Fire Department
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55th Battalion

Article published in the July Issue of the NY Fire Department magazine "WNYF" (1941?)

Thanks again to Gary Urbanowicz, a New York City Fire Department Historian for his research and contribution to this site and the history of the NY Fire Department at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

The diligent work and the excellent record of our World's Fair companies should not be allowed to slide unnoticed into the obscurity of forgotten history. Up to now any praise would have been premature and spoken with crossed fingers. For, although the public crowds filed out of the gates for the last time eight months ago, the Fair grounds,  buzzing with the activity of vans moving valuable contents from buildings, of wreckers tearing down the structures and of trucks carting away salvaged material, have continued as a responsibility for the New York Fire Department. But, now that the transformation of the area into Flushing Meadow Park is well under way, the record of the lately disbanded 55th Battalion should be told.

The temporary and combustible nature of its construction contrasted with the wealth of its furnishings and contents made the Fair a unique fire hazard. The $155,000,000 spectacle was spread over 1,216 acres. With the exception of three fireproof buildings, the general construction of the 150 major structures and the 40 smaller units was of steel frame, wood beams and studs, plasterboard, and wire lath with a stucco finish. Most of the structures in the amusement section and many in the exhibition area such as the Japanese Pavilion and the Horticulture Building, were made completely of wood. There were no fireproof roofs and in the large building vast quantities of lumber were exposed in spacious cocklofts. Cellars were rare. Wooden floors laid on planking supported by building piles, with a 3-foot space between the ground and the flooring represented a menacing fire condition.

The 55th Battalion was organized on September 5, 1938, for the sole purpose of protection life and property at the Fair. Its personnel consisted of 3 Battalion Chiefs, 14 company officers and 70 firemen assigned to one double and two single engine companies. From the beginning, commanding officers devoted their entire time to a study of potential fire fighting problems resulting from the unusual construction and equipment of the buildings. In addition to learning the location of hydrants and of auxiliary fire appliances and the peculiarities of each structure, the firemen, before the public opening of the exposition, drilled daily in stretching lines into buildings, cocklofts and towers. Other companies, in the vicinity, received instructions on the special tactics necessary for efficient duty at the Fair.

The 55th Battalion was organized on September 5, 1938, for the sole purpose of protection life and property at the Fair. Its personnel consisted of 3 Battalion Chiefs, 14 company officers and 70 firemen assigned to one double and two single engine companies. From the beginning, commanding officers devoted their entire time to a study of potential fire fighting problems resulting from the unusual construction and equipment of the buildings. In addition to learning the location of hydrants and of auxiliary fire appliances and the peculiarities of each structure, the firemen, before the public opening of the exposition, drilled daily in stretching lines into buildings, cocklofts and towers. Other companies, in the vicinity, received instructions on the special tactics necessary for efficient duty at the Fair.

A private corps of 65 Fire Guards, made up of retired members of the New York Fire Department, under the command of Ex-Assistant Chief of Department Thomas F. Dougherty, supplemented the work of the firemen. They performed fire prevention duties, inspected buildings and streets, patrolled the grounds continuously and cooperated in every way with the Department.

The Journals of the 55th Battalion, during its brief existence of 32 months, disclose a total of 237 alarms received of which 166 were for actual fires. These figures can be separated into 5 periods: preceding the formal opening of the Fair, 38 call produced 29 fires; during the first open season 86 runs accounted for 63 "workers;"  while closed for the following winter 20 alarms caused 6 actual fires (firemen patrolling the grounds in this same period, summoned to 27 additional locations, extinguished 21 blazes); the 1940 season brought 45 responses and 26 fires and finally 48 runs effected 42 fires in the time between the closing of the exposition and the disbanding of the battalion. None of the 4 extra alarm fire occurred while the Fair was open to the public.