68jk09: I am a Battalion Chief in Virginia and live in a community that has several retired FDNY brothers living here. We get together once a month with the retired brothers (FDNY and Washington DC) for a "Board Meeting". This consist of lunch, a few appropriate beverages, and many stories of the War Years. Your name has come up, as one of the members was a LT. with you in R2, Lenny S. I enjoy the stories from those years, as well as from the retired members of 124 Truck who are also on the "Board". It sounds like an exceptional time in firefighting, and I feel blessed to have these brothers pass along the stories as well as useful information we can still put into practice.
My younger Buff years
- Thread starter nfd2004
- Start date
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 16,200
fltpara16.......nice to hear from you........WOW.......say hello to Lenny for me......when he was a FF in LAD*124 & I was in LAD*108 both units were in the 35*BN prior to the 28*Bn being organized........in addition to working with him in R*2 i also worked for him on the side for awhile......my regards to all the VA/FDNY in your group.
68jk09: We have a "board meeting" next week and I will say hello to Lenny for you. We are so fortunate to have Lenny and the rest of the retired guys from LAD*124 and ENG*21 living in our community and willing to pass along the War Years history. 68jk09, if you are ever in VA there is an open invitation for you to join us!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2010
- Messages
- 26
OK Folks;
It's been a little while, so Here goes with another "fond memory" from the "war years". In the early times, while recently being assigned my Aux. spot at E-211's I had come up from Philadelphia (where I was living at the time) with some of the other members of our company E-81 ( Philly's Reserve Fire Force), to show them around the city, and see some of the "sights". My buddies always wanted to see an FDNY Rescue Unit, and I could think of none better than R-2.
So we ended up at the quarters of R-2, and stopped in to introduce ourselves. In the usual great hospitality, the brothers were very kind, and made us feel right at home. They "elected" one of their "junior" shift members to give us the full tour of the station and the apparatus. We viewed all the wonderful accoutraments that R-2 carried, and how the many various tools carried were to be employed.
While up inside the rescue, the guy was showing us many tools, and decided to show us the LYLE gun, used to fire rope and rescue lines where needed. he was very detailed in his description, but failed to realize that the LYLE gun was loaded,.......... Well, you guessed it, when he pulled the trigger, it went off with the loudest bang you can immagine, and fired the steel rod in the barrel right back into the reserve apparatus parked behind R-2, cauing a huge dent in the front of the reserve truck!!!!!
Well needless to say, everyone was shocked, suprised, and runing for cover. The Rescue officer came flying down the stairs yelling copius explatives at the "jr member", and wondering how he'd explain to the chief how the "dent" got in the reserve truck.By that time we thought it wise to render our quick thanks, and make a hasty departure. I still always wonder however, if that "Jr. member" stayed at R-2,....or got shipped of to Staten Island, to man one of the DSU units at the land fill.
Only in :
New York, I suppose,..... ROFLOL
It's been a little while, so Here goes with another "fond memory" from the "war years". In the early times, while recently being assigned my Aux. spot at E-211's I had come up from Philadelphia (where I was living at the time) with some of the other members of our company E-81 ( Philly's Reserve Fire Force), to show them around the city, and see some of the "sights". My buddies always wanted to see an FDNY Rescue Unit, and I could think of none better than R-2.
So we ended up at the quarters of R-2, and stopped in to introduce ourselves. In the usual great hospitality, the brothers were very kind, and made us feel right at home. They "elected" one of their "junior" shift members to give us the full tour of the station and the apparatus. We viewed all the wonderful accoutraments that R-2 carried, and how the many various tools carried were to be employed.
While up inside the rescue, the guy was showing us many tools, and decided to show us the LYLE gun, used to fire rope and rescue lines where needed. he was very detailed in his description, but failed to realize that the LYLE gun was loaded,.......... Well, you guessed it, when he pulled the trigger, it went off with the loudest bang you can immagine, and fired the steel rod in the barrel right back into the reserve apparatus parked behind R-2, cauing a huge dent in the front of the reserve truck!!!!!
Well needless to say, everyone was shocked, suprised, and runing for cover. The Rescue officer came flying down the stairs yelling copius explatives at the "jr member", and wondering how he'd explain to the chief how the "dent" got in the reserve truck.By that time we thought it wise to render our quick thanks, and make a hasty departure. I still always wonder however, if that "Jr. member" stayed at R-2,....or got shipped of to Staten Island, to man one of the DSU units at the land fill.
Only in :
New York, I suppose,..... ROFLOL I probadly started buffing the FDNY right after my first ride with Rescue 2. That was back in 1968 with the late Lt Hamilton. And when they shared quarters with Engine 210 on Carlton Ave. That's a long time ago. And around that time the first Tower ladders were just coming into service.
During all of those years, and up to this day, I can only remember seeing a ladder pipe used Once. That was at a Fourth or Fifth Alarm in Brooklyn, on I believe Waverly Place (?), I think near Atlantic Ave. As I remember it, it was Ladder Co 108 who operated an American LaFrance tiller ladder at the time. I remember seeing the ropes being used to guide the nozzle. And that was new to me. Most of the fires I had seen in Connecticut would put a guy at the tip of the ladder operating that ladder pipe nozzle. For me, watching the FDNY use that ladder pipe with the ropes was another learning experience.
But over those 40 Plus years of chasing fires in the City of New York, I can only remember seeing the FDNY operating a Ladder Pipe that One Time.
During all of those years, and up to this day, I can only remember seeing a ladder pipe used Once. That was at a Fourth or Fifth Alarm in Brooklyn, on I believe Waverly Place (?), I think near Atlantic Ave. As I remember it, it was Ladder Co 108 who operated an American LaFrance tiller ladder at the time. I remember seeing the ropes being used to guide the nozzle. And that was new to me. Most of the fires I had seen in Connecticut would put a guy at the tip of the ladder operating that ladder pipe nozzle. For me, watching the FDNY use that ladder pipe with the ropes was another learning experience.
But over those 40 Plus years of chasing fires in the City of New York, I can only remember seeing the FDNY operating a Ladder Pipe that One Time.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 5,392
I had a different experience because buffing in the Bronx & Harlem I saw ladderpipes used at many fires. The start was in the early 60's when there were many ladder trucks with 2 (one for fly ladder and one under the bed ladder) ladderpipes. Those were the 1959-60 Mack C/Maxims, 1960-61 ALF's and some 1956 ALF's. The rest of the metal aerials had single ladderpipes that were either mounted under the bed ladder (only 35 ft. height) or carried in a tray or basket on the running board for attachment to the tip. Some wooden aerials were also equipped with ladderpipes and the first two were installed on L45 & L48 in the early 50's. FDNY used hallyards (ropes) to control the nozzle from the ground vs. the man at the tip that was the norm in other places.
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2009
- Messages
- 28,266
Thanks G-man for the interesting info on the use of ladderpipes in the FDNY
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 16,200
E 211 ... In regard to your post on the Lyle Gun...I was working in R*2 when that happened ......it was right around the change of tours at 1800 & the apparatus floor was loaded with guys.....i was standing by the workbench at the side of the rig.....first a loud bang then some pinging as the projectile richocheted around .....thankfully no one was hit......the Senior man in the Company was working & realizing what had happened ....he picked up the projectile... walked to the rear of the rig & threw it at the guy who did it ......cursed & slammed the back doors of the rig ...do you remember that ? the guy who did it sure learned a lesson....he retired as a Deputy Chief a few years ago.......i have seen that projectile go through a wooden table standing on end & also saw it go off accidentally in the Rescue Office on the third floor ...it went through the office window across the street & through a wire glass window of the commercial bldg across the street.....we used it one day to secure a large steel chimney at Woodhull Hosp that was in danger of collapse in a windstorm.
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
- Messages
- 16,200
In regard to ladderpipes.....i was in LAD*108 when we still had a Tiller rig.....it had a BED ladderpipe which was permanently affixed to the first non extending section & was controlled by a crank with wire cable to control up & down movement & side to side movement was done by rotating the turntable we used it once in awhile at a vacant that was in serious structural danger of collapse especially if no Tow Lad was on the box or if we were in front of the bldg & the street was blocked.....on a few occasions at factorys i used the aerial to push in the rolldown door & if it didnt fall down i would lift the corrugated door up with the ladder then the pipe was right in postion to provide a quick knock down.....it was designed to be supplied with 3 1/2 but we used to ride with 2 lengths of 2 1/2 folded under the turntable to allow for quick hookup & it supplied enough water.......the FLY ladderpipe was carried not attached to the ladder .....it clamped on the tip of thr Fly section & had 2 lengths of 3 1/2 with a gated siamese at the end....up & down motion was by 2 rope halyards ...side to side was by rotating the turntable .....all rotation had to be done slowly due to the weight of the charged lengths on the extended ladder.....according to FDNY evolutions 5 men were required to set it up.....we always did it with 2....it is an involved setup for the Fly pipe whereas the Bed pipe is basically in place .....a good thing about the Bed pipe was that if an aerial ladder rescue was being made from the floor above & fire blew out from below & water was started it would hit the bldg right above but not into the fire floor window & provide some protection to those on the ladder...i have pictures that i was given of us using the Fly pipe at a multiple in a big Church on Lafayette Av around Feb '69......it wasnt used often but it was used ....today ALL Aerial Ladders only carry the Fly pipe .....nfd is the fire on Waverly Av the factory around '79...i was in R*2 at that one it is also the last time i remember the Life Net being used..as a precation underneathe us....pictures in the last pages of Al Donchins book "First Due".
68jk09 said:
Yes Chief, I believe that was the fire. I have the book "First Due" and that is the picture. I'll remember that day myself, as it was one of the few times that I ever got pulled over by the NYPD. On the way to the fire, I made a "U" Turn. I think it was Delancy St in Manhattan and little did I know that one of NYPDs Finest was sitting right there. We could see the smoke and told the cop, that's where we were going. I remember telling the cop, we are firemen from Ct and Fire Buffs. After a verbal beating, he let us go.
That goes back quite a few years Chief J.K. I had a guy with me who was also on the job in Connecticut. It was his "First visit". We caught a few jobs in the Bronx earlier, then the Fifth Alarm in Brooklyn. He got "hooked" and later joined me for many buff trips we made after that.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2010
- Messages
- 26
WOW Chief K,.... Second Bullseye ;D
Fellas, Chief K is truly amazing. that's exactly how it happened !!!!! It's mind boggling to think that our paths crossed that night at R-2's.
I am also amazed that the "guy" in question made it to Dep. Chief
I guess there IS a patron saint of second chances LOL
All in all,... what a night
;D Fellas, Chief K is truly amazing. that's exactly how it happened !!!!! It's mind boggling to think that our paths crossed that night at R-2's.
I am also amazed that the "guy" in question made it to Dep. Chief
I guess there IS a patron saint of second chances LOL
All in all,... what a night
Some ladder pipes in operation: (you can click on these pictures after opening to magnify for better image)
Manhattan Wanamaker Dept Store 7-14-56
Manhattan 5th Alarm 69 Greene St 2-21-57
WNYF What's New (13 ALFs) October 1960
WNYF What's New (13 ALFs) October 1960
Manhattan 9 alarms for a fabric warehouse Broadway and Grand 11-12-60
Brooklyn 8 alarms for a warehouse 3-7-64
Manhattan 4th alarm for a loft E19 St 1965
Manhattan Box 33-289 3-25-72
Manhattan Wanamaker Dept Store 7-14-56
Manhattan 5th Alarm 69 Greene St 2-21-57
WNYF What's New (13 ALFs) October 1960
WNYF What's New (13 ALFs) October 1960
Manhattan 9 alarms for a fabric warehouse Broadway and Grand 11-12-60
Brooklyn 8 alarms for a warehouse 3-7-64
Manhattan 4th alarm for a loft E19 St 1965
Manhattan Box 33-289 3-25-72
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2007
- Messages
- 4,107
Great pictures, Mack; thanks for posting. In the Greene St photo, there is what appears to be a water tower behind the ladder using its ladder pipe . . . or am I seeing things? If it is, it must have been one of the last multiple alarms for the tower . . . the last 2 were placed in reserve in 1957.
Ray - It does appear to be a water tower. Many pictures of the 1950s multiple alarms have a water tower operating.
The 6 water towers were disbanded in April 1957.
They were located in 1957 at: WT 1 - E 31, WT 2 - L 3, WT 3 - L 24, WT 4 - E 58, WT 5 - E 260, WT 6 - E 211.
Most were built in late 1890s. Length 54 ft, width 7 ft, 8 in. Mast extended to 65 ft. 1 or 2 nozzles. Not many changes while in service for about 60 years (spring assist raising mechanism added in the 1930s, new tractors).
1944 WNYF - 1903 picture
1944 WNYF - 2 water towers at Manhattan loft 3rd alarm 1940s
1955 WNYF
The 6 water towers were disbanded in April 1957.
They were located in 1957 at: WT 1 - E 31, WT 2 - L 3, WT 3 - L 24, WT 4 - E 58, WT 5 - E 260, WT 6 - E 211.
Most were built in late 1890s. Length 54 ft, width 7 ft, 8 in. Mast extended to 65 ft. 1 or 2 nozzles. Not many changes while in service for about 60 years (spring assist raising mechanism added in the 1930s, new tractors).
1944 WNYF - 1903 picture
1944 WNYF - 2 water towers at Manhattan loft 3rd alarm 1940s
1955 WNYF- Joined
- Nov 6, 2009
- Messages
- 359
mack said:Ray - It does appear to be a water tower. Many pictures of the 1950s multiple alarms have a water tower operating.
Mayor Bloomberg disbanded the 6 water towers in April 1957.
They were located in 1957 at: WT 1 - E 31, WT 2 - L 3, WT 3 - L 24, WT 4 - E 58, WT 5 - E 260, WT 6 - E 211.
Most were built in late 1890s. Length 54 ft, width 7 ft, 8 in. Mast extended to 65 ft. 1 or 2 nozzles. Not many changes while in service for about 60 years (spring assist raising mechanism added in the 1930s, new tractors).
i think you mean Mayor Wagner he was mayor from 1954 to 1965.
Ray - I am pretty sure Mayor Bloomberg must have been responsible for the water towers being disbanded in 1957, even if he wasn't may yet. I think he was also responsible for all the cutbacks in the 1970s. Maybe he shut down E 17 in 1991.
I actually put the line about Bloomberg in to see if anyone read the entry. Thanks Ray.
I actually put the line about Bloomberg in to see if anyone read the entry. Thanks Ray.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2007
- Messages
- 4,107
Yeah, I understand. Seems like the mayor's office has been wearing bloomers for far too long. Saw in the paper the other day he's joining Bill Gates & Warren Buffett and giving away half of his billions. I've got a suggestion for some of those billions . . . why not fund those FDNY companies he insists should be closed?
I second the Thank you for Mister "Mack". I look at those pictures today, and it seems so antique to see those many ladder pipes and no Tower Ladders.
Way back a few decades ago, like 1969/70, The Late Lt Richard Hamilton of Rescue 2 had gotten assigned to the Fire Acedemy due to an injury he recieved. So that's when I started buffing on my own. I picked Harlem because the streets were numbered and pretty easy to follow. Plus those Harlem companies were getting really busy. The first firehouse I found was Engine 58 and Ladder 26. I didn't have any unit location chart at the time. I would watch 58/26 do those many runs and sometimes catch a job. Ladder 26 was an American LaFrance Tiller. I loved watching that rig make those turns into the Harlem streets. What was even better was that Tower Ladder 14 (a first Tower Ladder for FDNY) was just put into service, and they caught work together with Ladder 26 in the "Hood". I hung out there until relocating a year or so later to the South Bronx after "Report from Engine 82" came out.
Then I remember two tillers. Ladder 31 and Ladder 27, and No Tower Ladders. I hung out at both places. Engine 46/Ladder 27 had just gotten their new firehouse at the Cross Bronx Expressway and Washington Ave. Where the Bathgate Industrial Park is now, those square blocks was sure burning. From 170th St to the Cross Bronx, and from Park to Third Aves. There was plenty of activity just in that small area. As I remember seeing, Every single building in those blocks was burned out. Later the Movie "Wolfen" was filmed there in that burned out area. Today it looks quite different from what it was then. That area was actually the first area to be rebuilt after the Arson Plagued South Bronx War Years.
Way back a few decades ago, like 1969/70, The Late Lt Richard Hamilton of Rescue 2 had gotten assigned to the Fire Acedemy due to an injury he recieved. So that's when I started buffing on my own. I picked Harlem because the streets were numbered and pretty easy to follow. Plus those Harlem companies were getting really busy. The first firehouse I found was Engine 58 and Ladder 26. I didn't have any unit location chart at the time. I would watch 58/26 do those many runs and sometimes catch a job. Ladder 26 was an American LaFrance Tiller. I loved watching that rig make those turns into the Harlem streets. What was even better was that Tower Ladder 14 (a first Tower Ladder for FDNY) was just put into service, and they caught work together with Ladder 26 in the "Hood". I hung out there until relocating a year or so later to the South Bronx after "Report from Engine 82" came out.
Then I remember two tillers. Ladder 31 and Ladder 27, and No Tower Ladders. I hung out at both places. Engine 46/Ladder 27 had just gotten their new firehouse at the Cross Bronx Expressway and Washington Ave. Where the Bathgate Industrial Park is now, those square blocks was sure burning. From 170th St to the Cross Bronx, and from Park to Third Aves. There was plenty of activity just in that small area. As I remember seeing, Every single building in those blocks was burned out. Later the Movie "Wolfen" was filmed there in that burned out area. Today it looks quite different from what it was then. That area was actually the first area to be rebuilt after the Arson Plagued South Bronx War Years.