Volunteer Firemen's Association of the City of New York

01/18/2025

Happy Birthday to the founding father of the volunteer fire service, Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Dr. Franklin was born on January 17th, 1706 and is credited for organizing the very first volunteer fire company in our nation, the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia on December 7th, 1736.

01/16/2025

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1981 American LaFrance 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of AP8055 and was assigned to Engine 211 “Victory” at 26 Hooper St in Brooklyn. Purchased by West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Dept in Queens, NYC from public auction in 1994, it would enter service there briefly as Engine 944 from 1994 to around 1998. It was one of three Ex-FDNY American LaFrances that the department operated during that time period. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

01/14/2025

Continued Rest Lieutenant Gillen

01/09/2025

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1981 American LaFrance 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of AP8040 and was assigned to Engine 220 “The Pride of Park Slope” at 530 11th St in Brooklyn. Purchased by Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Dept in Queens, NYC from public auction in 1994, it would enter service there as Engine 201 from 1994 to 2006. Most notably while in service in Broad Channel, it was first due to many multiple alarm fires over its career there. It also covered FDNY Engine 331’s quarters on September 11th and FDNY Engine 276’s quarters on September 12th in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Additionally, it also responded and operated at the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in the Belle Harbor section of Rockaway Beach, Queens on Nov. 12th, 2001. In 2006 it was sold to a private collector where it was eventually restored back to FDNY Engine 220’s paint and lettering scheme. In 2020 it was once again sold to another private collector where it remains today in upstate NY.

01/02/2025

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1980 American LaFrance 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of AP8013 and was assigned to Engine 91 “Spanish Harlem” at 242 East 111th St in Manhattan. Purchased by Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Dept in Queens, NYC from public auction in 1996, it would enter service there as Engine 203 “The Kings of Queens” from 1997 to 2007. Most notably, while in service in Broad Channel, it responded and operated at the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in the Belle Harbor section of Rockaway Beach, Queens on Nov. 12th, 2001. In 2007 it was sold to Aviation Volunteer Hose Co. #3 of the Bronx but never entered service there as they disbanded shortly after. It was then sold to a private collector in Rocky Top, Tennessee but hasn’t been seen since.

12/26/2024

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1994 Seagrave 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of SP9412 and was assigned to Engine 242 “The Pride of Bay Ridge” at 9219 5th Ave in Brooklyn. Purchased by Richmond Engine Co. #1 of the historic Richmondtown section of Staten Island, it would enter service there for a brief period in the early 2000s and then be paid forward to Metropolitan Fire Association on Staten Island. They are a youth explorer post that teaches about firefighting. Most notably while Metro Fire owned it, it made several appearances on TV Shows like Blue Bloods portraying a FDNY rig. It is now in the hands of a private collector.

12/21/2024

12/19/2024

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1980 American LaFrance 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of AP8008 and was assigned to Engine 70 “Fantasy Island” at 169 Schofield St on City Island in the Bronx. Purchased by Richmond Engine Co. #1 of the historic Richmondtown section of Staten Island, it would enter service there around 1994. Most notably a die cast metal toy company name Corgi made a display model of it that is still highly sought after today. In 2005 it was traded in to American LaFrance along with a 1983 American LaFrance in order to offset cost of their new engine. It was eventually sold to the Wapanucka Volunteer Fire Department in Oklahoma serving for a number of years. It was last seen in 2016 sitting outside their firehouse.

12/13/2024

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary to our own Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 Inc. of the Bronx who today celebrate their 102nd year of service.

12/12/2024

Throw Back Thursday

Our next series of Throwbacks will focus on former FDNY apparatus that had a 2nd life in one of the NYC Volunteer Fire Companies and where they are today.

Today’s apparatus is this 1980 American LaFrance 1000gpm 2 stage pumper with a 500 gallon tank. The rig was purchased new by the FDNY carrying a shop number of AP8038 and was assigned to Engine 212 “The People’s Firehouse” on Wythe Ave in Brooklyn. Later in its career it would become Reserve Engine 510 and eventually be decommissioned in the 1990s and sold at public auction. Purchased by Aviation Volunteer Hose Co. #3 of the Clason Point section of the Bronx, it would enter service there around 1997. Most notably this engine responded to the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 and sustained damage. It was refurbished by a generous donation from Lehman Brothers and placed back into service. After Aviation Hose Co. 3 disbanded around 2008, the engine was donated to the Catskill Fire Cats in upstate NY and is now preserved by them.

12/11/2024

Members of Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department, Point Breeze Fire Department, Rockaway Point Volunteer Fire Department and Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department & Ambulance Corp. along with several Nassau County firefighters completed their Haz Mat Operations course tonight at Floyd Bennett Field taught by the Nassau County Fire Service Academy

12/05/2024

Organized May 14th, 1890 as an independent fire company called the Canarsie Hook & Ladder Company, this group was eventually absorbed into the Flatlands VFD on June 4th, 1892 and re-named Flatlands Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1.

Their firehouse was located on E 95th St near Conklin Ave in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, NY.

They disbanded on Dec. 15th, 1897 when the paid Brooklyn FD Engine 57 took over the response area. Brooklyn Engine 57 would eventually become FDNY Engine 257 which is still in service today. Post disbandment, they sold their ladder cart to Nassau Hook & Ladder Co. 1 of the Valley Stream VFD on Long Island.

11/23/2024

11/21/2024

Throw Back Thursday

Little information is known about Van Nest Hose Co. No. 2. They were organized in 1906 and were located at East 177th St and Rosedale Ave in what is known as the Van Nest section of the Bronx. The area where their firehouse once stood is now part of the Cross Bronx Expwy. There was also a Van Nest Hose Co. No. 1 that served the same neighborhood on Unionport Rd about a mile away.

They disbanded in late 1910 when FDNY Engine 90 and Ladder 41 took over the response area.

11/14/2024

Throw Back Thursday

Washington Hose Co. #6 of the Brooklyn VFD Western District was organized in 1853.

Their first quarters were located in a shed on Adelphi St. A new quarters was built for them at 85 Carlton Ave (shown below) in 1855. That same year they also took delivery of this new Pine & Hartshorne hose carriage.

They disbanded on Jan. 20th, 1869 when the paid Brooklyn FD took over the area.

11/12/2024

23 years ago today, American Airlines Flight 587 bound for the Dominican Republic crashed down into the Belle Harbor section of Rockaway Beach, Queens. All 5 of our volunteer departments in Queens operated, some of which were amongst the first companies to arrive on the scene. Broad Channel, Point Breeze, Rockaway Point, Roxbury and West Hamilton Beach all performed at high levels in a very challenging environment. Today we honor the memories of the lives that were lost and affected that morning.

11/12/2024

Eternal rest be granted to Firefighter Joseph Westcott of our Staten Island company, Richmond Engine Co. 1, who died in the line of duty on this date in 1930. Their engine was involved in a motor vehicle accident while enroute to an alarm and FF Westcott was thrown from their apparatus. He was transported to a hospital but would succumb to his injuries. RIP Brother.

11/11/2024

Thank you to the many Veterans who have served not only our country but also amongst our NYC Volunteer Fire Companies. We are forever in your debt.