7-13-77...THE BLACKOUT.
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7-13-77 ...... THE JULY 13, 1977 NYC BLACKOUT
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July 13, 1977, a date that for those of us who were around back then, will never forget.
For those of us at home, we woke up the next morning on July 14th and the fires and looting was still going on
Only now in clear daylight we could get a much better picture of the damage done as the fires and looting continued.
This was long before what we know today as "on line radio feeds" for those outside the limits of the FDNY and NYPD radio channels.
It was also before the CAD system, so those FDNY and NYPD Dispatchers did an Excellent job.
That was also the days of the NYC-EMS before merging with the FDNY.
Just two EMS members responding to those thousands of EMS calls throughout the city, with the entire city in darkness.
If there was ever a group of individuals who "out performed - above and beyond", it was those Fire, Police and EMS Dispatchers, and certainly those out there in the heat of battle.
The members of the NYPD, the FDNY, and the NYC-EMS.
QUESTION:
Could it happen again ?
Sure can in these violent times.
For those of us at home, we woke up the next morning on July 14th and the fires and looting was still going on
Only now in clear daylight we could get a much better picture of the damage done as the fires and looting continued.
This was long before what we know today as "on line radio feeds" for those outside the limits of the FDNY and NYPD radio channels.
It was also before the CAD system, so those FDNY and NYPD Dispatchers did an Excellent job.
That was also the days of the NYC-EMS before merging with the FDNY.
Just two EMS members responding to those thousands of EMS calls throughout the city, with the entire city in darkness.
If there was ever a group of individuals who "out performed - above and beyond", it was those Fire, Police and EMS Dispatchers, and certainly those out there in the heat of battle.
The members of the NYPD, the FDNY, and the NYC-EMS.
QUESTION:
Could it happen again ?
Sure can in these violent times.
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It already has under different circumstance. The riots from the summers show it’s more probable now then it was then. I also believe it would be 100X worse.
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Thee RANT-Blackout 1977: The night that brought on a condition called "Nightstick Elbow!"
Four of us in a TPF car..Eddie Martin (RIP) driving, Danny C. the recorder.. Bill C. and I in the back seat... we had just picked up Mickey D's in t
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On the Night of July 13, 1977 a bunch of 'The Guys' & I were hangin' out, on 'The Corner', Nostrand Ave. &
Ave. L, around da' Corner from Hudde JHS School Yard. ( Very Much, Our Turf back then- the 6-3 Cops, over on Brooklyn Ave.,
had come to calling us 'The Ave. L Gang') [we didn't know we were 'A Gang' until the 6-3 Cops started calling us that].
Being bored as usual, we'd developed a Game of sorts, a few Nights Before the 13th. We'd somehow discovered that if you Hit a certain Light Pole, ( on 'L' x. Nostrand & E.29 St.), in Just the Right Spot, w/ Just Enuff force, w/ a Stickball Bat, the Light would go out, and then flicker back on after a few minutes....
So, you had to run about half a block form E.29 St. to the Light Pole, and Strike the Pole in Just the Right Spot w/ the Stickball Bat & cause the Light to blink off, you ran back to E.29 St. & Chugged a Cold Can of Bud from the cooler which we kept well-stocked w/ Bud & Ice.
(Ah, Brooklyn !)
Well, on 7/13, my Buddy Hal, takes his turn, runs up to & hits the Light pole, the Light goes out, he runs back, chuggin' a Bud at the cooler,
and a Funny Thing Happens - The Traffic Lights at 'L' & Nostrand go out. As we stand there gawking at Hal, and the Intersection, the rest of the Street Lights, and then the rest of the neighborhood Go Dark. So the Tale for Years was: Hal caused the Blackout of '77.
After a while, we decided to wander over to Flatbush Ave. & see What's Happenin' & see what further Amusement we might get into.
At Flatbush & 'K' (1 Block from the 6-3 at Brooklyn & 'J'), we encounter a bunch of Guys w/ Sticks & some Kinda' Helmets, ( it was Dark -
we couldn't see real well), & they start Mouthing-Off, askin' Who we Are & 'Whatta' you doin...?'
So We Reply, in pretty much the same fashion & tone... and it wasn't until a Few Moments Too Late, to see they were 6-3 Guys,
in 'Civies', w/ 'Hats & Bats', having been Called-in off-duty for the Blackout.
Well, after they Smacked us Around a bit, and Kicked a Few Asses, ( Me, Of Course !), we were all clear on Who was Who, and What the Rules for the Night were. They sent us Home after some very Stern and Direct Instructions.
We went back to Ave. L, & they continued their Flatbush Ave. Patrol. We had No Idea about How Bad things would go that Night
in surrounding communities, until we saw the News the Next Day.
Ave. L, around da' Corner from Hudde JHS School Yard. ( Very Much, Our Turf back then- the 6-3 Cops, over on Brooklyn Ave.,
had come to calling us 'The Ave. L Gang') [we didn't know we were 'A Gang' until the 6-3 Cops started calling us that].
Being bored as usual, we'd developed a Game of sorts, a few Nights Before the 13th. We'd somehow discovered that if you Hit a certain Light Pole, ( on 'L' x. Nostrand & E.29 St.), in Just the Right Spot, w/ Just Enuff force, w/ a Stickball Bat, the Light would go out, and then flicker back on after a few minutes....
So, you had to run about half a block form E.29 St. to the Light Pole, and Strike the Pole in Just the Right Spot w/ the Stickball Bat & cause the Light to blink off, you ran back to E.29 St. & Chugged a Cold Can of Bud from the cooler which we kept well-stocked w/ Bud & Ice.
(Ah, Brooklyn !)
Well, on 7/13, my Buddy Hal, takes his turn, runs up to & hits the Light pole, the Light goes out, he runs back, chuggin' a Bud at the cooler,
and a Funny Thing Happens - The Traffic Lights at 'L' & Nostrand go out. As we stand there gawking at Hal, and the Intersection, the rest of the Street Lights, and then the rest of the neighborhood Go Dark. So the Tale for Years was: Hal caused the Blackout of '77.
After a while, we decided to wander over to Flatbush Ave. & see What's Happenin' & see what further Amusement we might get into.
At Flatbush & 'K' (1 Block from the 6-3 at Brooklyn & 'J'), we encounter a bunch of Guys w/ Sticks & some Kinda' Helmets, ( it was Dark -
we couldn't see real well), & they start Mouthing-Off, askin' Who we Are & 'Whatta' you doin...?'
So We Reply, in pretty much the same fashion & tone... and it wasn't until a Few Moments Too Late, to see they were 6-3 Guys,
in 'Civies', w/ 'Hats & Bats', having been Called-in off-duty for the Blackout.
Well, after they Smacked us Around a bit, and Kicked a Few Asses, ( Me, Of Course !), we were all clear on Who was Who, and What the Rules for the Night were. They sent us Home after some very Stern and Direct Instructions.
We went back to Ave. L, & they continued their Flatbush Ave. Patrol. We had No Idea about How Bad things would go that Night
in surrounding communities, until we saw the News the Next Day.
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I was driving R*2 during the Blizzard of '78 which started on the first Sunday of February....the Rig was our '76 Mack which was basically unstoppable even in deep snow....the biggest problem was people who abandoned their vehicles in some streets.....there were some Fires but the highlight was delivering a Baby & then transporting the Baby & Mom to the Hospital (wonder where the 44 yr old is today ?).
That was my last night tour before going on vacation 0900 hours at the end of the tour. In a few days the Family and I were going to drive across Country to California and see all the sights in between, Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, San Francisco, LA, Mexico, Texas, New Orleans and end up in Wally World. It was going to be a great trip and that was the only thing on my mind, till the lights went out. We used our generator to eat by and then we got a run to Bed Stuy, not our usual box. It was a minor fire and we began our return trip to the Tin House via Gates and Broadway. As we got on Bdwy we were stopped for a fire in a Bodega and extinguished it as well. The shit was just beginning to hit the fan when we heard numerous boxes coming in with reports of looting and arson. We continued back to Qtrs. when Dispatcher inquired if we had a generator, and told us to respond to Brookdale Hospital. We reached Fulton and Rockaway when we were being redirected to Broadway and Schaeffer. Upon arrival we noticed that a car had been driven through the front rolldown gate of a sneaker store and people were helping themselves to whatever they could take. We also saw a vast amount of fire that would keep us there the rest of the night. We arrived on scene at approx. 2200 hours and stayed till about 0700 hours. Since I was going on Vac. at 0900 hours the recall was not for people on Vacation, so trip out West was a go. Everybody told me, out west, how lucky I was that I had missed the blackout. Little did they know that I really didn't miss it. Another chapter in my career as a Firefighter that will never be forgotten. And believe me after working 24 years in Brownsville there certainly are many more that we all have experienced during those times.
That was a time My Family traveled out west and it wasn't a sewar like today. My last trip out west was 1992 and it was still a nice place to live. Back in 77, I stopped at a Firehouse in the Anaheim area to compare notes. Houses out there were about $75,000 and here out east about 60,000. Most of them also worked side jobs to keep them above water like here. To change the subject a little bit, I was just on the Belt Distray way and saw a
sign from Schiffman electric that keeps the pkwy. clean. His first business was on East NY ave. between Rockaway Ave. and Chester St. when the Chester st. fire occurred back in 70. As we all know the building collapsed and the tenants on ENY ave suffered a lot of damage. He then move his business to 130 St. off Jamaica Ave.. He would often come and purchase supplies in the shop I worked in. At least I know he's still in business some 50 yeas later, although don't know if he's still in Richmond Hill. By the way that 50mile trip on the Belt took 2 hours. Tell the Gov. we need better roads not more housing, we have enough already.
sign from Schiffman electric that keeps the pkwy. clean. His first business was on East NY ave. between Rockaway Ave. and Chester St. when the Chester st. fire occurred back in 70. As we all know the building collapsed and the tenants on ENY ave suffered a lot of damage. He then move his business to 130 St. off Jamaica Ave.. He would often come and purchase supplies in the shop I worked in. At least I know he's still in business some 50 yeas later, although don't know if he's still in Richmond Hill. By the way that 50mile trip on the Belt took 2 hours. Tell the Gov. we need better roads not more housing, we have enough already.
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