New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Challenge Coins
FDNY Challenge Coins Perfectly Recognize New York’s Bravest
The history of the Fire Department of the City of New York dates all the way back to 1648, though it wasn’t until 1865 that the professional unit as it’s known today came into being. Back then, it was known as the Metropolitan Fire Department. A full overhaul of the department in 1870 lead to the creation of the FDNY, and the rest is history. In the centuries that followed, the FDNY has become, not only the largest fire department in the U.S. but the second largest in the entire world after the Tokyo Fire Department.
Located in the most populous city in the U.S., the FDNY is charged with providing emergency services to roughly 8.5 million residents in a 302 square mile area. The men and women of the FDNY act with bravery and heroism every day as they work tirelessly to make New York the safest big city in the nation. They’re efforts don’t stop with responding to emergencies after they’ve taken place either. New York City firefighters and emergency personnel also work to educate the public on issues of fire safety and disaster preparedness. It’s safe to say that if anyone has earned the right to New York City custom challenge coins, it’s the men and women of the FDNY.
Signature Coins prides itself on providing custom challenge coins for our nation’s brave first responders and members of law enforcement. We understand how much work goes into protecting the largest and busiest cities in the U.S. and believe that the least we can do to recognize the tireless service of these brave individuals is provide them all with quality challenge coins.
FDNY Challenge Coins for Training Completion
One thing that sets the FDNY apart from other fire departments in the country is their extensive training regiment. The Fire Academy is based on Randall’s Island due to its central location in the East River. The island is home to numerous training facilities filled with state of the art equipment and fire simulators all designed to put new firefighters through their paces and teach them the ins and outs of all different kinds of emergencies.
As New York firefighters progress through their training, they’ll get practical, hands-on experience with buildings that simulate the unique dwellings found in New York City boroughs as well as practice on a propane-fueled automobile fire simulator. All issues of fire suppression, prevention and education are covered at the Fire Academy to ensure that every FDNY firefighter is well prepared to handle any and every emergency that might come up.
In addition to the extensive entry-level training that takes place, advanced training is also offered in the following subjects for firefighters focused on FDNY core competencies:
- CPR training
- Peace Officer training
- Vehicle Extrication training
- Building Collapse training
- Confined Space Rescue training
- Hazardous Materials training
Each branch of training features both academic and practical application lessons, and progressing past each specific branch offers its own opportunity for distinction with firefighter challenge coins. As new recruits take each successive step towards becoming a fully trained and capable FDNY firefighter, they see that their efforts are recognized and appreciated, and the challenge coin tradition that will follow them throughout their careers is started early.
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Firefighter Coin Examples
FDNY Firefighters Prove Their Bravery Time and Time Again
FDNY firefighters aren’t called New York’s Bravest for nothing. Protecting such a big city affords them multiple opportunities to prove their valor. No bigger test has emerged than the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Not for the first time in the organization’s history, the eyes of the world were focused on the FDNY after hijacked planes were flown into both of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. What spectators saw was the fast and efficient response of a well-trained fire department. By the time the ordeal was over and both towers had fallen, 343 firefighters had tragically lost their lives. Amazingly, during this horrifying time and in the days and weeks to follow, average response times to fires elsewhere in New York City only rose by one minute. Even with a fire department pushed to the brink and massive casualties of their personnel, the brave men, and women of the FDNY kept the city running.
The 9/11 terror attacks were the worst in the Nation’s history, however, they weren’t the only moments in New York that put members of the FDNY to the ultimate test. Other moments that allowed for the earning of FDNY challenge coins include:
- Manhattan State Hospital Fire-- In the early morning hours of February 23, 1923, tears in the insulation and faulty electrical wires caused a fire to break out in the 50-year-old brick building. Of the 2,000 patients said to have been in the hospital at the time, only 25 people lost their lives.
- Monarch Underwear Company Fire-- On March 19, 1958, a fire started in the processing oven of the S.T.S. Textile Company.
- Happy Land Fire-- On March 25, 1990 a Bronx social club became the site of one of the most devastating fires in New York City history. Made all the worse by the lack of fire exits in the building, the aftermath of the fire saw massive changes in building safety codes.
- Brooklyn Theater Fire-- On December 5, 1876, a fire broke out during the final portion of a sold-out performance in the 400 seat theater.
- 1993 World Trade Center Bombing-- The 9/11 attacks were not the first time the World Trade Center had been the target in terrorist action. On February 26, 1993, a large truck bomb exploded between the two buildings intending to bring both of them down. The attack was unsuccessful in that regard, but the explosion and resulting fire still led to a large loss of life.
Top Provider of New York Fire Department Challenge Coins
New York City is a place with large amounts of pride. With so many people, companies, and different cultures, it’s hard not to see why New Yorkers are a unique breed. And the men and women of the FDNY are no different. They go above and beyond each day providing protection, support, and education to the people of the Big Apple. Their time, dedication and sacrifice deserves to be honored and commemorated with custom FDNY challenge coins.
At Signature Coins, we’ve provided the best custom challenge coins to the NYPD, the top New York based companies, branches of the U.S. military stationed in New York and untold other organizations in that great city. It’s only right that FDNY join the ranks of New York institutions that have received challenge coins from Signature Coins. Contact us today and let our specialists and artists get to work creating custom coins that New York’s Bravest will cherish forever.
