Maybe again.Had 37 years in the FDNY, many memorable, the most memorable. Warm summer night tour 1974, 82/31. The Deputy Chief from the 6th Division came into quarters. With the chief was a photographer from Life Magazine. Dennis Smith's book "Report From Engine 82" had been out and on the best seller list for several months. The photographer from Life had permission from downtown to take photo's of members and quarters of 82/31 for a human interest story in the magazine. As we were lining up for a Roll Call a first due box for both company's came in. We responded and the deputy with the photographer followed in the division car.
Engine 94 and Ladder 48 were returning from a box in the area and saw the column of smoke from the fire. Assigned second due on this box they both arrived first. When we rolled in I saw we had a top floor fire in a 5 story occupied tenement. There was a front outside fire escape. On the top floor exposure 2 side of the building 3rd window over there was a woman holding a young 2 year old child out the window. Fire was beginning to vent from this apartments fire escape window, with heavy smoke showing from the other two windows in the woman's room. 94 was stretching. 48 was raising their aerial. The ladder was malfunctioning, would elevate and extend but was jamming rotating, rotating only a foot or so on each try. Several hundred people were in the street, half yelling for her to throw the child out to people in the street the other half to stay. 31 arrived, FF Tom Neary went up the buildings front stoop into the fire building followed by his Lieutenant Don Butler. The other 31 member went for their roof rope for a rope rescue. 82 carried a life net on the rig, I told my guys to get it. But even if we had time the building had an outside front cellar stairs with a iron picket fence under her line of apartments. If the woman threw the child the child most likely would hit the stairs or be impaled on the fence. At this time the fire escape window was all fire and the 2nd window over was showing fire. 48's ladder was still about 5 feet from the window. The woman raised the child to throw her when a firefighter was seen embracing her and the child to stop her, it was Neary. A second later Lt. Butler was there. Butler took the child and dove out onto the aerial caught by a 48 member who had raced up the aerial. Neary then "threw" the woman out onto the aerial, he then dove out onto the aerial, his turnout was smoldering and his pants were on fire; no bunker gear then and no mask as there was no mandatory mask policy in the FDNY at this time. All four went to the hospital, Neary was out for several months with the burns. Both received Class One awards (rescue made under extreme danger) and Neary received the FDNY's highest medal, The Bennett medal for that year. I asked the photographer from Life if he had taken pictures of the rescue, would have been great pictures for the magazine, he said "no, I was so taken by what was happening I forgot to take any."
Neary was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to 28 truck in Harlem. Another fire and another child trapped in a tenement room with a fully involved room blocking her rescue. Neary took a door off an adjoining apartment door, used the door as a shield over him and slid under the fire to the child, rescued her and slid back out, again no bunker gear or mask. Out several months for burns to the hands (had gloves on) from holding the door. Awarded a second Class One award and the Bennett medal for that year also.
My years in the FDNY again were the, to steal a line, the best of times and the worst of times. The worst were the war years and the lives lost, shortened and hardened for so many, the best were the men in the FDNY. While it would be like trying to pick one diamond out of a pile of diamonds Neary was the bravest firefighter I had the honor of working with.
Engine 94 and Ladder 48 were returning from a box in the area and saw the column of smoke from the fire. Assigned second due on this box they both arrived first. When we rolled in I saw we had a top floor fire in a 5 story occupied tenement. There was a front outside fire escape. On the top floor exposure 2 side of the building 3rd window over there was a woman holding a young 2 year old child out the window. Fire was beginning to vent from this apartments fire escape window, with heavy smoke showing from the other two windows in the woman's room. 94 was stretching. 48 was raising their aerial. The ladder was malfunctioning, would elevate and extend but was jamming rotating, rotating only a foot or so on each try. Several hundred people were in the street, half yelling for her to throw the child out to people in the street the other half to stay. 31 arrived, FF Tom Neary went up the buildings front stoop into the fire building followed by his Lieutenant Don Butler. The other 31 member went for their roof rope for a rope rescue. 82 carried a life net on the rig, I told my guys to get it. But even if we had time the building had an outside front cellar stairs with a iron picket fence under her line of apartments. If the woman threw the child the child most likely would hit the stairs or be impaled on the fence. At this time the fire escape window was all fire and the 2nd window over was showing fire. 48's ladder was still about 5 feet from the window. The woman raised the child to throw her when a firefighter was seen embracing her and the child to stop her, it was Neary. A second later Lt. Butler was there. Butler took the child and dove out onto the aerial caught by a 48 member who had raced up the aerial. Neary then "threw" the woman out onto the aerial, he then dove out onto the aerial, his turnout was smoldering and his pants were on fire; no bunker gear then and no mask as there was no mandatory mask policy in the FDNY at this time. All four went to the hospital, Neary was out for several months with the burns. Both received Class One awards (rescue made under extreme danger) and Neary received the FDNY's highest medal, The Bennett medal for that year. I asked the photographer from Life if he had taken pictures of the rescue, would have been great pictures for the magazine, he said "no, I was so taken by what was happening I forgot to take any."
Neary was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to 28 truck in Harlem. Another fire and another child trapped in a tenement room with a fully involved room blocking her rescue. Neary took a door off an adjoining apartment door, used the door as a shield over him and slid under the fire to the child, rescued her and slid back out, again no bunker gear or mask. Out several months for burns to the hands (had gloves on) from holding the door. Awarded a second Class One award and the Bennett medal for that year also.
My years in the FDNY again were the, to steal a line, the best of times and the worst of times. The worst were the war years and the lives lost, shortened and hardened for so many, the best were the men in the FDNY. While it would be like trying to pick one diamond out of a pile of diamonds Neary was the bravest firefighter I had the honor of working with.
