JOSEPH W. PFEIFER
Superstorm Sandy illustrates the full spectrum of Fire Department of New York (FDNY) preparedness and response capabilities along with its commitment to community recovery. This was realized when a rare meteorological event occurred merging Hurricane Sandy with a nor'easter to create a "perfect superstorm." With its record low pressure, the storm stretched almost 1,000 miles in diameter and quickly became the largest and most damaging Atlantic Basin storm to hit the East Coast. As the superstorm slammed into New York City (NYC) on October 29, 2012, at the peak of high tide during a full moon, it brought a storm surge of 13.8 feet and 65-mile-per-hour (mph) sustained winds and gusts up to 92 mph. If this extreme storm was not enough for first responders to contend with, the storm sparked a seldom-experienced conflagration in Breezy Point, Queens, as well as other multiple-alarm fires and lifesaving emergencies around the city that would tax FDNY and all emergency management.
The early history of NYC is marked by several historical conflagrations. The First Great NYC Fire of 1776 occurred while the British occupied the city; nearly 25 percent of the city was burned. In 1835, the Second Great NYC Fire ripped through lower Manhattan, destroying the New York Stock Exchange and well over 600 buildings. A decade later, in 1845, fire again devastated lower Manhattan by destroying 345 buildings. These conflagrations resulted from high winds that spread fires in the direction the wind was blowing. The hot gases on the wind's leeward (downwind) side ignited combustible material, rapidly extending the fire.
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