can anyone explane why the company in the same house have different numbers

[mattl3320]

just wondering if anyone can help me with the numbering of trucks in new york city fire house. what i want to know is why one house would have a tower ladder # 33 and engine company 75 in the same house. where i am from the trucks would all have the same first # and then 1 2 3 or tac rescue ect.

 

[radionerd13669]

Not to sound like a smart a.. I would just say its the way they do it. They have a numbering system that works for them. All across NY its diffrent just not the city.

 

[CALFIREFOBS]

that was not helpful!

our rigs are numbered thus: E87 L87 S87 or E86 P86 OES 277 or E85 WT85 BS82 etc.

( E=Engine, L=Ladder, S=Squad, P= Brush Patrol, WT= Water Tender,BS= Breathing Support OES= Governors Office of Emergency Services)

Oh, yeah, in the hills the rigs are numbered like this: E4382 4=Region Sierra South, 3= Fresno Unit, 8= Heavy Conventional Engine and 2= Battalion 12.

You can tell the difference between wildland equipment, dozer transports, BC vehicles, rural/metro equipment very easily with our system.

I too am curious as to why FDNY uses the system they do!

 

[FrankRaffa]

Part of the reason is that over the last hundred plus years, companies were organized, moved, disbanded and reorganized in different locations and firehouses. The company number either stayed the same or the next available number was used.

Also, I'm sure tradition played a part.

 

[Confuzzled]

Detroit does the same thing. E54, L26 -- E5, L20, S2; -- E51, L24 -- E36, L16


I'm sure most bigger cities do.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Many departments simply number the companies in which they were organized.

 

[comspec]

The answer is "Because I said so."

But realize there are more engine companies than ladder companies. Each fire department simply does what works for them. In Westchester County, Engines and Ladders in the same house don't share numbers either. The Engines are mostly sequential and ladders are mostly sequential (with a few gaps here and there). The same holds true in NYC where sequential numbers were assigned to Engines and Ladders as independent fire companies were abosorbed into the FDNY. Since there are more engines than ladders, hence the difference in numbers.

I am sure there is more to the story however. For example, Engine 7 and Ladder 1's history together goes way way way back to horse drawn carriage days, but Engine 1 only goes back to 1922. Engine 1 was not quartered with Ladder 24 until 1942. I am sure all these changes are what caused the perceived discrepency in numbers.

Sounds like a trip to the Fire Museum is in order

 

[Citywide173]

As posted above, it has more to do with organization date of the companies. As a company went into service, it was assigned a number. That company number stayed with the company regardless of what station they are assigned to or re-assigned to. When Brooklyn was annexed, all new numbers were assigned. Brooklyn Engine 1 became Engine 201 of the NYFD (later FDNY) and Brooklyn Ladder 1 became Ladder 101. The stations have addresses, and other than being defined by the companies that are in the quarters, are not specifically designated units (i.e. station 1).

Throughout the northeast, this is the more common way that fire companies are numbered. Boston, Providence, Portland, ME, Manchester and Concord, NH, Worcester, Hartford, New Haven, Albany....etc. follow this rule, and I bet if you did some history research, your own county had something similar prior to a more recent (within the past 40 years) realignment where a uniform numbering system was implemented.

As was also stated above, the answer "because I said so" is also right, as it is a command level decision, and someone said that this is the way it's going to be. Based on the responses, it seems that some people don't want to accept that there are other numbering systems in use, and if it doesn't make sense to them, it's wrong....not the case.

EDIT

Off the top of my head, I can also point to Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, Washington DC, Wilmington, De, Philadelphia, Camden, NJ, Newark and Jersey City as places that follow the system of non-uniform company numbering, and I'm sure if I looked, I could come up with many more. It's just the way it's done in some places.

 

[w2smw]

City of Buffalo NY is the same way, as it was said begfore companies have been disbanded and moved around. New houses have been built o0ld houses have been closed and combined.

 

[Confuzzled]

of the NYFD (later FDNY)

Well, that brings up another question, but probably for another thread.

 

[GTR8000]

of the NYFD (later FDNY)

The FDNY was never known as "FDNY". It was the Metropolitan Fire Dept (MFD) prior to the Tweed Charter in 1870, at which point the name reverted back to Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) as it was during the volunteer years.

F.D.N.Y.

 

[CALFIREFOBS]

Great information guys, thanks!

It makes sense now, the history of the various houses etc.

 

[Citywide173]

The FDNY was never known as "FDNY". It was the Metropolitan Fire Dept (MFD) prior to the Tweed Charter in 1870, at which point the name reverted back to Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) as it was during the volunteer years.

F.D.N.Y.

You're absolutely right, I meant to put MFD, but for some reason couldn't think of the name.

 

[Confuzzled]

But still, it isn't the Fire Department of Boston or the Fire Department of Chicago or even the Police Department of New York.

 

[GTR8000]

But still, it isn't the Fire Department of Boston or the Fire Department of Chicago or even the Police Department of New York.

Read the history of the dept in the link I provided, and you'll have your answer.