Iona Island Fire Dept USN

[38ff 250]

All,

I was on an authorized & approved by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission hike out to Iona Island today, I took a picture of the Iona Island Fire Station, build by the US Navy when the island was a Naval Ammunition Depot. Anyone know of what kind of apparatus they had there back in the day (1900's to 1957) The island is closed to the public. I could see evidence of a fire pole going from the 2nd to 1st floor peering thru a window.

[16fire5 693]

Maybe this incident was the impetus for a fire department.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C10FA3B5D16738DDDAC0894D9415B838CF1D3

I have been past the Island quite a few times and did not know it's history.

[Bnechis 3,961]

What is sad, is there are many active municipal stations in about the same condition

[99subi 121]

did you take any pics of the gutted buildings? they are really cool in person. Whats neat about that fire house is the outside light still goes on at night(obvi it has been installed since then but its still cool) im pretty sure NYSDOT stores some stuff on here.

[38ff 250]

I will post some more pics tommorrow. Most of the "roads" on the island were actually railroad tracks powered by a pneumatic locomotive. The PIP uses it as a storage yard now. The island was actually 2 islands, the ammo depot, and a rock quarry, then the USN took over the whole thing. The explosion that was posted above has strewn bricks all over the island, as well as UXO. The UXO threat seems to be real, as the USN sends EOD teams there every year, and that is part of the reason it is closed to the public.. I will work to see what other info I can dig up.

[38ff 250]

1941 ALF 750 GPM Pumper stationed at Iona Island

Edited to add I was sent this picture from www.firetruck-atwar.com I do not take and credit for it, other than posting it on here, and arousing some interest in it.

Edited May 21, 2012 by 38ff

[res6cue 67]

From my Rockland County Fire Apparatus history list:

U.S. NAVY AMMUNITION DEPOT, IONA ISLAND - DEPT 41

1942 American LaFrance Type B-612 500 series open cab 750 gpm/500 gwt

L-1884

"41-750"

Olive Drab

That's the only rig I have listed for Iona Island, I'm unsure if they had any others stationed there.

[res6cue 67]

Here are two photos of the firehouse from Flickr.

The first is a scan of an old slide, unsure of the exact date the photo was taken. The bay doors are still in pretty decent shape, the building number is still visible, and the chain link fence hasn't been installed yet.

Iona Island Naval Depot Firehouse by rchrdcnnnghm, on Flickr

The second was taken on July 13th 2008. Note that the new light and conduit hadn't been installed yet, so it must be fairly new.

firehouse by prefers salt marsh, on Flickr

[va360 7]

New york state park rangers store brush fire tools in the fire house now

[38ff 250]

and their ex Military M35A2 brush truck.

[38ff 250]

If anyone knows anything, post it up here. The Iona Island FD will fade off to a few pictures and an old fire station if we dont try to collect/preserve the history of it. For such an important facility that produced most of the ammo for the Atlantic US and British naval fleets in WWII, that would be a shame to loose it.

[38ff 250]

I am going back to Iona on Sunday, I will take more pictures of the station.