Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department - "Never Give Up!"

For more than a century, the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department has been protecting the lives and property of our town’s residents.  Operating out of an old, two story, wooden frame building on Noel Road,  the “vollies” have always had one goal…that of constructing a new firehouse.


That dream started to take shape back in 1995 when the vollies were able to purchase a small plot of land on Cross Bay Boulevard, adjacent to the American Legion Post, on which would be built their new fire house.

Fundraising for the construction of their new firehouse was a slow and tedious process for our vollies but they never despaired and instead chose to focus solely on the goal of achieving the dream of moving our volunteer fire and ambulance corps into a new building.

Things started to look up when, in 2005, (then) Senator Hilary Clinton and Congressman AnthonyWeiner earmarked $2 million dollars in federal transportation funds to be used for this project.

With the federal funds allocated, the vollies then had to complete a complicated, if not byzantine, process of obtaining of acquiring approvals for their project from both state and city agencies. Because the federal funds originated from a federal transportation bill, the project required the approval of the city’s Department of Transportation to move forward. Unfortunately, the city process quickly brought the project momentum to a screeching halt.

The city stated that the $2.3 million in earmarked funds fell short of the actual projected cost of the project maintaining that the city would be held liable for the difference.

Additionally, the New York City Fire Department also opposed the project stating “The F.D.N.Y. already provides more than adequate coverage in that area. Any additional funds allotted for fire protection in the city, especially in these difficult economic times, would be best utilized by the F.D.N.Y.”

Although prospects for their new firehouse suddenly looked dismal, the “vollies” again chose not to despair and instead intensified their efforts, searching to identify alternative means of obviating the city’s refusal to approve this project.

Again, persistence and remaining focused on a goal paid off big for the vollies as just recently, thanks to assistance of Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer and State Senator Shirley Huntley, there is now a bill in the state legislature that would shift responsibility for this project from the city DOT to the state DOT under the supervision of the state’s Dormitory Authority. Just this week, Assemblywoman stated that “We are moving forward and the governor should sign the bill in the next few weeks.”

Although things are, once again, looking up, it goes without saying that our New York State legislature is probably one of the most dysfunctional legislative bodies in our nation and anything can happen. Our state budget is three months late and the state is operating financially on a piecemeal basis, week to week, via emergency appropriation bills.

The above notwithstanding, let’s all keep our fingers crossed and hope the legislature and the governor do the right thing.

Regardless of what new obstacles may be thrown in the way of our vollies, we all owe a great deal of thanks to Dan McIntyre, the Chief of our small town fire department, who continually refused to allow circumstances to allow his department’s dream of a new firehouse “go up in smoke!”