Education - FDNY History

A Quick History of the FDNY - by Peter Rothenberg and Geoff Giglierano
Chapter 1: Begining With a Blaze	Chapter 8: The Process of Professionalization
Chapter 2: The First Fire Engines	Chapter 9: Faster and Better in a Changing City
Chapter 3: Competition	Chapter 10: Covering More Ground
Chapter 4: Hear the Loud Alarm Bells	Chapter 11: Firefighting Starts Becoming a Science
Chapter 5: Pumpers and Politics	Chapter 12: Larger Events Affect the Department
Chapter 6: Decline of the Volunteer System	Chapter 13: FDNY and Times of Social Upheaval
Chapter 7: Volunteer Department's Demise	Chapter 14 The Job Goes On

Chapter 9: Faster and Better in a Changing City

"...the statistics of the year, as will be seen by the report of the Chief Engineer, show that the fires have been fewer in number, and attended with far less loss, than in preceding years, although the city is steadily increasing in size, and the duties of the Department are rapidly extending. The Commissioners....have been gratified at the order and system with which the duty is performed; the promptness, courage and skill displayed by most of the officers and men....the rapidity with which alarms are answered (the companies being ready to move, on an average, in twenty seconds from the time the alarm is sounded in their quarters, and in some companies in fourteen seconds), and the zeal with which duty is performed, have been sources of pride."
The Fifth Annual Report of the Metropolitan Fire Department of the City of New York,
New York, 1870, page 2

In the late 19th Century, New York continued to grow in size, more tall buildings were built, gas and electricity were more widely used in homes and businesses. It became crucial that firefighters get to fires faster and have effective equipment when they arrived. Among the improvements in this era were more powerful steam pumpers and cotton-jacketed rubber hose which replaced leather hose which was notoriously leaky and stiff. In 1875, the city purchased its first true fire-boat, the William Havermeyer, to protect the busy waterfront. Water towers and aerial ladders were introduced in the late 1870s in response to the increasing height of buildings. Another answer to the problem of tall buildings was the scaling ladder, introduced in 1883. The 1870s and 80s also saw such innovations as the sliding pole and quick-hitch harness for the horses.