (or truck) companies and 5 rescue (or squad) companies. Each company has its own unique role at the scene of an emergency. Engine companies are tasked with providing fire suppression, which includes securing a water supply from a hydrant or other source, and deploying handlines. Ladder companies are tasked with climbing ladders and other structures to reach and rescue people from high-rise buildings or other difficult locations. Rescue companies are tasked with searching for and recovering persons trapped in dangerous situations such as collapsed buildings or chemical spills.

Box: A mailslot or other file system that contains a notecard listing the specific fire departments and firefighters that should be dispatched to an incident type, such as a structure fire. The concept of assigning boxes to a particular geographic area or incident type significantly streamlined the process of getting the right firefighters and equipment to the site of an emergency, and helped eliminate confusion during initial dispatches. Boxes have now evolved to contain escalation procedures as well.

Platoon: A subdivision of a fire company led by a fire officer of the rank of captain or lieutenant. Firefighters within a platoon work on the same shift and are often assigned to the same company, although they can be assigned to different types of vehicles. A platoon is usually designated by the color of the uniform worn by its members, such as the red watch or blue watch.

Standard operating procedure, or standard operating guideline: a set of rules for the operation of a fire department. These include training requirements, the use of protective equipment and radio procedures.

Firefighters can respond to fires and other emergencies by calling one of three types of telephone numbers: 911, which is answered by a civilian, or by dialing 0 which will route the call to a police department dispatch operator who will transfer the call to the proper borough fire department dispatch office.

The fire department is tasked with protecting life and property by responding to all emergencies. In addition to fires, emergency response can include hazardous materials incidents and other events such as flooding, chemical spills or car accidents. The fire department operates through six divisions: fire prevention and investigation, fire engineering, emergency management, fire suppression, rescue and hazard materials. Each division is further divided into a number of fire companies, each of which is equipped to perform a specific function in the field.