Walk down any street in Manhattan and you'll eventually hear that distinctive, ear-splitting wail. It's the sound of the FDNY. New Yorkers take "The Bravest" for granted, like cheap pizza or delayed subway trains, but have you ever stopped to wonder just how big that army actually is?
It's massive.
Honestly, the sheer scale of the New York City Fire Department is hard to wrap your head around until you see the spreadsheets. We aren't just talking about a few guys in a truck. As of early 2026, the FDNY is maintaining a workforce of roughly 17,000 employees. But "employees" is a broad term. If you’re asking how many firemen in New York city are actually sliding down poles and running into burning buildings, the number is closer to 11,000 uniformed fire personnel.
Breaking down the headcount
Numbers in a city this big are always shifting. People retire, new classes graduate from the "Rock" (the FDNY Academy), and the city budget gets tugged back and forth like a chew toy.
According to recent 2025 and 2026 budget data from the NYC Council, the budgeted headcount for uniformed fire positions sits right around 10,950 to 11,000. That covers everyone from the "probie" who just finished training to the grizzled captains and battalion chiefs.
But wait, there's a catch.
If you see an FDNY uniform, they might not be a firefighter. The department is a two-headed beast. You've got the fire suppression side—the folks on the engines and ladders—and then you have the EMS side.
✨ Don't miss: Who Is More Likely to Win the Election 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
- Uniformed Firefighters: ~11,000
- Uniformed EMS (EMTs & Paramedics): ~4,100 to 4,500
- Civilian Support: ~2,000
The EMS numbers have been a bit of a roller coaster lately. Just a few weeks ago, reports highlighted a "crisis" in EMS staffing, with numbers dipping toward 4,100 because so many medical responders are jumping ship to become firefighters. Why? Better pay, better benefits, and frankly, a different kind of workload.
Where do they all go?
New York is a vertical city. You can't just have one big station in the middle of town. The FDNY operates 217 firehouses scattered across the five boroughs.
Think about that.
That’s 217 different buildings that need to be staffed 24/7, 365 days a year. To keep those doors open, the department runs roughly 197 Engine Companies and 143 Ladder Companies.
Each company isn't just a truck; it’s a unit of human beings. Usually, you’ve got one captain or lieutenant in charge, and then four or five firefighters. They work in "tours." A typical firefighter might work a 24-hour shift and then get three days off. Because of this rotation, you need about four people on the payroll for every one person actually on the truck at 3:00 AM on a Tuesday.
The budget tug-of-war
Money is always the elephant in the room. For Fiscal Year 2026, the FDNY is looking at a proposed budget of about $2.62 billion.
🔗 Read more: Air Pollution Index Delhi: What Most People Get Wrong
That sounds like a king's ransom, right? Well, most of it goes straight to the people. "Personal Services"—the fancy government term for salaries, overtime, and benefits—makes up the lion's share of that cost.
In early 2025, the city actually had more people on the payroll than they "budgeted" for, sitting at about 10,915 uniformed personnel against a target that’s constantly being adjusted. They are actually trying to grow. The department projected hiring about 1,200 new firefighters across 2024 and 2025 to keep up with the "silver tsunami" of retirements.
It's not just about fires anymore
If you think these 11,000 firemen are just sitting around waiting for a 5-alarm blaze, you're living in 1950.
Fires are actually a smaller part of the job than they used to be. The FDNY responds to over 1.9 million calls a year. Only a fraction of those are structural fires. The rest?
- Medical emergencies (heart attacks, falls, etc.)
- Gas leaks (the "Con Ed" calls)
- Elevator rescues (a classic NYC experience)
- Water rescues in the Hudson or East River
- "Non-fire emergencies" like car accidents or downed power lines
The workload is staggering. In 2025 alone, residential structural fires actually ticked up by about 3%. It's a dangerous, high-pressure environment that requires a constant influx of new talent just to stay level.
Diversity and the changing face of the FDNY
For a long time, the FDNY was criticized for being a "father-son" club. It was notoriously white and overwhelmingly male.
💡 You might also like: Why Trump's West Point Speech Still Matters Years Later
That’s changing, albeit slowly.
Looking at the 2025 Total Workforce Analysis, the "Fire Titles" (the firemen) are still about 88% male. However, the department is under heavy pressure—and deep in recruitment drives—to diversify. You see more women and people of color in the academy classes now than ever before. For example, in the EMS branch, the diversity is much higher, which is why that "jump" from EMS to Fire is such a big deal for the department's overall demographics.
What this means for you
If you’re a New Yorker, these numbers are your safety net. The fact that there are 11,000 firemen means that when someone smells smoke in a Bronx apartment building, an engine is usually there in under five minutes.
But keep an eye on the news. Staffing shortages in the EMS wing and the constant debate over "five-man crews" (the idea that every engine should have five firefighters instead of four) are the political battles that determine how safe your neighborhood actually is.
Quick reference for the 2026 landscape:
- Total Uniformed Fire: 10,900+
- Total EMS Responders: ~4,100 (and struggling)
- Daily Call Volume: 5,000+ incidents across NYC
- Starting Salary: Around $45k, but doubles with overtime and seniority after five years.
If you want to see where your local station stands, you can actually check the NYC Agency Staffing Dashboard. It’s a live look at who’s being hired and where the vacancies are. If you’re thinking about joining, the next step is usually keeping an eye on the DCAS (Department of Citywide Administrative Services) website for the next "Open Competitive" exam. They only happen every few years, and the line to get in is usually thousands of people long.
The FDNY is a beast of an organization. It's expensive, it's complicated, and it's constantly evolving, but with 11,000 people standing watch, it remains the largest and most famous fire department in the world for a reason.
Next Steps for You: Check your building's fire safety plan—it's usually posted on the inside of your front door or in the lobby. If it’s missing, contact your landlord immediately. You can also visit the official FDNY "Join FDNY" portal to see the current requirements for the 2026 recruitment cycle if you're looking to become one of those 11,000.