Ladder 153 celebrates 100 years of serving Gravesend 

Tunnels to Towers Foundation CEO spoke during the ceremony

A Brooklyn firehouse is celebrating 100 years.

Ladder 153, 901 Avenue U, held its centennial celebration at the station house Oct. 1.

The company has served Gravesend since 1925. 

The celebration inside of the firehouse quarters included FDNY members, alumni, family, and friends. It included speeches, awards, and the unveiling of a new plaque commemorating the ladder’s 100 years in operation.

Doug Carroll, the Brooklyn trustee for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, presented a plaque and talked about what makes the ladder special.

“I used to work right for Battalion 33 around the corner, and the one thing I remember about this firehouse are the heroes and also the families of those heroes,” he said. “They had a huge impact on me. Going back to the Walbaum’s fire, 9/11, also superstorm Sandy, which was a crazy time around these parts.”

He also mentioned FDNY Lieutenant Gregory “Mickey” Hansen, who died due to complications of ALS on May 13. He was 44 and spent much of his career working at Ladder 153.

“That tells me something about this place that some people might not know about, which is the tradition,” Carroll said. “That the young members of this fire house are determined to make sure that they continue to do the things that the firefighters that have worked here in the past have done, which is take care of each other. I’ve got to know some of the families, and they are strong people that have carried this area of Brooklyn for a very long time, and they’re still with us.”

Frank Siller, founder, CEO and chairperson of Tunnels to Towers Foundation, spoke about his brother, firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller, who died at the World Trade Center during the September 11 terror attacks, and the sacrifice firefighters make every day. 

“It’s a once-in-a-100-year opportunity and to be here means a lot to me,” he said. “My brother started his career here in Ladder 153. He loved it here. He loved the camaraderie. The truth of the matter is he loved being a firefighter, and he loved it so much that he did what so many of you would do when you are called to duty.” 

Last year, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation presented Hansen with a newly renovated mortgage-free home.

The ladder also has hosted events to raise money for Hansen and ALS research such as an FDNY hockey game back in February. 

“Our promise is that if you go out there and put your life on the line and you die in the line of duty and leave your kids behind, then we’re going to make sure your family is taken care of,” Siller said. “Steven’s sacrifice lives on. The sacrifice of so many others, the sacrifice of Mickey Hanson that we spoke about who was overcoming ALS. What you’re doing about ALS is incredible. When people give everything, we need to make sure they’re honored in a certain way, the way you’re honoring Mickey.”

Ladder 153 was also presented with a Certificate of Recognition by Councilmember Inna Vernikov and another plaque by James Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.

Firefighter Nick Schiavo, born and raised in Gravesend, spoke of what it meant to be a part of the FDNY in the neighborhood.

“I attended elementary and high school here,” he said. “I was privileged to be assigned to Ladder 153 directly out of probie school. The opportunity to work in the neighborhood you grew up in is something I never once took for granted. As in so many parts in this great city over the years, I have witnessed great change first hand but for all the change in this world, there is comfort in knowing that 24 hours a day, seven days in, 365 days a year for the past 100 plus years, Ladder Company 153 has been a staple here, proudly protecting the neighborhood of Gravesend, Brooklyn.”

Following the ceremony, there was a luncheon at Clemente’s Crab House, 3939 Emmons Ave.