Engine 82 during the war years

grumpy grizzly

grumpy grizzly

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Jun 27, 2007
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According to Dennis Smith's book "Report from Engine Co 82" to cut down on the runs certain units were added during the busy hours. One such unit was TCU 712. During its tour and when not operating where was this rig kept? That must have been a very crowded house with 5 units in it.
 
TCU-712 was kept at E43 on Sedgwick Ave in the off hours. TCU-712 evolved into L59 in 1972 and when the West Bronx became the hot spot , it was moved over to Sedgwick Ave with E43 where it remains. When it became L59, it and E85 were put in a temporary firehouse on Boston Rd just south of E 169 St, the Bronx's "Tin House". In 1978 it was moved to E43. When E85 was closed and became L53 on City Island, the Tin House was closed up until it was refurbed into an EMS station.  
 
Some more insite to Engine 82...

1960 Ward LaFrance - Firebrand                Reg #5928
1968 Mack CF with Jump Seat Enclosures    Reg #1072
1971 Mack CF 4 Door Cab                          MP7111
1975 Mack CF 4 Door Cab                          MP7505
1978 Mack CF 4 Door Cab                          MP7838

During the War Years - FDNY created a "INTERCHANGE PROGRAM" that rotated busy units to slower areas of the city. Here was 82's Schedule
Monday - 6x9 (Night Shift 6pm - 9am) Interchange with Engine 295 in Queens
Tuesday - Squad 2 (shared Quarters with Engine 73) would run FIRST DUE from 82's from 1900 - 0100
Wednesday - 6x9 (Night Shift 6pm - 9am) Interchange with Engine 297 in Queens
Thursday - Squad 2 would run FIRST DUE from 82's from 1900 - 0100
Friday, Saturday & Sunday - it was not uncommon to see as many as FIVE other Engines at the house called "ACTING ENGINE 82"

July 1975 - Engine 82 responded to 210 Structural Fires - They had somewhere near 1700-1800 Building Fires A YEAR!!!

I would like to thank Retired FDNY Assistance Chief Bob Manson - the former Captain of Engine 82 9/1/73 to 5/18/76 for some of the referances he shared with me.
 
Apparatus that shared "LA CASA GRANDE" from 1960 to 1980 during the War Years
Ladder 31
1962 ALF 900 Series Open Cab Tiller      Reg #460
1969 ALF 900 Series Tiller                    AL6905
1973 Mack CF Tower Ladder                  MT7313
1980 Mack CF Tower Ladder                  MT8010

Engine 85 (formed by members from Squad 9)
7/1/67 - 7/8/71 @ Engine 82
7/9/71 - Disbanded 1882 - @ Boston Rd
1968 Mack CF                                   
1971 Mack CF                                    MP7131
1975 Mack CF                                    MP7515
1981 Mack CF LIME Yellow                    MP8106

TCU-712
11/15/69-7/8/71 @ Engine 82 Operations (Stored at Engine 43)
7/9/71-11/24/72 @ Engine 85 - Disbanded to form Ladder 59 with Engine 43
1961 Mack C/Grove                            Reg #456
1970 Seagrave Rearmount                    SL7015

Searchlight 3
5/17/51 - 6/24/67 relocated to Engine 96
1954 International/Diehl

Battalion 27
7/26/69 -6/1/78 relocated to Engine 79

*Division 7 and Hydrant Service 7 were also stationed at E82 in the late 1940s and the 1950's.
 
grumpy grizzly said:
According to Dennis Smith's book "Report from Engine Co 82" to cut down on the runs certain units were added during the busy hours. One such unit was TCU 712. During its tour and when not operating where was this rig kept? That must have been a very crowded house with 5 units in it.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention...
The way rigs were parked in the station... IF they bothered to even go back inside...
Ladder 31 a Tiller was on the side marked Ladder 31.
Bn 27 was in the middle usally outside during day light hours.
Engine 82 and 85 would park in the side marked Engine 82 side by side- TCU 712 would be in front of these. IF During the time TCU was in quarters otherwise they might be "stacked" one in front of the other.

This is why most TCU Ladders & 2nd Section Ladders were Rearmounts. They had to stack rigs and a 2nd Tiller would NOT fit.
 
nowadays engine 82 is lucky if they even go to 200 fires a year. 1st due,2nd, etc..... different times. not to knock that it is still a great house but the war years were a one of a kind time in the FDNY's history.
 
proudff said:
nowadays engine 82 is lucky if they even go to 200 fires a year. 1st due,2nd, etc..... different times. not to knock that it is still a great house but the war years were a one of a kind time in the FDNY's history.
Click to expand...

Engine 82's Runs & Workers Stats
Year  Runs  EMS  Workers  OSW
1976  6433      0  5607          0    EMS & OSW numbers not recorded at the time
2007  4419  1562  3090      328

Runs are ALL CALLS for a Company - WORKERS are anything the company does work at... Investigations, car fires, Accidents, etc. OSW are Occupied Structual FIRES.

Info from Frank's site - http://www.fdnewyork.com/
 
May I please see some photos of Engine 82, Ladder 31, Battalion 27, Engine 85, and TCU 712 during the war years?
 
Super thread. Thanks for all the nice info. And yes; Pics would be very nice.

In the documentary "The Bronx is Burning" engine 82 is a closed cab Mack CF and L31 a ALF tiller.

I've only read the book in a translation to Danish. And something is allways lost in a translation. TCU-712 is called Rescue etc. Also the frontcover shows an American LaFrance (900 or 1000 I think).

The backside of the book shows a tired FF sitting besides the engine at the firehouse. It could be Denis Smith, but I'm not sure. Pictures are taken by photographer Lawrence Fried.

BTW; In the documantary it is said, that Smith sold the movie rights to the book for more than 100.000 USD. I wonder if they'll ever make that movie. I for one would fly in for the premier

Best regards
kristensen 
 
kristensen said:
BTW; In the documantary it is said, taht Smith sold the movie rights to the book for more than 100.000 USD. I wonder if they'll ever make that movie. I for one would fly in for the premier
Click to expand...

Forget it... The area is built up too much. NONE of NEW YORK looks the same. I dont think the population would care about urban decay anymore.
 
Computer animation a la "I am Legend" would do the trick. :) And I bet a movie about a busy FDNY firehouse in the war years would have a few fans. But who knows.

Take care
 
kristensen said:
Computer animation a la "I am Legend" would do the trick. :) And I bet a movie about a busy FDNY firehouse in the war years would have a few fans. But who knows.

Take care
Click to expand...

You can't have an entire movie where the setting is computer animated, that makes the production a whole lot harder and in the end you'll have a crappy movie, I'd say if they were going to make this a movie it would have been done by now. 
 
Ok ok, I stand corrected. ;D No reason to discuss a movie that will never be. I just mentioned that the movierights was sold way back.

Let's get back to the main subject: "Engine 82 during the war years".

Take care
 
Mand Library Collection
 

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the mand library is it open to the public and what do they have their pictures of companies and there rigs ?
 
The library is open to the public, but you need ID to get on the Rock. The library has an extensive collection of pictures of present and former companies.
 
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