DC Jonas's Division 7 Newsletter October 2019

[mikeindabronx]

DC Jonas's Division 7 Newsletter October 2019:

http://www.fdnysbravest.com/Div7NewsletterOCT2019.pdf

 

[Ala117]

Thanks again Mike for posting the monthly. They are always an interesting read.

Regarding this incident in 1970, interesting how the FDNY response to a high rise fire has changed over the years. The article mentions 3/2 in the initial responses and the Rescue after the all hands (no mention of a 4th engine, Squad or FAST truck). Guess there was no 10-76/10-77 at that time.

With fire out the windows on two floors and the large number of occupants in the building, surprised that a 2nd alarm was not transmitted until about a half hour later, with a 3rd alarm about another half hour later. The article didn't mention when the FDNY response to high rise fires was changed and if was due to this and other high rise fires in those years.

Bet the old timers on this site know how the expanded response came about.

 

[nfd2004]

Thanks again Mike for posting the monthly. They are always an interesting read.

Regarding this incident in 1970, interesting how the FDNY response to a high rise fire has changed over the years. The article mentions 3/2 in the initial responses and the Rescue after the all hands (no mention of a 4th engine, Squad or FAST truck). Guess there was no 10-76/10-77 at that time.

With fire out the windows on two floors and the large number of occupants in the building, surprised that a 2nd alarm was not transmitted until about a half hour later, with a 3rd alarm about another half hour later. The article didn't mention when the FDNY response to high rise fires was changed and if was due to this and other high rise fires in those years.

Bet the old timers on this site know how the expanded response came about.

Yes, THANKS VERY MUCH Mike. There is NEVER a DC Jona's Newsletter that there isn't "something" that a firefighter can learn from reading these well written articles.

Recently, a couple of us got to meet DC Jonas. As expected, a guy who loves the job.

So I wanted to know is, where does he get the information to write these article and what kind of work does it involve.

Chief Jonas told us that it involves many hours of research from various newspaper articles, the internet and he even finds ways to contact guys that were there when it happened to "tell their own story".

He also told us how one younger member of the department approached Chief Jonas offering to post pictures to the earlier days of his newsletter. Of course he greatly appreciated that and certainly, we the readers do as well.

He told us the story of one young Probie who made a "GREAT GRAB" in the Bronx. Of course that young Probie thought that he would be getting an award, which I believe at the time was given monthly to an FDNY member through one of the newspapers. But that was about to change because another FDNY member, the late Captain Tough Timmy Gallagher (Capt Gallagher is talked about in "Glory Days" written by Dan Potter, aka "JohnnyGage") was about to change that. 

Capt Gallagher had rescued a civilian where it was so hot, that his gear was on fire. So the late Capt Gallagher got that award. The young Probie, sure did a great job, but just not good enough in the days of Engine 88s Captain Tough Timmy Gallagher. 

DC Jonas told about that fire, which occurred at Crotona and 183 St, in his November, 2015 Division 7 Training and Safety Newsletter.

THANK YOU to Chief Jonas and to the individuals that help make the Division 7 Newsletter, the very valuable information that it is. Shared among the many fire officers and firefighters who read and learn from it.

And THANK You Chief for sitting down and talking to a couple of us in your office. We were very grateful for you sharing your time with us.

"Ala117", as a buff from those earlier years, not only wasn't there the 10-76 or 10-77 as we know it today, but even the signal 10-75 was different. During the very busy FDNY Years of fire activity, the 10-30 was used to indicate a working fire, with a 2 and 2 response. No Squad, No Rescue, No Fast Truck, and no Third or Fourth Engine.

When the 10-75 came out, that would bring a THIRD Engine only, making the full response of 3 and 2.

But as I understand it, there was a time because companies were so busy, that it was frowned upon by some upper chiefs if a 10-75 was transmitted. Because that would tie up another engine. 

 

[68jk09]

^^^^^ In regard to the 1 New York Plaza Fire above detailed by DC Jonas ......I was off the night of the Fire but when word of a Hi Rise Fire was given my good friend Howie Carlson RIP & i took a ride there....there was not much to see from the street & there was some glass falling from time to time & we did not stay long....i worked in LAD*108 the following 9x6 & J T O Hagan had us special called there.... the Fire was out we did not do much other than repeat some searches (basically walking thru) & trimming some glass from windows....there is a picture of us trimming windows in a Fire Engineering article about the Fire.....one thing that stood out was in some vacant offices that were being set up there was no furniture but in the spots where numerous desks would be placed at future work stations the telephones attached from raceways under the floor were sitting at the future desk spots .....the phones were connected but were left in their original individual cardboard boxes on the floor.....this was in an area not directly involved in Fire however the night before the heat had been so intense that some of the cardboard boxes had deteriorated & the phones inside showed evidence of starting to melt......one interesting & lucky thing that happened during the Fire was that as LAD*118 who had been assigned was operating doing searches in a heavy smoke condition a FF (whose name slips my mind right now) was crawling & made a turn & suddenly felt a stiff cool breeze coming in his direction which caused him to stop & reevaluate .....what had happened was right in front of him a block wall of an elevator shaft had collapsed into the shaft....had he not noticed the breeze he said he could have crawled right into the shaft.

 

[JohnnyGage]

While meeting with DC Jonas (see reply#2) we discussed the significant aspect of Local Law 5...the FDNY and city official created a very restrictive law for hi-rise buildings. Fire safety directors, elevators (recall), hvac systems, adequate fire protection devices and a process to safely evacuate hi-rise occupant was created. With the new law, FDNY implemented the Hi-rise tactics that have undoubtly saved hundreds of lives of civilians and firefighters.

Local law 5 is worth the read for its historic value, and it was a priviledge discussing the NY Plaza fire / LL5 with the Big Boss DC Jonas.