Kids in Park Slope — and at least one curious reporter — got the chance to see a piece of Brooklyn history on May 2, when Engine 239 on Fourth Avenue threw open its doors for a tour. The event gave an up-close view of the life of New York’s bravest, according to one excited child.
“I felt like a real firefighter,” said Kaitlyn English, as she climbed down from inspecting the truck.
The Fourth Avenue firehouse, which sits on the Park Slope side between Sixth and Seventh avenues, was open for the afternoon as part of a citywide open house event in honor of the FDNY’s 150th anniversary. But unlike the vast majority of ho-hum stations throughout the city, the home of Engine 239 carries the mark of an earlier breed of Brooklyn’s Bravest.
The firehouse was built in 1931, three decades after the Mistake of ’98, when Brooklyn — and its fire department — merged with the rest of New York. But despite never seeing those heady days of independence, it was still emblazoned with the initials of the Brooklyn Fire Department, which remain above its main entrance to this day.
Among the things English learned in her tour of the station are that a fire engine carries between 400 and 500 gallons of water, and that sliding down a fire pole really is quicker than taking the stairs.
Just as English was expressing her admiration for the firefighters’ willingness to put their lives on the line, a call came in, the firefighters suited up, and the engine tore out of the station with lights blaring.
