Throwback FDNY

Throwback FDNY to 1911, when Frances Perkins witnesses the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory.

Throwback FDNY to 1971, when baseball great Roberto Clemente is sworn in as an honorary Deputy Chief

Throwback FDNY to 1942, when a luxury cruise ship being converted into a military troop transport had a fire that resulted in one of the most dramatic shoreline catastrophes in New York history

Throwback FDNY to 1960, when an aircraft carrier burns at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Throwback FDNY to 1897, when a monument is unveiled at Gettysburg Battlefield honoring veterans of the New York Fire Zouaves

Throwback FDNY to the origin of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, in 1911

Throwback FDNY to 1992, when Mychal Judge is appointed as an FDNY Chaplain

Throwback FDNY to the 1920s!

Throwback FDNY to the 1700s!

Throwback FDNY to the 2025 NYC Fire Museum Golf Outing at the Muttontown Club on Long Island

Throwback FDNY to 1870, when a challenging fire in Brooklyn takes place under water

Throwback FDNY to 1948, when Firefighter Louis Block becomes the fifth person in the world to receive a heart transplant

Throwback FDNY to 1990, when an arson fire at the Happy Land Social Club claimed 87 lives

Throwback FDNY to 1952, when Firefighter Victor Collymore is appointed to the FDNY, later helping to make inroads into local communities

Throwback FDNY to 1898, when the FDNY transitioned the city away from volunteer fire services to a professional department

Throwback FDNY to 1913, when radio communications were first attempted by the FDNY, to 1956, when a devastating fire and explosion rocked the Luckenbach steamship pier in Brooklyn, and to 1964, when the first Tower Ladder apparatus went into service in New York City.

Throwback FDNY to 1897, when a monument is unveiled at Gettysburg Battlefield honoring veterans of the New York Fire Zouaves, to 1952, when a member of the FDNY suggests that a Helicopter Company be formed in the Department, and to 1963, when a firehouse gets caught in the middle of a long-standing feud.

Throwback FDNY to 1849, when the San Francisco Fire Department is organized by members of the FDNY, to 1883, when the sliding pole is introduced in the FDNY, and to 1974, when the first class of Paramedics in New York City graduated.

Throwback FDNY to 1898, when John Jay Scannell becomes the Commissioner of the Fire Department of the Greater City of New York, to 1922, when fire sweeps through the shore-side Arverne neighborhood in Queens, and to 1937, when the Memorial Wall in Headquarters is unveiled.

Throwback FDNY to the 1940’s!

Throwback FDNY to the 1860’s!

Throwback FDNY to the 2024 NYC Fire Museum Golf Outing at the Muttontown Club on Long Island

Throwback FDNY to 1861 when members of the FDNY fight a blaze in our nation’s capital, to 1942, when Joji Furuya becomes the first Asian-American firefighter in the Department, and to 1958, when Department Order Number 219 advises FDNY firefighters the implementation of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Throwback FDNY to 1856 when the tallest building in the country is destroyed by fire, to 1920, when the FDNY Honor Emergency Fund was founded, and to 1939, when a new apparatus was introduced at Laguardia Airport.

Throwback FDNY to 1882 when Miss Ida Small is saved in a dramatic rescue, to the 1958 launch of the first fireboat named for a woman, and to 1980, when Christine Godek becomes the first female Deputy Commissioner of the FDNY.

Throwback FDNY to the 1863 New York Draft Riots, beginning in 1898, African-Americans blaze new trails in the Department, and, Augustus Beekman becomes the first Black firefighter to attain the rank of Assistant Chief

Throwback FDNY to 1898, the Greater City of New York is consolidated. In 1907, the FDNY Marine Division is formed. And in 1938, Doctor Ernest Stillman is sworn in as an honorary Medical Officer.

Throwback FDNY to 1870, the FDNY unveils its Museum, in 1910, Rhinelander Waldo becomes Fire Commissioner, and in 1911, a devastating fire destroys Dreamland Park in Coney Island.

Throwback FDNY to 1868 when a fire engine explodes at a fire on the Bowery, 1883, as the School of Instruction is opened, and in 1991, William Feehan becomes, “The Chief.”

Throwback FDNY to 1924 when the FDNY is presented with its official flag; In 1927, a spectacular fire at the Sherry Netherland Hotel lights up the night sky; And in 1942, Sidney Klein becomes a New York City firefighter.

Throwback FDNY to 1922 when the Department gets its first official photographer; 1939 when the Fire Bell Club of NY is organized; and 1975 when a bomb explodes next to a historic site.

Throwback FDNY to the 19-Teens!

Throwback FDNY to the 1970’s!

Throwback FDNY to the 2023 NYC Fire Museum Golf Outing at the Muttontown Club on Long Island

Throwback to the introduction of the pulmotor resuscitators in 1914, and the history of resuscitation equipment and techniques.

Throwback FDNY to 1798 as the Fire Department of the City of New York is formed by an act of the State legislature,1857 when Harry Howard is named Chief Engineer of the fire department, 1964 when a fire strikes in the subway tunnel of the Times Square shuttle.

Throwback FDNY to 1899 when a deadly fire at the Windsor Hotel disrupts the St. Patrick’s Day parade; 1902 as the first female ambulance surgeon takes the reins; and 2003 when for the first time, a woman is promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief in the FDNY.

Throwback FDNY to 1741 when a series of fires raised panic in the small colony of New York. In 1863, the Colored Orphan’s Asylum was burned during the Civil War Riots in New York. And an 1885 book tells us about some Black members of the FDNY.

Throwback FDNY to 1865 when the Maltese cross is introduced as a symbol of the fire department, 1948 as Peter Loftus is appointed Chief of Department, and 1967 when a gas leak causes a 13-alarm fire in Queens

Throwback FDNY to a fire in 1835 that destroys nearly 700 buildings in New York City, 1873 when the FDNY organizes what might be their most unusual unit, and 1938 as Clarence Eldridge Meek is sworn in as an Honorary Captain and Librarian of the FDNY

Throwback FDNY to 1861 when the first Medal of Honor is awarded and it has an FDNY connection, 1867 as Doctor Charles McMillan is appointed to be the first official Department Medial Officer, and 1942 when the FDNY Military Services Division is established.

Throwback FDNY to 1913 with the unveiling of the Firemen’s Monument, 1879 when a new apparatus is introduced into the FDNY to combat fires in the city’s skyward-reaching buildings, and in 1954, a notable fire prevention advocate is named Commissioner of the FDNY.

Throwback FDNY to 1945 when a military bomber hits the Empire State Building, 1970 a terrorist group launches a campaign of arson in New York City, and 1992, Mychal Judge is appointed as an FDNY Chaplain

Throwback FDNY to 1913 when the New York Fire Department Band is formed, 1940 with the appointment of Patrick Walsh as Chief of Department, and 1978 when a fire in a Brooklyn supermarket claims the lives of six of New York’s Bravest

Throwback FDNY to 1867, the New York Fire Patrol is named. In 1938, former Manhattan-based volunteer firefighter Alexander Cartwright, Jr. is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And in 1958, a fire on Wooster Street in Manhattan, claims the lives of two firefighters and four fire patrolmen

Throwback FDNY to 1868 when Minthorne Tompkins is the first member of the FDNY to receive a medal for valor; in 1889 Hugh Bonner is made Chief of Department and a medal is named in his honor; and a fire in 1975 causes over 260 firefighters to call in sick the next day!

Throwback FDNY to the Department's venture into the domain of pre-hospital emergency medical care in 1914; then in 1966, “Breadbox” ambulances are introduced in New York City; and in 1974, the city graduates its first class of paramedics

Throwback FDNY to the Brooklyn Fire Department aquiring its first fire engine in 1785, a devastating fire ravages Brooklyn in 1848, and the appointment of Thomas Nevins as Chief of the Brooklyn Fire Department in 1870

Throwback FDNY to the Department appoints its first chaplains in 1899; in 1932, Georgiana McMennamin, the last FDNY Matron is hired, and 1982, Harriett Duren, one of the first female firefighters is appointed

Throwback FDNY to Wesley Williams, the first Black officer in FDNY history, the "Model Cities" program is instituted to help combat economic disparities in New York City's most fire-ravaged communities and a lasting tribute to Captain Richard A. Vernon