Just one year after the centennial of the the nearby Queensborough Bridge, Ladder 128 on Greenpoint Avenue in Long Island City celebrated its own 100 years of service to the Queens community.

Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano said that the Fire Department has changed a lot over the last century, a time when it was still responding on horse-drawn carriages. New technology and equipment have also improved the way things are done.

“But some things don't change; the qualities that make a good firefighter today are the same qualities that made a good firefighter a hundred years ago: bravery, honor and dedication to duty,” said Cassano. “The last hundred years Ladder 128 and the members of it lived those values. You should be proud of the work you've done and will do, and I hope that you keep doing your work safely for the next hundred years."

He pointed out that just last week, six members were given commendations for quickly responding to a collision between a freight train and a tractor trailer and, ultimately, saving a life.

Captain James Mills of Ladder 128 in turn expressed his confidence in the leadership of the recently appointed fire commissioner and in the members of Ladder of 128.

"From our new guys to our senior men, I think we're headed in the right direction with managers on the outside with the knowledge and experience and the situational awareness to recognize and make the tough decisions that must be made,” said Mills. “The fine officers and men of Ladder 128 are being well prepared to meet the challenges of the next 100 years."