My younger Buff years

I was driving a covering DC one night who was assigned to E46-2 as a proby. He said when he got there most of the buildings around the firehouse were vacant. Driving around then you would see Con Ed digging up the streets and laying large diameter electric cables. He couldn't figure out why, the buildings weren't occupied. Low and behold the Bathgate Industrial Park came along. Somebody knew and I'm sure capitalized on the destruction.
 
You're right John, I remember seeing ConEd working there too. Yeah, somebody knew, and somebody made some money. But honestly, if I was a gambling man at the time, I would have Never bet that the place would have worked out. Except for being close to I-95, the area was just such a diseaster that I was writing it off, and thinking that the devastation would just move to other areas. Two U.S. Presidents had toured the Charlotte St area with promises of rebuilding the South Bronx. I remember seeing as I drove south on the Sheriden Expressway a large painting at the top of some of those buildings. It said: "We Are Still Here". Among the burned out vacant shells that stood there for blocks, there were still people living in some of those buildings.
  Maybe 15-20 years later, the South Bronx was completely changed. It started with the Bathgate Industrial Park, then went to Charlotte St where there now stands several single family raised ranch houses. I think it was around 1989 when they talked of rebuilding that neighborhood. Now, no longer stand those six story partially occupied or vacant burned out multiple dwellings that lined those streets. Those burned out neighborhoods are now just memories. Sometimes I think it never really happened. But those fires DID HAPPEN. Someday, I would hope they make a movie about being a Firefighter in the South Bronx, or any other NYC Ghetto area that saw the same kind of action of those days. But the movie needs to tell the True story of what Great Firefighters these guys really were.
  They really are "The Greatest Generation of Firefighters".
 
  It would be nice to make a movie but hollywood will surely screw it up by making it a soap opera with phony hollywood fire (all flames, no smoke, firefighters standing straight up in the middle of a burning room, etc.). And they'll use a Crown Firecoach Snorkel and some other west coast apparatus.  Oh, oh don't get me started........ ::) :-X :( ??? ;)
 
As far as sewers , elect , etc being installed in vacant areas the same thing happened in the "East New York Airport " area.....during the '60 s & 70 s a large expanse burned down hence the term you could land an airliner there......but in the early 80 s utilities were being installed & by the late '80 s .....sure enough tons of housing was put into place on every available lot.......somebody had plans.
 
Some very nice shots.......the job on Broadway & Grand in '60 resulted in the deaths of 3 FF s who were trapped in the basement of this loft ....1 from SQ*8 & 2 from ENG*31.... RIP........the Greene St job reminds me of an old WNYF shot around that time that was titled "the Greene St twins".......2 lofts on opposite sides of the st.with seperate fires at the same time .......Lad Pipe & Deckpipe streams going both ways......anyone remember that ?
 
There was an area of NYC that I don't think I ever mentioned. But the Engine and Truck there was doing as much work as those Busy Harlem, South Bronx, Brownsville or Bushwick Companies. It was Engine 28 and Ladder 11 and Battalion 4. It was the Lower East Side area, and at that time it closely resembled parts of the South Bronx. Only about one square mile, but sure a busy square mile. In the same area was Engine 17, and Ladder 18. Engine 17 was closed down I believe during the Fiscal Crisis in the mid 70s. But that Engine 17 was a busy working outfit.

  These companies are sometimes forgotten about when it comes to the very busy War Years for the FDNY. But the fires, the stories, and the neighborhood were very similiar to its bigger brother up there in Harlem or the South Bronx. They too, would go from run to run, or job to job. Hats off to the members that worked those very busy companies.
 
Dont forget SQUAD*5 who was in that area before being moved to ENG*41 in the Bronx........today ENG*15 is now in the Quarters of former ENG*17.......ENG*17...LAD*18..& BN*4 s old quarters as well as ENG*15 s are still standing.  SQUAD*5 had been scheduled to move to Pitt St from East Broadway.....but before that happened they went to the Bronx.............google LAD* 18 s Fort Pitt website for some history & old photos.........when i was a kid i lived not too far away....i remember blocks & blocks of vacants as some of the area was being leveled for projects.
 
nfd2004 said:
There was an area of NYC that I don't think I ever mentioned. But the Engine and Truck there was doing as much work as those Busy Harlem, South Bronx, Brownsville or Bushwick Companies. It was Engine 28 and Ladder 11 and Battalion 4. It was the Lower East Side area, and at that time it closely resembled parts of the South Bronx. Only about one square mile, but sure a busy square mile. In the same area was Engine 17, and Ladder 18. Engine 17 was closed down I believe during the Fiscal Crisis in the mid 70s. But that Engine 17 was a busy working outfit.

  These companies are sometimes forgotten about when it comes to the very busy War Years for the FDNY. But the fires, the stories, and the neighborhood were very similiar to its bigger brother up there in Harlem or the South Bronx. They too, would go from run to run, or job to job. Hats off to the members that worked those very busy companies.
Click to expand...

The 'War Years' audio that was posted on this site a while back had some communications involving multiple jobs and no (or very few) units available to respond in that part of Manhattan.
 
ENGINE 17 MANHATTAN

ORG. 91 Ludlow St. FQ Vol. (Sep. 17, 1865)
RELOC. (Aug. 20, 1879)
NQTRS. 91 Ludlow St. (Mar. 17, 1880)
NQTRS. 185 Broome St. W/ L-18 (May 1, 1939)
NQTRS. 25 Pitt St. W/ L-18 (Dec. 12, 1973)
DISB. (Jan. 3, 1991)
 
In Peter A. Micheels book Braving the Flames there is a first-hand account from Fireman Dan DeFranco from Engine 17. If you ever wonder how busy those Lower East Side guys were, read that part. They were just as busy as some of those Ghetto Bronx or Brooklyn companies back in their the day.

They were doing 5,000 plus runs up until 1977.
 
Thanks Andy, he wasn't lying when he says that. You could just about walk to the jobs on the Lower East Side. A small area with a lot of work. Streets like Ave "A", Ave "B", Rivington St, East 4th, East 5th etc.

  One time when the aydes epidemic hit this country, they did a documentary on the Lower East Side. As I watched that, they showed the vacant and burned out 5-6 story bricks lining the streets. It was all E28,17, Lad 11, and 18 area doing the work.
 
Is the old quarters of E-15 still standing ?  I have an old FDNY helmet from the 1920's from E-15 I found it at a fireman's muster back in 1977 at the Valhalla muster.
 
68jk09 said:
Dont forget SQUAD*5 who was in that area before being moved to ENG*41 in the Bronx....  SQUAD*5 had been scheduled to move to Pitt St from East Broadway.....but before that happened they went to the Bronx.............
Click to expand...

  I may need some help on this one. But when Squad 5 went to Engine 41, they became the Second Section of E 41. (Eng 41-2). Then the Second Section (41-2) was closed. After that, Engine 41 became "Enhanced Engine 41". They responded very similiar to what a Squad Co did to working fires in several battalion areas. Also they were given extra special equipment such as a hurst tool etc, which other engine companies didn't carry. It was very similiar to what we know of the Squads in use today, except for maybe the Haz Mat role.
  Just before "Enhanced Engine 41" there was an engine company that was supposed to be closed in Brooklyn, but the citizens took over the firehouse. It was called "The Peoples Firehouse" and as I understand it, the citizens held the firefighters hostage so they wouldn't close the firehouse. I think that's how the company became Squad 1, as it only responded to certain areas of that neighborhood after a deal was struck.
  One time I remember hearing the officer of "Enhanced Engine 41" calling themselves "Squad 41". The dispatcher quickly came back and said; "You are Enhanced Engine 41, not Squad 41". That was long before we know of the Squad 41 these days. I just guess the Officer was alittle ahead of his time.
 
Thats the one "Mack". It was Engine 212. I couldn't remember which company it was. Now the question for anybody out there. What company became Squad 1, was it E 256 ? I just don't really remember, but Squad 1 came about from the closing of an Engine Company as best I remember. Something about they would only respond to their first alarm area ???? I'm just not sure, exactly what the deal was.
 
That would be E 269.  E 256 wasn't too far away at DeKalb Ave and Ft. Greene Pl. across the street from Bklyn Tech High School
 
Sq-1 responds as an Engine 1st due only.
Sq-5 was in the Bronx as Squad 5. I do remember hearing a tape with them responding to an incident in the South Bronx. I don't know if they were out of 41 or 73 at the time.
For all intents and purposes, 41 was a Squad back when they were the "Enhanced Engine". They didn't go further than 3rd due on anything, and responded to jobs in Harlem and certain battalions in the Bronx. They were a Squad, just nobody wanted to say it.
 
Bill - According to Squad 1's web site - "Squad 1 was organized in Harlem at Engine 59 in 1955, moved to the Bronx at Ladder 58 in 1972, then to Engine 45 in 1975 and then disbanded in 1976. Squad 1 was re-established in 1977 in Brooklyn at the former quarters of Engine 269; which had been closed during the budget crisis."

Squad 1 going in service in 1955:


Squad formed during WWII using 1930 Seagrave:


Squad vans 1950s:
 
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