Buffalo Fire Department

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Buffalo Fire Department

Agency overview
Established	07/01/1880
Employees	766
Staffing	Career
Commissioner	Michael Lombardo
EMS level	BLS
Motto	Ut Vivant Alii
Facilities and equipment
Stations	19
Engines	19
Trucks	9
Rescues	1
Fireboats	1

The Buffalo Fire Department is the principal fire and rescue service for the city of Buffalo, New York. It is the largest fire department in Upstate New York. The department traces its roots to the early bucket brigades, which provided fire services from the early inception of the Village of Buffalo in the early 1800s until the creation of the paid department on July 1, 1880.

The Buffalo Fire Department had its origins from 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 emerging city.As the demand for fire protection increased, the increase of population, the department was converted to a paid career department on July 1, 1880. The Buffalo Fire Department, like many other northern cities, had a heavy concentration of Irish firefighters. This continues today with a large presence of Irish-American firefighters within the ranks. Also, high concentrations of Italian, German, Polish, and African-Americans are present in the department as well.

The Buffalo Fire Department at one time consisted of 38 engine companies, 16 ladder companies, 1 snorkel, 2 heavy rescue companies, 11 squad companies, 3 fireboats, and multiple support units. In the past, The Buffalo Fire Department was separated into two divisions which were further divided into seven battalions. The Fire Department currently consists of one division which is separated into four battalions, and further separated into 4 platoons. Each platoon works 2 night shifts which are from 1700-0800 hrs and 2 day shifts which are from 0800-1700 hrs.

In 1978, Squad companies were all disbanded. Squad companies were two manned light rescues utilized for first aid calls, now known as EMS calls. Squad 3 which had been quartered with Engine 27 on Johnson Street was redesignated Rescue 1 and became the City of Buffalo's first Heavy Rescue Company. On January 1, 1978, Rescue 2 was formed and quartered at Engine 37, Ladder 4 quarters. Rescue 2 responded to all 1st Alarm assignments in their district and to all 2nd Alarms in the city. Rescue 2 was 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 realignment of several firehouses to more strategic locations.

The Buffalo Fire Department, like many other older cities, had a vast array of street call boxes. At one time the city had a network of over 1,000 call boxes tied into the Alarm Office. While it no longer has that many, the Fire Department Communications Division still maintains a smaller network of street boxes across the city. The Buffalo Police Department stopped using their street boxes many years ago.

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 fire service.

At one time, the city also had a volunteer auxiliary corps which operated four pumpers and were under the direction of an Auxiliary Chief (CD-5). It was known as the Buffalo Fire Auxiliary Corps. They worked in a similar fashion to the Rochester Fire Protectives as a Salvage Corps. It traced its roots to the World War II era and Civil Defense hype of the 1950s and 1960's but has since fallen out of use and favor with the paid department. The City in the mid-1960s had to take on funding the unit which became more difficult to maintain each new budget year. There had been 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 has proved cost prohibitive. While they do not train anymore, some auxiliary members still man the Canteen Truck (F-76), quartered at Fire Headquarters, which 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 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 civilians; 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 raced 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, Buffalo firefighters were quick to react. 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. On August 19, 2004, a young man in Port Colborne was cutting anchor chain in the hold of a large ship when he became entrapped. The decision was made to call a Heavy Rescue Company in to assist. When the Port Colborne firefighters were told Toronto Fire's HUSAR Unit would take over two hours to reach them, the call to Buffalo was made. Within 35 minutes of the initial call for assistance, Rescue 1, HazMat 1, and B-41 were on scene. Needless to say, the story had a positive outcome.

The rich history and tradition of the Buffalo Fire Department continue on. 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 33, opened in early 2006. The near future will see three new firehouses constructed to replace older, inefficient stations as well as renovations to existing firehouses throughout the city.

The Buffalo Fire Department has recently begun a multi-million dollar replacement of the entire fleet of fire apparatus. Engine Companies 1, 19, 21, 26, 28, 31, 35, 36, 37, 38 have all received new American LaFrance Eagle Pumpers with more ordered. Ladders 2, 5, 6, and 7 have received new American LaFrance Eagle Ladders. Ladders 2 and 6 received 100' rear mount towers, Ladder 7 received a 100' midship mounted tower, and Ladder 5 received a rear mount 100' Aerial. Rescue 1 was also replaced with a new American LaFrance custom rescue truck paid for by Homeland Security CBRNE funds. As well, the Arson Investigation Unit recently received a new CBRNE explosives detection vehicle also paid for by Homeland Security funds.

The department also received 5 new utility pickups, two hazmat trailers, one EMS Support Trailer, as well as new thermal cameras, bunker gear, etc. The new Commissioner has utilized grant writing more unlike previous administrations.

Buffalo Fire currently operates 19 Engine Companies, 9 Ladder Companies, 1 Rescue, 1 HazMat and 1 Fireboat. In addition, a fleet of 8 reserve engines, 2 reserve ladders, and 2 reserve rescues are at the department's disposal. The Fire Department has dozens of support vehicles for Arson, Commissioners, Chiefs, Communications, Repair Shop, etc.

The Buffalo Fire Department responds to over 60,000 calls a year. General call types include fire, EMS, and hazardous materials incidents. The Buffalo Fire Department also has mutual aid plans with many local municipalities as well as Canadian fire agencies. For FY' 2005-2006, the BFD responded to 9,844 fire alarm activations, 1,483 confirmed working fires, and 23,543 EMS calls. The call volume has increased since. EMS calls are the most frequent calls the BFD respond to. In its current capacity, the Buffalo Fire Department acts as a first responder only. The BFD responds to mostly "life threatening" squad calls. Calls such as cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest/distress, chest pain, maternity, MVC's, medical alarms, etc. Most Buffalo firefighters are trained to the Certified First Responder level (CFR-D) while many others are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT-B). There are a handful of Buffalo firefighters that are Intermediates (AEMT-I) and Paramedics (AEMT-P), however due to state protocols they can not render services higher than their agency level, which is Basic Life Support (BLS). The department does not transport patients to hospitals. This is done by Rural Metro Medical Services, a commercial service. Ambulances are dispatched by ADI (Ambulance Dispatch & Inspection), which work hand in hand with the fire department. The Buffalo Fire Department has been looking again into providing their own ambulance service as well as implementing a revamped Squad company that would be an ALS flycar to assist the commercial ambulance service at peak times, but so far those talks are preliminary.

Hazmat calls are specialized responses handled by specific crews in the BFD. The crew of Engine 3, where Hazmat 1 is now quartered, mans the specialized truck on all Level 1 Hazmat Responses as well as simple spill calls. If Engine 3 is unavailable, the crew of Rescue 1 will respond with Hazmat 1. The Buffalo Fire Department also responds to Hazmat calls for the Town of Elma which is in the eastern suburbs. Elma, home to companies such as Motorola, Moog, signed a contract a couple of years ago with the City of Buffalo to provide Hazmat response in the event of an emergency.

Buffalo on average battles a structure fire once a day. The city is heavily laden with wooden balloon style framed buildings, multiple vacant warehouses and industrial buildings. In some cases these structures are just inches apart and since many are vacant they are very attractive for career arsonists and the wannabe firebug. The city has begun a process to demolish the over 10,000 vacant structures in an effort to detract arsons and keep firefighters safe. Also, the city in conjunction with several city departments has begun marking vacant structures with a uniformed system. Any structure that has a red square on it means an interior attack, if needed, is safe to enter. However structures with a red square with an X mean that the structure is unsafe and an interior attack is ill advised and only an exterior attack is warranted.

Buffalo's Arson Investigation Unit is one of the busiest arson squads in the country. Buffalo's Fire Marshals are armed firefighters invested with the powers of arrest. They respond to all structure fires when requested by the command officer as well as investigate small fires to assert if it was truly accidental or an arson was committed. Buffalo has a high rate of arsons due to the over 10,000 vacant structures within the city limits. They were quartered out of Engine 20 (Fireboat) on Ohio Street for years but recently have moved into Engine 2's quarters at Elmwood and Virginia allowing more room for staff as well as quarters for some of their apparatus.

The BFD has seen much restructuring within the ranks during the past decades with the population in the city dwindling from a high of 600,000 in the 1950s to less than 292,000 in 2006. Since 1994 alone, the Fire Department has disbanded six engine companies (10,13,16,18,24 & 30), four ladder companies (1,9,11 & 12), and a heavy rescue company (2).

However, the Fire Department still utilizes some of its closed firehouses. Engine 18 (Annex 18) on Fillmore Avenue is used by the Training Bureau. Engine 10 (Annex 10) on Ganson Street is used as a HazMat office, storage for reserve apparatus, as a well as a Haz Mat Training site. Old Engine 24 on Leroy Avenue is utilized as a storage facility for the department's EMS trailers as well as one of the department's spare Rescue, old Rescue 1. No more firehouse/company closings are expected for the foreseeable future. Through all the turmoil, they have still lived up to their motto "Ut Vivant Alii" ("So others may live").

Along with the capital improvement to the fleet of fire apparatus, the Buffalo Fire Department has replaced or is replacing older facilities. Most recent is the new quarters currently under construction for Engine 31 and Ladder 14 slightly north along Bailey Avenue from their current location at Bailey Avenue and Doat Street. Also, Engine 23 will have a new firehouse built on Bailey Avenue near Stockbridge Avenue. Lastly, there's planning for a new South Buffalo firehouse to house Engines 4 and 25, Ladder 10 and B-46 at Tifft and Hopkins Streets. This has the added advantage for quicker response times for incidents along Route 5.

There are many former firehouses spread out through the city proper. Some met the wrecking ball years ago, others were convertted to other uses, and some were just recently closed. Firehouses like Engine 17's quarters at Rhode Island and Chenango were torn down in the 1930s, only to have another firehouse built on the same plot 30 years later. Other firehouses like Engine 27 on Johnson Street were left to rot by the city, and ultimately was torn down in the mid-1990s to make room for low income housing. The Buffalo Fire Historical Society has some artifacts from Engine 27's house on display at their museum. Engine 21, Ladder 6's former quarters at Best Street and Earl Place was also torn down in the mid-1990s, and now is just an empty parcel. The only item still visible from the old firehouse is the driveway. Engine 5's former quarters on Emslie Street near Bristol Street is now a playground.

These are the last former firehouses still standing. It's with respect that they are listed here, as old yarns die hard. The oldest firehouse is the former Engine 2, Ladder 9 at Jersey and Plymouth. These quarters were constructed in 1872 in the days of the volunteer department. The former quarters of Engine 11 and Engine 2 are the last firehouses remaining from the volunteer fire department days. Engine 2's former quarters closed in 1999 when a new station was constructed at Elmwood and Virginia. It was occupied by Hogan Restoration for a few years but is now vacant. The former Engine 9, Ladder 1 served as a Training Bureau site for the Fire Department after Ladder 1 was closed in 1994. The Fire Department wanted to utilize the firehouse as home of Rescue 1 and Hazmat 1 but the former Masiello Administration sold the building to a private company. Chemical 5 and Engine 15 are the most interesting reuses of firehouses as personal residences.

Over the years these companies have either been closed due to consolidation of firematic districts, new technologies, budgetary reasons, or just impractical. In 1953, Engine 29, for example, was a specialized unit. Engine 29 operated a WWII Duck amphibious surplus vehicle, quartered with Engine 10 on Ganson Street. It was intended to fight fires on the waterfront but proved impractical to use and was quickly phased out after a few years of service. Engine 29 was also the old fireboat George R. Potter from 1903 to 1931, which was decommissioned due to the age of the vessel. In 1944, the BFD ordered a dual purpose rig, Quad 6, with 1000GPM pump, hose, and a complement of ladders. It was manufactured by the Buffalo Fire Appliance Corporation. It was quartered with Ladder 10 at 131 Southside Parkway. It proved impractical to run due to its inability to make right turns. Quad 6 only was in service for about 6 years. The first actual company to close occurred in 1931 when Engine 14, which was quartered at William Street and Casey Street (current site of Goodwill Industries). It was closed to consolidate with another Engine Company. The most recent company closed was Engine 24 at Leroy Avenue and Halbert Street. Engine 24 provided 113 years of service to the City of Buffalo, and was closed in early 2006. Ladder 7 was moved from quarters shared with Engine 24 to new quarters with Engine 34 at Main Street and Mercer Street. At the Citistat Buffalo meeting of 12/07/2007, the idea was brought up of a possible return of a company to the area of where Ladder 12 was quartered, due to increased response times.

The Buffalo Fire Department has many support units within itself. Below is a list of just some of the many different units that make up the BFD as well as outside agencies.

• Commissioner of Fire (C-1)
• Deputy Commissioner/Administration (B-51)
• Deputy Commissioner/Operations (B-52)
• Deputy Commissioner/EMS (B-53)
• Special Operations Chief (B-55)
• Homeland Security Coordinator (HS-1)
• Division Chief (B-56)
• Department Safety Officer (B-41)
• Department Training Officer (B-42)
• 3rd Battalion Chief (B-43)
• 4th Battalion Chief (B-44)
• 6th Battalion Chief (B-46)
• 7th Battalion Chief (B-47)
• HazMat Captain (F-16)
• EMS Lieutenant (F-20)
• Training Bureau (F-21,F-22,F-23)
• Superintendent of Apparatus (F-48)
• Superintendent of Fire Alarms (F-58)
• Head Mechanic (F-49)
• Chief of Communications (F-61)
• Chief of Fire Prevention (F-1)
• Fire Prevention Inspectors (F-1x)
• Department Chaplain (F-72,F-74,F-75)
• Buffalo Fire Arson Investigation Bureau (F-10,F-11,F-12)
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms (F-13)
• Professional Standards (F-14)
• Mobile Air Unit Trucks (F-7,F-8,F-9)
• Communications Division (F-82,F-84,F-86,F-87,F-88)
• Department Photographer (F-89)
• Canteen Truck (F-76)
• Red Cross Coordinator (F-78)
• Repair Shop (F-83,F-85)
• Department Tow Truck (F-2)
• Department Service Truck (F-3)
• Hose Wagon (F-62)
• Hose Wagon (F-63)
• Fuel Tanker (F-65)
• Utility No. 1 (CBRNE 1)
• Utility No. 2 (CBRNE 2)
• Utility No. 3 (CBRNE 3)
• Utility No. 4 (CBRNE 4)
• Utility No. 5 (CBRNE 5)
• Mask Repair (F-4)
• Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner (ES-10)
• Erie County Emergency Services Chaplain (ES-11)
• Erie County Emergency Services EMS Chief (MC-4)
• Erie County Emergency Services Deputy EMS (MC-7)
• Erie County Emergency Services Command Post (MAC-1)
• Erie County Sheriff Helicopter (AIR 1)

The Buffalo Fire Department's Alarm Office is operated out of 332 Ellicott Street in Downtown Buffalo. The Alarm Office is staffed mostly by civilian dispatchers now, as the department has attempted to phase out uniformed firefighters in the alarm office. The Alarm Office is also home to the Communications Division and Radio Repair of the Buffalo Fire Department. These personnel are also civilians, who manage not just the communications for the fire department, but also the police, public works, ambulance dispatch, etc. The Buffalo Fire Department used to send alarms as the FDNY still does in box format. The gong would strike out the call box number. If it was a working fire or an additional alarm was requested, the gong would strike out the box number, and then a 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, or a 6-6 for a General Alarm. A General Alarm is all apparatus in the city, the recall of off duty platoons, and the implementation of mutual aid plans. The Larkin Warehouse Fire of the 1950s was the only General Alarm in the BFD's history. Today, the Buffalo Fire Department transmits alarms in tone form. Two short tones signify an EMS Call, three short tones signify a Still Alarm or Preliminary Signal. Three long tones signify an Alarm of Fire or Hazmat Response. The Alarm Office is supposed to move in early 2008 to new offices at the new Public Safety Campus Building in Downtown Buffalo.

General Calls:

Preliminary Signal: Automated alarm activation (2 Engines, 1 Ladder, 1 Chief)

Still Alarm: Investigations, Rubbish,Auto fire etc. ( 1 Engine or 1 Ladder )

EMS Call: (1 Engine or 1 Ladder)

Motor Vehicle Accident: (1 Engine, 1 Ladder)

Thruway Assignment: MVC on Thruway or 198/33 Expressways (1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Rescue, 1 Chief)

Elevator Assignment: Alarm of elevator stuck with people trapped (1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Rescue, 1 Chief)

Structure Fire (Alarm of Fire): (3 Engines, 3 Ladders, (1 Ladder acts as the FAST truck), Rescue, Battalion Chief, Division Chief, EMS LT (F-20), Mobile Air Unit (F-7, F-8), Arson Investigator (F-10, F-11)

Greater Alarms: (3 engines, 2 Ladders, Battalion Chief (3rd alarm), Deputy Commissioner)

General Alarm: (All active companies, Off Duty personnel, and reserve apparatus) -Note, the only call in BFD history to go to a general alarm was the 1954 Larkin Building fire.

Level 1 HazMat Response: ( Engine 3, HazMat 1, 1 Engine, 2 Ladders, Mobile Air Unit (F-7, F-8), F-16 (HazMat Captain), B-41 (Safety Officer), Battalion Chief, F-20 (EMS Lt.), Division Chief (B56)

Channel 1: 424.225 (Fire Dispatch)
Channel 2: 424.350 (Fire Ground)
Channel 3: 423.900 (HazMat Low Portables)

• The Early History of the BFD
• Buffalo Fire Historical Society
• Buffalo Fire Department Official Site
• IAFF Local 282 BFD Union
• Fireboat Edward M. Cotter

• Buffalo Fire Photos