Back Step Riding

Darrell

Darrell

Joined
Mar 30, 2023
Messages
781
Anyone know when did Backstep riding officially end? I know Companies we're doing it until the mid 80's but I'm assuming it ended somewhere between around the late 60's to late 70's.
 
Darrell said:
Anyone know when did Backstep riding officially end? I know Companies we're doing it until the mid 80's but I'm assuming it ended somewhere between around the late 60's to late 70's.
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Depends where you're talking about, some people still do it while laying in.
 
The problem was the rigs didn't have seating positions inside. Then the bombardment of bricks and bottles aimed at the Firefighters riding the back step had the shops busy making back step covers to protect the men. Some will remember L174 refused to respond to Brownsville because
the Tiller man wasn't protected. The war years wasn't only a fire battle, but a war also with the residents we were trying to help and protect.
 
Wasn't there an incident in the '80s? where a FF fell off the back step on a turn and was killed? I'm not sure if it was the FDNY.
 
jtsjc1 said:
Wasn't there an incident in the '80s? where a FF fell off the back step on a turn and was killed? I'm not sure if it was the FDNY.
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Mike Carr E-85 - 1969, going to a false alarm/pull box.

I was told years ago he fell off the backstep and was run over by E-82.
 
When I was in 233-2 we were responding to a Bushwick box and a right turn off Bushwick Ave. had one of our guys fall off the backstep. Fortunately he wasn't injured seriously, but was transported to Wyckoff Hospital. There was no communication with the backstep and the cab and the rig went a half block before they stopped. After that incident we installed a bell in the cab and a button on the back step, 1 bell to stop and 2 to go. Eventually I put a speaker on the back step to keep us informed of what we were going into.
 
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