This firehouse was opened on December 19, 1952 when Engine Company 42 and Ladder Company 30 moved in from their old firehouse at 3089 Washington Street. The old firehouse is no longer extant.
The firehouse is located at 1870 Columbus Avenue, opposite Bragdon Street in the Egleston Square section of the city.
Ladder 30 was disbanded on April 10, 1981. On the same day, Rescue Company 2 moved in from their former quarters with Engine 52 & Ladder 29 at 975 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester. On January 14, 1982, Rescue Company 2 was disbanded. It was reactivated in 1985 and remains in service today.
The District Fire Chief of District 9 shares quarters in this firehouse.
Four plaques are mounted on the exterior of the firehouse to commemorate firefighters who died in the Line Of Duty.
Engine 42 and Rescue 2 have differing response areas. Engine 42 responds to incidents in the Roxbury, Fenway and Jamaica Plain areas. Rescue 2 responds to all major incidents in the Division 2 areas of the city.
Engine 42 responds to approximately 2700 incidents per year. Rescue 2 responds to approximately 2300 incidents per year.
In September, 2019, the firehouse was closed and demolished in order to rebuild a new firehouse on the same lot of land. Engine 42 moved to a temporary firehouse built on Amory Street. Rescue 2 moved to the quarters of Engine 52 and Ladder 29 at 975 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan. District 9 moved to the quarters of Engine 37 and Ladder 26 at 560 Huntington Avenue, Roxbury.
At a later date, the temporary quarters of Engine 42 on Amory Street was closed. Engine 42 moved to the firehouse of Engine 14 and Ladder 4 at 174 Dudley Street, Roxbury.
On October 14, 2021, Engine 42, Rescue 2 and District 9 moved into the newly constructed firehouse at 1870 Columbus Avenue. The new firehouse is 23,000 square feet, with 2 floors equipped with separate ventilation systems. The first floor is where the apparatus parks. Additionally, high-capacity washers and dryers for firefighter turnout gear are located on the first floor. This is done to reduce or eliminate carcinogens associated with the apparatus or turnout gear to spread to other parts of the firehouse. The second floor contains a kitchen, television room, workout room and bunkrooms.
On September 9, 2022, The Deputy Chiefs of Division 2 and the District Chiefs of District 9 traded firehouse locations. The Division 2 chiefs moved from 746 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, to 1870 Columbus Avenue. The District 9 chiefs moved from 1870 Columbus Avenue to 746 Centre Street.
