Happy 100th birthday, Ladder 128!

From the Times Ledger:

In the past 100 years, firefighters at Blissville’s Ladder 128 in Long Island City have put their lives on the line for residents in western Queens and have become like brothers in the process, those celebrating the company’s centennial said last week.

Ladder 128 has played an integral role in the community over the past 100 years, and the stories from within the house were feted as that which makes a life complete by the hundreds who attended Friday’s celebration at the Blissville location. The firehouse covers the areas of Blissville, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Chief of Department Edward Kilduff called the centennial a tremendous milestone for the firehouse, nicknamed “tombstone territory” thanks to its location across from Calvary Cemetery, one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in the country.

“This is one of the most diverse areas in the city,” Kilduff said. “You have everything here from high-rises to tunnels to rail yards. The commercial buildings are extreme challenges for anybody. A place like this really represents the heart and soul in the Fire Department.”

The neighborhood has changed dramatically in the last century, Uniformed Fire Officers Association representative Eddie Boles noted.

“One time it was farms, then it was industrial and now there are high-rises coming in,” Boles said. “But some things never change — the thrill it is to go out every day and help people.”