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History of Ladder Company 18
Originally Hook and Ladder Company 18 was in the former village of Morrisania in the Bronx. In the 1880's it was disbanded and reorganized as Engine Company 50. In 1887 H& L Company 18 was recreated on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. At this time the Lower East Side was one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The ethnic make up of the area was predominantly eastern European Jewish immigrants. Comprised almost exclusively of tenement buildings with no existing building codes or occupancy limits, overcrowding was the norm. Crime and crushing poverty were commonplace. Working conditions and public sanitation were afterthoughts. Into this world, the original members of H&L Company 18 were thrown. For many decades they were one of the most active fire companies in the world. Now at the beginning of the 21st century, the present members of Tower Ladder 18 find themselves in a very different world. The area still has thousands of tenement buildings, but also has high rise multiple dwellings and factory lofts converted to residences. Where once the neighborhood language was a mixture of Eastern European tongues the predominant language has gone first to English then to Spanish and is currently Chinese. "Chinatown" has grown from a handful of blocks to an area that encompasses nearly all of the Lower East Side. Overcrowding and squalid conditions are still common today. In buildings over 100 years old, the present inhabitants of the Lower East Side present Ladder 18 with a surprisingly similar situation to that faced by our founding members over 100 years ago. Largely mistrustful of anyone outside their community, structural fires tend to go unreported until the fire has reached an advanced stage. Enormous life hazards, extreme security measures, and heavy fire loading are the order of the day. The members of Ladder 18 embrace these challenges enthusiastically. They look forward to serving the people of the Lower East Side faithfully throughout this millennium.
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