Fire Stations in New York City

Fire stations are buildings where a fire engine or other pieces of firefighting equipment are stored. They are also known as firehouses or fire halls. Some fire stations are occupied by full-time firefighters, and they may have offices and living areas. Firefighters sleep at the fire station during a night shift, and they are summoned to emergency calls by sirens or pagers. Fire stations often have libraries of reference materials, and they may have a trophy wall or case where firefighters display memorabilia.

Some fire stations serve communities that do not have the tax base to support a full-time career fire department. These fire stations are usually staffed with part-time or volunteer firefighters. The fire fighters will respond to an emergency call by driving their own personal vehicle to the fire station, and they will then deploy their fire engine from there. Some smaller fire departments have only one or two fire stations, while others have many.

A fire station can be a large building, or it may be a small trailer. It will have a garage for the fire engine and storage space for other equipment. It is typically located on a busy road, and there are often warning signs to alert motorists of fire trucks in the area.

The firefighting equipment at a fire station can vary depending on the needs of the community it serves. For example, some fire stations will have a fire truck that is equipped to handle brush fires in suburban areas, while other fire trucks are designed for urban firefighting. Fire stations also may have a range of rescue vehicles, including ambulances, helicopters, and dive and technical rescue vehicles.

In addition to responding to fires, the FDNY also responds to medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, transit incidents, explosions, and other disasters. The FDNY has to respond to a very diverse range of hazards in New York City, which includes a wide variety of building types (from wood-frame single family homes to high-rise structures), secluded bridges and tunnels, the subway system, and large parks and wooded areas that can cause forest fires.

Each firehouse is typically led by a chief, who in turn commands between three and 20 firefighters and fire officers. The chief is assisted by a deputy chief and the assistant chief. In addition to storing and maintaining fire engines, fire stations are equipped with facilities for firefighters to shower, relax, and train. They are often stocked with exercise and training equipment, as well as weapons and protective clothing.

There are a total of 218 firehouses in New York City. Each firehouse is home to a fire company, which is a unit that operates a particular type of Fire apparatus. The Fire companies are organized into battalions, with each battalion consisting of between three and eight firehouses.

Each firehouse is named for the primary fire company that it houses, such as Engine Company 1 and Ladder Company 2. The names are often accompanied by a symbol or picture of the apparatus that is housed in that firehouse.