2. Gerritsen Beach has the last remaining volunteer fire department in Brooklyn

Gerritsen Beach Fire Department

Gerritsen Beach has the last remaining volunteer fire department in the borough, which has responded to major events throughout the city’s history. The department uses the name Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department with an extra “t,” as reflected on a mural and memorial on Seba Avenue. Nicknamed the “Vollies,” the volunteer fire department was organized in 1922 just when the neighborhood became a summer-resort community. It was formed after a 1921 fire that took the FDNY way too long to reach, as the FDNY did not have a fire station nearby at the time; it took until 1930 for an FDNY firehouse to be built on Gerritsen Avenue. Volunteer members were trained to respond to fires, save people from drowning, and help in many other types of emergencies.

Over its 100-year history, the Vollies (or Vamps, as they were originally called) have responded to all sorts of crashes, emergencies, and weather phenomena. They assisted with the 1960 New York mid-air collision, in which a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 crashed with a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, killing all 128 people on board both aircraft. Just three days later, they ought a blaze on board the USS Constitution. During 9/11, the department shifted operations further north to respond to emergencies in Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay while the vehicles originally stationed there could respond to 9/11 victims. And during Hurricane Sandy, the department helped rescue and evacuate residents, as well as opened a relief center.