CHARLES BAILEY
Firehouse.Com News

Lost in the horror of September 11, forgotten in the tales of heroism and sacrifice, is the dedication and tragedy of a small volunteer fire department in the heart of New York City. The Aviation Volunteer Fire Department, Eng. Co. 3, lost its only pumper on September 11th.

Aviation is one of only ten all-volunteer companies in the City of New York, and one of two in the Bronx. The ten volunteer companies are a little known part of the fire protection system in the city. These ten companies are tenacious holdovers from what was once an all volunteer system.

Since 1923 Eng. Co. 3 has protected a poor Bronx neighborhood with minimal funds and equipment. Nicknamed "Volly's in the Hood" this small department may have lost everything but they have not given up. Usually running about eight calls per day Engine Co. 3 has been out of service since the attacks.

Fire Chief William Rivera said, "That day was the worst moment in the history of the fire department. It was bad. We lost everything but our lives."

Eight firefighters from Aviation were trapped for 15 minutes in the subway tunnels underneath the World Trade Center Complex immediately after the collapse. Rivera said that they spent the next four or five hours lost in a labyrinth of subway tunnels.

Aviation's pumper was parked at the intersection of Greenwich and Murray Streets when the towers fell. While the pumper was not a total loss it required extensive repair.

The hard part is that the insurance policy of the pumper did not cover all the costs, leaving Aviation's members to generate the funds themselves.

"We were standing on the street corners asking for money but we don't do that anymore. We set up a bank account for donations and they are starting to come in." Rivera said.

The department is staffed by 35 volunteers, some of whom also work for FDNY. Rivera said that the relationship between his members and the city firefighters is good. "Police, Fire, EMS, we have a dual response system and we all work pretty well together."

Members of the station listen to the city fire radio for calls. They also receive calls directly from the neighborhood. When a call is heard or received, Engine Co. 3 responds and tells the city dispatcher that they are going.

Without a pumper they are going nowhere.

Since the loss of the pumper several fires have occurred in the area usually covered by Aviation firefighters. City pumpers were deployed to cover the calls that Aviation could not.

"Hopefully, our pumper will be ready for action in a few more weeks." Rivera said.

Donation information is available at Aviation's web site.