I would like to thank all the contributors to this thread. There are many great stories and memories which are part of the great history of FDNY. I was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time riding with my dad from the late 60's thru his retirement in the mid-80's. I will always admire the terrific firefighters I saw - in all 5 boros. Since my son is on the job now, I share with him the many changes that have occurred in a job which, ironically, really has not changed.
My memories start (1950's when my dad came on the job) with visits to firehouses where the rigs were all red, open cabs, bells on the front bumpers, all black rubber or canvas turnout coats, boots rolled down and placed next to each rig, housewatch desks with all response boxes on the wall color-coded (E/T/C) for 1st/2nd/3rd due. There was always a great smell coming from the kitchen in days where there were no fast food, prepared Ragu sauce and microwave ovens. There were no company tees. Guys wore heavy dark cotton uniform pants and plain blue shirts. No patches. In the summer, chiefs OKed responses in white tee shirts and it was not infrequent to see turnout coats fall off the rig on runs. Everyone worked two days shifts and then 2 night shifts with 48 or 72 hours between days and nights. Many engines had a second piece. Subway-type handle grips were used by the guys on the back step. Some ladders still used wooden aerials. Chiefs had plain red cars with a bubble light and a bell. No one wore masks. There were still beautiful old Ahrens Fox pumpers along with Ward LaFrance, ALF and the standard bearer - Mack pumpers. Hose wagons still existed. Deck pipes were mounted behind cabs. Spare rigs from World War II vintage could be heard with whistles that had replace sirens during the war. Scaling ladders were carried, though never used. Engines had all nozzles and fittings visibly mounted around the rig. No one had individual radios. Bells turned out everyone. When they tapped in, everyone stopped what they were doing and counted - until the numbers were recognized as those belonging to some other unit. There were no computers. Guys played cards and watched TV together to pass the time. Alarm boxes had to be rewound by FDNY keys. There were no medical runs, except when someone pulled a box when stabbed or shot. Doors were left open during runs. Many houses were built by the old volunteer companies or the Brooklyn Fire Department and many were single company houses. Ladders were wooden and heavy. Life nets were practiced with. There was no CIDS information available. There were many more manufacturing facilities, non-sprinklered buildings, fewer automatic alarm systems and smoke detectors. There were no cell phones so units rarely knew what they had until they turned down the address block. No one could recognize that the "War Years" would follow. The job was tough and dangerous then, as it still is.
The 60's, 70's and 80's have been described by many in this forum with great memories and anecdotes. The Superpumper, Adaptive Response, 2nd sections, DRBs, TCUs, the strike, tower ladders, combination fire companies, 2 field comms....etc. Units were doing 4000 runs and never made the top of FDNY runs and worker lists. The personal accounts, books, films and memories of this era are fascinating and unbelieveable.
Today's firefighters still work the best job in the world as well as one of the most demanding, dangerous and selfless occupations.
Sorry for my rambling memories but this thread shares brings back more than historical tales. It also highlights individual heroes, many of whom were family and friends. Thanks again.
My memories start (1950's when my dad came on the job) with visits to firehouses where the rigs were all red, open cabs, bells on the front bumpers, all black rubber or canvas turnout coats, boots rolled down and placed next to each rig, housewatch desks with all response boxes on the wall color-coded (E/T/C) for 1st/2nd/3rd due. There was always a great smell coming from the kitchen in days where there were no fast food, prepared Ragu sauce and microwave ovens. There were no company tees. Guys wore heavy dark cotton uniform pants and plain blue shirts. No patches. In the summer, chiefs OKed responses in white tee shirts and it was not infrequent to see turnout coats fall off the rig on runs. Everyone worked two days shifts and then 2 night shifts with 48 or 72 hours between days and nights. Many engines had a second piece. Subway-type handle grips were used by the guys on the back step. Some ladders still used wooden aerials. Chiefs had plain red cars with a bubble light and a bell. No one wore masks. There were still beautiful old Ahrens Fox pumpers along with Ward LaFrance, ALF and the standard bearer - Mack pumpers. Hose wagons still existed. Deck pipes were mounted behind cabs. Spare rigs from World War II vintage could be heard with whistles that had replace sirens during the war. Scaling ladders were carried, though never used. Engines had all nozzles and fittings visibly mounted around the rig. No one had individual radios. Bells turned out everyone. When they tapped in, everyone stopped what they were doing and counted - until the numbers were recognized as those belonging to some other unit. There were no computers. Guys played cards and watched TV together to pass the time. Alarm boxes had to be rewound by FDNY keys. There were no medical runs, except when someone pulled a box when stabbed or shot. Doors were left open during runs. Many houses were built by the old volunteer companies or the Brooklyn Fire Department and many were single company houses. Ladders were wooden and heavy. Life nets were practiced with. There was no CIDS information available. There were many more manufacturing facilities, non-sprinklered buildings, fewer automatic alarm systems and smoke detectors. There were no cell phones so units rarely knew what they had until they turned down the address block. No one could recognize that the "War Years" would follow. The job was tough and dangerous then, as it still is.
The 60's, 70's and 80's have been described by many in this forum with great memories and anecdotes. The Superpumper, Adaptive Response, 2nd sections, DRBs, TCUs, the strike, tower ladders, combination fire companies, 2 field comms....etc. Units were doing 4000 runs and never made the top of FDNY runs and worker lists. The personal accounts, books, films and memories of this era are fascinating and unbelieveable.
Today's firefighters still work the best job in the world as well as one of the most demanding, dangerous and selfless occupations.
Sorry for my rambling memories but this thread shares brings back more than historical tales. It also highlights individual heroes, many of whom were family and friends. Thanks again.
