This sign was spotted by one of our readers on the Upper East Side this morning, put there by the firefighters at East 85th Street who have lost their kitten. It reads: "Please help find Carlo. He is a 5 month old unneutered kitten. He is missing from his post at the firehouse at 159 East 85th Street (between Lexington and 3rd Avenue). Carlo is white and orange with amber eyes. If you have seen or found Carlo please call 212-249-2762 or 646-245-2289 or bring him back to his firehouse. Thank you." more ›

Want to know what it's like on an average day at Hook & Ladder 8? Here's a cute parody, complete with "Who You Gonna Call?" mugs, tourists asking to slide down the poll, and a cameo by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! more ›

Under Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget, 20 fire companies would close, 834 city workers would lose their jobs, and thousands wouldn't get raises. The Mayor's budget calls for shutting down four more firehouses than he requested to close last year (City Council rescued them last year) and firing 299 libraries employees, 186 workers at cultural institutions, and 141 Health Department staffers. Police, firefighters, sanitation workers or corrections department workers would be spared from layoffs. more ›

With cuts for 16 fire houses, the mayor's budget is expected to leave many firefighters out in the cold—but newsman Anderson Cooper is just moving in. The NY Post reported that Cooper will soon take up residence in the century-old Greenwich Village fire house he purchased in September. With the help of conversion architect Cary Tamarkin, the globe-trotting CNN anchor will have the place homey in no time, though he plans to keep its brass poles and historic facade. No projections have been made of how much the residential conversion will cost, but the building's original price tag was $4.3 million. Now how many actual fire houses could that fund? more ›

A former 78-year-old firehouse in Rockaway is getting an environmentally-friendly makeover (greenincarnation?). The Real Deal reports that "the New York City Economic Development Corporation has selected the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance to redevelop the former Rockaway Beach Boulevard Firehouse at 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Queens," which will permanently house the Rockaway Institute for Sustainable Environment. The environmental advocacy organization also serves as an educational outlet, and has been working out of local schools and community spaces. They're aiming for LEED certification, and around $2 million is expected to go into the project, which will ultimately be a 7,200-square-foot hall housing green-collar job training courses, classrooms, events, catering facilities, an organic cafe and more. [via Queens Crap] more ›

Almost five years after a firehouse brawl left Staten Island firefighter Robert Walsh "a virtual invalid with almost no short-term memory," a judge has ordered the city to pay out $3.75 million, the Post reports. You may recall that the New Year's Eve fight was triggered by a bet between Walsh and Michael Silvestri, another firefighter, over Elvis Presley's birth date. After besting Walsh, Silvestri started up with the anti-gay slurs, which Walsh insisted was a typical part of life at the firehouse. The exchange culminated with Silvestri bashing Walsh in the head from behind with a metal chair; he suffered eye, jaw and skull fractures, and severe back injuries, thus ending his career at the FDNY. Silvestri's career also ended that night, and he did an eight month bit on Rikers. According to the Staten Island Advance, the settlement is far less than the $100 million sought by Walsh, who needs a cane to walk and suffers from post-traumatic migraine headaches. more ›

The Fire Department announced four fire units across the city will no longer have night tours plus the Governors Island unit will close. The moves are expected to save $8.9 million. The units affected are Engine Companies 4 (Manhattan), 161 (S.I.), 271 (Brooklyn), and 53 (Bronx); the FDNY says those firehouses have two units assigned, "one unit will remain in service 24/7, while the other will remain in service during the day tour (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), but go off-line during night tour (6 p.m. to 9 a.m.)." While Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta called this a "prudent" decision given the city's dire budget concerns, many are upset. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. pointed out Engine Co. 53 serves City Island, “To leave an island community, with only one point of access, without adequate fire protection is a recipe for disaster." And a firefighters' union said, "In this post-9/11 world, the F.D.N.Y.’s expanded responsibilities to protect New Yorkers cannot be accomplished by service reductions." more ›

25 units had to be called in to put a two-alarm fire that ignited inside a Harlem firehouse last night. Eight firefighters suffered minor injuries and the firefighters who usually man Engine 80 Ladder 23 had to be reassigned elsewhere following the blaze that FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief James Manahan said was started by faulty wiring that's over 100-years old. A resident near the W. 139th Street firehouse told NY1, "I'm very worried because this fire station, I'm living here for 37 years, so I know some of the firemen. I'm worried for our neighborhood that we don't have a fire station and we need it." There was no sign that the fire appeared to be suspicious. more ›

Around 10 p.m. last night, a Flushing resident heard crying outside her house and opening her front door to find a baby girl on the steps. The baby, wrapped in a blanket, appeared to be one month old. And next to the infant was a black handbag. more ›

Demonstrating just how valuable free parking in New York City is, a rash of smash and grab thefts has struck areas in Washington Heights and the Bronx, where firefighters have had their car windows broken and parking placards stolen. Most of the thefts have occurred right outside of firehouses, usually when members are called out to a fire, according to the New York Post. more ›