Scarborough Engine Company

About

Scarborough Engine Company is 1 of 3 companies that make up the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department.

Story

Before the American Revolution, the Scarborough area consisted of a cluster of homes and businesses at the intersection of Albany Post Road (today Route 9) and Scarborough Road, believed to be named after the English hometown of pioneer settler William Kemys. The area was annexed to the village of Briarcliff Manor after a successful petition by its residents in 1906. Because of the distance between the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department headquarters and the Scarborough area, a small substation was organized at the Holden Farm opposite the current location of Engine 92. The substation was discontinued in 1921 and the Scarborough Fire Company was established. The village leased a small barn from the Scarborough Presbyterian Church to house a pumper truck. With little space to work with, the Scarborough Fire Company soon merged and moved in with its neighbor to the south, the Archville Fire Company on Route 9 and Arch Hill. For over forty years the two companies responded to Archville and Briarcliff alarms.

Implementation of state laws brought the merger to an end on December of 1971. Six members of the former Scarborough Fire Company formed the Scarborough Engine Company at the church barn in Scarborough housing a 1942 Mack pumper. Months of negotiations and planning produced the Scarborough Firehouse. In 1974, the firehouse was completed. At that time, many of the buildings amenities such as kitchen cabinets and storage units in the bay were added by company members donating their time and skills. In 2009, the Scarborough Firehouse was replaced with a brand new facility, providing an additional apparatus bay, and many modern amenities.

A new Mack pumper was put into service on January 13, 1975 and served the village faithfully for 20 years covering major traffic routes which led to a significant number of motor vehicle accidents. The rig was not designed to carry all of the appropriate rescue tools which led to the company’s intense research and design efforts leading to the replacement rig, a 1995 Pierce Rescue/Pumper. The new engine was delivered on October 5, 1995 and continues to serve the community today.