The sound of a 300-year-old fireman’s alarm rang through the Bloomingdale library Thursday night.
At the history lecture, “New York City Fire Department: A History from Inception to the Present,” around 50 residents learned about 400 years of fire extinguishing in the city and the Eleventh Battalion’s 130-year history covering the Upper West Side from 72nd to 125th streets. Battalion Chief Robert Holzmaier, who has served for 36 years in the FDNY, delivered the talk at the New York Public Library branch on 100th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus.
Holzmaier aimed to “show an appreciation of what people went through in the old days and how the numerous deaths and large fires led to improved laws regarding fire safety.”
He focused on methods, major advancements, and innovations in firefighting. In a slideshow of notable New York fires, he examined the Great Fire of 1835—in which one-third of lower Manhattan burned down—and the burnings of the Crystal Palace, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory building, and General Slocum. The audience also heard about the conspicuous connection between firefighting and politics: many of New York’s most prominent politicians, including William “Boss” Tweed and 17 mayors, got their start as volunteer firefighters.
“It was very interesting, just the the depth and breadth of someone talking about his own industry. He actually lived it,” audience member Tawanda Chihota said.
The talk was supplemented with a presentation of antique firefighting tools. Linda Burke, director of the New York City Fire Museum,provided an alarm rattle, an antique fireman’s trumpet, and a 200-year-old leather bucket.
Thursday’s lecture was the fourth installment of a series called “History of City Public Service,” which is co-sponsored by the Park West Neighborhood History Group and the Columbus Amsterdam Business Improvement District. These neighborhood organizations previously hosted talks on the police, parks, and water departments, to look at how these institutions have evolved and how they connect their histories to current problems. The next talk, to be held in November, will focus on sanitation.
“We try to present things so that people can see and appreciate the relevance of the past to the present and the future. That often gives people more patience and skill in dealing with current things and greater pride in what others are doing and what they can do,” said Winifred Armstrong , founder of the Park West Neighborhood History Group, and one of the organizers of the event.
She added, “I think what this does is often make people see the ways in which they matter and appreciate what others have done or tried to do.”
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