The modern-day Ossining Fire Department (OFD) began on May 4, 1812, when the Westchester County's first volunteer fire company was organized in Sing Sing. Today, the Department is comprised of roughly 450 active members in nine companies located in seven firehouses throughout the Village. These firefighters risk their lives out of service for their community. As Gunnar Neilson, the Fire Chief from 1975-1976, put it: "It's strictly volunteer. When the whistle blows, you go." 

Today, Chief Engineer Scott Gallery, 1st Assistant Chief Engineer Michael Scarduzio Jr., and 2nd Assistant Chief Engineer Louis Sanchez lead the OFD, with the assistance of seventeen Deputy Chiefs. Each company has a Captain, A 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, Chief Driver, and two Fire Commissioners. The Department's nine companies operate six Engines, two Ladders, one Rescue Truck, one R.I.T. Truck, and one Spill Response Trailer. The Village owns the firefighting equipment and five of the firehouses; two houses are rented to the Village.

The nine companies began as separate and independent entities, added one at a time over the last 209 years to keep pace with the Village's growing population. Following are brief histories of the companies that make up Ossining's Bravest.

Washington Engine Company No.1 and Washington Hook and Ladder Co.2
Tower Ladder 42 

Washington Engine Company No. 1 was organized on May 4, 1812. In June of 1812, the company purchased a tub style 1780’s gooseneck hand engine from New York City. This engine was originally owned by the first organized fire company of New York City known as Engine No. 1 and was stationed on Duane Street, cross street of Washington Street and Reade Street in what is now Tribeca in lower Manhattan. The name of Sing Sing’s company may have come from the portrait of George Washington painted on the engine’s side.

Washington Engine Company was housed Southeast of Hubble’s Corner (Broadway and Rte. 9) where the bank with the clock stands today. It constituted the entire Ossining Fire Department until a second unit, Hudson Fire Company No. 2, was formed in 1825. This company was stationed at the Middle Dock on the waterfront (between Central Ave. and Broadway today). Protection Company No. 3 followed in 1836 and was located on Spring St. at the northeast corner of the Mt. Pleasant Academy. Both of these units disbanded around 1850. Washington Engine Company went on to become Washington Hook & Ladder Company No. 2 in 1890 to protect the north side of Sing Sing. It is now stationed at the North Side Firehouse on Snowden Ave.

The fire apparatus that the first three companies used was a gooseneck hand engine, so-called because the attachment on the engine was the shape of a goose neck and could be turned in any direction. Washington Engine also had a suction apparatus for drawing water from cisterns that were located at various points in the Village. Other hand engines at this time had reservoirs that needed to be filled by bucket.

Ossining Hose Company No.1
Engine 96 

Ossining Hose Company No. 1 was organized on September 8, 1856, after village citizens raised $2,000 to purchase a new hand engine and a hose carriage. The new hand engine would go to the Washington Engine Co. No. 1, and Ossining Hose was organized to operate the hose carriage. The new equipment did not arrive until December 15, 1856, several days too late to help the companies to fight the December 6th fire that struck Main St. and destroyed the offices of the Westchester Herald and several buildings. Among the losses was a collection of historical documents, pamphlets, and newspapers. The hose and engine companies were located at the Eagle Hotel, which stood on the site of the Bank for Savings at the intersection of Main St. and Highland Ave.

Senate Hook and Ladder Company No.1
Ladder 41 

After numerous fires at Sing Sing Prison where the firefighting equipment was damaged the Ossining citizens petitioned the state early in 1857 for funds to replace the worn-out fire equipment. Senate Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 was formed in 1857 and named after the State Legislature, who appropriated $2,000 for the purchase of a hand engine, hook and ladder, and a large quantity of hose. Senate Hook & Ladder first shared space with Protection Hose Company on Waller Ave., and then was located with Ossining Steamer. Today its address is 21 State St. at Fire Department headquarters.

Cataract Hose Company No.2
Engine 97 

Another outcome of state funding was the formation of Protection Hose Company on May 25, 1857. The name of the company was changed to Cataract Hose Company No. 2 in 1890. Its first piece of equipment was a two-wheeled “jumper,” which was pulled by firefighters to the scene of the fire. It was not until passage of a 1909 public referendum that Cataract obtained a horse-drawn vehicle and two horses named Barney and Jack. This team seemed to have a mind of its own, since the horses often bolted out of the barn at the sound of the fire alarm. Many a time the first order of business of the volunteers was to chase after the horses. 

Both Senate Hook & Ladder and Cataract Hose were first headquartered on Waller Ave. Senate later found homes on Main and State Streets. Cataract remains on Waller Ave.

Ossining Steamer Company No.1
Engine 98 

Sing Sing Steamer Company No. 1 came into being in June 1876 with the purchase of a Silsby rotary steam fire engine, the latest in technology at that time. The Silsby company had exhibited its steam engine in Sing Sing in early 1876. When a fire broke out on Main St., the village fathers saw the engine in action and were persuaded to purchase one. A company of 60 members formed to take charge of the new steam engine. Still stationed on Main St., Steamer Company shared its space with the Police headquarters in the late 1890s.

Monitor Hose Company No.4
Engine 99 

Monitor Hose Company organized on July 7, 1891 and was originally located on Water St. and Central Ave. near the Monitor Iron Works, from which the company took its name. Members of the company were nicknamed "Monty’s dock rats." 

The company’s first apparatus was a hand-drawn jumper carriage with hose, which had to be pulled by hand up the hill to fight fires in the Village. A frequent solution was to hook the carriage to Ossining Steamer at the top of the hill. Another option was to hitch the carriage to the trolley for a ride from Westerly Rd. to the Campwoods Grounds. The company moved to its present home on Central Ave. in 1950.

Holla Hose Company No.5
Engine 100 

In 1900 underserved residents on the south side of the Village pleaded for a fire house. Ossining Hospital on Orchard St. was particularly in need of protection since it was located at the end of a water line and lacked the water pressure necessary to fight a fire. Holla Hose Company organized on April 24, 1900, to address these needs, and was stationed on South St. The company makes its headquarters today at the corner of Lafayette Ave. and State St. 

The company is named for J. Edward Holla, its founder and Village President. In August 1900, Holla instituted an annual inspection of all fire companies, a practice that continues today.

Independent Hose Company No.6
Engine 101 

The Independent Hose Company began when a group of men in the Campwoods section of the village became concerned that there was not enough fire protection in the Ossining Heights area. The founders met at James Coutant's grocery store on Campwoods Rd. in 1911. A committee approached the Village board of trustees for permission to form a hose company, but the board was not receptive. The men were not deterred and formed their own company, naming it Independent Hose Company. The company purchased its equipment and funded its own fire station through a variety of fundraising efforts, including strawberry and peach festivals, excursion cruises on the Hudson, as well as direct public appeals. The company opened its fire station on Campwoods Rd. in 1933 on land purchased from James Coutant.

Ossining Fire Police and Emergency Squad
Rescue 14 

The first meeting of Ossining Fire Patrol #1 took place on December 22, 1922. The Fire Patrol was housed originally in quarters on Brandreth Street. Ironically, this building was destroyed by a fire on October 6, 1958.  

Today, the Ossining Fire Police & Emergency Squad (also known as Rescue 14) makes its home at 21 State St. with Senate Hook & Ladder Company and Fire Department headquarters. Currently, Fire Police has 25 active members who man a custom-built E-One rescue apparatus. This truck carries a wide range of firefighting, rescue, and first-aid equipment, as well as a built-in generator for use in lighting a fire scene or providing electric power. Members must maintain a proficiency in extrication, basic first aid, and some members choose to train in more advanced emergency treatment.