Volunteer Departments of New York City

[firedude]

Many people outside the NYC Metro area don't know that there are 9 volunteer departments inside NYC. They include, Metropolitan Fire Association, Aviation Hose 3 (Recently shut down by FDNY), Edgewater Park VFD, Gerritsen Beach VFD, West Hamilton Beach VFD, Broad Channel VFD, Roxbury VFD, Rockaway Point VFD, Point Breeze VFD, Oceanic H&L Co. 1 and Richmond Engine Co. 1. Many of the departments have donated apparatus, to replace apparatus lost in Hurricane Sandy.

A did a little trip to see some friends in the Rockaways. Drove by a few stations on the way there and back...





















This website has some good photographs and info about the volunteer FD's in NYC and how they each operate NY Menu

 

[firedude]

Here are some more photos. The following photos are NOT mine, common shared through flickr...





Volunteer Fire Department, Gerrittsen Beach, Brooklyn, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department Firehouse, Rockaway Peninsula, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Oceanic Volunteer Fire Department Truck, Travis, Staten Island, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Oceanic Volunteer Fire Department Truck, Travis, Staten Island, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





BFU-946 Brush Fire Truck, West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Engine 944, West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Engine 944, West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Engine 944, West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Engine 944, West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr

 

[firedude]

Fire Chief Car, Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department, Queens, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Richmond Volunteer Fire Department "Roadrunners" Engine 1, Richmond Town, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr





Richmond Engine 1 Volunteer Fire Department Firehouse, Richmond Town, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr

 

[firedude]

Metropolitan Fire Engine 62 by Triborough, on Flickr





Metropolitan Fire Engine 62 by Triborough, on Flickr





DSC_0382 by GerritsenBeach.Net, on Flickr





DSC_0319 by GerritsenBeach.Net, on Flickr





Gerrittsen Beach Vol Fire Department by GerritsenBeach.Net, on Flickr


Not a FD, but a VAC





Central Park Medical Unit Ambulance, New York City by jag9889, on Flickr

 

[nerdly_dood]

I love the red and blue Edge on the Crown Vic (and all of them for that matter) but the legal status of such blue lights to the front seems dubious.

 

[MtnMan]

Very neat stuff!


But, that Broad Channel house... yikes! Wouldn't it be safer (and quite possibly warmer and drier) to park outside?

 

[lafd55]

Both of those West Hamilton Beach rigs were lost during Sandy, most of the departments were updated on FDNYtrucks.com (The Largest FDNY Apparatus Site on the Web!)


FDNYtrucks.com (Edgewater Park VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Gerritsen Beach VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (West Hamilton Beach VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Broad Channel VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Roxbury VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Rockaway Point VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Point Breeze VFD)


FDNYtrucks.com (Oceanic H&L Co. 1)


FDNYtrucks.com (Richmond Engine Co. 1)

 

[Bogie]

Very neat stuff!

But, that Broad Channel house... yikes! Wouldn't it be safer (and quite possibly warmer and drier) to park outside?

The building is structurally sound but yes it looks like hell. Twp hurricanes in about a year apart and being 107 years old have taken its toll on the building.

 

[FireEMSPolice]

This is just cool!

 

[pdk9]

Don't forget about Hatzolah (with their caddy Escalades, Suburbans, buses, etc) and Bed Stuy VAC.


Speaking of BSVAC, I was very upset when I heard that a dumb city marshal placed a boot on BSVAC's bus last month while it was parked in front of their quarters for supposed unpaid parking tickets...what a heartless B@#tch!


I had a similar experience in college...my college's vol. EMS squad is state certified agency recognized by the city, the county, the regional EMS, and the university. Our vehicle (a marked unit with full lights & sirens) was ticketed by the ticket nazis for being parked in a "Life Safety Zone" on campus a week before one of the city FD's engines was ticketed by the ticket nazis for parking in a "Fire Lane." Needless to say, it was the unofficial joke that Fire/EMS would take the longest possible route to a call at parking HQ and that local PD (who we had a great relationship with) would look to ticket the ticket nazis anytime they double parked to check meters! It's amazing how people can be heartless/ruthless, especially with VOLUNTEER agencies (which, with the exception of Hatzolah, almost always have to count their pennies to make ends meet).

 

[Surgicalcric]

... VOLUNTEER agencies (which, with the exception of Hatzolah, almost always have to count their pennies to make ends meet).

Which is generally due to the specific community not supporting their volunteer organization(s) the way they should. Fact is Jewish communities are a lot tighter than most others - its something they brought from the promised land years and years ago and despite the number of generations between the first immigrants and today's American born Jew this one area remains unchanged and the vast majority of America could take a lesson from their playbook.


my .02


Crip

 

[FSEP]

So question... how are calls handled? Do they have their own jurisdiction, or do they share it with FDNY?

 

[chief1562]

I love the red and blue Edge on the Crown Vic (and all of them for that matter) but the legal status of such blue lights to the front seems dubious.

Don't forget they are from around the NYC area and they do what they want to do unlike the rest of the state.

 

[vc859]

There is a loophole in the law for the blue lights to the front of emergency vehicles.


This is that the NYS Vehicle and Traffic law states that a blue light can be displayed on any vehicle that is owned by or operated by a volunteer fire fighter in responding to an emergency.

 

[Bogie]

So question... how are calls handled? Do they have their own jurisdiction, or do they share it with FDNY?

Each VFD has a defined area to which they respond, calls come in via phone (Dept Emergency #) from the communities or from the FDNY teleprinter of the local city engine. The two SI companies are directly toned out by FDNY as the have been under contract since the 50's. We respond as if the city is not coming and usually work side by side with them.

 

[lafd55]

It mostly likely has to do with the car being donated to them after Sandy from a place that runs blue. Blue is still technically illegal for Emergency vehicles in NYS but really depends on where it is enforced. It's not a "loophole" in the law, it's clearly stated, but again, it's based on how strictly it's enforced. Also them being around NYC doesn't mean anything either as multiple departments across the state are starting to run blue/red to the front.


To find out about the volly departments in NYC just do a Google search about them. They respond in in addition with the FDNY to calls within their community.

 

[NFD-102]

Rockaway Point has some sicktastic wheels on it.