Like many of us, it all began because we had a parent, relative, or good friend who was involved in the fire department who "Got Us Involved".
For me it was my father who was a firefighter in Bridgeport, Ct.
I certainly didn't realize it at the time, but on pay days, before such a thing as "direct deposit", he would bring me to the firehouse with him. Then if I had been good all week, he would buy me a soda and sometimes the guys would talk to me or show me the trucks. A few times they let me help wash those trucks and on one very special occasion, they even let me sit in the officers seat while they backed the big hook and ladder truck into the firehouse.
As time went on, if they were going to throw out some old boots or a turnout coat, my father would bring them home for me where I would try to walk around in a fireman's turnout coat and boots that didn't fit very well as you could imagine.
When I was about 7 years old my grandmother bought me my first bicycle. I added a basket onto it which carried those old boots and that coat. I added a light that also had a small blinking red light on it. I now considered myself a "junior fireman". I could now chase the trucks and sometimes after the fire, the guys would let me help pick up. A few years later my younger brother got into it too. We formed our own two piece company (pump and a hose wagon), which is what Bridgeport had at the time.
A few years go by and I get a car and my drivers license. Just about that time, crystal controlled scanners start to come out. The timing is "perfect". I get the crystals for Bridgeport and some of the surrounding towns. One of those towns is Milford, Ct and they share the same frequency at the time (154.25 MHz) as Manhattan. I begin listening to Manhattan from about 50 miles away.
Meantime I get a part time job at a neighborhood drug store. I'm working one of the holidays, Fourth of July maybe and I get talking to a customer who comes in. He tells me that he is a firefighter in Brooklyn at Engine Co 210 and he invites me down to the firehouse. He tells me what day to come down to visit and he also says they have a rescue company in quarters with them. "I can't wait to tell my father about this one".
I take the train down to Grand Central and then a taxi to Carlton Ave in Brooklyn. Those guys treated me GREAT. I make a few runs with them, they give me chow, and just before I go to leave, Lt Hamilton (RIP) tells me to come down on a Saturday night and he tells me I can bring a friend. I tell him my younger brother is 13 years old and he says "bring him down".
From that day on, "we were both hooked". What we know as the "FDNY WAR YEARS", had just begun. A few years later, places like Bridgeport and New Haven were getting into their own set of War Years. Sometimes coming home after catching plenty of jobs in NYC, we would catch another job there as the smoke drifted across the busy I-95. Or we could see the flames from that highway telling each other "there it is".
Both of us became volunteer firefighters in nearby Fairfield, Ct. It was a combination career/volunteer dept and we all loved it. Those guys treated us great too. Some would tell us about getting on the job and they would try to help us. We would all get around the television as our Favorite TV Show would come on once a week. The show was called "EMERGENCY" and we now know that our own site member "JohnnyGage" was enjoying it too.
I took about SIX Fire Dept test before I got on as a career firefighter. At times it got pretty discouraging. A few times it was my own fault and a few times it was beyond my control.
But I guess in the end, everything worked out. I ended up as a career firefighter in Norwich, Ct. I didn't think I would stay, but the job was good to me and now I would do it all over again if I could. I still chased the FDNY. In fact, I introduced a lot of guys into it who couldn't believe how busy it was. Today many of those guys are retired from the job, some are still on. They became very highly respected firefighters and officers, "I think" because of their learning experience while watching the FDNY work and train.
My brother, he retired from the Bridgeport Fire Dept as a Battalion Chief. That was the only fire dept test he ever took.
For me it began with my father being on the job. Then influenced by members of the FDNY, along with some great guys who were a part of the Fairfield FD.
Everything worked out perfect. To this day, ALL of us still talk about how lucky we were and about those days of buffing the FDNY.
