Near the Triboro Bridge in New York City, where the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx meet, FDNY has a 66-acre site known among firefighters as "The Rock". There on Randall’s Island, the department runs its Fire Academy where aspiring and experienced firefighters from each of the districts hone their rescue skills. The training is seen as one of the toughest courses in the world. And, that is why they call it "The Rock!"
New York is known as the city that never sleeps, and no one knows this better than the more than 11,000 firefighters of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). Seconds after an explosion, dark smoke rose from a narrow brick building on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan’s trendy East Village. Four houses were on fire and one building had already collapsed. It was later revealed that the explosion was caused by work on the water and gas mains. The first fire engine arrived on the scene, followed by ambulances and police cars.