Since the earliest years of city history, New York's firefighters have put their lives on the line to protect its citizens from fire. Written by experts on Fire Department history, this book documents the evolution of city firefighting from the earliest b

The F.D.N.Y. is the United States’ largest and most storied fire department. Filled with full-color photographs of firefighting equipment, memorabilia, and notable fires, F.D.N.Y. tells the story of the New York City Fire Department from the Colonial era through 2001 attack on the World Trade Center to today. Based on the unparalleled collection of the New York City Fire Museum, F.D.N.Y. documents the New York’s “Bravest” as they have fought fires, including the Great Fire of 1835 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, in a challenging and constantly changing city. For the 150th anniversary of the department’s founding, the second edition of F.D.N.Y. adds 16 pages on the department’s improvements since 9/11. Packed with photos showing how firefighters are dealing with 21st century threats such as the continuing challenge of terrorism, the 2003 Blackout, and Hurricane Sandy.

Birth of the Bravest is a substantially abridged edition of Our Firemen: A History of the New York Fire Departments, Volunteer and Paid by A. E. Costello, which was originally published in 1887. This edition includes all of the revealing historic events and exploits while deleting over 400 pages of lists, inventories, and personnel records. They are called "the Bravest." They are the New York City Fire Department, ordinary men who put themselves on the line every day to save lives, and this is a chronicle of their early history. Birth of the Bravest traces the history of New York firefighting from the earliest days of the city, when it was part of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, to the end of the nineteenth century, when new innovations in firefighting technology began to make their appearance. Along the way are many tales of heroism and bravery, including accounts of the disastrous fire of 1811, the great conflagration of 1835, the awful fire of 1845, and many other signature events in New York City's history. Birth of the Bravest also documents the history of firefighting itself, the birth and evolution of fire companies (both "volunteer and paid"), legislated fire regulations, the development of new equipment to aid the bravest in their mission, and the birth of fire insurance. It also tracks individual exploits of great heroism, on the job and off, as many members went off to serve in the Civil War. A seminal part of New York City history, this chronicle of the evolution of the Fire Department is an informative tribute to the men who are New York City's Bravest. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.