FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies - 2nd Section

[mack]

Engine 157/Ladder 80 (continued)


Engine 157/Ladder 80 medals:

    ALBERT H. DELMAR LT. ENG. 157 DEC. 10, 1948 1949 COMMERCE

    OLOF W. MATSON FF. LAD. 80 OFF DUTY JUN. 10, 1939 1940 PRENTICE

         
         
    JAMES T. LYNCH CAPT. LAD. 80 1939 1940 STEPHENSON

          Captain James T. Lynch, Ladder 80, received the 1940 Stephenson Medal for best disciplined company in 1939.

    ALEXANDER A. ZGARDOWSKI FF. LAD. 80 DEC. 31, 1945 1946 JOHNSTON

    HENRY V. JAKUBOWSKI FF. LAD. 80 MAR. 25, 1960 1961 KANE

    THOMAS R. WYATT FF. LAD. 80 NOV. 22, 1969 1970 SCOTT

         

    DENNIS M. PETERSON FF. LAD. 80 DEC. 19, 1981 1982 CRIMMINS

         

          LODD - December 19, 1981

    ANTHONY PICOZZI FF. LAD. 80 MAY 3, 1983 1984 GOLDMAN

         

    ALL MEMBERS LAD. 80 DEC. 31, 1991 1992 BURN CENTER

         

    ANTHONY PICOZZI FF. LAD. 80 DEC. 31, 1991 1992 LANE

         

    BARRY R. LEE FF. LAD. 80 DEC. 31, 1991 1992 PRENTICE

         


Ladder 80 LODD:

    FIREFIGHTER DENNIS M. PETERSON LADDER 80 December 19, 1981

         

         
   
          Remembering FF Dennis M Peterson, Ladder 80, who died in the line of duty on December 19, 1981, while operating at Staten Island Box 962. FF Dennis Peterson responded to a fire in an occupied apartment at 176 Van Pelt Avenue. During operations, FF Peterson made entry into the burning apartment, searched, and rescued a 22 year old man. FF Peterson went back in and rescued a 9 year old child from the attic. Moments after exiting the structure, FF Peterson suddenly collapsed outside the fire building. The 1st firefighter to rush to his aid was his father, FF Daniel Peterson of Ladder 83, but the younger Peterson died in his father's arms. He was 36 years old, married and the father of 2 daughters. Please keep the memory alive of his sacrifice.  (from NYC FireWire)

          The New York Times Archives | 1981

          FIREFIGHTER SAVES A MAN, THEN COLLAPSES AND DIES
          By SHAWN G. KENNEDY DEC. 20, 1981

          A 36-year-old Staten Island fireman who had received three commendations for valor suffered a fatal heart attack yesterday shortly after rescuing a young man from an early morning blaze. The fireman, Dennis Michael Peterson of Ladder Company 80, was stricken while fighting the blaze alongside his father, Daniel Peterson, a fireman with Ladder Company 83.
Fireman Peterson was the first New York City firefighter this year to lose his life in the line of duty. The last city fireman to die while fighting a fire was Battalion Chief Frank Tutlemondo, who pushed a fellow fireman, Lieut. Michael Ramos, away from a collapsing wall during a Brooklyn fire in August 1980.

          Witness Describes Blaze

          The fire yesterday - in a two-story building at 176 Van Pelt Avenue in Mariner's Harbor, S.I. - broke out about 1:30 A.M. Members of Ladder Company 80 arrived to find the first and second floors in the small, two-family house ablaze.

          ''The first time I looked out my window I saw that the front door was in flames,'' said Irene Rudolph, who lives across the street from the frame house. ''The next time I looked, a few minutes later, the entire building was on fire. I don't know how the firemen got in there.''

          Firefighters could not enter the building through the front door but Fahmy Saad, a resident of the building who was able to escape with his wife and the couple who lived on the first floor, told the firemen that his two sons were still trapped in the second-floor apartment. The firefighters went to the back of the building and Fireman Peterson, who was the first man up the ladder, was able to bring one son, 22-year-old Mountier Saad, out.  Meanwhile, members of Ladder Company 86, which also responded to the alarm, rescued Mr. Saad's other son, 9-year-old Maher. The fire was brought under control just after 2 A.M.

          Fireman Peterson had returned to the building to assist in the cleanup operation when he began gasping for air. He struggled to a window and the company's chief, Lieut. George Harrison, grabbed him to keep him from falling. Lieutenant Harrison gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage, but the fireman lost consciousness. He was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital on Staten Island, where he died at about 3:30 A.M.

          Victim Flown to Manhattan

          'We knew that someone else had been hurt or died when none of the firemen left even though the fire had been put out,'' Mrs. Rudolph said. ''It was cold but they just stayed. Finally we saw them back one of the engines up to the house and they brought the hurt fireman down.''

          Maher Saad was taken first to St. Vincent's Hospital and then transported to New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center by a Coast Guard helicopter that landed in Central Park early this morning. Mountier Saad was taken to Staten Island Hospital and later transferred to the same Manhattan hospital. Both victims are listed in critical condition with severe burns.

          The most recent of the three decorations received by Fireman Peterson, a 13-year member of the force, came last July for his assistance in foiling a robbery at a Staten Island bank. While stopped at a traffic light he noticed a man leaving a Chase Manhattan Bank branch on Forrest Avenue carrying what turned out to be a decoy money satchel trailing red smoke. Mr. Peterson left his automobile and chased the suspect, who was able to jump into a waiting car. The police were able to find the suspects after the fireman gave them the license number of the vehicle.

          In July 1979, Mr. Peterson rescued two children caught between two high-tension wires. In June 1971 he used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a futile effort to save a 73-year-old woman who had suffered a heart attack.

          Mr. Peterson began his career with the department with Engine Company 279 in Brooklyn. In March 1980 he joined Ladder Company 80. Mr. Peterson's brother, John, is a firefighter with Ladder Company 105 in Brooklyn. The fireman, who lived at 3 Stebbins Avenue in New West Brighton, S.I., is survived by his wife, Gail, and two daughters, Laura, 11, and Denise, 9.
A funeral mass will be offered at 11 A.M. Tuesday at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, at 981 Castleton Avenue in New West Brighton. Burial will follow at St. Peter's Cemetery.


Engine 157/Ladder 80 WTC-Related Illness Deaths:

    FIREFIGHTER BRIAN C. MALLOY LADDER 80 March 28, 2011

         
   
          https://www.firehero.org/fallen-firefighter/brian-c-malloy/

    FIREFIGHTER JIMMY MARTINEZ ENGINE 157 August 23, 2018

         

         

          https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fdny-retiree-donates-van-transport-sick-firefighters-article-1.2987113


    RIP.  Never forget.

 

[mack]

Engine 157/Ladder 80 (continued)


Port Richmond Staten Island:

   


   

          https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~217356~5503670:Section-L--Port-Richmond,-Town-of-N


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Richmond,_Staten_Island

    https://forgotten-ny.com/2006/11/port-richmond-staten-island-parts-1-and-2/

    https://www.oldstatenisland.org/port-richmond.html

 

[mack]

Port Richmond SI was location of a ferry to Bayonne NJ - the Bergen Point Ferry - from 1876-1962.


   

   

   


Earlier versions of the Bergen Point Ferry operated as early as 1750.

 

[mack]

Port Richmond was also home of Weissglass Speedway - home of weekly stock car racing.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgAWg333cLk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLSdg4sqcf4


   

   

   

   


          http://www.weissglassspeedway.com/

          https://www.3widespicturevault.com/3Wides_Weissglass_Memories_Picture_Page1a.htm

 

[fdhistorian]

Engine 157/Ladder 80  firehouses  1573 Castleton Avenue  Port Richmond, Staten Island  Division 8, Battalion 22  "Cougar Country"

    Battalion 2 organized 51 Cottage Place w/Engine 207                                                            1905
    Battalion 2 became Battalion 22                                                                                          1906
    Battalion 22 moved 1189 Castleton Avenue at Ladder 79                                                        1930
    Battalion 22 moved 1573 Castleton Avenue at Engine 157                                                      1931
    Battalion 22 moved 1189 Castleton Avenue at Ladder 79                                                        1932 

Battalion 22 was first activated in Brooklyn from 1898 to 1906 when it was renumbered as Battalion 32.

Brooklyn Battalion

1898 - 1900 Battalion 22 E2     E3   E4     E24                 L1
1900 - 1901 Battalion 22 E102 E103 E104 E124               L51
1901 - 1902 Battalion 22 E102 E103 E104                     L51
1902 - 1906 Battalion 22 E102 E103 E104 E124               L51

Staten Island Battalion

1905 - 1906 Battalion 2   E205 E206 E207 E208                 L103 L104 L105 FDNY SI
1906 - 1913 Battalion 22 E205 E206 E207 E208                 L103 L104 L105
1913 - 1930 Battalion 22 E155 E156 E157 E158                 L78    L79   L80
1930 - 1932 Battalion 22 E155 E156 E157 E158                 L79   L80
1932 - 1937 Battalion 22 E155 E156 E157 E158 E163         L79   L80 L83
1937 - 1961 Battalion 22 E156 E157 E158 E163                 L79   L80   L83
1961 - 1972 Battalion 22 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166         L79   L80   L83 L86
1972 - 1975 Battalion 22 E154 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166   L79   L80   L83 L86
1975 - 1978 Battalion 22 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166         L79   L80   L83 L86
1978 - 1979 Battalion 22 E154 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166   L79   L80   L83 L86
1979 - 1981 Battalion 22 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166         L79   L80   L83 L86
1981 - 2018 Battalion 22 E154 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166   L79   L80   L83 L86
2018 -       Battalion 22 E154/S8 E156 E157 E158 E163 E166   L79 L80   L83    L86

 

[mack]

"Firemen's Hall" firehouse 155 Mercer Street SoHo Manhattan


   


Pre-FDNY volunteer:

    New York Hose 5        1854-1860
    Lafayette Ladder 6      1854-1865


FDNY:

    Ladder 20                1889-1974
    Battalion 3                1894-1903, 1904, 1905-1913, 1922-1956
    Battalion 5                1903-1904, 1959-1974
    Division 1                  1894-1900
    Division 2                  1914-1917
    Engine 13                  1948-1974
 

Firemen's Hall No. 155 Mercer Street

   

    Lithographer George Hayward depicted Firemen's Hall in 1856.  from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

In his 1887 book Birth of the Bravest, A History of the New York Fire Department, historian Augustine E. Costello remembered the Knights of the Round Table, one of the best known of the organizations of the old volunteer fire companies.  "It originated among the members of Lafayette Hook and Ladder Company No. 6, located under Fireman's Hall, Mercer Street.  It was organized in the fall of 1848, James P. Decker, Jr. being chosen the first present.  The 'Knights' convened but once a year--Christmas Eve--and the occasion was one of great enjoyment."

Those feasts took place in the basement of Fireman's Hall at Nos. 127-129 Mercer Street--a two-story frame firehouse which had replaced the original Fireman's Hall on Fulton Street.  It was distinguished by a belfry and a prominent carving of a fire fighter over the truck bay.  Fireman's Hall double as the firehouse of the Lafayette Hook and Ladder Company No. 6 and as the meeting rooms of the officials of the many volunteer fire companies.

   

   

    The original Firemen's Hall on Fulton Street (above) was constructed in 1824.  The second, on Mercer Street, had a full-sized statue of a fireman above the entrance.  sketches from Our Firemen.  A History of the New York Fire Departments, by Augustine E. Costello, 1887 (copyright expired)

By the early 1850s Fireman's Hall was outdated.  On Wednesday, November 30, 1853 the Board of Aldermen voted "In favor of building a new Firemen's Hall."  Things progressed quickly and the various construction contracts were signed on January 6, 1854.

Only seven months later the old Firemen's Hall was gone and construction of its replacement was far enough underway that the cornerstone could be laid.  On August 19, 1854 The New York Times reported "Next Monday will be a great occasion for the Fire Department.  A grand parade is to take place in honor of the laying of the corner-stone of the new Firemen's Hall in Mercer-street.

The box placed into the cornerstone that day contained a history of the New York Fire Department since 1816, a history of the old Firemen's Hall, a Bible, a copy of the United States Constitution and a score of other documents, including copies of the local newspapers.

The following day The New York Herald described the new Hall, designed by architects Field & Correja.  The ground floor would house the New York Hose Company No. 5 and the Lafayette Hook and Ladder Company No. 6.  "Each company is to have 15 by 90 feet, which will be divided in three rooms, the front room for the apparatus, the centre room for their meetings, and the room in the rear for sitting and reading."

The second floor would contain a large meeting room--38 by 71 feet--"for the meetings of the representatives, the engineers and foremen, and the Exempt Firemen's Association.  The topmost floor held an identically-sized room used as a library and reading room, and smaller rooms for the librarian and committees.

"The front of the building is to be Connecticut brown stone, cut in the best manner.  The style of architecture is Italian, or in other words, a composition of Greek and Roman details applied by the Italians to modern building."

An over-the-top example of Victorian exuberance, Field & Correja's Firemen's Hall exploded with decoration.  The name of the hall was carved above the central second floor window.  The pilasters flanking the centered entrance were adorned with "emblems of the fire department, such as hook and ladders, torches, axes, trumpets, &c., and the tops of these antaes [pilasters] are to be surmounted with a fire hydrant."

The architects salvaged the old fireman statue.  The Herald reported "On the top of the cornice is to be a blocking course with three pedestals, the two side ones surmounted with a cluster of torches, and the centre one with the full size statue of a firemen--the same one who has stood sentry so many years in front of the old hall."

A tympanum above the entrance doors contained bas-relief carvings of Protection and Benevolence; and on its keystone was carved a full-sized fire helmet.  The New York Herald promised "The whole building is to be constructed in the most substantial manner." The completed structure cost $24,811--about $725,000 today.

   

    from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

The volunteer fire companies were manned by locals called "laddies."  The companies gained a reputation as rowdy, boisterous gangs whose fire houses were essentially social clubs.  Despite their elegant new surroundings, the men of New York Hose Company No. 5 and the Lafayette Hook and Ladder Company No. 6 were no different.  In 1855, when Ralph Waldo Emerson visited New York City, Walt Whitman, oddly enough, brought him here.

Justin Martin, in his 2014 Rebel Souls, Walt Whitman and America's First Bohemians, wrote "For Emerson's visit to New York, Whitman took him to the Fireman's Hall, a raucous club on Mercer Street...Whitman, it seems, was trying to make a calculated impression. 'He shouted for a 'tin mug' for his beer,' Emerson would recall.  Emerson emerged from that first meeting with a sense that Whitman was odd."

When the Civil War erupted, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, organized the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment--known popularly as the Firemen's Regiment.  The troops were in Washington DC when insurgents attempted to burn down Willard's Hotel in Washington DC on May 8, 1861.  Colonel Ellsworth, frustrated by a laddie's handling of the trumpet, snatched it.  "With this he marshaled his forces," reported The New York Times.  The newspaper added that the trumpet "will probably be sent to New-York for exhibition at Firemen's Hall.  It is a queer-looking thing, shaped like a fish-born, and makes a toot which sounds for all the world like that familiar instrument."

Less than two weeks later, on May 25, The Times would report shocking news regarding Colonel Ellsworth.  "He has been assassinated! His murder was fearfully and speedily revenged...His memory will be revered, his name respected, and long after the rebellion shall have become a matter of history, his death will be regarded as a martyrdom."  That night the Board of Engineers and Foremen of the New York Fire Department met at Firemen's Hall to discuss participation in the Colonel's funeral.

In January 1865 a bill was introduced in the State Senate to establish a professional fire department.  The New York Times noted it "has created a great excitement in fire circles, and among the better class of firemen it is not very favorably received."  A meeting of the Board of Representatives at Firemen's Hall resulted in a unanimous resolution to use "every honorable means to defeat the bill for a paid Fire Department."

The efforts failed, and on July 6 the Board meet again "for the purpose of making a final close of their business," as reported in The New York Herald.  Two weeks later the Commissioner of the new Metropolitan Fire Department met in Firemen's Hall to arrange for the transfer of property from the old volunteer companies to the new Department.  It was decided that Firemen's Hall would be used as Fire Department headquarters.


One of the first steps to modernize and consolidate the department was the installation of "fire alarm telegraph" boxes--the predecessors of today's call boxes.  The central station was located in Firemen's Hall.  The New York Herald described the apparatus on November 12, 1865 saying "The instruments used at the Central office and in the engine houses are very curious, very ingenious and well worth the attention of the public."
 
   

    The telegraph alarm apparatus.  Our Firemen.  A History of the New York Fire Departments, by Augustine E. Costello, 1887 (copyright expired)

While firefighters were now professionals, their rowdy, street-tough tradition remained.  Hook and Ladder Company No. 6 was still housed in Firemen's Hall.  While responding to a fire at No. 101 Walker Street in August 1865, its members were delayed by a physical altercation.

On August 27 The Times reported "Engine Company No. 4 and Ladder Company No. 6 became involved in a fight while proceeding to the fire...The two antagonistic companies met at the corner of Sixth-street and Second-avenue, and the battle waged furiously for a few minutes; sticks, stones and wrenches were freely used, resulting in the injury of one of the men belonging to Engine Company No. 4."

The Civil War term "torpedoes" covered a variety of explosives.  In July 1871 a stash of military surplus was seized by the Bureau of Combustibles.  Following an explosion on Beekman Street in September that year, the Fire Commissioners ordered "a rigid search for all combustibles of a similar nature throughout the city."

New Yorkers were shocked when, on September 17, The New York Herald ran the headline "HIDDEN HORRORS" and reported "an examination of the cellar of Firemen's Hall was made, and eight cases of the same dreadful engines of death were found, which contained 40,000." The cache of torpedoes was taken onto the fire boat Fuller and dumped in the Hudson River.

In his 1872 Lights and Shadows of New York Life, James Dabney McCabe successfully encapsulated Firemen's Hall.  "The Headquarters of the department are located at 127 Mercer street, in a handsome building known as Fireman's Hall.  Here are the offices of the Commissioners, the Chief Engineer, Secretary, Medical officer, Telegraph Bureau, Bureau of Combustible materials, and Fireman's Lyceum.  The Lyceum contains a library of over 4000 volumes, and a collection of engravings, documents, and relics relating to the old Fire Department."

   

    Firefighters race to a fire in 1881.  etching from the collection of the New York Public Library

In 1887 Fire Headquarters was moved to its new building on West 67th Street.  Firemen's Hall continued to operate as a firehouse and by 1920 (by which time the address had been renumbered No. 155 Mercer Street) was home to Hook and Ladder No. 20.  That year one fire fighter, Eugene Pohler, left the department to gain fame and money.

Pohler had been earning $1,400 a year as a firefighter.  The 26-year old was described by Marguerite Dean in The New York Evening World as standing "6 feet 4 in his stockings, and weights 225 pounds."  One morning motion picture director Harry Revere walked in the fire house door with a stockholder, George Merrick.  "They had been giving the Police Department the once over in a vain attempt to find a physically satisfactory Tarzan," explained Dean, "and somebody had told them about the young giant at No. 155 Mercer Street."

   

    Eugene Polher in his department uniform, and on screen as Tarzan.  The Evening World, July 8, 1920 (copyright expired)

Pohler (whose screen name would be Pollar) was perfect.  With an offer of $5,000 a year (about $60,000 today); he walked off the job that day to became a celebrity.  And after shooting his first picture, he told the reporter he did not miss fire fighting at all.  "But now," Dean reported, "he admits that after playing around, a la Tarzan, with nine lions--one weighing 925 pounds--being a 'Smoky Joe' is about as thrilling as a Quaker meeting."

In 1974 the Fire Department moved out of the old Firemen's Hall building.  By then the Victorian facade had been shaved flat, leaving only the side quoins as any indication of the 1854 design.  The fireman statue was salvaged; however its true location is difficult to ascertain.  At least two museums claim to own the original.

   

    In 2011 little was left of the ornate Firemen's Hall - photo by Beyond My Ken

In 1981 a conversion resulted in "art and dance studios with accessory offices."  By 1998 the Joyce SoHo Theater was in the building, sharing space with the Dia Center for the Arts. The building was purchased by Thor Equities in 2013, which announced its intentions to partially recreate the Firemen's Hall facade.

   

    The renovated facade as it appeared in August 2017 photo by the author

After months of anticipation, the scaffolding and construction netting that obscured the work was removed in the summer of 2017.  Preservationists and local residents could not possibly have hoped for nor expected what was revealed.  The restoration, spearheaded by the architectural firm of PKSB, recreated the Italianate elements--going so far as to include the carved "Firemen's Hall" panel and the pediment originally intended to a life-size fireman statue.

    (from Daytonian in Manhattan Thursday, August 3, 2017)

      http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2017/08/firemens-hall-nos-155-157-mercer-street.html


   
 

 

[mack]

Firefighter Joseph Pohler, Ladder 20, aka Gene Pollar and "Tarzan" - 1920


   


Gene Pollar (September 16, 1892 - October 20, 1971) was the screen name of New York City firefighter Joseph Pohler, who in his very brief movie career played Tarzan.

Background

At age 28, the 6'2", 215 pound Joseph Charles Pohler became the second actor to portray Tarzan in films. When Numa pictures tried to contract Elmo Lincoln for another film about the apeman, he declined, so one of the Weiss brothers, while on a visit to New York, signed Pohler to a contract to star in The Return of Tarzan, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel The Return of Tarzan, and also changed his name to Gene Pollar.

Production

Pollar was paid $100 per week. The production was sold to Goldwyn Distribution Corporation in April 1920. As a precautionary measure, since it featured a new star, the film was retitled The Revenge of Tarzan just two weeks prior to its opening on July 20, 1920. The film was a success, but Numa refused to release Pollar to accept a contract from Universal Pictures.

Later life
The disgruntled Pollar ended his acting career and returned to firefighting under his original name, Joseph C. Pohler. In 1944, he became a purchasing agent for a retail store chain, for which he worked until his retirement to West Hollywood, Florida.

Pollar emerged briefly from obscurity in 1966, at age 73. That year, a publicity event surrounding the premiere of NBC's Tarzan series brought together several actors who had played the apeman, and the guest of honor was James H. Pierce, then 66, who was dubbed the "oldest living Tarzan". Pollar contacted the media and declared correctly that he himself was the oldest. "Pierce is just a kid compared to me", he joked. Pollar blamed the mix-up on a New York City paper's erroneous report of his death a few years earlier.

Pollar died in 1971 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 79.

    (from Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Pollar


   


   

    http://www.erbzine.com/mag29/2986.html

 

[mack]

FDNY Marine Division Pier A Battery Park, Manhattan


    Marine 1            1960-1992
    Smoke II          1960-1974


FDNY 1960-1992:

   

   

   

   


Pier A History:
   
The 1886 Department of Docks' Headquarters - Pier A

   

    Pier A, seen here before the 1919 installation of the Memorial Clock, was used to greet visiting dignitaries -- photo

Battery Park City Authority

In 1884 the New York Department of Docks was just 14 years old when it began plans for a headquarters building.  Established by the State Legislature in 1870 the department  was charged with the formidable task of developing the waterfront.  This included building of piers, wharfs and seawalls; a complex project that was laid out by Chief Engineer and Civil War hero General George McClellan.

At the same time that the Department of Docks was considering its new headquarters, the New York Police Department was in need of a station house to accommodate its one steamboat, the Patrol.  An impressive building built on a pier was conceived ? but there was a problem.  The pier was not part of McClellan?s 1871 plan and, therefore, not part of the State?s approved apportionment. 

The State Legislature amended the plan in 1884 to allow for the construction and on July 3 the Board of Commissioners approved the erection of the pier.    The pier itself was an engineering feat that took a full year to complete.  Not until September 1884 did the construction of the building begin.

Completed in 1886 it was an attractive, late Victorian delight of brick and terra cotta with iron trusses supporting the tin roof.    A wood-frame tower over the river was used as a look-out  by the police, who occupied the north section of the pier.  The Docks Department occupied the rest of the building for its offices and storerooms of maps and records.

To protect the workers from the onslaughts of winter weather, the building was highly insulated.  Two layers of tar paper, mineral wool between the studs and a layer of tongue-and-groove paneling prevented the worst of winds and cold to permeate the offices. 

During the first winter, in 1886, a ferocious winter storm pummeled the city.  The offices of Pier A were unaffected.  Chief Engineer Greene reported ?It was found in the severe blizzard in the first few days in March that all the rooms could be kept at a temperature of 85 degrees, with a pressure of 60 pounds in the boiler, which is licensed to carry 100 pounds.?

He did not mention how the officer worker could bear to work in the extreme heat.

To accommodate the Department?s increasing need for space, in 1900 a three-story addition was built at the shore-end of the pier and in 1904 an additional story was added towards the shore end.  The additions were frosted with Beaux Arts ornamentation?wrought iron lamps, scrolls and leafy decoration.  The result, rather than an accumulation of mismatched architecture, was a charming structure that could have been plucked from a child?s electric train set.  Painted in three colors, the sections blended harmoniously into a quaint Victorian whole.

Department of Docks employee Joseph J. Madden was working at his desk on September 21, 1917 when he heard cries from the waterfront.  Below, a boy named William Murphy had fallen into the river and was being pulled out by the tide.  Madden dived, fully dressed, into the water, swam 200 feet to the drowning boy and ?brought him with great difficulty to a float, to which both were assisted,? according to the Report of the Secretary of the United States Treasury.    The worker was awarded a Silver Congressional Medal for his bravery.

At the end of World War I, Daniel G. Reid presented the city with the country?s first memorial to the servicemen lost in combat.    The memorial was in the form of a ship?s clock and bell, erected in the tower of Pier A.  The Jewelers? Circular noted ?The clock itself is a very interesting mechanism and as far as known it is the only clock of its kind in this country.?

The bell weighted 1,000 pounds and struck ship?s time, ?the only public clock in the world striking ship?s time? according to Greater New York magazine at the time.    The clock was dedicated with great fanfare at noon on January 26, 1919 and was presented to Dock Commissioner Murray Hulbert for the city, and Mayor General David C. Shanks on behalf of the army, by Rear Admiral Josiah S. McKean.

The glass dials were illuminated at night, turned on by an automatic mechanism.  According to The Jewelers? Circular, ?The clock is guaranteed by the makers to operate within a variation of 30 seconds per month.?  To maintain the dignity of such a prestigious memorial, which the Annual Report of the Department of Docks and Ferries stressed was ?the first memorial of the World War erected in the United States,? Pier A was given a $2,280 paint job.

   

    Famed photograph Berenice Abbott capture Pier A in 1936 -- NYPL Collection

In 1959 the Department of Docks left Pier A, passing it on to the Department of Marine and Aviation for use as the headquarters of the FDNY fireboat fleet.  Five years later Fire Commissioner Edward Thompson announced plans for ?a face lifting.?

?Instead of an eyesore, it will be a fond sight for the people passing through the harbor,? he said.  The New York Times reported that in the planned renovations, ?the old building?s metal exterior would be removed and replaced with aluminum siding.?

And so it was.  The Beaux Arts scrolls and pilasters were trashed in favor of aluminum siding; certain to be less of an ?eyesore.?  The tower clock, erected to the memory of military men who died in service to their country, no longer worked and its original purpose long forgotten.

   

    The 1964 "face-lifting" removed the pilasters and other ornamentation -- photo Library of Congress

On Christmas Day, 1976, The New York Times reported on a $180,000 restoration plan with little enthusiasm.  The city was in financial despair and the newspaper apparently felt the money could be better spent.  ?The plan to rehabilitate the pier is something of a financial anomaly, owing in significant measure to the city?s money problems.?

   

    Tongue-and-groove wainscot and other interior details survived through the 1960s -- photo Library of Congress

As it was, the city?s financial problems were the sole reason that Pier A stood at all.  Plans had been underway to demolish the pier to make way for office towers and a new marine facility.  But as the city?s fiscal crisis worsened and with several million square feet of vacant office space in lower Manhattan, the plans to build office towers were abandoned.


photo Library of Congress

While the city vacillated in its development plans, historic preservationists were less hesitant.  In 1975 they were successful in having Pier A listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  With this designation the restoration costs would be shared, with matching grants from the Federal Government and the state.  The Department of the Interior and the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation each contributed $90,000 earmarked for restoration of the clock tower, roof, underwater pilings, arched windows and upgrades to the electrical and mechanical systems.

Calling it an ?elegantly ramshackle pier,? The Times noted it was the oldest functioning pier in the city.  ?Seen from a distance, the elongated green, gray and red structure that points to Ellis Island across the Upper Bay looks like a piece left out of an erector-set model next to the compact and towering skyline of lower Manhattan.?

Fire Commissioner John T. O?Hagan said somewhat poetically, ?Aside from its strategic importance as a marine fire-fighting facility, it is a beautiful building which adds a touch of grace to New York?s skyline.?

Designated a New York City Landmark in 1977, Pier A sat quietly, but neglected, at the base of the island.  In the 1980s it was closed off by a construction fence where, less than a decade after its restoration, it began to deteriorate.

In 2008 the Battery Park City Authority took over the structure.    In 2010 a $30 million overhaul was planned, including a surrounding plaza; but immediately problems arose.  There was no money set aside for the plaza, the general contractor and construction manager dropped the project and the budget was slashed.

   

    During renovation, the pier was found to be seriously rotting -- photo by Julie Shapiro for DNAinfo.com

Finally in 2011 plans were revealed showing a proposed oyster bar and other food venues, including a ?boutique? hot dog stand.    The long-delayed project started up again; yet workers removed nearly all of the windows, leaving the interior open to wind and rain.  George Calderaro, a member of the Historic Districts Council board said ?This is a city, state and national landmark that is being egregiously mishandled.?

   

    In 2012 restoration continues -- photo by Julie Shapiro for DNAinfo.com

By January 2012 the cost of restoration had risen to $36 million and the structure was found to be in drastic disrepair.  ?There was a significant amount of water damage, rot and structural deterioration,? said Gwen Dawson, Senior Vice President of Asset Management for the Authority at Community Board 1 meeting.

Restoration of the charming Victorian pier continues; but wanton neglect nearly took away an irreplaceable landmark.

    (from Daytonian in Manhattan Tuesday, January 24, 2012)

    http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/01/1886-department-of-docks-headquarters.html


Pier A 2018:

    https://www.piera.com/

   

 

[johnd248]

Bought my first turnout coat on the second floor of Pier A in the 60s when the FDNY "store" was quartered there.

 

[mack]

1960 FDNY recruiting poster:

   


$6706 salary

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 firehouse  2928 Briggs Avenue Bedford Park, Bronx ?Da Bronx Bravest?

    Engine 79 organized 2928 Briggs Avenue                              1904
    Engine 79 moved to 3431 White Plains Road at Engine 62      2008
    Engine 79 returned to 2928 Briggs Avenue w/Ladder 37        2010

    Ladder 37 organized 2928 Briggs Avenue                              1908
    Ladder 37 moved to 3025 Bailey Avenue at Engine 81            2008
    Ladder 37 returned to 2928 Briggs Avenue w/Engine 79          2010

    Battalion 27 reorganized Intervale Avenue at Engine 82          1969
    Battalion 27 moved to 2928 Briggs Avenue at Engine 79        1978
    Battalion 27 moved to 3025 Bailey Avenue at Engine 81          2008
    Battalion 27 returned to 2928 Briggs Avenue                          2010


2928 Briggs Avenue firehouse:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


Engine 79:

   

   

   

   


Ladder 37:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


Ladder 37 members:

   

   


Battalion 27:

   
 
   

   

   


Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27:

   

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 (continued)


Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoiBmMPJ7I

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJJcsf8qCY

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUsT-ljOYmc

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCrtCWXr4Wo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfDTJ9aRDg

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 (continued)


Engine 79 member bone marrow donor:

   

    NEW YORK ? A York man met the bone marrow donor whose generous gift helped save his life during a ceremony honoring 13 Fire Department of New York bone marrow donors at a ceremony Thursday at FDNY Headquarters.
   
    Joseph Stike, 29, required a donor transplant from a non-family member to treat a rare genetic disease, Dyskeratosis congenita, which affects bone marrow function. In 2012, he found a match, and after 10 days of chemotherapy and one day of radiation, he received a transplant from FDNY Lieutenant Kieran Brosnan.
   
    After weeks of rehabilitation, Stike returned home from the University of Minnesota, where he received the transplant, happy and healthy once again. Stike thanked Brosnan at Thursday?s ceremony.

    ?You are a true hero, Kieran,? he said. ?I wouldn?t be here without you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the proof that there is still love, compassion and kindness in this sometimes-crazy world we live in.?

    Brosnan, 50, joined the FDNY in May of 1993, and served 18 years as a New York City Firefighter working in the Bronx, before his retirement in 2011. In May, 2012, he was contacted by the New York Blood Center and informed he was a potential match for Stike. That summer, he donated bone marrow at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

    ?I never did this to get any attention, I just wanted to help someone in any way that I could,? said Brosnan. ?I am so delighted to have the opportunity to meet him in person, seven years post-transplant.?
   
    Stike and Brosnan were joined at the ceremony by Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro and Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., president and CEO of New York Blood Center.
   
    ?More than 200 FDNY members have answered the call for life-saving bone marrow donations ? including several members who have donated to help others on multiple occasions ? and thousands more stand ready to donate when a match is found,? said Nigro. ?The FDNY?s partnership with the New York Blood Center and the Be The Match Registry continues to provide our Department the opportunity to save lives well beyond the borders of the five boroughs. I encourage everyone to follow the Department?s lead and sign up to potentially help save a life.?
   
    ?The FDNY is an invaluable partner to New York Blood Center and we are privileged to have the opportunity to honor the dedication of those who have given of themselves in such an extraordinary manner,? said Hillyer. ?The powerful donor-recipient reunions we?re celebrating today are a reminder that all New Yorkers can step up and join the FDNY in helping to save lives.?       
    (from Fox 43 Jan. 31, 2019))

    https://fox43.com/2019/01/31/york-city-firefighter-meets-fdny-firefighter-whose-bone-marrow-donation-helped-save-his-life-in-2012/

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 (continued)


Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 medals:

    CHARLES J. RADTKE, JR. FF. BAT. 27 APR. 13, 1978 1979 KRIDEL

         

    LAWRENCE BRIGATI FF. ENG. 79 JUL. 27, 1967 1968 STIEFEL

         

    ANTHONY J. PALAZZO FF. ENG. 79 JUL. 27, 1967 1968 FDR

         

    MICHAEL D. DUNNE FF. LAD. 37 MAR. 10, 1972 1973 HUGH BONNER

         

    DONALD R. FORSTER FF. LAD. 37 MAY 18, 1974 1975 LA GUARDIA

         

    RICHARD C. LAILER FF. LAD. 37 DEC. 19, 1978 1979 LANE

         

    MICHAEL J. CONBOY FF. LAD. 37 SEP. 23, 1988 1989 KENNY

         

    STEVEN P. O'DONNELL FF. LAD. 37 JUN. 21, 1990 1991 WAGNER

         


    RONALD E. DEASO, JR. FF. ENG. 79 FEB. 26, 2006 WYLIE

         

         

    PETER J. MELLY CAPT. EIV. 7 (ASSIGNED) ENG. 79 (DETAILED) FEB. 26,2006

         

         

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 (continued)


Engine 79/Ladder 37 LODDs:

    CAPTAIN CHARLES BASS ENGINE 79 November 16, 1912

          Foreman Charles S. Bass, commander of Engine 4 at the time of the Equitable Life Assurance Society Building fire on January 9, 1912, died in a Hartford, Connecticut sanitarium on November 16, 1912 as a result of injuries he received while fighting that fire. Foreman Bass lived on West 160th Street in the Bronx and was transferred to Engine 79 when the Captain of that company died of natural causes. He never reported to work at Engine 79. A widow, a son and a daughter survived him. Fireman James G. Brown of Hook and Ladder 1 was awarded the Bonner Medal for his valiant rescue from the Equitable Building of Foreman Bass, whom he found unconscious with a fractured skull on the third floor of the building. He was with Foreman Bass on the fourth floor when the fire became untenable as they were making their way to the third floor. When the upper floors collapsed, Chief Walsh was in the stairway; Foreman Bass and his men made it to the third floor where he sustained his injury.

          Brown bore the Foreman through fire and smoke to a window where the men of Hook & Ladder 1 passed him down to the street. His name does not appear on the Memorial Wall at FDNY Headquarters.
          (from "The Last Alarm")

    LIEUTENANT TIMOTHY E. COUGHLIN ENGINE 79 October 28, 1929

    Lieutenant Timothy E. Coughlin of Engine 79 fell through the pole hole while responding to Box 3019. Lieutenant Coughlin, 50, had been a member of the Fire Department for 31 years. A special alarm for the Fire Patrol had brought Lieutenant Coughlin from bed on the second floor. Intending to slide down the pole to be ready to respond to a possible second alarm, it was believed he tripped, lost his balance and fell through the hole, landing on his head. (from "The Last Alarm")

    FIREFIGHTER CHARLES A. HICKEY LADDER 37 September 22, 1945

         

         

          CHARLES HICKEY WAS A NEW YORK CITY FIREMAN ASSIGNED TO LADDER 37. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY DURING WORLD WAR I. HIS SERVICE ID NUMBER WAS 1868512. HE SERVED AS A PRIVATE THEN PROMOTED TO PRIVATE 1st CLASS. HE SERVED OVERSEAS JULY 9th 1918 TO JANUARY 18th 1919. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO IN THE USNR AS A LIEUTENANT DURING WORLD WAR II. HE WAS KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH OVER JAPAN ON MAY 12, 1945. INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY FDNY LINE OF DUTY DEATHS, NATIONAL ARCHIVES, NEW YORK STATE ARCHIVES. (from Paramedic C. Ryan Battalion 46 R).

         


    RIP.  Never forget.

 

[mack]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 (continued)


Bedford Park, Bronx:

     

    1858 Pre-Bronx map:

          https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3803w.la000578/?r=0.132,1.118,0.076,0.044,0

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Park,_Bronx

    https://forgotten-ny.com/2008/05/a-bit-of-bedford-park/

 

[mack]

Bronx Box 22-3334 May 3, 2018  -  Engine 79/Ladder 37/B 27  (2nd due engine & truck)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_OPLHsjXuY&feature=youtu.be

    https://www.statter911.com/2018/05/04/pre-arrival-video-bronx-apartment-fire-with-multiple-people-trapped/
   
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkTldgI20c


E-48,79,88,75
L-56,37,38(Fast)
B-27,19
R-3
Sq-61
D-7
Rac-3

2nd Alarm
E-81,46,42,43
E-72 w/ Sat. 2
L-33,46,47s/c
B-18(FF)
B-17(RUL)
B-26(Safety)
RB,SB
FC,FCB
Tac-1
CTU



Relocations:
Engine 93 Act. Engine 48
Engine 91 Act. Engine 46
Engine 60 Act. Engine 75
Engine 59 Act. Engine 42
Ladder 55 Act. Ladder 27
Ladder 28 Act. Ladder 38
Ladder 117 Act. Ladder 33
Battalion 49 Act. Battalion 18
Battalion 16 Act. Battalion 19

 

[mack]

Fordham fire - 126 East Fordham Road - March 5, 1991

   

Division 7 Training and Safety Newsletter March 2017

    Shortly after midnight on March 5, 1991, Bronx Firefighters would be abruptly reminded how dangerous and difficult the job of being a Firefighter is.  Tragic events would unfold at 126 East Fordham Road in the Bronx that would haunt those who operated at this fire for years. 

   

    The Building: Was a two-story taxpayer (commercial) building at the Northeast corner of East Fordham Road and Creston Avenue.  The building was built in 1920.  It was built with brick with wood joists.  Concrete and tile was installed as a floor for the second floor over the wood joists and wood sub-flooring.  It had gone through renovations over the years.  There were two drop ceilings in the stores and numerous voids were present throughout the structure.  The ground floor had three stores:  The fire store was a ?Vision World? store. 

   

    The store to the left of the fire store on Fordham Road was ?Right On Casuals? (Known as exposure 02).  This occupancy had an interior stairway to the second floor and the first floor wrapped around to the Creston Avenue side of the building where there was another entrance (an ?L-shaped? occupancy).  The store to the right of the fire store was the ?Kleinsleep? bedding store (Known as exposure 04). 

   

    There was a stairway leading to the second floor on the Creston Avenue side of the building.  The second floor had a center hallway and had offices and an apartment for the building?s Superintendent. 

    The Fire: At 0041 hours on March 5, 1991, Bronx Fire Dispatchers received Emergency Reporting System (ERS) Box 3356.  Engine 75 was sent to the box.  At 0045 hours, a second source, a telephone report, was received reporting a structural fire at 120-124 East Fordham Road.   

   

    The remainder of the first alarm assignment was dispatched, Engine 48, Ladder 33, Ladder 56, Engine 79 and Battalion 19.  Engine 75 arrived and saw smoke through the windows of the ?Kleinsleep? store.  Engine 75 transmitted a 10-75.

    Ladder 33 arrived and positioned their apparatus on the corner of Fordham Road and Creston Avenue.  Forcible entry was conducted at the store.  A search was conducted in the ?Kleinsleep? store and the cellar.  There was a heavy smoke condition but no fire.  Engine 75 stretched a 2 ? inch hose line to the front of the building.  Ladder 33 then came to the front of the building and forced the steel roll down gates that secured the ?Vision World? store.  It was determined that the fire was in the ?Vision World? store.  The steel roll down gates concealed the fire so it became an advanced fire.  The ?Vision World? store showed a heavy smoke condition.  Engine 75 advanced their hose line to the fire store which had fire in the ceilings. 

   

    Engine 48 and Ladder 56 arrived at the fire.  Ladder 56 positioned their apparatus in front of the building and raised their aerial ladder to the roof.  Roof ventilation was being conducted by Firefighters from Ladders 33 and 56.  Ladder 56?s Forcible Entry team forced entry to the ?Right On Casuals? store both on the Fordham Avenue side and the Creston Avenue side.  A heavy smoke condition was encountered.  Engine 48 stretched a 2 ? inch back-up hose line to protect Engine 75 as they advanced their attack hose line.

    Battalion 19 was commanded by Battalion Chief Herbert Perciavalle.  He arrived at the scene of the fire and conducted his sizeup.  He saw the heavy smoke condition coming from the two-story building and the heavy fire from the ?Vision World? fire store.  He transmitted the ?All-hands? to the Bronx Fire Dispatcher at 0055 hours.  In addition, Battalion Chief Perciavalle requested an additional Engine and Truck be assigned to the box at 0059 hours.

   
     
    Rescue 3 arrived at 0056 hours.  Lieutenant Michael Weinlein reported in to the 19th Battalion.  He was ordered to search the second floor.  Lieutenant Weinlein split his company into two crews.  Fr. Dan McDonough and Fr. Sean Nelson climbed a 35 foot portable ladder on the Creston Avenue side of the building and entered the second floor.  Fr. Sam Melisi and Fr. Al Ronaldson climbed the stairway on the Creston Avenue side of the building and made it to the second floor.  A search rope was used due to the open area and heavy smoke condition.

    Division 7 arrived at the box.  At the helm of the 7th Division was Deputy Chief James Bauman.  He was briefed on conditions and unit assignments by Battalion Chief Perciavalle.  Deputy Chief Bauman transmitted a Second Alarm for box 3356 at 0101 hours.
 
    Engine 88 and Ladder 38 arrived at the fire.  Ladder 38 was ordered to split their company, sending Firefighters to the roof for vertical ventilation

   

and to the fire store to assist in pulling ceilings to expose the hidden fire.  Engine 88 was commanded by Lieutenant Louis Visconti.  He received orders from Deputy Chief Bauman to stretch a 2 ? inch hand line to the second floor.  They stretched the hose line to the second floor via the stairway on the Creston Avenue side.  The task was made more arduous due to cardboard boxes being stored in the hallway.  The hose line was in place at around 0118 hours.  When it was in place, Rescue 3?s search rope was spotted on the second floor.

    The extinguishing efforts of the first hose line were not halting the expanding fire in the ?Vision World? store.  At around 0110 hours, Deputy Chief Bauman and Battalion Chief Perciavalle ordered Firefighters out of the fire store.  Engine 48?s back-up hose line was used to protect the retreating Firefighters.  While this was being done, Engine 43 set up a large caliber stream in front of the fire store.  Once this was in place, Engine 48 moved their 2 ? inch hand line to the ?Kleinsleep? (exposure 04) store. 

   

   

    Firefighters from Ladder 56 remained in the ?Right On Casuals? (exposure 02) store to open up ceilings and exposing hidden fire. 

   

    At around 0115 hours, they returned to the front of the building (Fordham Road side) and joined with Ladder 33 and Engine 75 to expose and extinguish hidden fire in the ?Vision World? store.  Deputy Chief Bauman transmitted a Third Alarm at 0116 hours.     

    At 0120 hours, members of Rescue 3 made their way back to the second floor to make an examination for fire extension.  Ladder 56 was on the second floor now as well.  Engine 88 was extinguishing hidden pockets of fire as it was being exposed. 

    At around 0139 hours, a report was received by Deputy Chief Bauman that the fire in the rear of the ?Right On Casuals? store was knocked down.       

   

    On the second floor, Engine 88 noticed Fr. Ronaldson and Fr. Tom Conroy from Rescue 3 were operating in an area that looked like the floor was buckling.  This was where Engine 88 had been extinguishing extending fire.  Lieutenant Mike Massiello of Ladder 56 warned Lieutenant Visconti of Engine 88, Fr. Ronaldson and Fr. Conroy of Rescue 3.  Both Fr. Ronaldson and Fr. Conroy moved away from the danger area.  Fr. Conroy went down the stairway to Creston Avenue.  Fr. Ronaldson went to a window on the second floor on the Creston Avenue side.  The smoke condition was getting heavier. 

    At this time, Engine 46 and Ladder 27 were operating in the ?Right On Casuals? store.  They noticed floor beams hanging down from the ceiling.  Battalion 18 was notified. 

   

    On the second floor, as walls and ceilings were opened up, the fire intensified and the smoke condition banked down to just above the floor level.  There were three power saws operating on the second floor, opening up the floor exposing hidden fire. 

   

    The ambient noise from the saws was loud.  The time was 0141 hours.  Then, a noise was heard by Firefighters from Engine 88.  It seemed to be coming from the area left of the stairway.  I sounded like a ?thud?.  Part of the floor that was weakened by the fire collapsed.  Lieutenant Visconti quickly accounted for all his Firefighters.  Lieutenant Robert Walsh from the Field Communications Unit spotted Fr. Ronaldson at the window on the Creston Avenue side of the building at approximately 0145 hours.

   

   

    Lieutenant Weinlein of Rescue 3 called Fr. Al Ronaldson via radio to check on him, he got no response. Lieutenant Weinlein and the rest of the Firefighters from Rescue 3 went to look for Fr. Ronaldson. 

    At this time, Engine 42 led by Lieutenant Roy Levesque, was advancing their hose line into the ?Vision World? store after the large caliber stream had been shut down.  A large section of ceiling fell in front of them after advancing their hose line about 10 feet.  After determining that there was nothing else was falling, they continued their advance and made it to the back of the store. 

   

   

    It was at this time that Lieutenant Levesque spotted what he thought was a Firefighter?s coat.  He went closer and his fears were realized, it was a downed Firefighter, it was Fr. Al Ronaldson.  Lieutenant Levesque shouted out ?I need help, Fireman down!?  He transmitted a ?Mayday? over the handi-talkie, he then transmitted a ?Mayday? for a second time.  An army of Firefighters descended on the area.  They quickly removed the unconscious Firefighter.
 
      Engine 88 had been relieved by Engine 62 before Engine 42 started their advance into the ?Vision World? store.  They had returned to the street on the Fordham Road side.  It was at this time, about twelve minutes after they heard the loud noise on the second floor, that the ?Mayday? was transmitted. 

   

    According to safety investigations, the floor collapsed in the danger area at 0141 hours.  Fr. Al Ronaldson went back to the area where he was operating before being warned of a weakened floor. 

   

    He was attempting to complete his assigned tasks.  The ambient noise of the three operating saws on the second floor may have masked the sound of the concrete floor collapse.  He was also hampered by the thick acrid smoke condition that permeated the second floor and did not see the hole caused by the collapse.  He fell 12 feet into the collapsed area.  The area of the collapse was 8 foot x 6 foot.  Fr. Al Ronaldson was discovered by Lieutenant Levesque at 0153 hours.

   

    Fr. Alfred Ronaldson from Rescue 3 was removed by EMS to Jacobi Hospital.  He perished from the injuries sustained from his fall from the second floor to the ground floor due to the collapse of the concrete and wooden floor.  He was beloved by all those who worked with him.  He now has two sons on the FDNY.  May he rest in peace.


   

    Lessons Learned: Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) Alarms are now integral with the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).  When the SCBA is opened, the PASS Alarm is armed.  It no longer requires a separate activation.

   

    Communication of hazards needs to be passed along to the Incident Commander so that strategy can be adjusted if necessary.

   

    The Firefighter Assist and Safety Team (FAST) have evolved greatly since this fire.  In 1991, FAST Units were in their infancy.  Now, specialized equipment is assigned to FAST Units such as ?Pak Trackers:, ?FAST Paks?, Skeds, Tubular Webbing, and the Electronic Fireground Accountability System (EFAS).  Most importantly, there are several new rescue procedures that are designed to rapidly rescue downed Firefighters. 
Our procedures on how to transmit ?Mayday? messages and what to do when we receive ?Mayday? messages have greatly improved.  The Emergency Alert Button on the handi-talkie is a great improvement to the radios when a ?Mayday? is transmitted. 

    If a message is sent, whether in person or transmitted over the radio, and it is not acknowledged, it should be considered that the message was not received. 

   

    In the late 1990s, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put out a standard regarding respiratory protection and operating in an atmosphere that is assumed to be Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH).  This standard is commonly known as the ?2-In, 2-Out? rule.  Now, a Firefighter must team up with another Firefighter for entry into an IDLH.  Also, a 2Firefighter Safety Team must be in readiness should the Firefighters inside become distressed.  Our FAST Teams satisfy the ?2-out? portion of this regulation. 

   

    When the fire is knocked down, there is a tendency to let your guard down.  Just because the fire is knocked down, that doesn?t mean the building got stronger.  The damage to whatever is resisting gravity from pulling down the building has been done.  A building on fire is a building under demolition.  More Firefighters are injured during the overhaul phase of the fire than at any other time.

    Concrete is strong when under compression.  Concrete has very little strength under tension.  Its shear strength is poor.  In order to use concrete under tension, it must be a composite of concrete and steel reinforcing rods.  It is known as ?Reinforced Concrete.?  If the adhesion between the concrete and the steel stops, then the concrete composite is no longer strong in tension.  In ?Reinforced Concrete? construction, the steel reinforcing rods and the concrete are equally important.

   

    ?Spalling? is the process in which moisture in concrete expands and causes pieces of concrete to fall, due to rapid heating.  These pieces can be small or larger dimensions of concrete.  When concrete is newly poured (first 27 days), it has its most moisture, and greatest chance of spalling.  However, concrete always has some moisture. 
?Two types of concrete spalling are experienced during fires:  an explosive spalling, which propels concrete downward with and explosive force and is accompanied by a loud noise, and a dropping spalling which is similar to a plaster ceiling collapse.  Whether the collapse is explosive or not, a Firefighter can be killed or seriously injured if he is struck by the spalling concrete.?  Collapse of Burning Buildings, 2nd Ed., pp. 212, Vincent Dunn.

   

    When a concrete floor is poured on a wooden floor, it greatly increases the dead load.  Fire beneath the concrete floor may not be detected while the wooden supporting beams are being burned.  An earlier than normal collapse should be anticipated.  This is much more prevalent in commercial buildings than residential buildings.  Sometimes, there is no collapse warning. 

   


    http://www.fdnysbravest.com/Division7NewsletterMarch2017.pdf 


R 3 LODD:

    FF ALFRED E. RONALDSON RESCUE 3 March 5, 1991

          Bronx Box 33-3356       

         

         

    RIP. Never forget.

 

[fdhistorian]

Engine 79/Ladder 37/Battalion 27 firehouse  2928 Briggs Avenue Bedford Park, Bronx ?Da Bronx Bravest?

    Battalion 27 reorganized Intervale Avenue at Engine 82          1969
    Battalion 27 moved to 2928 Briggs Avenue at Engine 79        1978
    Battalion 27 moved to 3025 Bailey Avenue at Engine 81          2008
    Battalion 27 returned to 2928 Briggs Avenue                          2010

Battalion 27 was first activated from 1898 to 1906 when it was renumbered as Battalion 37.

Brooklyn Battalion

1898 - 1900 Battalion 27 E17 E18 E22 E37     L8 L12
1900 - 1901 Battalion 27 E117 E118 E122 E137 L58 L62
1901 - 1902 Battalion 27 E118 E122 E137 E152 L58 L62
1902 - 1906 Battalion 27 E117 E118 E122 E137 L58 L62

Bronx Battalion

1969 - 1970 Battalion 27 E50 E82 E85   L19 L31 TCU712
1970 - 1971 Battalion 27 E50 E50-2 E82 E85   L19 L31 TCU712
1971 - 1972 Battalion 27 E82 E85         L31 TCU712
1972 - 1977 Battalion 27 E82 E85         L31 L59
1977 - 1989 Battalion 27 E52 E79 E81       L37 L46 L52
1989 -       Battalion 27 E52 E62 E79   L32 L37 L52

 

[mack]

Ladder 5 original firehouse  102 Charles Street West Village, Manhattan

   

   

   


The 1856 Columbian Hook & Ladder Firehouse - 102 Charles Street

   

In 1854 volunteer companies made up Manhattan's fire fighting force.  Their members, who all had other jobs, lived near their firehouses.  Called "laddies," they scrambled to the station on alarm of fire.  That year a new group, Columbian Hook and Ladder Company No. 14 was organized in Greenwich Village. 

The property at No. 96 Charles Street, nearby the new police station at No. 100, was deemed a good location for its firehouse.  In June 1855 a Board of Aldermen report recommended the property as the new firehouse.  It was owned by Samuel D. Chase who lived nearby on West 11th Street.  Only months earlier he had completed a house on the the site with a stable in the rear.

If the need for a new fire company in the immediate neighborhood was ever in doubt, a fire one month after the Aldermen's report may have eliminated the question.  Ironically, the blaze which broke out around 2:00 on the afternoon of July 16 was in the stable behind No. 96 Charles Street.  It caused damages of about $100--nearly $3,000 today.

This would not be the first time the city's architect was tasked with converting a residence into a firehouse.  In 1854 an upscale home at No. 269 Henry Street was transformed for Americus Engine Company No. 6.  The Charles Street house, too, would emerge as a handsome firehouse. 

The renovations were completed in 1857.  As was typical, large, centered bay doors were flanked by entrances.  The arched stone pediment over the bay doors was echoed above the upper windows.  An understated sheet-metal cornice crowned the design.

The ground floor held the company's brand new truck, constructed by Pine & Hartshorn in 1856, and its team of sturdy horses.  The second floor held a dormitory, a library, and a "grand meeting room and parlor."  The top floor housed equipment including racks for drying hoses, for instance, and a "trunk room."

Members of the Columbian Hook and Ladder Company, No. 14 represented a wide variety of mostly blue collar jobs.  The 1857 roster includes clerks, cartmen, three ice dealers, several carpenters, two painters, a locksmith, a bookbinder and a grocer.  There were also one silversmith and a jeweler in the group.  The "laddies" came and went as their schedules demanded; but one member, Peter W. Fraleigh, lived here full-time.

A few weeks after the Civil War broke out Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, organized the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, composed entirely of fire fighters.  Several of the member of Columbian Hook and Ladder Company, No. 14 joined the unit known popularly as the Fire Zuoaves.

The group quickly saw action, winning a battle in May 1861 almost immediately upon arriving in the South.  The enemy's flag was sent home.  On June 1 The New York Times reported "The first Confederate flag taken in Virginia by the Fire Zuoaves, will be hoisted, union down, under the Stars and Stripes, on Sunday morning, at 10 o'clock, on the house of No. 14 Hook and Ladder Company, at No. 96 Charles-street."

The firefighter soldiers would return home to a changing fire department.  The Act of 1865, enacted on March 30, coupled Brooklyn and New York with a paid ?Metropolitan District? fire department.  The volunteer companies were disbanded and No. 96 Charles Street became home to the new Hook and Ladder Company No. 5.

The unit's importance in squashing the many fires in the district was evidenced in January 1884 when the Fire Commissioners decided to "double up" Hook and Ladder Company No. 5 by providing an additional truck and "a sufficient additional force...to man the reserve apparatus."

Most fire houses acquired a mascot and Hook and Ladder Company No. 5 adopted Ginger in 1882.  The New York Times described him as "a nondescript dog, pedigree unknown."  The mutt was a favorite among neighborhood girls who "stopped at the truckhouse on their way to and from school for a romp with 'Ginger.'"  But Ginger was more than a playmate, he was a true fire house dog.

"Ginger was essentially a fireman's dog and took an almost human interest in the affairs of the company.  He was prompt to answer alarms of fire, and when the truck rolled out of the quarters his short, sharp bark mingled with the gong's louder tones as he ran at the head of the horses," wrote The Times.

But then, on November 17, 1888, 16 years after the dog first arrived at the firehouse, The New York Times ran the headline "Ginger Is No More."  Ginger was "taking his constitutional walk in Bleecker-street," the day before when he was run over by a truck.  A policeman, recognizing that the dog's wounds were fatal, ended its misery by shooting it in the head.

Ginger's body was laid out with dignity in the side yard of the firehouse.  "When his death became known yesterday to the school children they thronged to the truckhouse for a last look at their pet."  He was buried there the following day.  Possibly, Ginger's unmarked grave still exists in the adjoining yard.

   

The galloping horses pulling the heavy fire equipment presented a danger to vehicles and pedestrians despite the loud gongs of the trucks' bells.  When a fire erupted at No. 8 West 13th Street on the afternoon of November 18, 1901 Hook and Ladder Company No. 5 responded.  Mrs. Mary Smith, a missionary of the Church of the Strangers, stepped into the street directly in the path of the charging fire truck.

The Evening World reported that the driver "tried to save her" by veering the truck; "but the horses knocked her down."  The fire truck then ran directly into a street car.  Hook and Ladder Company No. 5 never made it to the fire and Mary Smith was removed to St. Vincent's Hospital.

The company appeared in the press most often, however, for the heroics of its members.  Such was the case on March 9, 1921 when fire tore through the apartment of J. W. Ferrington at No. 249 West 11th Street.  Ferrington was an invalid, unable to get out of his smoke-filled rooms.

Fire fighters broke in the door to find that "flames were sweeping across the rooms," according to The Evening World.  Fireman Hogan dropped to his hands and knees and felt his way through the apartment.  Other fire fighters aimed their hose directly on him.  "The only possible manner by which he could penetrate the flames and smoke was by the protection of streams of water constantly played upon him, and in this manner he went from room to room."

Hogan finally found Ferrington, who had managed to tumble out of the bed.  He was crouching by a window, trying to breathe.  The newspaper reported that Hogan "dragged him to the hallway, the water drenching both throughout their progress."

In the meantime, the fire spread to two apartments on the floor above.  Mrs. Simon J. Medico was visiting with her 8-month-old son, Simon, Jr. on the fifth floor.  She "became hysterical when she found her way blocked by smoke and screamed from a window."  She managed to climb part way down the fire escape and pass her baby to a neighbor in an adjacent building.

The fire also extended into the apartment of Daniel J. Phelan, whose 16-year-old son, Edward, rushed upstairs after the blaze was extinguished.  The Evening World explained he needed "to assure himself of the safety of two pet canaries and his first long trousers.  The smoke had killed the canaries, and the flames had burned the legs off the trousers."

In 1936 the Charles Street block was renumbered, assigning the firehouse the new address of No. 102.

A five-alarm blaze on June 20, 1942 wrecked nearly the entire Greenwich Village block bordered by Hudson, Washington, Leroy and Clarkson Streets.  The inferno resulted in 50 injuries to fire fighters, $15 million in damages by today's standards, and the total loss of Hook and Ladder Company No. 5's truck.

At one point, according to The New York Times, "The north wall crashed with a tearing, crunching sound and a barrage of flying bricks...Hook and Ladder Truck 5, stationed at 102 Charles Street, and accordingly one of the first pieces of apparatus to respond, fared worse than any of the men."  The truck had been pulled "close in" on Leroy Street.  When the wall smashed down, it flattened the fire truck.  Amazingly, warned by a large crack that appeared in the masonry, all of the fire fighters escaped. Fire fighters clamber over the wreckage of Company 5's truck.  The New York Times June 21, 1942

   

As had been the case in the 1880's, Hook and Ladder Company 5 had a mascot.  This one, named Prince, was no mutt like Ginger, however.  He was a pedigree Dalmatian--the iconic fire house breed.

The men of Company 5 held their dog in such high esteem that they entered him in the special fire dog category in Brooklyn Kennel Club Dog Show on December 3, 1949.  A month earlier, on November 24, The Times reported "Firemen are stealing a little time from polishing brass these days to groom their Dalmatians for the special competition."

Fire Chief Joseph J. Scanlon tried to discourage the practice of fire dogs, telling a Times reported "Officially, the department has no interest in dogs," adding "A firehouse is no longer a good place for a dog in these high-powered, mechanized days.  They may fall off the speeding trucks answering an alarm, or get run over or they sometimes get lost in the crowded city.  The average life of a firehouse dog is not much more than one year today, I'd guess."

The cold water the chief threw on the event did not discourage the men of Hook and Ladder Company No. 5.  Prince was shown at the show by Fireman Leonard Smith.  Because it was a special category, no award was given.  Prince is groomed by Company 5 fire fighters before the show.

   

    The New York Times, November 24, 1949

It was cats which caused problems to the fire fighters 11 years later.  In the fall of 1960, unknown to the men, two feral cats took up residence in the basement.  One had a litter of kittens there.  They were not the only new residents.

On September 11 the men began scratching.  One by one they showed signs of bites until, as reported by The New York Times, "After two days of scratching, the company captain, Benjamin J. Ciranna, complained to Battalion Chief Cornelius P. Harrington."  Chiefs Harrington and Otto H. Knochenhauer went to the firehouse to investigate.  They were promptly bitten.

A Fire Department spokesman said "investigation proved the invaders were not gnats or mosquitoes but straight out-and-out fleas--the dog type."  The firehouse was vacated.  The Times quipped "The twenty-five officers and firemen of Ladder Company 5, victors over raging holocausts, collapsing walls and barricades of beams, have been forced to retreat before an ignoble enemy--an army of fleas."

The truck and its men were temporarily lodged at Engine Company 24 at No. 78 Morton Street.  Pioneer Exterminating Company spent three days in the firehouse, fumigating it with a "machine vaporizer."  The firefighters returned home on September 16.

The 136-year history of No. 102 Charles Street as a firehouse came to an end in 1993.  A renovation, completed the following year resulted in a store at street level and one apartment each on the upper floors.

   

For years the ground floor, formerly home to horses and then motorized fire trucks, held the Plane Space art gallery.  It houses an upscale handbags and accessories boutique today.

    (from Daytonian in Manhattan Saturday, December 22, 2018)

    http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-1856-columbian-hook-ladder.html


Engine 24/Ladder 5/Battalion 1 current firehouse 227 Avenue of the Americas West Village, Manhattan: