Brooklyn Fire Department

The first such company was founded in 1785 in Brooklyn Heights, and consisted of an engineer and five firemen operating from a firehouse near Cadman Plaza.

[1]: 3 [2]: 569  The volunteer force grew to 3,000 by the mid-19th century, and as the number of fires increased, so did the amount of losses.

[3]: 68 In May 1869, another piece of legislation to create a professional, paid firefighting force was passed and signed by New York governor John T.

[1]: 4 [3]: 69  The bill enabled the appointment of several fire commissioners, who in turn hired various staff and procured the BFD's apparatus.

[6] By 1870, the cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburg had merged their volunteer fire departments with the BFD.

[7] Several other towns were annexed into Brooklyn in the 1880s and 1890s, namely Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, and New Utrecht.

In 2013, two firehouses, Engine Company 240/Battalion 48 in Windsor Terrace and Engine Company 228 in Sunset Park, were made official city landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; both of these remain active FDNY firehouses.