Fireboats of the FDNY

Talk Highlights:

• Uncover the origin story of the FDNY, a force that began in 1865, and the very first fireboat, put into service in 1875
• Find out how the consolidation of the five boroughs allowed the FDNY's fireboat fleet to grow with the acquisition of Brooklyn's Seth Low and David Boody fireboats
• Discover the fates of the “Four Sisters,” FDNY fireboats named the Wilks, Archer, Wagner and Smith—one of which became a floating bar along Brooklyn’s waterfront
• Learn how the present day FDNY Marine Division, the first in the nation, operates today and where you can see historic and active fireboats while exploring the city

About Fireboats of the FDNY:

Fireboats are specialized watercraft designed for firefighting on shorelines and shipboard fires. With over 500 miles of shoreline, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) first utilized the New York Police Department's steam-powered vessel Seneca in 1862. In 1875, the FDNY purchased its first fireboat, the William F. Havemeyer, a wooden-hulled, steam-powered vessel built with basic firefighting equipment. By the beginning of the 20th century, the FDNY averaged 10 fireboats in its fleet.

Edward F. Croker was the chief of the FDNY from 1899 to 1911, and his unrelenting determination was instrumental in the creation of the FDNY Marine Division, the first in the United States. Used for rescue and recovery operations, transportation for first responders, and occasionally as ice breakers, fireboats of the FDNY have responded to countless historic emergencies. On September 11, 2001, the crews on the FDNY fireboats responded to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. Eight years later, they aided in the rescue and recovery efforts regarding US Airways Flight 1549, the "Miracle on the Hudson."

Join author David A. Rocco for a live virtual presentation on the history of the FDNY's fireboats and how they are used today!

About David A. Rocco:

David A. Rocco has been involved as a volunteer for many cultural and environmental initiatives in the Hudson Valley and NYC. He played a seminal role in the successful development and eventual success of the Walkway Over the Hudson project. He is presently the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the historic Fireboat McKean Preservation Project. In 2023, David wrote a successful application that placed the retired FDNY Fireboat John D. McKean on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

In 2017, David co-authored The Indestructible Man, a book about Navy legend Dixie Kiefer who was killed in a plane crash in Dutchess County, NY on November 11, 1945. David has recently written a new book, Fireboats of the FDNY that was released on August 25, 2026.

Scenic photography of the Hudson Valley and beyond has been a passion of David’s for many years. A number of David’s photos were selected in 2013 for Arts Westchester’s “Damage and Destruction” by Hurricane Sandy, in 2015 Arts Westchester’s “50th Years Through the Decades” Anniversary, and in 2020 a number of David’s photos were also picked for Arts Westchester Covid Virus Pandemic Exhibition. In 2019, he was awarded the second annual Lawrence (Larry) Salley Photography Award by Arts Westchester for his eight year body of work documenting the Tappan Zee Bridge/ Gov. Cuomo Bridge project. Twenty of David’s photos of the Tappan Zee Bridge crane collapse incident that took place in July 2016 were featured in an episode on the Science Channel’s Engineering Catastrophes program.