Firemen extras in movies

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FDNYSTATENISLAND

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Apr 13, 2012
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Question: I was just watching the original Ghostbusters (1984) and towards the end there are FDNY FFs in the background using a reserve Mack engine. They are seen in full 80s bunker gear (long coat, roll up boots) and even hooks. On one of the helmets of the FF, on the back I saw yellow sticker #s - looked like 55 or 65 maybe. It got me thinking: did they use OTJ members that were off-duty to fill in as the extras in this movie? Would be cool if they did opposed to having a non-FF play the role of one. Anyone know about other movies shot in NYC that have FFs as extras in the background??
 
There are plenty of movies using actual FDNY Members on the movie company payroll with Rigs provided by the Job....i was in 2...."The Hot Rock" in the scene were they blow up a car outside the BKLYN Museum we respond into the picture with an E&T....not much facial recognition on that one....i was also in the sequel to "Shaft" ....."Shafts Big Score" in this i am visible in one of the opening scenes taking a hook off the back of a Rearmount & climbing the Aerial & entering a smoke filled window.....both were around 1970 & paid $11.00 an hour plus free food....even though we were only on film a short time in each one we got paid at least 10 to 12 hours on both doing re takes & sitting around the set ...... it was amazing the money they spent setting things up for a shoot ...in "The Hot Rock" they built out the front of the BKLYN Museum so when the car blew up/overturned there would be no damage to the original face of the Museum ....they used  plywood complete with fake bronze letters with fake green stains dripping below them in front of the real facade ....in "Shafts Big Score" they used a vacant bldg in Hells Kitchen & fixed up the face of it to look occupied .... in both movies that i was involved in we had 2 LTs & 12 FFs & a Pumper & a Rearmount  ....a story about "Shafts Big Score"  ... we met at the Dept Shops & got the 2 Rigs & proceeded to the shoot...on the way to the West Side for the Shaft sequel it was noticed that the brand new Mack Pumper had not been topped off with gas so we swung by the old Qtrs of ENG*2 RIP (later R*1)....they were out so we opened the door & proceeded to back in ....not being anyones regular Rig no one noticed that the Multiversal  was pointing straight up (it go out of the Shops easily due to the high door but ENG*2 was lower) long story short the Multiversal was mounted on an aluminum diamond plate box...the box gets ripped off but the Multiversal was OK so we put it in an empty compartment & put the damaged diamond Plate box in the basement...nothing was ever heard afterwards....myself & 2 other FFs were from 108 everybody else including the 2 Officers were from different Units so the movie people decide to make the Frontpiece numbers uniform so they make up insert sized 2s out of red contact paper & cover all our original Fronts... now it is about 0200 hrs  & we  are done & going to return the Rigs to the Shops & we decide lets take a detour ...we go to Siegel St & arrive around 0230 hrs ....the 3 of us from 108 remain outside & the rest all with fake LAD*2 Fronts on their Helmets rush inside yelling "WTF are you guys doing in Qtrs ? we are Relocated here....there is a Fourth Alarm at one of your 1st Due Boxes w/DOAs & you did not go ?"....the young FF on Watch nearly had a heart attack thinking he screwed up.
 
In the Spike Lee movie "Do The Right Thing" there were FDNY guys that responded to the burning Bed Stuy Pizza store.
 
I remember the filming of that whole sequence for "The Hot Rock" (I lived two blocks away). It took about 3 or 4 nights to put the scene together on film. The night the car exploded, the pigeons who slept in the Brooklyn Museum's facade were asleep, then the car went boom and all of a sudden it was raining pigeon s@*t. One of 132's lieutenants was trying to convince someone from the film crew that local firemen not extras from out of the neighborhood  should represent the FDNY in the film. He was unsuccessful.
 
In "A Bronx Tale", the car fire towards the end was shot on Neck Road and East 15 Street in Brooklyn.
I believe some members of Engine 254 and Ladder 153 were used.
 
Myself and many members of E75 and L33 work on this movie.  A few of us got 4 days on the set and made some good money.  Thanks Capt. Jim G. E22.
 
Back in the days of "Rescue Me", one episode was written around the annual hockey game between the FDNY and NYPD.  The stars were going to be the main focus but they needed additional skaters and players sitting on the bench.  At the time, my son was on the job in Fairfield CT and playing on a FD hockey team.  He and several other CT firefighters were used in the show as background skaters.  The coach was played by legend Phil Esposito and he relayed many stories about his hockey days.  My son recently completed 20 years on the job in Fairfield.
 
68jk09 said:
There are plenty of movies using actual FDNY Members on the movie company payroll with Rigs provided by the Job....i was in 2...."The Hot Rock" in the scene were they blow up a car outside the BKLYN Museum we respond into the picture with an E&T....not much facial recognition on that one....i was also in the sequel to "Shaft" ....."Shafts Big Score" in this i am visible in one of the opening scenes taking a hook off the back of a Rearmount & climbing the Aerial & entering a smoke filled window.....both were around 1970 & paid $11.00 an hour plus free food....even though we were only on film a short time in each one we got paid at least 10 to 12 hours on both doing re takes & sitting around the set ...... it was amazing the money they spent setting things up for a shoot ...in "The Hot Rock" they built out the front of the BKLYN Museum so when the car blew up/overturned there would be no damage to the original face of the Museum ....they used  plywood complete with fake bronze letters with fake green stains dripping below them in front of the real facade ....in "Shafts Big Score" they used a vacant bldg in Hells Kitchen & fixed up the face of it to look occupied .... in both movies that i was involved in we had 2 LTs & 12 FFs & a Pumper & a Rearmount  ....a story about "Shafts Big Score"  ... we met at the Dept Shops & got the 2 Rigs & proceeded to the shoot...on the way to the West Side for the Shaft sequel it was noticed that the brand new Mack Pumper had not been topped off with gas so we swung by the old Qtrs of ENG*2 RIP (later R*1)....they were out so we opened the door & proceeded to back in ....not being anyones regular Rig no one noticed that the Multiversal  was pointing straight up (it go out of the Shops easily due to the high door but ENG*2 was lower) long story short the Multiversal was mounted on an aluminum diamond plate box...the box gets ripped off but the Multiversal was OK so we put it in an empty compartment & put the damaged diamond Plate box in the basement...nothing was ever heard afterwards....myself & 2 other FFs were from 108 everybody else including the 2 Officers were from different Units so the movie people decide to make the Frontpiece numbers uniform so they make up insert sized 2s out of red contact paper & cover all our original Fronts... now it is about 0200 hrs  & we  are done & going to return the Rigs to the Shops & we decide lets take a detour ...we go to Siegel St & arrive around 0230 hrs ....the 3 of us from 108 remain outside & the rest all with fake LAD*2 Fronts on their Helmets rush inside yelling "WTF are you guys doing in Qtrs ? we are Relocated here....there is a Fourth Alarm at one of your 1st Due Boxes w/DOAs & you did not go ?"....the young FF on Watch nearly had a heart attack thinking he screwed up.
Click to expand...

FDNY members and FF Jack Kleehaas in "Shaft's Big Score":


   

   

   
 
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