Buffalo Fire Department - History

History

The Buffalo Fire Department had its origins in 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 city. As the demand for fire protection increased with the increase of population, the department was converted to a paid career department on July 1, 1880. The Buffalo Fire Department has a high number of ethnic groups among its ranks. This continues today with a large presence of African-Americans, German-Americans Irish-American, Italian-American, and Polish-American firefighters in the department.

The Buffalo Fire Department companies totaled 38 (two were fireboats, 16 ladder companies, one snorkel, and 11 squad companies, squad 3 was the heavy rescue, two Rescue Companies (1978–1994) and three fireboats. Engine 23 was originally a boat then reassigned as a land unit, 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 now consists of one division which is separated into four battalions, and further separated into four platoons. Each platoon works two night shifts which are from 1700-0800 hrs and two day shifts which are from 0800-1700 hrs.

The beginning of the downsizing of the fire department began in the 1950s. In 1978, Squad companies were all disbanded. Squad companies were two manned light rescues (small station wagons) used for first aid calls, now known as EMS calls. Squad 3 was a full sized rescue vehicle which was quartered with Engine 27 on Johnson Street. Engine 27 would crossman the Squad 3 and respond with that apparatus if not on the 1st alarm. If Engine 27 was assigned on the 1st Alarm, the squad would not respond. Engine 27 was closed in 1978, and hence Rescue Company 1 was established and became the BFD's first fully staffed Heavy Rescue Company.

On January 1, 1978, Rescue Company 2 was formed and quartered at Engine 37, Ladder 4 quarters, known as "The Big House". Rescue 2 responded to all 1st Alarm assignments within their response district and to all 2nd Alarms in the city. Rescue 2 was phased out and 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 repositioning of several firehouses to more strategic locations.

The Buffalo Fire Department, like many other older cities, had many street call boxes. At one time the city had a network of over 2,000 call boxes tied into the Alarm Office. The Fire Department Communications Division still maintains a smaller network of street boxes across the city.

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 had a volunteer auxiliary corp (the Auxiliary Fire Corps) which operated four pumpers and were under the direction of an Auxiliary Chief (CD-9). They responded on 3rd Alarm Fires and greater, and assisted with such tasks as stretching hoselines, brand patrol and picking up hose lines. They were a welcome sight back in the 1960s and 1970s when the B.F.D. responded to almost 100 Multiple alarms a year. They were especially welcomed in the bitterness of Buffalo's winters, where they would pack frozen hose onto the hose truck. 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 with the BFD.

The decision to let the "C.D.'s " fade out was made by the senior members of the B.A.F.C., who decided to support the Local 282 members, who 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 Department 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 scene of the 1983 Buffalo propane explosion, 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 other citizens; 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.

The Buffalo Fire Department has also gone 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, 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.

Presently, the Buffalo Fire Department operates out of 19 firehouses. The oldest active firehouse is Engine 19's quarters which are over 120 years old. The newest quarters, Engine 23, opened in 2010. The future will see firehouses constructed to replace older, inefficient stations as well as renovations to existing firehouses throughout the city.