page_title: Organization of the New York City Fire Department
section_title: Fire Operations
hierarchical_section_title: Organization of the New York City Fire Department / Fire Operations
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking southwest across Monroe Street at house for Engine 235 / Battalion 57 on a cloudy day.
context_page_description: The New York City Fire Department, like most fire departments around the world, is organized in a paramilitary fashion. Its organizational structure includes regional commands for various geographic areas within its jurisdiction, operational commands for units of different functions, and administrative units and offices for various administrative functions.
  Beneath that hierarchy are the individual units and uniformed personnel which carry out the missions and responsibilities of the fire department, which includes the primary role of emergency response and firefighting, as well as a range of other roles and duties.
context_section_description: Under the Chief of Department, John Sudnik, there are three Assistant Chiefs and two Deputy Assistant Chiefs who serve as Borough Commanders. Each Borough Commander is responsible for one of the five boroughs within New York City. Each Borough Commander commands the Deputy Division Chiefs and Battalion Chiefs within their respective boroughs.
  Each borough is divided into 1-3 Divisions, and within each division 3-7 Battalions operate. Each Division is responsible for all of or a geographical section of a borough. Each Battalion is responsible for a geographical section of each Division. Each Battalion is further divided into individual firehouses that serve specific neighborhoods within each Battalion. Each Division is commanded by a Deputy Division Chief and each Battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief.
  Each firehouse contains 1-3 fire companies. There are six different types of fire companies that operate six different types of fire apparatus, or "rigs". Each company serves a different and unique purpose at fires or other emergencies. The six fire company types are Engine Companies, Ladder (or Truck) Companies, Squad Companies, Rescue Companies, Haz-Mat (Hazardous Materials) Company, and Marine Companies.
  Each individual fire company is commanded by a Captain and three Lieutenants. The Captain is in charge of that company's firehouse. In a firehouse that contains more than one fire company, the Captain assigned to the engine company is in charge of the firehouse. When a Captain is not on-duty, one of the three company Lieutenants commands the unit. Each company, depending on the specific unit have the following assignments: There are 4 firefighters on Engine Companies with the fifth man or woman being the on-duty officer. Ladder Companies, Squad Companies, and the Rescue Companies staff the units with 5 firefighters on each tour or shift, excluding the on-duty officer. During each tour, each firefighter is assigned a specific "riding position" on the company's apparatus that designates what task each member is to perform at the scene of a fire or other emergency situations.
caption: The quarters of Engine 235 and the Chief of the 57th Battalion, located in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
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