North hudson (NJ) regional Fire and Rescue received a call at 2355 hours in December 2006 for a smoke condition on the 10th floor of a 50-story high rise. One minute later, we upgraded our response to a working fire. "Routine fire," you would say, but the 10th floor is eight floors below street level. Should you take the elevators down or walk down eight flights of stairs? Normally, if a fire is on the eighth floor or lower, companies would walk up and stop one to two floors below the fire and begin operations. The Galaxy Towers presented us with a difficult challenge. Standing on the cliffs of West New York/Guttenberg, New Jersey, the Galaxy complex overlooks the Hudson River from the George Washington to the Verrazano Bridge. Self-sufficient in design, the complex includes five buildings consisting of three 50-story towers, two 10-story annex buildings, parking decks, a shopping plaza, and a mini park. There are approximately 1,050 apartments. Parking garages serve all buildings and are below street level. The unique octagon-shaped architecture enables more residents of the three towers to enjoy the majestic views of the Hudson River and Manhattan. Building 4, nestled between Tower 3 and Tower 2, provides residents with a full view of the Empire State Building. Building 5 wraps between Tower 2 and Tower 1, with views of the Verrazano Bridge. Below the three Galaxy Towers is the Galaxy Mall. Consisting of restaurants, a movie theater, a pharmacy, a bank, a grocery store, a beauty salon, a dry cleaner, a dental office, a travel agency, and a day care center, the Galaxy is self-sufficient.
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