Engine 6 returns to service after 16-year absence

The Philadelphia Fire Department is thrilled to welcome back Engine 6 to respond to emergencies in neighborhoods such as Port Richmond, Fishtown and Kensington.

The restoration of Engine 6 after a 16-year absence is made possible through a $22.4 million FEMA grant with additional help from the City, which funded major renovations at the company's firehouse in Port Richmond.

"While the wheels for this occasion were set in motion by my predecessor, this occasion fits perfectly into our mission of a cleaner, greener, and especially SAFER city with economic opportunity for all," says Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "I am beyond proud to be here now to welcome back Engine 6, and to congratulate the Philadelphia Fire Department on this historic achievement."

Engine 6 was among seven companies that were deactivated on January 5, 2009, during the Recession; at the time, each unit had been in service for more than a century. But with help from two FEMA grants, the PFD was able to restore four companies in 2019; one in 2023; and one in 2024.

Now, with the return of Engine 6, all seven are back in service.

"Placing Engine 6 back on the street doesn't only provide a stronger safety net for the city, it's an added layer of safety for our members who must rely on one another during a fire or emergency," says Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson. "I want to thank our previous Commissioner - Managing Director Adam Thiel - as well as many PFD members, uniformed and non-uniformed alike, for their diligent work over the past 16 years to make this possible. Like everything we do here - this was a true team effort."

Engine 6's station at 2601 Belgrade St. has remained open since 2009 as the home for Ladder 16, Medic 46 and an EMS supervisor unit known as ES-9.

To accommodate the engine's return, the more than 110-year-old firehouse underwent a huge refurbishment, in part because today's fire engines are larger and heavier than earlier models. Among the building upgrades: structural repairs to the garage floor; new paint and LED lighting throughout the structure; a new and relocated watch desk; ceiling and roof repairs; and creation of a lactation room and gender-neutral bathrooms. ES-9 is now housed at Engine 2 in North Philly.

In 2019, the FEMA grant program known as SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) helped the PFD reopen Engine 1 (South Philly/Center City), Engine 8 (Old City), Engine 14 (Frankford) and Engine 39 (Roxborough).

A second FEMA grant awarded in 2023 enabled the City to reopen Ladder 1 in Francisville in December 2023 and Ladder 11 in South Philadelphia in April 2024. You can learn more about Engine 6 (and all other PFD companies) on the website for Fireman's Hall Museum, which keeps the history of the PFD.