Fire Departments in New York: A System Built from Thousands of Local Units

New York has no single statewide fire department. Firefighting here is split among city departments, village companies, town fire districts and volunteer units, each answering to a local government or an elected board. Our database lists 3,415 of them, from FDNY firehouses in the Bronx to small volunteer halls near Niagara Falls.

That structure explains why finding the right station can feel confusing. The building closest to your home may not be the one that legally serves your address, because fire service follows district lines rather than straight-line distance.

The state does have a role. The Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), part of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, trains firefighters, supports fire investigation and helps coordinate mutual aid between counties. It runs the State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls. OFPC does not dispatch trucks or run your neighborhood station, though. Operating authority sits with the city, village, town or fire district.

Four Common Ways a New York Fire Department Is Set Up

Many departments are a mix, with paid staff during weekday hours and volunteers at night. Your property tax bill is the quickest clue. A line labeled for a fire district or fire protection district tells you which agency covers your home.

New York City: The FDNY and Its Five Boroughs

The Fire Department of the City of New York is the largest municipal fire department in the country. It covers Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. It also runs the city's emergency medical service, so one agency answers both fire and many medical calls.

FDNY firehouses are usually named for the units that share the building. Battalion 27, Ladder 37 and Engine 79 operate from 2928 Briggs Avenue in the Bronx. Ladder 129 and Engine 273 sit at 40-18 Union Street in Flushing, Queens. On Staten Island, Engine 154 and a brush fire unit work from 3730 Victory Boulevard, in a borough with more open and wooded land than most of the city.

Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn is an exception to the city-run model. Its volunteer department at 52 Seba Avenue serves the neighborhood with unpaid members. Some listings serve an institution rather than the public. The Fulton Correctional Facility Fire Team is one, so call before assuming it handles public requests.

For non-emergency questions in the five boroughs, call 311. Inspections, permits and Certificates of Fitness for specialized fire-safety work go through FDNY's Bureau of Fire Prevention, mostly online rather than at a firehouse counter.

Upstate, Long Island and the Hudson Valley: How Fire Service Differs by Region

Outside New York City, the model changes from one region to the next. Larger upstate cities rely on paid departments. Buffalo's Engine 25, Ladder 10 and 6th Battalion share quarters at 517 Southside Parkway. Albany's department combines fire, emergency medical services and code enforcement under one name, and Engine 7 is on Clinton Avenue.

Suburban and rural counties lean on districts and volunteers. Erie County pairs Buffalo's career force with many town and village companies. In Monroe County, the Brighton Fire District runs its main station at 3100 East Avenue, separate from the Rochester Fire Department that serves the city itself.

Long Island has the densest network of small agencies. Suffolk County and Nassau County rank first and second in our database. Villages, hamlets and districts there each keep their own department, most of them volunteer or combination. A single street can sit in one district while the next block belongs to another.

The Hudson Valley mixes both models. Kingston Fire Department Station 2 on Frog Alley is a city station. The Centerville Fire District near Saugerties is a separate district in the same county. Dutchess County adds the Arlington Fire District's Red Oaks Mill Fire Company near Poughkeepsie and the Hillside Lake Fire Company in East Fishkill. In Orange County, the Cronomer Valley Fire Department near Newburgh covers a mostly suburban and rural area.

The Southern Tier, North Country and western New York cover long distances with fewer people. Volunteer companies there often protect wide territory, so neighboring departments back each other up through county mutual aid. A county fire coordinator organizes that system under the state's mutual aid framework.

Fire Codes, Burn Rules and Inspections in New York

The state's Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code sets the baseline for fire safety in buildings. Cities, towns and villages enforce it locally, and some counties help. Schools, restaurants, apartment buildings and other occupancies get inspected at set intervals. Many departments, including Albany's code enforcement unit and FDNY's fire prevention bureau, handle those inspections directly.

Open burning is regulated by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Residential brush burning is banned statewide from March 16 through May 14, the high-risk spring season. Burning household trash is prohibited year-round. Towns and villages can add stricter rules, so check locally first. DEC forest rangers handle wildfires on state land in the Adirondacks and Catskills, while local departments respond elsewhere.

State law also requires carbon monoxide alarms in homes, a rule often called Amanda's Law. Many local departments install or recommend alarms during community safety events.

How to Find and Use Your Local Fire Department

Follow these steps to reach the right agency for your address:

One practical caution applies to our listings. The city name on a record is often the mailing address, not the municipality. Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co is listed under Troy but serves the Town of Brunswick, and Fort Hunter Fire Department appears under Schenectady. Confirm your district before you rely on a station's location.

Fire departments across New York range from large career departments in major cities to volunteer departments serving small rural communities, all operating under state fire codes and local ordinances to protect residents from fire and emergency hazards.

Fire Departments locations are available in 1311 cities across New York. They are spread across 62 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include New York, Buffalo, Rochester, which have multiple fire stations strategically located to maintain rapid response times for their dense populations.

Residents of New York should know your local fire department's non-emergency phone number so you can request burn permits, safety inspections, and community programs without tying up the 911 emergency line.

Fire Departments by Counties

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Residents of New York planning any outdoor burning should contact their local fire department for open burning regulations and permit requirements, which can vary significantly by county and season due to drought conditions and fire danger ratings.

Browse Fire Departments by county across New York to find the nearest location.

Who Pays for Fire Protection in New York and What to Expect

Funding depends on how your department is organized. Cities such as Yonkers pay for career firefighters out of the municipal budget. The Yonkers Fire Department's headquarters station is at 5 New School Street. In fire districts, voters elect commissioners who set a budget and levy a charge that appears on your property tax bill. The Fairview Fire Department in Westchester County operates under that district model, so it differs from the city department just a few miles away.

District and town board meetings are open to the public under the state Open Meetings Law. Attending one is the best way to learn about equipment purchases, staffing and budget changes. Responding to an emergency generally carries no direct bill for residents. Some municipalities do charge for repeated false alarms or certain non-resident incidents, so ask your local department about its policy.

Volunteer firefighters are covered by the state's Volunteer Firefighters' Benefit Law, which provides injury and death benefits. Some localities also offer property tax exemptions to enrolled members under local option rules. Ask your town or county assessor how those work where you live.

Dial 911 for any fire, smoke, gas odor or medical emergency anywhere in New York State. The call goes to a county or city dispatch center, which sends the unit assigned to your address. In New York City, 311 is the number for non-emergency questions, such as fire safety information or building complaints that are not an immediate danger. Outside the city, use the business line listed for your department, such as 845-331-1211 for Kingston Fire Department Station 2 or 716-851-5333 for Buffalo's Engine 25 quarters. Never use a business line when someone is in danger, because it may ring in an empty station.

A fire department is the organization of firefighters and apparatus. A fire district is a unit of local government that raises taxes to pay for fire protection. Under New York's Town Law, a fire district has its own elected board of fire commissioners, sets a budget and levies a charge that appears on your property tax bill. Many districts then operate or contract with a volunteer or combination department. Examples include the Claverack Fire District, tied to the Ab Shaw Fire Department in Columbia County, and the Centerville Fire District in Saugerties. Cities, by contrast, fund their departments directly through the municipal budget.

Rules depend on the type of fire and the season. Statewide, the Department of Environmental Conservation prohibits residential brush burning from March 16 through May 14, the peak spring wildfire period, and burning household trash is banned year-round. Small recreational campfires are generally allowed under DEC rules, but local codes may add limits or require a permit. Many towns and villages restrict open burning entirely, and dense cities generally prohibit it. Call your local fire department's business line before you light anything. If a fire gets away from you, call 911 immediately, and be aware that you may face penalties or liability for damage.

Start with the department that responded. Ask for its records officer or send a written request under the Freedom of Information Law, Article 6 of the Public Officers Law. Agencies must acknowledge a request within five business days, and paper copies generally cost no more than 25 cents per page. Some departments release incident reports readily to the owner or insurer, while others withhold details tied to an open investigation. For a major fire, a fire marshal or investigator may hold a separate cause-and-origin report. In New York City, FDNY handles its own requests, and your insurance adjuster can often request records for you.

Most volunteer departments accept members at 18, and many run junior programs for 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consent and limits on duties. Contact the station directly, such as Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co in Rensselaer County or the Frontier Volunteer Fire Hall near Niagara Falls, and ask about membership nights. New members complete recognized training, commonly Firefighter I, offered through county training centers and the state OFPC. Career jobs work differently. Cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers fill them through civil service exams, and FDNY runs its own hiring process through the city. Exams are not offered every year, so watch for announcements.

Not always. In New York City, FDNY's emergency medical service operates the 911 ambulance system, so one agency sends both. Albany's fire department includes emergency medical services in its official name. In much of the rest of the state, ambulances come from separate volunteer squads, hospital-based services, private companies or county programs, even when the fire company is dispatched at the same time. In Ulster County, for example, city and district fire departments cover different territory, and ambulance providers vary by area. Ask your town clerk who covers your address. Ambulance transports are commonly billed to insurance, while a fire response normally is not.