11/19/06 - Bronx - 10-75

[NDeMarse]

After a long silence, here is a job I caught a few nights ago.

Date: 11/19/06
Time: 20:25 hours
Box #: 3304
Address: 2292 Crotona Ave X 183rd Street
Building: 1 Story Brick Taxpayer 50x50
Fire Location: Cellar & 1st Floor


More Photos Here: http://www.nycfire.net/gallery1/FDNY06-74 (http://www.nycfire.net/gallery1/FDNY06-74)

http://www.nycfire.net/album/FDNY06-74/MG_5087.jpg

[Eastsidevolly]

Pardon my ignorance on this, but in NYFD terms, is a taxpayer an occupied dwelling and if so, what do they refer to vacant dwellings as?

[NDeMarse]

Pardon my ignorance on this, but in NYFD terms, is a taxpayer an occupied dwelling and if so, what do they refer to vacant dwellings as?

Eastside,

In the FDNY, A taxpayer is a row of stores usually one or two stories in height. It got it's name (according to Chief Norman's "Handbook of Tactics and Strategies, 2nd Edition") This information is found in Chapter 14 "Taxpayers" located on page 339. The entire chapter breaks down different the different taxpayer types but this will get you started.

"Taxpayer is a term used to describe a row of stores housed within a single building. Although not recognized by any building code, this description has come to be accepted by the fire service as any commercial structure that is built of ordinary construction. Newer taxpayers differ from this traditional description in that they use Class 2 non-combustible construction. These newer buildings are often called strip malls."

going on.....

"The term taxpayer derives from the practice of landlords who owned a piece of vacant land and constructed a fast, cheaply-built structure on it to rent out, thereby generating income to pay the realty taxes while anticipating a future increase in value. These speculative structures were considered expendable temporary buildings and so weren't particularly designed for fire safety."

I know in Illinois (former job) that some bosses and chiefs would incorrectly use the term to describe a building, housing apartments over stores. They would go on to explain that the term was derived because the "taxpayers" lived over the store. While this is a widely accepted as the definition in that part of the country, it is not the correct one. Because of this confusion, cities like Chicago simply do not use the term since it has so many different meanings.

Hope that helps.

[53 Fireman]

Nate,
any pics. of the fires in Harlem lately?
we've been doin' it! haha