Sleepy Hollow Donates Fire Truck to Broad Channel

Not a story of my own, but a connection nonetheless and a wonderful story worth sharing.

According to a news report on WCBS 880 AM radio this morning, the Town of Sleepy Hollow, New York donated one of its fire trucks to the community of Broad Channel. Broad Channel, though a part of Queens County - one of New York City's five boroughs - has a volunteer fire department, as do communities in the Rockaways. Why this is so, I have no idea but it has always been that way. The town I grew up in, Howard Beach, just a few miles away, has a firehouse staffed with NYFD personnel.

When the flood waters of Jamaica Bay filled the streets of Broad Channel at high tide during Hurricane Sandy with eight feet of water, the fire house on Noel Road took it in along with all the houses and businesses in that community. The one fire truck that Broad Channel owns was ruined by the salt water. The story is that the village trustees of Sleepy Hollow voted to sell the fire truck to the Broad Channel fire department for one dollar. They delivered it loaded with supplies - sleeping bags, food, cleaning supplies and winter coats.

Sleepy Hollow was originally known as North Tarrytown. Washington Irving lived in the area and that town was supposedly the setting for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The town changed its name in 1996.

The connection for me is that I have lived in both Broad Channel and North Tarrytown. A small coincidence I know, but I think it's cool just the same!

link to news article