YORKVILLE — Local firefighters will have to relocate for several months while their firehouse gets a much needed upgrade, including a revamped kitchen, and for the first time, the addition of a bathroom dedicated to female firefighters, according to FDNY spokesman Jim Long.
Firefighters of Engine 22/Ladder 13/Battalion 10 will have to relocate to surrounding firehouses for up to 18 months, while the renovation at their firehouse at 159 E. 85th St. takes place beginning next month.
The work includes upgrading the station's electrical and plumbing systems, windows, kitchen and bathrooms, as well as new floors for the garage, Long said.
"The equipment, fire trucks and tools have all changed and improved," he said. "We've taken on new technology and new tools and the firehouses need to follow the same path to continue to exist and operate as home bases."
The project is part of the FDNY's $303.5 million plan to renovate firehouses citywide over the next 10 years, including $50 million dedicated to installing bathrooms for female firefighters, according to the FDNY's 2016 budget.
There were still 47 firehouses in the city that did not accommodate women as of March last year, according to a Newsday report.
The renovation could take as little as six months or as long as 12 to 18 months, and in the meantime, the firefighters will be relocated to surrounding firehouses and respond from those locations, Long said, though he didn't specify which locations.
Ladder 13 was organized in 1865 and serves from East 70th to East 99th streets, between the East River and Central Park. It's also home to Carlow the firehouse cat who's lately become an Instagram star.
