U.S. Rep. Grace Meng is pressing forward with a $2 million federal funding request to overhaul the aging Maspeth firehouse that houses FDNY’s elite Squad 288 and HazMat 1 units.
The funding, which Meng secured in a key House appropriations bill, would go toward replacing the firehouse’s deteriorating apparatus floor and upgrading its electrical and mechanical systems. The building, located at 56-29 68th St., has served the neighborhood since 1914.
Now over 110 years old, the firehouse is one of the FDNY’s most historically significant. It was home to the single largest loss of life suffered by any firehouse on September 11, 2001, when 19 members of Squad 288 and HazMat 1 died responding to the World Trade Center attacks.
“We need to ensure that our brave firefighters have the resources they need to keep us safe and save lives,” Meng said in a statement Monday. “During my recent visit to their firehouse, I saw firsthand how repairs and improvements are necessary, and I will continue pushing this crucial funding through Congress until it reaches the finish line.”
The $2 million allocation is part of the House’s Community Project Funding initiative, which allows members of Congress to request targeted federal investments in specific local projects. Meng’s request continues to move through the legislative process and would mark a significant investment in the long-term operations of the specialized units, which play critical roles in fire suppression and hazardous material response citywide.
Squad 288 and HazMat 1, which share the Maspeth facility, are among the FDNY’s most highly trained teams. HazMat 1 is the department’s only dedicated hazardous materials unit and operates citywide as the FDNY’s HazMat headquarters.
Local leaders and fire officials have joined Meng in calling for investment in the firehouse, citing safety and working conditions for the personnel stationed there.
“Our firehouses have sadly been allowed to fall into deplorable states, but this funding would go a long way towards righting the wrongs at the Squad 288/HazMat 1 house,” said Council Member Joann Ariola, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management. “Our heroes deserve safe, structurally sound firehouses to go back to when they aren’t saving the lives of their fellow New Yorkers.”
The Uniformed Firefighters Association also praised the funding effort.
“We applaud her sense of urgency and her commitment to ensuring the safety of our City’s Bravest,” said UFA Vice President Robert Eustace.
During a recent visit to the site, Meng toured the firehouse with Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, Chief of Department John Esposito, and other top FDNY officials. There, she observed the conditions firsthand and spoke with firefighters about how the money would be used.
Meng’s funding request comes amid renewed attention to the state of FDNY facilities across the city, particularly those handling specialized and high-risk emergency response.
