FDNY Runs and Workers

[mack]

1945:


1947:


1950:


1953:


1954:


1956:


1960:


Note - from WNYF

 

[mack]

1962:


1964:


1966:

 

[mack]

1969:


1970:


1971:


1975:


1979:

 

[mack]

Some things are interesting when looking at a string of FDNY fire activity from the post World War II years into the FDNY War Years:

- NYC fire activity grew methodically as the city grew - in the 1940s and 1950s
- Harlem was the area of greatest fire activity 
- The mid-1960s seemed to be the explosion point into the War Years (riots, civil unrest)
- Brooklyn and the S Bronx became the busiest parts of the city
- 2 section companies, squads, and TCUs appeared and disappeared
- Some of the busiest companies from this period were disbanded
- Most of these responses were for fires not EMS runs
- A lot of the city's areas were very busy in addition to S. Bronx, and Harlem - Examples: Brownsville, Bushwick, E. New York, Bed Stuy, Lower East Side, Williamsburg.     

 

[grumpy grizzly]

Mack did great, thanx for all the posts. GG

 

[grumpy grizzly]

Grew up in Bostin, now live in Chicago. Is there any way we can make a seperate category for runs/workers/nowEMSruns. In other words post all the yearly runs/workers for a yearly basis. It appears the info is available, just got to organize it. A mope on the back step!GG

 

[68jk09]

Mack did great, thanx for all the posts. GG

......Agreed Mack always posts some great history....Thanks again.

 

[*******]

Was assigned to 50 engine as a Lt. 1/7/70. Busy, busy, every tour. Believe it was April or May of that year that the 2nd section was established. Each section would be 1st up every other day, number of boxes both sections responded. This cut down on a lot of runs and workers for both engines. Also had interchange, 50-1 with  43 engine. Don't remember exactly but believe interchange was mandated if you had 15 or so runs before 2400 you interchanged for the rest of tour. Or if you did 20 or so runs on the 6x9 you interchanged the next night tour. This also cut down runs/workers.

Was assigned to 82 engine as Captain 9/1/73. They, the admin. did a real job on 82 to keep the numbers down. Went like this-Sq2 would be 1st up for 82 every other night from 1900 to 0100 hours. The nights in-between 82 had mandatory interchange with either 295 or 297 for the entire 6x9. So it would be Monday Sq2 1st up 1900 to 0100, Tuesday interchange with 295 for 6x9, Wednesday Sq2, Thursday interchange with 297 for 6x9, Friday Sq2, Saturday interchange with 295 and Sunday Sq2.  This was every day I was there for my 2 1/2 years. I have no idea what the numbers would have been like if 82 had just run 1st up for itself every tour. Even with this on the nights Sq ran for us we did at times 35 runs on the 6x9 as Sq would catch a job and be out most of the tour.

We didn't work 24's then, just straight tours. Every once in a while you did do a 24 for someone who needed their tour off. Remember one in 50 engine did 50 runs for the 24, 25 in the 9x6 and 25 in the 6x9, with a couple of good jobs.

To steal a phrase, was the best of times and the worst of times.

 

[fdce54]

Was assigned to 50 engine as a Lt. 1/7/70. Busy, busy, every tour. Believe it was April or May of that year that the 2nd section was established. Each section would be 1st up every other day, number of boxes both sections responded. This cut down on a lot of runs and workers for both engines. Also had interchange, 50-1 with  43 engine. Don't remember exactly but believe interchange was mandated if you had 15 or so runs before 2400 you interchanged for the rest of tour. Or if you did 20 or so runs on the 6x9 you interchanged the next night tour. This also cut down runs/workers.

Was assigned to 82 engine as Captain 9/1/73. They, the admin. did a real job on 82 to keep the numbers down. Went like this-Sq2 would be 1st up for 82 every other night from 1900 to 0100 hours. The nights in-between 82 had mandatory interchange with either 295 or 297 for the entire 6x9. So it would be Monday Sq2 1st up 1900 to 0100, Tuesday interchange with 295 for 6x9, Wednesday Sq2, Thursday interchange with 297 for 6x9, Friday Sq2, Saturday interchange with 295 and Sunday Sq2.  This was every day I was there for my 2 1/2 years. I have no idea what the numbers would have been like if 82 had just run 1st up for itself every tour. Even with this on the nights Sq ran for us we did at times 35 runs on the 6x9 as Sq would catch a job and be out most of the tour.

We didn't work 24's then, just straight tours. Every once in a while you did do a 24 for someone who needed their tour off. Remember one in 50 engine did 50 runs for the 24, 25 in the 9x6 and 25 in the 6x9, with a couple of good jobs.

To steal a phrase, was the best of times and the worst of times.

When a company was interchanged, which company got credited with the runs and workers. For example when 43 was interchanged and working as 50-1 were the runs credited to 50-1 or did 43 get credited with them?

 

[grumpy grizzly]

In Boston covering companies gets the credit. 37/26 "Huntington Ave Express" or 33/15 covers 41/14.

 

[grumpy grizzly]

Thanx to Mack. We live in a society that is now info. I am glad to see there is a site that posts how busy companies were, divide by 365 and get a true history. Wish Chicago was as informative, there is no info on runs/workers ems, ems is the majority of runs. CFD is NOT friendly, why. I know a week-end end  in Chicago is more deadly than a week-end in a war zone. CFD  should show how busy the companies are. But the info is not there. The mayor is an idiot, will not understand  that this city could be Detroit/Cleveland.

 

[Bronx72]

Here are Engine 82's Runs from 1948-2010.  The number following the total is 82's rank in THE CITY including ALL units (Engines, Ladders, Squads, Rescues).  I don't bother with Workers, a meaningless statistic.  Never understood the concept of going to an alarm and not being counted. Also, the concept of grouping as companies into one list isn't practiced, but a Run is a Run.  I'll post a couple of years that shows the combined companies later.



ENGINE 82 - BRONX
Year Runs/City Rank
1948 1283-8
1949 1508-5
1950 1591-5
1951 1624-5
1952 1741-10
1953 1876-6
1954 1687-8
1955 1572-8
1956 1518-7
1957 1942-3
1958 2007-8
1959 2344-6
1960 2606-10
1961 2648-11
1962 2733-10
1963 3051-10
1964 4612-3
1965 5137-4
1966 6234-1
1967 6659-1
1968 9111-1 Here's the busiest year
1969 6181-6
1970 6204-9
1971 7871-1
1972 8390-1
1973 6567-1 Here's where Chief was referring to all the interchanges and swaps, yet still #1 in the City
1974 6427-2
1975 5513-11 All sorts of modifications to traditional run cards in place to decrease runs for busy cos.
1976 6433-6
1977 6132-10
1978 5143 The neighborhood was gone by now
1979 3539
1980 4457-21
1981 3785
1982 3515
1983 3135
1984 3026
1985 3196
1986 3717-7
1987 4235-6
1988 3969-12
1989 4102-13
1990 4947-5
1991 5027-7
1992 4829-9
1993 4546-11
1994 4090-13
1995 4024-22
1996 3589
1997 3785
1998 3631
1999 3890
2000 3885
2001 3904
2002 3927-18
2003 3601
2004 4024
2005 4172
2006 4274
2007 4419
2008 4185
2009 4269
2010 4374

 

[*******]

The relocated, interchanged or sq. would get the credit for any work they did while running for the assigned company. The book (CD14's) where a record of runs/work was kept for the monthly report, runs did by 50-1 would be entered in blue ink while the covering companies were in red ink to distinguish from each other. In 50 they were kept in one book., but in 82 we had a separate book just for the red entries to avoid confusion with so many entries. If questions were asked by headquarters for particulars on any response you would have to know where to go (company) for the info. I remember one afternoon we had come back from a multiple and were on R&R. I was in the office doing my paperwork for the tour. An engine was relocated to 82. I counted 11 runs they were given on the air before they got to our qtrs. I went home and the next day when I came in there were no entries in the red book by the relocating company. I called their officer and he said they got an all-hands and on take up went back to their own qtrs, no entries were made. This could have been a problem, but, nothing was ever asked. This would be common on the busy days, or nights in the Bronx then. A good indicator of how busy a ladder or engine is/was is the number of structural fires each year and the number of structural hours of work. 82 would do around 1800 structurals a year with 1600 hours of work. The busiest month I remember was July 75 where the combined blue and red entries for the month were 210 structural fires and 205 hours of structural work.

 

[grumpy grizzly]

Holy Mary why have a firehouse, they were never home.

 

[nfd2004]

The numbers are just increditable. And of the numbers posted they really don't tell the entire story.

Thanks for the info Chief (.......). Glad you're doing okay.

 

[mack]

1981:


1983:


1984:


1985:


1986:


1987:

 

[mack]

1991:


1996:

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

When 319 interchanged with 332 it was some what the same as 82.....We were on a scheduled interchange with 332 every third night......TCU 532 was operating out of 332s quarters and was first up when they were there.  When you were on a schedule it was alot easier since you new when you were going there for the night.....Towards the end of the interchange days 319 and 332 were taken off the schedule and 332 went on the points system.....Now when you walked into quarters for the night tour the first thing you would do is look at the housewatch blackboards for the message INTERCHANGE TONIGHT...Going to the point system made us interchange with 332 every other night.......The TCU units were history at this point......Only once in the 10 years we interchanged with 332 we did the swap at midnight....When we got to 332 we had no runs but when 332 got to 319 they caught a first due all hands around the corner from quarters.....Funny how things happen........When companys first started to interchange they were given credit for the runs they did.......That stopped and the busy companys got credit for  the runs even though they didn't do them.....

 

[grumpy grizzly]

Is there anyway the site could list all of these yearly runs/workers under its own catagory.GG

 

[mack]

FDnewyork.com.  (Frank Raffa) excellent site has R&W, OSW, EMS and all-hands summaries by year for top 10 engine/truck companies from 1975 on.  Also has individual company look-up data by year from 1975 to present. 

WNYFs have top 25 totals from 1940 to present, usually in the 2nd issue of each year.  Older WNYFs also have yearly department activity totals (number of fires by battalion, types of fires, etc)

You do get a better representation of activity when you see the lists of the top 25