FDNY "Longest Run" - 110 Years Ago - Great Baltimore Fire

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mack

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February 8, 1904 - The Great Baltimore Fire - FDNY Responds

The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 used to be considered FDNY's "longest run" before this era of flying FDNY help to disasters where needed.  In February 1904, FDNY dispatched 10 companies, 85 men, 35 horses under the command of BC John B. Howe to assist Baltimore.  According to the Fire Museum of Baltimore, some 1,231 firefighters and 1,200 National Guardsmen were needed as part of the effort. In about 30 hours, 140 acres of downtown Baltimore had burned, taking down 1,526 buildings and 2,500 businesses in its fury.

FDNY responds: http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2014/01/29/historic-loss-series-the-great-1904-fire-of-baltim?t=catastrophe-restoration

Fire summary:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Baltimore_Fire

Pictures of the Baltimore fire:
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2014/02/great-baltimore-fire-of-1904-110-years-later/#1

FDNY steamer being loaded on flatbed railroad car for response to Baltimore 1904:



FDNY LODD - FDNY members operated for 48 hours straight in cold winter weather - FDNY member, Engineer Mark Kelly - Engine 16 - contracted pneumonia and died February 25, 1904 - RIP
 
Responding units were Engines 5, 7, 12 15, 16, 26, 27, 31, 33 and H&L 3

WNYF summary:






 
mack said:
Responding units were Engines 5, 7, 12 15, 16, 26, 27, 31, 33 and H&L 3

WNYF summary:





Click to expand...
  Also note that Engines 5, 12, 16, 26, 27, 31 & 33 were double engine companies in 1904 and the truck was H&L 5 which was also a double company.
 
That may have been the longest run inside the US but i drove an FDNY vehicle out of the US....in 1986 we went to Canada to represent the FDNY in the International Auto Extrication Competition...we had a van from the Rock....we almost did not get back in as the customs coming back in (Americans) hassled us because the van of course had no license plates only the masonite plate w/a small Maltese Cross sticker &  the registry number  ....we were trying to explain that we drive it all around NYC all the time...no Rigs have any....then they said "lets see the registration"...of course the only thing in the glove compartment was the service manual....finally one of the supervisors agreed to let us go....the funny thing was going in into Canada the customs are Canadians & we expected at least some remarks since just prior there was an incident @ Yankee Stadium where the Canadian National Anthem was booed...the Canadian agents could not have been more friendly it was our own who gave us the hard time.....incidentally for anyone not familiar at least back in '86 the competition was held@ the Canadian Fire Academy (for the whole Country)....it was like a small Military Base w/a mess hall barracks etc...very impressive.
 
Sorry, Chief, but that's not the longest run.  The 2001 ALF engine that was donated to FDNY after 9/11 (the one  that ran for a while as E34) was shipped to Paris, France in 2002 to ride in a parade.  Don't know if it had a driver from FDNY in the parade.
 
What about when the FDNY responded to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina? Competitions and parades aside, that of course was an actual incident.
 
pauloghia said:
What about when the FDNY responded to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina? Competitions and parades aside, that of course was an actual incident.
Click to expand...
However Katrina was not a Rig response as in actually driving there  as well as Oklahoma City...Puerto Rico  etc..etc  & other USAR & or FEMA responses that also did not involve actually driving FDNY Rigs from NYC to there....not splitting hairs or really caring about setting a record just mentioning an event .....but the Canada trip was the only time an FDNY vehicle was driven on roadways non stop to outside the confines of the US...now that in itself & 2 dollars & 50 cents will get me a ride on a NYC Bus.
 
Ahh, but Katrina WAS a rig response.  The Ex-E283 "Spirit of Louisiana", donated by Ferrara after 9/11, returned to New Orleans after Katrina.
 
I thought FDNY rigs actually drove down to New Orleans. I think I just saw a picture of them, some chief suburbans and maybe an emergency crew?
 
10-16-1955  FDNY sent 22 pumpers to Danbury CT to assist with flooding following hurricane. Might be the largest FDNY out-of-city response. 

FDNY assisting in Danbury 1955:


Danbury Flood of 1955
 
I know a couple fdny engines were sent to the Hamptons in 1994 for the brush fire. I remember e-222 operating.
 
The September 1934 issue of Fire Lines lists the companies that responded to Baltimore as:
Engines 5 7 12 13 16 26 27 31 33 and Truck 5.
A table in the article also indicates each companies' arrival time, hours worked, hose used, number of men, and the Company Commander.
Other Fire Department's responding units are also listed in the table.

Excerpt from the table below (hope it comes through OK):
Baltimore%20Response_zpssuj0r8it.jpg
 
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