Yesterday we were sent this photo of a flyer displaying a lost kitten named Carlo, a 5-month-old tabby that the firefighters on East 85th Street had taken in. It's believed the kitten ran off when the firefighters got an emergency call on Saturday night, after which time they put up flyers around the neighborhood (with the assistance of Anjellicle Cats) asking for their new feline friend to be returned. And their plan worked: Carlo is back in the firehouse! more ›

The firefighter who died fighting a Bushwick warehouse inferno yesterday was a 9/11 responder who leaves behind a wife and two children. Lt. Richard Nappi, a 17-year veteran of the department, is survived by his wife Mary Anne, his 12-year-old daughter, Catherine and his 11-year-old son, Nicholas. Mayor Bloomberg did his best to offer his condolences to Nappi's family last night, and told reporters, "It's very tragic. There's nothing we can ever say. They were in love, lived together, had kids. All of a sudden, he's gone." more ›

Over 200 firefighters responded to a four-alarm fire that broke out in a multi-family home in the Van Nest section of the Bronx yesterday. Eighteen firefighters were injured, including two who were inside the building when it partially collapsed. One resident said, "The fire was so huge. It was spreading. I was crying, screaming." more ›

Last night, NYCT Subway Scoop Tweeted, "#ServAdv: Downtown #4 turning at Bowling Green due to a smoke condition. Expect delays" For the over 400 riders on that 4 train, it turned into an unnerving experience. Our own James Thilman was on the train at 9:30 p.m. and says it "suddenly stopped between Bowling Green and Borough Hall. Quickly filled with smoke, people got a little jumpy (only a few screamers). We sat for well over an hour and were then transferred to another train and sent back to Bowling Green," which is where many people decided to give up on the MTA for the evening. more ›

Admit it: You got a warm and fuzzy feeling while seeing State Farm's commercial paying tribute to New York City, with 150 children singing "Empire State of Mind" to FDNY firefighters. State Farm spokesman Roszell Gadson said that the Spike Lee-directed spot was a "way to honor and show appreciation for the sacrifices made every day by firefighters and emergency responders" and the company wanted to "find a way to honor these brave men and women as we collectively mark the 9/11 anniversary." State Farm is selling this version of the song on iTunes for 99 cents, with proceeds going to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. One person on iTunes commented, "I can't even lie. I have seen this State Farm commercial like 5 times today and every time it makes me smile and brings me to the verge of tears. I had to find the song and here it is! Great cover!" more ›

A group of black firefighters are back in federal court this week for the next stage in the long-running lawsuit against the FDNY, which they accuse of discriminatory hiring practices. Last year, a judge blocked the FDNY from hiring recruits because he found the FDNY's previous three recruitment exams discriminated against nonwhites. The trial's current phase started off with a bang yesterday, when the plaintiffs submitted a sworn deposition by FDNY official Patricia Kavaler, who testified in 2008 about what she perceived as shady, nepotistic "back room" hiring practices that enabled white firefighter candidates to get hired despite troubling criminal records. more ›

A Brooklyn firefighter is badly burned after a manhole exploded under a parked car that he was moving after making sure its occupant was at a safe distance. Lt. Richard Buckhelt, a 16-year-veteran of the FDNY, responded to a call from Pablo Mejia of smoke billowing from a manhole on Lincoln Road underneath a Honda Accord. Mejia tells the Post, "He took my keys, got in, and right when he tried to back up, that manhole exploded with him in [the car]." A witness says he "just heard 'Boom!' and the car went up in the air. There were a lot of flames and smoke." Buckhelt is being treated for first and second degree burns on his face and hands. more ›

Atheists are complaining about a new street sign in Red Hook that commemorates firefighters who died on 9/11. On Saturday, a group of Red Hook firefighters, community members, and local politicians, gathered near the Engine 202 and Ladder 101 firehouse to rename part of Richards Street "Seven in Heaven Way." "They are heroes and should be rewarded in a place like heaven,” Tom Miskel of Community Board 6 tells the Brooklyn Paper. Atheists, of course, are making a big stink. more ›

The latest group of volunteer firefighters for Rockland County have graduated, but if a recent lawsuit has any validity, new recruits in the village of Piermont might want to be careful. A father has filed a federal suit on behalf of his 17-year-old son against the volunteer Fire Department there, saying that forcible sodomy is a "prerequisite" for the department's volunteers. more ›

Chief Richard Houlihan, who advised him not to tell anyone, but then blabbed about it to the other firefighters, who did not receive the news in a particularly enlightened manner. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges: more ›

Another day, another firefighter taking his clothes off for a calendar. We're not complaining, and they have been looking for revenue-generating ideas, after all. But while some may be heated up over the FDNY's proposed "accident tax" plan—we're more concerned about their Twitter operator getting a better cameraphone. Enjoy this (blurry) behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the calendar—these photos were posted earlier today on the aforementioned Twitter, which declared they are already "finishing up our 2012 calendar shoot! It will be at www.fdnyfirezone.org soon!" more ›

The Post published this map showing where human remains of victims from the September 11, 2001 attacks were found by firefighters. The paper says, "Here's the chilling proof that Ground Zero stretches well beyond the boundaries of the World Trade Center site, and reaches close to the proposed mosque and community center." Yes, the Park 51 community center and mosque, two blocks away from the WTC site, is in the zone. more ›

There are few traditions better than the firefighter calendar... and the 2011 City of the Brave calendar has arrived! According to the Daily News, this is different than the official FDNY calendar, but who doesn't need more than one calendar? Photographer Katherine Kostreva created the City of the Brave one after firefighters saved her life, and the 26-year-old has since "made it her artistic mission to honor the firemen's selfless bravado and their muscular bodies." Meet those muscular bodies at the launch party at Red Sky Bar (47 East 29th Street) tomorrow at 8 p.m. And in the interest of being fair, here's a peek at the official FDNY calendar boys. You're welcome: more ›

It was hot outside this week, hotter than Batman riding a robot unicorn. It also made for a particularly hot time for the FDNY, who had their busiest week in almost 30 years according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA). more ›

The firefighters usually get all the glory when it comes to shaking their "tails" for charity, but now there are some new (furrier) faces: the firehouse's cute canines (most of which are strays the firefighters have adopted). A charity calendar is coming out this fall and will be the first ever to honor the pups—and amongst the 12 will be 3 city canines. The NY Post is hosting the contest to narrow down the 12 to the final 3, so you can vote over there—we're going with Ladder 122's Nikita, because who can resist a this photo? more ›

Last night the City Reliquary pretty much brought the FDNY Calendar to life with a Fire Sale! Firefighters took to the Knitting Factory stage to sell... themselves, all to benefit the Reliquary (which is trying to stay afloat). Bids started at $50 and went over 300 bucks; winners were promised "a real life opportunity to take one of New York’s Bravest out on the town for a night of romance and adventure." more ›

Last night a fire killed a woman at the Harlem apartment complex that's home to many politicians including Gov. Paterson and Rep. Charles Rangel. Firefighters found the 50-year-old victim lying dead on the bathroom floor of her 16th floor apartment, according to the Daily News. They said she was hard to reach because her living space was cluttered with junk, what they called "Collyers' mansion" conditions (referring to the famous booby-trapped Harlem house where two pack-rat brothers died among over 100 tons of stuff including books, newspapers, trash and clocks). more ›

A Brooklyn mom is charged with endangering the lives of her two young sons, after a fire broke out in her East New York apartment yesterday when they were home alone. Milagros Perez left her two-year-old and four-year-old for 25 minutes just before the fire started, officials say. Firefighters were able to find the two boys in the smoky apartment—both were unconscious and not breathing, but now are expected to survive. "When you find somebody, especially a kid, it gets you going," one firefighter told NY1. "It gets the blood flowing and it's pretty exciting. Especially when you get them outside and you are able to bring them back to life." No word on how the fire started. Last week a heroic mom perished in another Brooklyn fire after throwing her two kids from a window and saving them. more ›

A boozy brawl between more than two dozen firefighters and four unlucky civilians early Saturday morning left one man with a broken eye orbit bone, a broken collarbone and broken shoulder. The city's Department of Investigation and the NYPD are investigating the fight, which broke out at the Salty Dog in Bay Ridge after one of the civilians, a 21-year-old, reached for his shot glass and spilled a little booze on one of the firefighters. "It looked like he was saying ‘I’m sorry’ and the firefighter started yelling and screaming, and one of his buddies came around and punched him the face," witness Larry Johnson tells the Post. Pandemonium ensued, and judging from Johnson's account, the only thing missing was a ragtime piano player dodging pint glasses. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg blasted Governor Paterson's proposed budget as overly harsh on New York City and urged Albany to give "New York City a fair deal." Under Paterson's $134 billion budget, Bloomberg says the city would have to fire 18,500 employees including 8,500 teachers, 3,150 police officers, and 1,050 firefighters. "Such budget cuts would inevitably damage the quality of life in the city that drives the economy of the entire state. It's in your power to prevent many of those dire consequences—simply by giving the people of New York City a fair deal," Bloomberg said. more ›

A week after the city was found to be at fault for discriminating against blacks and Latinos who wanted to become firefighters, a Brooklyn federal judge ruled that the city must pay damages to thousands of black and Latino applicants, and give jobs and retroactive pay to 293 others. more ›

During Monday's blaze at a Bronx high-rise, firefighters came upon the corpse of a man whose throat had been slashed. Donald Holliday, a 53-year-old whom neighbors described as a "loner," had been knifed a dozen times in the chest and slashed across the neck. But was Holliday's killer also responsible for the two-alarm fire? more ›

Controversy has kicked up around last week's reports that the city was considering Mylan Denerstein to replace Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, who resigns at the end of the year. Denerstein, 42, a former federal prosecutor, would be the first female head commissioner, as well as one of the first African-Americans to hold the job. However, firefighters and department sources interviewed by the Post about her possible hiring yielded a tinderbox of negative reactions. more ›