| ENGINE 167 |
| In the mid to late 60's Staten Island was becoming
very popular and growing at an extremely fast pace.
Private homes and an abundance of stores and businesses
were popping up everywhere and the city felt the
need for another firehouse containing both an engine
and ladder company. In November of 1964 the Site
Selection Board approved the location of a firehouse
to be built in the Annadale and Eltingville area.
The northeast corner of Annadale Road and Leverett
Ave was the chosen spot for the house. Mayor Robert
Wagner approved the construction project in February
of 1965, and construction began in February of 1970.
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| But before breaking ground here in Staten Island,
the department had to be sure there would be an
adequate number of firefighters to man the company.
In 1972 the fire department decided to disband Brooklyn's
Engine Company 208 located at 227 Front Street in
downtown Brooklyn. The company was rich in tradition
dating back to 1861. The members of 208 at that
time chose to stay together rather than being sent
to multiple houses throughout the city. |
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 They
came over and formed Engine Company 167 which was placed
in service on November 22, 1972. Captain Robert Krukowsky
was the first captain of the house. John "Buddy" Whyte
was assigned to Engine 167 as a probie in 1983 and has
just reached the 20 year mark. He is the only member in
the engine or truck to serve all 20 years in the same
company. He continues to add to that number. Is that right
buddy? When placed in service, Engine 167 had Engine 208's
1970 Mack 1000-gpm pumper. In 1993 they acquired a 1993 Seagrave
1000-gpm pumper which they would ride for 10 years. On October 24, 2003 Engine 167 received a brand new 2003 Seagrave Pumper. The 750 gallon pumper was placed in service for the first time at 1:40AM. |
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 Their
first due area continued to grow not just with private
homes, but now with more commercial businesses, an oil
refinery and the worlds largest landill, the Fresh Kills
Landfill. With this in mind the city added Foam Unit 85
to the quarters on May 10, 1985. Foam Unit 85 was renamed
Foam 167 on December 29, 1998(right). On September 13, 2003 the Foam Rig was replaced with a 'newer' 1988 Mack Foam Rig which is currently being used(below).
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| LADDER 87 |
 Ladder
Company 87 arrived in the house 13 years later. On August
15, 1987 the fire department felt the need for the 75
foot Tower Ladder to help protect the people of the South
Shore. The addition of the extra ladder company filled
a much needed hole because the closest ladder companies
were miles away. Captain Richard Boyle was the first captain
of the truck. In December of 1987 firefighter Jim Napuli
came into the house and was chosen as the union delegate
for the truck. He would become the trucks longest running
delegate holding that position for 15 years. Ladder 87's
first apparatus was a 1980 Mack Tower Ladder. Later on
they switched to a 1988 model Mack but currently have
a 2000 Seagrave.
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 Today,
with the constant talk about chemical and biological
attacks, Ladder 87 has been designated as 1 of only
2 CPC (Chemical Protective Clothing) Companies on
Staten Island. We carry Hazmat-type suits and equipment
onboard in case we have to respond to such an incident.
Due to the war in Iraq and the increasing threat
of terrorist attacks, a CPC Truck, "Lil 87" was
given to us on March 19, 2003 in order to enhance
our units' Hazmat capabilities. Lil 87 allows us
to carry more Hazmat equipment than the one compartment
originally designated for Hazmat on the truck. |
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| THE NAME 'FIRE AND ICE' |
 On
August 14, 1991 the firehouse planned a trip to
the racetrack. The track selected was Monmouth Park
and the house sponsored a race that eventually became
an annual outing. One of the races featured a horse,
a longshot by the name of 'Fire and Ice'. Everyone
thought it would be a good idea to throw some money
down on a horse with such a name and took a chance
on the longshot. 'Fire and Ice' won the race and
would become the symbol of this company's Firehouse.
For the next few years Monmouth Park held the Engine
167 / Ladder 87 Anniversary Race. |
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| THE WEBSITE |
 With
the popularity of the internet at an all time high
firehouses throughout the world wasted no time jumping
on the bandwagon of what we know today as the world
wide web. Sites were set up so that anyone interested
in the department could go and visit to apply for
jobs, see pictures, learn firematics or just meet
their local heroes. Suddenly it became very popular
and competitive to out do other firehouse websites.
On April 6, 2003 www.engine167ladder87.com was introduced
to the rest of the world. Ladder 87's Craig Chille
met with web designer Brian Paturzo for several
weeks to get the site off the ground. With the help
from both active and retired firefighters, there
was enough information and pictures to get the site
started. The site has become an instant success
winning multiple web awards and making the June
2003 issue of Firehouse magazine as the 'Featured
Website of the Month.' |
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