50th ANNIVERSARY OF 332/175.

[68jk09]

HAPPY 50th & CONTINUED REST IN PEACE TO THOSE FROM BOTH UNITS WHO HAVE PASSED TO A HIGHER LEVEL ........ Both Units were organized 2-21-70 ....332 in the former Qtrs of 225 at 653 Liberty Ave bet Ashford & Clevland Sts. www.google.com/maps/place/653+Liberty+Ave,+Brooklyn,+NY+11207/@40.676127,-73.885428,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c25db39b71a235:0x8db6fa986bfe8144!8m2!3d40.676127!4d-73.8854281?hl=en-US ..... & 175 in the former Qtrs of 107 at 77 New Jersey Ave bet Jamaica Ave & Fulton St (photo before the Firestorm) ...... https://postimg.cc/DJDdyMBG ... (& after the Firestorm with most of the block burned down ... it had also been used a Fire Marshal's Base for awhile after 1985 ) https://www.google.com/search?clien...j0j0i13i30..26:58.333333333333336.Tmp2BGsSJwA... on the same day 225 & 107 moved into new Qtrs at 799 Lincoln Ave at Linden Blvd with the then BN*29....after the 29 was disbanded BN*39 moved to Lincoln Ave from 236 www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/2888686760/in/photostream/ .....in 1985 332 & 175 moved in together in the present Qtrs at 165 Bradford St bet Liberty & Atlantic Aves. ...the Bradford St FH at different times also housed the Chief Of Rescue Services (the forerunner of SOC) & the Rescue Services Tool Van......then next Safety BN*2.....then next RAC*2.....the FH has 3 bays on the right & the HW & E&T offices in the middle on the apparatus floor plus an additional separate bay on the extreme left (silver door on the left in the video below) which is a drive thru with the front door on Bradford St & the rear door from the large rear parking lot which exits on Miller Ave...the entire FH plot goes block to block ... the addional bay was originally planned to house an additional Preventive Maintenance Crew to service Rigs however the planners did not take into account the fact that a Rig when placed on a lift could not be raised sufficiently due to the cieling height so PM never took place there ...it was used for awhile by the Tank Truck Inspection Unit .... when the Lincoln Ave FH was planned it was placed there to add Units that could respond South of Linden Blvd into the new Spring Creek area & the new side of Howard Beach both which had sprung up in the early '60s however nobody foresaw the Fire devastation that would sweep East New York starting in the mid '60s so after this was realized it was decided to make new Units in the area being 332/175 .... the plan was considered a temporary measure at the time but still today they are very busy Units that would leave a big hole if disbanded ... as i have stated in another post i never understood why The Job did not make new numbers (like 332/175) for the Lincoln Ave FH & leave the previous Units numbers as they were....maybe it had to do with identification submitted in the budget back when plans for Lincoln Ave were approved ? .......... Bradford St certainly was great place that i was honored to work in for awhile as an assigned LT. in 332 & alongside 175......again Best Wishes BROTHERS...... (in the video note the previous FH signs from each old Qtrs hanging from the apparatus floor ceiling above each rig)

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

Thank you chief for that great story of 332 & 175.  I was honored to be part of the early days of E 332. As your aware E 319 interchanged with E 332 for approx 10 years.
As a Auxiluary with E 319 l rode every 3rd night on the scheduled interchange and then every other night when the point system was hot and heavy. At some point l got to no the bosses and members of E 332 since l stayed behind at 319 on interchange nights to get them familiarize with the very large response area that 319 has.
I was invited by Capt. Dick Keenan 332 to come to his quarters and ride with 332 whenever l wanted.

 

[fdhistorian]

as i have stated in another post i never understood why The Job did not make new numbers (like 332/175) for the Lincoln Ave FH & leave the previous Units numbers as they were....maybe it had to do with identification submitted in the budget back when plans for Lincoln Ave were approved ? ..........

There was a comment, some time ago on this site, that suggested that E225/L107 were given the option remain in place in the original firehouses, or move to the new Lincoln Ave firehouse as new companies (E332/L175), or move to Lincoln Ave with their original identities.  The latter was chosen.  The question is, was the choice given to the companies or was the decision from HQ?

Historically, company numbers from disbanded companies were re-used to fill gaps when new companies were formed, beginning as early as 1904 when Bronx Engine 43 re-used disbanded Marine Engine 43's number.  In Brooklyn it first happened in 1915 when disbanded (206) and skipped (285) company numbers were assigned to new companies that had originally been planned with different numbers (that story later).

Since new companies were still being formed, few numbering gaps existed, but in 1960, five numbers were open (223, 232, 322, 326, 327).  Also, the 33x numbers had been used for temporary companies at the 1938 World's Fair.  However, in the 1960's, E329 and E330 were added as new companies.  Then E232 was added as a second section of E231, reusing a Marine Engine number.  E331 and E332 could have used 223 and 322 but did not.

Skipped ladder company numbers were not used until L160 was created in 1984, their original planned assignment with E310 having been given to L174 in 1966.  The 17x ladder numbers all bypassed unused numbers that had been skipped over.

L175 could have been L145, which had been planned for Sheffield Ave in 1915, but given to L103 when they moved from Downtown Brooklyn in 1932.

Changes to the originally planned company numbers will be another post.

 

[68jk09]

^^^^ I am not aware of a choice being given on the Co Numbers going or remaining ....... The FFs of both Companies were given the choice of going or staying..... about half of the original 107 stayed on NJ Ave in the new 175 & only one original 225 FF stayed on Liberty Ave in the new 332.

 

[nfd2004]

A few of us were invited to that firehouse about 2 or 3 (?) years ago. Always a busy company in that neighborhood.

If I'm not mistaken, at one time wasn't there a B/C that would come back from a run and do a set of push ups each time. I think he was later promoted to D/C.

Can you help me out Chief "68jk09" ? Same place ?

 

[68jk09]

WILLY you did visit 332/175 awhile ago then after that you went to 231/120/BN*44 where you met BC Dan D. in BN*44 ....he is the guy who does 15 pushups after each run....he is still there as a BC.

 

[nfd2004]

WILLY you did visit 332/175 awhile ago then after that you went to 213/120/BN*44 where you met BC Dan D. in BN*44 ....he is the guy who does 15 pushups after each run....he is still there as a BC.

Thanks Chief, that's him.

 

[Signal73]

 

[Signal73]

 

[t123ken]

I seem to remember hearing that as a part of the deal to build the Linden Plaza Apartments, the developers agreed to build a firehouse for existing companies.  That's why it had to be for Engine 225 and Ladder 107.
On another note the sign from the old quarters of Engine 332 has always looked wrong to me.  To me, the "N"s are upside down.  On Engine 226's quarters the same vintage sign has its second "N" upside down as well.
There were signs of that type that used to be on Engine 249 and Ladder 113's quarters before the renovation and I recall 249's was correct.
Ladder 79 still has a sign like that on its quarters.

 

[1261Truckie]

Continued Rest in Peace Robert Dolney, John Dunne and James Blackmore