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June 30, 2012
The FDNY Pipes & Drums today has become synonymous nationally with images of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the band occupies center stage at most Department ceremonial events. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a time when this organization did not proudly represent the greatest […]
June 30, 2012
The FDNY Foundation Fire Commissioner’s Humanitarian Awards Dinner, held on April 4, 2012, at the New York Hilton, was a night to honor leaders who support the FDNY and fire safety. FOX 5 “Good Day New York” co-host anchor Rosanna Scotto served as the evening’s Master […]
June 30, 2012
New York is the only major U.S. city where thousands of the distinctive silhouettes of gravity tanks can be seen above the rooftops of its buildings. A combination of antiquated infrastructure and buildings constructed on shallow bedrock dictates that gravity tanks are required to augment the […]
June 30, 2012
The end of a warm summer day tour was fast approaching on August 22, 2011, when Box 9642 was transmitted at 1737 hours for a fire in a store on the corner of Jamaica Avenue and 113th Street in Queens. On this corner was a taxpayer […]
June 30, 2012
Combustible dust is defined as a finely divided solid that is 420 microns or smaller in diameter and presents a fire or explosion hazard when dispersed and ignited in air (420 microns is approximately 0.0165 inches or the equivalent of the thickness of four human hairs). […]
June 30, 2012
FDNY supports incidents outside New York City via a mutual-aid procedure in two ways: 1. As a request through channels approved by the Chief of Operations and 2. By responding to an alarm near the City border that is located outside New York City. In all […]
June 30, 2012
The past few decades have produced a number of dangerous and deadly wind-impacted fires that largely have occurred in high-rise multiple dwellings. These fires have exacted a tremendous toll of injuries and fatalities. A series of difficult blazes convinced the FDNY to explore the root causes […]
March 31, 2012
Members who have been through any of the promotion courses recently have trained using computerized fire simulations. These training aids have offered the newly promoted Officers an opportunity to make fireground decisions and practice communications in a safe learning atmosphere. They are given the chance to […]
March 31, 2012
DIAMONDPLATE Noun: a sturdy, lightweight, textured platform, designed to reduce missteps, providing a solid support pathway. After the attack of September 11, 2001, the FDNY quickly realized the immense loss of experience that had just occurred. This hard-earned expertise could not be replaced easily. The Local […]
June 1, 2014
FDNY members and Firefighters from all around the country constantly repeat similar tasks during a regular work tour. Firefighters tend to run into the same problems during training and when they find something that works, they stick with it. There are certain items a ladder company […]
June 1, 2014
It is very rare that predictions made from engineering research are so clearly demonstrated in the real world. But that is exactly what happened on February 19, 2014, when the bowstring roof structure collapsed at a CVS drugstore at 694 Burke Avenue in the Bronx. A […]
June 1, 2014
Editor’s Note: This two-part article will focus on mill construction features and fire protection in the first part. Construction features Mill, also called “heavy timber” and “slow burning” constructed buildings, generally are built as isolated structures to reduce the hazard of fire spreading from one building […]
June 1, 2014
On July 22, 2013, Manhattan Box 1584 was received via a verbal alarm at the quarters of Engine 80/Ladder 23. The fire building is on 139th Street, across the street and several buildings down from the firehouse. Engine 80 promptly transmitted a 10-75 for a fire […]
June 1, 2014
A fire in a building’s cockloft is a game-changing development and, provided the necessary actions are not executed within a few crucial minutes, could mean the eventual loss of an entire building. What may seem like a routine and easily controllable, one-room fire on the top […]