New York City Fire Department Rescue Company 1, also known as Rescue 1, is one of five

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

rescue companies of the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

(FDNY) that responds to rescue operations that require specialized equipment and training. It was organized on March 8, 1915. Peter Stehlik - FDNY Rescue 1 - 2012

Organization

The members of rescue companies receive extensive training in many courses from the Special Operations Command (SOC) of the FDNY. Additionally, many of the members have many years of experience within the FDNY and/or other fields of emergency operations. The rescue companies have an emphasis on equipping the company with tools that could be instrumental in performing rescues of civilians and firefighters at structural fires as well as operating at "odd jobs". Early versions of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) were first assigned to the rescue companies. Heavy duty lifting equipment, torches, and saws were initially introduced to the rescue companies. Lyle guns were among the initial equipment used by rescue companies, and as technology evolved, the companies were instrumental in pioneering the fire service application of artificial resuscitation techniques, SCBA, and firefighting foam. Rescue 1 is staffed with one captain, three lieutenants, and typically 25 to 30 firefighters that are split into tours (shifts).Paul Hashagen. ''Fire Department City of New York: The Bravest: An Illustrated History''. Editor: Janet Kimmerly. Publisher Turner Publishing Company. 2002

Coverage

Rescue 1 services the New York City borough of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

below 116th Street in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, ...

and 125th Street in

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningside ...

and

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

. Rescue 3 in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

covers the areas of far northern Manhattan. Rescue 1's firehouse is located on 530 West 43rd Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.

History

Rescue 1's firehouse was destroyed in 1985 by a fire in a neighboring warehouse. Rescue 1 was already out on a call when fire collapsed the warehouse onto their quarters. The unit then temporarily relocated until 1989 when their present firehouse was finished. Their distinctive door was saved and relocated to the back of the building.

During the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, the company responded to the North Tower, and lost nearly half its company. In the 2002 documentary ''

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

'', they are one of first units entering the stairwell of the building. In 2002, rescue trucks designed by the company's captain Terry Hatton, who died in the attacks, were incorporated into the department's fleet, with his characteristic exclamation "Outstanding" printed on the front of Rescue 1's vehicle. The subsequent 2007 Pierce rig had the same inscription with "T.H." added next to the motto. In 2005, the section of West 43rd Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues where the company's firehouse is located was named Terence S. Hatton Way. Rescue 1 celebrated their centennial on March 8, 2015.

References

External links

* {{New York City Fire Department Rescue 1 1915 establishments in New York City Fire service special operations