Buffalo Fire Headquarters 195 Court Street Buffalo, New York 14202 (716) 851-5333. Mission Statement: To ensure the highest level of quality fire, EMS and specialized services in our ...
==Buffalo, N.Y. Fire Department History==
The Buffalo Fire Department had its origins from the old volunteer fire companies with names like Pioneer, Neptune, Fillmore, Clinton, Rescue, Citizen's, Defiance, Eagle, Taylor and many others that had protected the emerging city. Taylor Hose Company, one of Buffalo's volunteer companies. As the demand for fire protection increased, the increase of population, the department was converted to a paid career department on July 1, 1880. The Buffalo Fire Department, like many other northern cities, had a heavy concentration of Irish firefighters. This continues today with a large presence of Irish-American firefighters within the ranks. Also, high concentrations of Italian, German, Polish, and African-Americans are present in the department as well.
The Buffalo Fire Department at one time consisted of 38 engine companies, 16 ladder companies, 2 snorkels, 2 Heavy rescue vehicle|heavy rescue companies, 11 squad companies, 3 fireboats, and multiple support units. In the past, The Buffalo Fire Department was separated into two divisions (North and South), which were further divided into seven battalions. The Fire Department currently consists of one division which is separated into four battalions, and further separated into 4 platoons. Each platoon works 2 night shifts which are from 1700-0800 hrs and 2 day shifts which are from 0800-1700 hrs.
The beginning of the downsizing of the fire department began in the 1970s. In 1978, Squad companies were all disbanded. Squad companies were two manned light rescues ( small station wagons)utilized for first aid calls, now known as EMS calls. Squad 3 was a Full Sized Rescue vehicle which had been quartered with Engine 27 on Johnson Street. Engine 27 would crossman the Squad and respond with that Rig if not on the 1st alarm. If Engine 27 was assigned on the 1st Alarm ( which back then , they responded to most of the fires), the squad would not respond.Engine 27 was closed , and Rescue Co. 1 was established and became the City of Buffalo's first Fully Manned Heavy Rescue Company.
On January 1, 1978, Rescue 2 was formed and quartered at Engine 37, Ladder 4 quarters. Rescue 2 responded to all 1st Alarm assignments in their district and to all 2nd Alarms in the city. Rescue 2 was closed July 1, 1994 due to budget restrictions.
The closure of numerous frontline companies as well as eliminating Chief's Aids, disbanding 1st, 2nd,& 5th Battalion, etc; was due to downsizing of the fire department which continued until 2006 with the closing of Engine 24 on Leroy Street and the realignment of several firehouses to more strategic locations.
The Buffalo Fire Department, like many other older cities, had a vast array of street call boxes. At one time the city had a network of over 1,000 call boxes tied into the Alarm Office. While it no longer has that many, the Fire Department Communications Division still maintains a smaller network of street boxes across the city. The Buffalo Police Department stopped using their street boxes many years ago.
Until 1981, the Buffalo Fire Department also included the Buffalo Niagara International Airport crash-fire-rescue unit, designated Engine 7. That unit was transferred to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in July of that year when the Greater Buffalo International Airport was turned over by the City of Buffalo to the control of the NFTA. Since that time Crash Fire Rescue has been a separate paid fire department.
At one time, the city also had a volunteer auxiliary corps which operated four pumpers and were under the direction of an Auxiliary Chief (CD-9). It was known as the Buffalo Auxiliary Fire Corps. They responded on 3rd Alarm Fires abd Greater, and assisted with such tasks as stretching hoselines, brand patrol and picking up hose.They were a welcome sight back in the 60's and 70's when the B.F.D. responded to almost 100 Multiple alarms a year.
They were especially welcomed in the bitter COLD of Buffalo's winters, where they would pack frozen hose onto the hose truck , giving the members that worked the fire a well deserved break, and time to warm up. It traced its roots to the World War II era and Civil Defense hype of the 1950s and 1960s but has since fallen out of use.The decision to let the "C.D.'s " fade out was made by the senior members of the B.A.F.C., whom decided to support the Local 282 members, whom have battled the city with firehouse closings and at times, the uncertainty of lay-offs.
The Corps. came under the direction of the Erie County dept. of Fire Safety until the early 1990s when the City of Buffalo took them over under Mayor Griffin. The city received Federal Funding for the Auxiliaries until their disbanding. There had been minor talk of reinventing the old "red helmets" with the Department of Homeland Security, but this did not occur. With the risks of insurance liabilities, the funding costs of personal protective equipment, as well as the use of reserve apparatus had proved cost prohibitive. For many years, some auxiliary members manned the Canteen Truck (F-76), which was quartered at Fire Headquarters, and is called in on all 2nd Alarms and greater to provide refreshments to the firefighters.
On the evening of December 27, 1983 a warehouse at the intersection of North Division and Grosvenor Streets was the North Division Street explosion scene of the worst disaster and loss of life in the history of the Buffalo Fire Department. The warehouse had contained an illegal 500 gallon propane tank whose valve was broken off while it was moved and the building was in the process of being evacuated. The propane gas started to leak, eventually reaching an open flame. The tank exploded, killing all five firefighters assigned to Ladder 5 and two civilians; it also damaged a dozen city blocks and caused millions of dollars of damage in fire equipment. There is now a memorial at fire call box 191 at the intersection of where the tragedy occurred.
Each year on December 27, at 2020 hrs, the Fire Department rings out the alarm 1-9-1 to honor the five brave firefighters of Ladder 5.
Memorial to fallen Buffalo Firefighters of the volunteer department in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
The Buffalo Fire Department has also raced to the aid of its Canadian neighbors on several occasions.
On April 4, 1904, the City of Toronto, Ontario was in the midst of a massive conflagration, known as the Great Toronto Fire. When the call for help went out, Buffalo firefighters were quick to react. Engines 12 & 13 boarded express trains to Toronto along with the fireboat tender. On October 7, 1960, a massive fire at the Maple Leaf Milling facility in Port Colborne threatened the entire downtown core. The Fireboat Edward M. Cotter along with the crew of Engine 8 were sent to assist in the conflagration and helped save the City of Port Colborne.
On August 19, 2004, a young man in Port Colborne was cutting anchor chain in the hold of a large ship when he became entrapped. The decision was made to call a Heavy Rescue Company in to assist. When the Port Colborne firefighters were told Toronto Fire's HUSAR Unit would take over two hours to reach them, the call to Buffalo was made. Within 35 minutes of the initial call for assistance, Rescue 1, HazMat 1, and B-41 were on scene. Needless to say, the story had a positive outcome.
The rich history and tradition of the Buffalo Fire Department continue on. Presently, the Buffalo Fire Department operates out of 19 Fire station|firehouses. The oldest active firehouse is Engine 19's quarters which are over 120 years old. The newest quarters, Engine 31/Ladder 14, opened in 2009. The near future will see new firehouses constructed to replace older, inefficient stations as well as renovations to existing firehouses throughout the city.
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