 Upon its organization, the Brooklyn Fire Department consisted of 13 engine companies and 6 ladder companies, though several new engine and ladder companies were added over the following years.By 1870, the cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburg had merged their volunteer fire departments with the BFD.Several other towns were annexed into Brooklyn in the 1880s and 1890s, namely Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, and New Utrecht.