In the garage of the UN Headquarters in New York sits a unique vehicle: the only fire truck in the United States with diplomatic plates.
It also can't do its job.
"It is one of the only fire trucks in the world with a diplomatic plate number," says Lieutenant Hakim Kareem, head of the UN Fire Unit, with unmistakable pride.
For the Fire Unit, this truck is more than equipment—it's part of their identity. A piece of UN history. A symbol of their unique mission. The team speaks about it with the kind of affection usually reserved for old friends.
But there's a problem. When the UN renovated its headquarters, new piping and infrastructure lowered ceiling heights throughout the garage levels. Their beloved truck no longer fits.
"Should we have a car fire in the basement, first level or second basement or the third basement, the fire truck would not be able to go," Lieutenant Kareem explains.
For a facility that holds hundreds of vehicles, including growing numbers of electric vehicles with volatile lithium-ion batteries, it's more than inconvenient. It creates additional challenges for the Fire and Safety Unit during a fire response.
The modern solution
The Fire Unit has a plan that doesn't mean abandoning their truck: portable fire trucks built on ATV chassis.
They are compact, maneuverable, and equipped with full firefighting capabilities.
The Fire Unit has completed the design. The specifications are ready. The vehicles exist on the market.
The diplomatic truck would remain. It's still operational, still treasured, and still the symbol they're proud to show visitors. The new vehicles would handle what it can no longer reach.
What's missing? Funding.
"That's why we're a bit slow on it," Lieutenant Kareem says.
In the meantime, they rely on existing fire protection systems and improvised "crash carts", manual wheeled platforms loaded with firefighting equipment that officers manually push to emergencies.
It works, but in a real garage fire, especially involving electric vehicles that burn hotter and faster than conventional cars, having modern technology with added capabilities matters.
The unit has procured two electric vehicle fire blankets, which are specialized for battery fires. They've invested in hazmat testing kits.
The diplomatic fire truck remains where it has always been. It is a source of pride despite its limitations. Its unique plates symbolize international sovereignty.
Its presence represents decades of UN firefighting history. The team wouldn't trade it for anything.
Yet it sits in that garage, unable to reach the very fires it was meant to fight—loved, maintained, and waiting for the day when new resources arrive so it doesn't have to carry the burden alone.
"We're hopeful that we'll get our fire truck in due time," Lieutenant Kareem says, "when resources become more available."
Meanwhile, officers keep their crash carts ready, making do with what they have.
