This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

fire patrol, originally uploaded by niznoz
As reported by the NY Times (and linked by Gothamist), the New York Fire Patrol – which I previously wrote about might be no more:

While the Fire Department puts out fires, the patrol works in its wake, salvaging property and limiting the damage at commercial blazes. The patrolmen — no women are now on the force — do not bring hoses. They bring pumps for getting rid of the water. They do not break windows to vent heat. They bring protective canvas tarps to throw atop computers or retail goods.
However, this may be the last year that the “Patrolios,” as the units refer to themselves, roam the streets of New York in their distinctive red helmets.
The insurance industry has decided that the old way of doing things may not be the best way, that the property salvaged by the 98-member force is not worth its $8.5 million budget, which is financed by an annual assessment on fire insurers.

It would be a shame if this quirky New York institution would slip away into history – like so much of New York City.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Fire Patrol No. 1, originally uploaded by plemeljr
I didn’t know this, but apparently the Fire Patrol is a private fire company working under the New York Board of Underwriters, basically to protect insured property (and make sure firefighters don’t steal stuff). From their short history:

The Fire Patrol can trace its beginnings back to 1803, when the Mutual Assistance and Bag Corporation was formed by a group of volunteers to protect and preserve the contents of buildings from fire and water damage.

Fire Patrol members have the same equipment, but wear red helmets, and are dispatched by the FDNY. Here is a google cache with some good info. I also heard that there isn’t a lot of love lost between the FDNY and the Fire Patrol.