In another thread on this site (FDNY Firehouses - also in the History Section), I learned that Ladder 85, the First FDNY Mack Tower Ladder to get the entire roof and boom area painted all white was referred to as "The Big Vanilla" from "mack".
So often company logos were painted on the rigs themselves. Guys had their own T-shirts made up with these logos as well. This had a huge positive impact on the effects of the moral in the companies. Just a few simple words or a picture meant so much to the guys we call today, "The FDNY War Years Firefighters".
As a buff, along with many of my other friends who joined me, we always gave this policy high marks. The logos were classic.
I remember:
Engine 88 and Ladder 38 having painted on those rigs "First Due at the Zoo"
Engine 45, one of the lime green mack pumpers, with a picture of Kermit the frog saying "it's not easy being green".
Ladder 114 had "Tally Ho" painted on the boom of its Tower Ladder
Battalion 43, and I believe Eng 245/Lad 161, had a picture of a clown and amusement park on the rig doors for their first due area of Coney Island
Rescue 3 had the words "Big Blue"
Eng/Sqd 41 had painted on that rig, "Best of Both Worlds - Bronx and Harlem"
Eng 50/Lad 19 had painted on the rig a picture of an Viking stating "Nobody's Perfect".
Eng 58/Lad 26 had painted on the rig "The Fire Factory"
Lad 40 had "Life Begins at Forty"
Lad 131 had painted on the boom "The Happy Hookers"
There were dozens more.
Other cities did the same.
In Bridgeport, Ct., Engine 7 was referred to as "The Dump Rats" because they would spend entire nights flowing water on the burning dump debris. Yet nobody wanted to transfer out of there. The moral was very high. They even had T-shirts made up of a cartoon rat, standing holding a hose with a fire helmet on.
Norwich, Ct had "The Best in the West" at their Engine 6 which covered the west side of that small city. There was a picture of a covered horse drawn wagon surrounded by Indians on display.
There are so many others. The members of the FDNY had some of the BEST. Just a simple, low cost item, that the members paid for themselves. It built a strong company pride.
There are so many others. They really were Great Times. The bicentennial in 1976 (at the height of the FDNY War Years) was another time when fire apparatus and firehouse doors displayed our countries 200th Birthday with the red, white, and blue. The art work done was nothing short of amazing.
So often company logos were painted on the rigs themselves. Guys had their own T-shirts made up with these logos as well. This had a huge positive impact on the effects of the moral in the companies. Just a few simple words or a picture meant so much to the guys we call today, "The FDNY War Years Firefighters".
As a buff, along with many of my other friends who joined me, we always gave this policy high marks. The logos were classic.
I remember:
Engine 88 and Ladder 38 having painted on those rigs "First Due at the Zoo"
Engine 45, one of the lime green mack pumpers, with a picture of Kermit the frog saying "it's not easy being green".
Ladder 114 had "Tally Ho" painted on the boom of its Tower Ladder
Battalion 43, and I believe Eng 245/Lad 161, had a picture of a clown and amusement park on the rig doors for their first due area of Coney Island
Rescue 3 had the words "Big Blue"
Eng/Sqd 41 had painted on that rig, "Best of Both Worlds - Bronx and Harlem"
Eng 50/Lad 19 had painted on the rig a picture of an Viking stating "Nobody's Perfect".
Eng 58/Lad 26 had painted on the rig "The Fire Factory"
Lad 40 had "Life Begins at Forty"
Lad 131 had painted on the boom "The Happy Hookers"
There were dozens more.
Other cities did the same.
In Bridgeport, Ct., Engine 7 was referred to as "The Dump Rats" because they would spend entire nights flowing water on the burning dump debris. Yet nobody wanted to transfer out of there. The moral was very high. They even had T-shirts made up of a cartoon rat, standing holding a hose with a fire helmet on.
Norwich, Ct had "The Best in the West" at their Engine 6 which covered the west side of that small city. There was a picture of a covered horse drawn wagon surrounded by Indians on display.
There are so many others. The members of the FDNY had some of the BEST. Just a simple, low cost item, that the members paid for themselves. It built a strong company pride.
There are so many others. They really were Great Times. The bicentennial in 1976 (at the height of the FDNY War Years) was another time when fire apparatus and firehouse doors displayed our countries 200th Birthday with the red, white, and blue. The art work done was nothing short of amazing.
