Hose Wagons & 2-Piece Engine Cos.
- Thread starter sandero
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The last Eng in the FDNY that i remember seeing respond w/a Hose Wagon was ENG*206....& that was into the '70s....one of the reasons supposedly was the amount of commercial bldgs & lumber yards that existed in that area years ago.....the same was true in many areas of the city back then..... i would imagine they were discontinued for so called "budget " reasons......originally ENGs w/ Hose Wagons had an ENG w/pumps & the Hose Wagon which had no pumps on it just carried hose....in the latter years of ENG*206s operation the City no longer purchased Hose Wagons w/no pumps.....both Rigs were actually Pumpers in this Unit...i believe the last Rigs 206 had together were Twin '65 Mack CF Pumpers......back when 206 was still in the 35* BN if you were detailed there you got to sit in the Officers seat of the Hose Wagon & blow the siren.......again i am not sure if 206 was actually the last but it was the last that i remember seeing ....i am not counting ENG*329s previous "Manifold Hose Wagon" or current "Whatever it's called" both also referred to as "The Sand Vehicle" both minature versions of a Hose Wagon but w/4wheel drive......in the case of 329 they only take the "Sand Vehicle" when going West into Roxbury & Breezy Point whereas 206 took their Wagon on all runs......i remember when i was in LAD*108 on more than one occasion when our Rig was OOS for a few hours for minor repairs we would use 206s Hose Wagon to respond.....also in '71 when we moved from Siegel St to Union Ave we used it minus the hose to move furniture & equipment from house to house.
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A bit off the beaten path but as of 12-79 BFD ran: 1979 Sutphen Ford 1250 GPM HP wagon @4,7,8,25, 75 Maynard Ford @E10,. Also 2 squrt wwagon @ E39 and 26. And lastly a 50 Mack @ E40 and a 48 Mack @E5. GG
Many, many fire departments back in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's ran 2-piece Engine Co.'s: The Engine(Pumper), and the Hose Wagon. I know Boston, Bridgeport, and Cambridge, MA, to name a few, all hand 2-piece Engines up until probably the late 1970's and into the early-mid 1980's. Cambridge, MA FD, for example, had 2-piece Engines w/Wagons at Engine 2, Engine 4, Engine 5, Engine 7, and Engine 8 back in the day. For the most part, they were small Internationals w/2-man cabs.grumpy grizzly said:
Eng 206 with the 2 pieces moved to the 28 Batt. in the mid seventies and in compliance with the UFA contract was a seven man engine. I would think that the cost of a seven man engine was the demise of the second piece as there were normally more men on OT than those regularly assigned. They then went down to a 5 or possibly 4 man company.
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Thank you guys!
In John Calderone's book on the FDNY Superpumper, Eng 206 is mentioned as having responded initially to the first big worker to which the then-new Superpumper eventually was called. It was in a lumber yard and other factories in and around English Kills in what now is called East Williamsburg.
In John Calderone's book on the FDNY Superpumper, Eng 206 is mentioned as having responded initially to the first big worker to which the then-new Superpumper eventually was called. It was in a lumber yard and other factories in and around English Kills in what now is called East Williamsburg.
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That job was in the area of Metropolitan Ave & Scott Ave.........It was about 2 or 3 blocks east of E 206 when they were on Metropolitan Ave...........The chauffer of the the superpumper was Fred Treiling was transferred from E 319 to the Superpumper..........I remember me and my father were there........I think it was box 270 or something to that effect........That had to be a good 45 years ago
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Wolf..... 270 box is Bushwick Av & Mc Kibbin St.......Metropolitan & Scott Aves is box 181......both 35*BN boxes in the old days on Siegel St......The Fire in question was in a lumberyard & there were stacks of lumber burning....we had a wood plank about 1ft x 4 ft that was perfectly burned around the edges which was then lettered w/names of the Members & then shellacked .
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to back up fdny1075, yes Cambridge ran 4 hose wagons, 2? peice man units. They were usually International rigs and were assigned to 4 companies, kinda spread out. But E-5 was across the street from Legal SeaFoods, the best seafood restaurant in the Boston area. Gave me a code to order and not wait, by the time I got there it was ready. Anyone going to Boston, check out Legal Seafoods, as good as it gets. Also Somerville, adjacent ran several 2 peice companies. Go to firenews.org for all info.
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Thanks Chief........I remember a post within the last 8 months regarding that Boro Call....I think it was in regards to the box assignment of the units that responded......Yes now that you stated the box number of 181 im not sure but it is somewhere in that area.....L 140 goes in as the 2nd due truck.... There were railroad tracks in that area...more than likely to the right of Metropolitan Ave when heading into queens from brooklyn
WNYF 3rd/1965 "Photo Reporter" has a photo (p18) of a Boro Call lumberyard fire at Brooklyn Box 290. No date or other information given.
I was on the way to this (or the other lumberyard Boro Call) when I ran into a Second on Arrival on Sullivan Street in Red Hook.
I was on the way to this (or the other lumberyard Boro Call) when I ran into a Second on Arrival on Sullivan Street in Red Hook.
Digging further into the bookshelves...
Gus Johnson's FDNY - The Fire Buff's Handbook 1900-1975 has more on the fire.
It was August 12, 1965 and the Boro Call signal was 77-290-66-55-277
Interpreting the telegraph signal:
77-290 indicates the location of the fire 77 (Brooklyn) Box 290 (Stewart Ave & Scholes Street); after the 5th alarm, Boro Call is used for additional help.
66 (Manhattan) 55 (5th Alarm assignment) of Manhattan Box 277, now Clinton and Delancey Sts.
Curiously Brooklyn Box 277 is not that far from the fire. It was formerly Grand and LaGrange Sts. Lagrange St disappeared when Eastern District High School was built over its site 30 or so years ago.
Gus Johnson's FDNY - The Fire Buff's Handbook 1900-1975 has more on the fire.
It was August 12, 1965 and the Boro Call signal was 77-290-66-55-277
Interpreting the telegraph signal:
77-290 indicates the location of the fire 77 (Brooklyn) Box 290 (Stewart Ave & Scholes Street); after the 5th alarm, Boro Call is used for additional help.
66 (Manhattan) 55 (5th Alarm assignment) of Manhattan Box 277, now Clinton and Delancey Sts.
Curiously Brooklyn Box 277 is not that far from the fire. It was formerly Grand and LaGrange Sts. Lagrange St disappeared when Eastern District High School was built over its site 30 or so years ago.
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811 said:
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277 box had a lot of action when several blocks were being cleared for the construction of Eastern District High School "Campus"....oddly enough as 811 stated the old location was Grand & La Grange St.....like other large renewal areas streets were completely eliminated (Morell St...Schimmel St etc etc).....when i went to LAD*108 we were 1st Due at La Grange St this was also the name of a LODD from 108...FF Joseph La Grange who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 4-20-32 Continued RIP ......the location of 277 is now Grand St bet Bushwick Ave & Waterbury St.