Working in 82 (1975) 6x9 tour. Around 3AM we get an all-hands 3rd floor fully occupied tenement. One apartment 2 or 3 rooms going. We hold it to the apartment. My very next 9x6 tour the first run we get is for rubbish in front of this same building. Respond. The building is now fully vacant, stair threads gone, all plumbing has been removed. Some windows out. If you didn't know better you would have thought it was vacant for a few months, if not years. One of the guys says that a building down the street owned by the same landlord is also vacant and was fully occupied last week. The book "Fires" by Flood states that one neighborhood in the South Bx had 843 residential and commercial buildings in 1970, in 1980 there were 9 left standing. From the picture posted, when I was in 50 engine the busy box we had that way was for 3rd Ave. and Claremount Pkwy. There was an el station there. After I left they even burned the el station out one day. As I have written again and again, never knew how the city could have allowed this. Question. Do you think the city would have allowed 834 buildings to be burned down in a mid- town Manhattan neighborhood?
My younger Buff years
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Torching buildings. Boston had the same problem when I was living there in the 70's before my marriage covered in the quarters of Chicago after a family emergency and I relocated. The area around E37/L26, E33/L15 was turning into a slumlords fantasy. Burn the top floor, make the building unsuitable for occupancy and get the insurance money. Caught a job on Smyphony Road (E37/L26 still) and report was strike second alarm, this was from the still companies. There were 4 fatalities who were never identified. Top floor fully involved, building declared unsuitable for occupancy. Insurance covers all his costs so he can rehab for the YUPPIE community and turn a large profit. You think God has some re-habs for occupancy?? Sorta like payback!
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The member with many stars (newbie) Manhattan would never allow that, too much money. I am not a rich man, sometimes my faily lives from week to week. We are comfortable in our own world but I understand the plight of those who cannot. WHY THE HELL DO WE SEND MONEY TO LYBIA TO SUPPORT THE REBELS. OOPS I AM SO STUPID THEY HAVE THE OIL. Every member on this site is not rich, I am sure of that. I feel we are just being walked over by the RICHIES!!!!! But the job is still the best, from AL to CA, FL to ME, and all in between
******* said:
That is a staggering amount of buildings gone in ten years. "834 Buildings" gone from fire. No wonder in "My Younger Buffing Years" I could catch six or eight jobs each time I went down there, all within a few square miles. It's still hard for me to believe how many fires there were, "and I was there".
Thank you very much "Chief *******" for posting that. I don't think there's too many neighborhood fire depts that can come close to those numbers.
As the Captain of Engine 82 during those years, I sure hope you're enjoying your retirement. Because there's NO DOUBT in my mind that you sure did earned it !!!!!
Rigglord said:
I recently recieved an E-mail from Ricky Flores. There is some talk of making a Documentary on what went on during those very busy years in the South Bronx. I believe they will be doing it for one of the local Spanish Channels. They would like to interview Firefighters, and maybe even buffs that were around in those days. I don't really know Ricky Flores but he certainly seems to have a lot of respect for the FDNY. Maybe if you're interested you can send him an E-mail.
After reading Ricky's post, I don't think that was a fire dispatcher that called. It sound more like an insurance adjuster. These people use to call all the time saying that they were some official looking for information about the build & its owner seeing if the incident was worth their time.
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I cannot fathom a dispatcher calling a civillian to ask how big the fire is. There certainly were dept. radios in the 80's and I'm quite sure the chief's aide let the dispatcher know just how "big" the fire was.
I recieved this from G-Man. What a story ! (and audio). Engine 94 Under Attack !!! It's a Story in itself.
http://www.fdnyretiree.com/DISPATCHERS/E94_attacked.htm
Thanks very much Mr G-Man.
http://www.fdnyretiree.com/DISPATCHERS/E94_attacked.htm
Thanks very much Mr G-Man.
memory master said:
Skell fire insurance adjusters use cross indexed (by street address) phone directories. When they hear a job on radio, they would call people in nearby buildings asking details about the fire or the "type of people" that live there to see if it's worth their while to respond and bamboozle people into signing them on..
They will identify themselves as the fire marshals, headquarters, dispatchers, and probably police too. A few have been caught at this by sharp civilians or members at the scene.
811 said:
The stories just continue. I had no idea of something like this happening. Although actually it shouldn't surprise anybody. Everything was just so completely out of control. It just had to end. These Horrific Conditions could NOT keep going on. Besides the Fire Dept, EVERY Service throughout the city was overwelmed. As I said much earlier: "when we left, it was like they opened the gates and let us out".
Thanks "811" for that story. Unbelieveable !!!
You're right Brian. Todays "Politically Correct Society" would Not allow that these days. A different time.
Two "911" stories that I remember. One was an elderly female that fell on the ice on a very cold winter day. The best we could do for her was cover her with a blanket until the ambulance arrived. I called several times myself explaining that this is an elderly woman on the ground. We couldn't leave her. The ambulance finally showed up about two hours later.
Another incident, we witnessed a young man fall into the street from a seizure. Of course my buddy and I went to help him. As we looked up, a NYPD car came by and stopped. We asked the officers to call for an ambulance. They called over the radio and told us; "there's a two hour delay for the next bus, throw him in the back seat and we'll take him up there (the hospital)". The officer riding reached back and opened the back door as we put this guy in the back seat of the car. No vital signs, No treatment. Just off he went.
During those busy years, All the Emergency services were just completely overwelmed. It was hard to believe that this was the United States of America, and NOT some Third World Country.
Two "911" stories that I remember. One was an elderly female that fell on the ice on a very cold winter day. The best we could do for her was cover her with a blanket until the ambulance arrived. I called several times myself explaining that this is an elderly woman on the ground. We couldn't leave her. The ambulance finally showed up about two hours later.
Another incident, we witnessed a young man fall into the street from a seizure. Of course my buddy and I went to help him. As we looked up, a NYPD car came by and stopped. We asked the officers to call for an ambulance. They called over the radio and told us; "there's a two hour delay for the next bus, throw him in the back seat and we'll take him up there (the hospital)". The officer riding reached back and opened the back door as we put this guy in the back seat of the car. No vital signs, No treatment. Just off he went.
During those busy years, All the Emergency services were just completely overwelmed. It was hard to believe that this was the United States of America, and NOT some Third World Country.
nfd2004 said:
Back then, it was very common for F.D.N.Y. units to transport patients in the hose bed. 'Patch him up, load him up, put the resuscitator on him and get to the ER':
http://doyleimages.smugmug.com/FDNY/Misc-FDNY/11857090_MdgEJ#1011680845_38vU4-A-LB
Thanks "69 Mets" for that story and that picture. It certainly explains what you are talking about. I do remember hearing stories of the FDNY rigs transporting patients in the back of the rigs.
Time for my confession. "Bless me Father for I have sinned"........ "I've been sharing a few of these stories with one or two other sites". People that weren't around to see this, are completely amazed at some of the things that went on during those days. I guess you had to be there to see it for yourself. And then maybe sometimes, "it still doesn't seem possible".
But it sure did go on. And "69 Mets", I'd like to borrow your words, and that picture to kind of spread the word. There really is nothing else to compare these times too. We probadly will NEVER see anything like that again. Some on here played a Big part in it on a Daily Basis. You never asked for a pat on the back. It was just doing the Job. But I sure ADMIRE you guys for what you did. And those Fire Dispatchers too. No computers, No MDTs, just your own skills and knowledge to work with. I have no idea how you were able to keep your own satiny ???
Time for my confession. "Bless me Father for I have sinned"........ "I've been sharing a few of these stories with one or two other sites". People that weren't around to see this, are completely amazed at some of the things that went on during those days. I guess you had to be there to see it for yourself. And then maybe sometimes, "it still doesn't seem possible".
But it sure did go on. And "69 Mets", I'd like to borrow your words, and that picture to kind of spread the word. There really is nothing else to compare these times too. We probadly will NEVER see anything like that again. Some on here played a Big part in it on a Daily Basis. You never asked for a pat on the back. It was just doing the Job. But I sure ADMIRE you guys for what you did. And those Fire Dispatchers too. No computers, No MDTs, just your own skills and knowledge to work with. I have no idea how you were able to keep your own satiny ???
jbendick
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Ed Keating, John O'Hagan (Side of Face), Captain Orhline (Blue Shirt), Richy Venditto (Stash), Charley Hoag ?sp(hiding), Frank Griffin (eating), ??unknown guy side of face??, Franky Donnelly (Last guy on right).
Crash Cawley & Captain Orhline ?sp
Crash Cawley & Captain Orhline ?sp
As I look at those faces in the above two photos, I see what these pages are really all about. About guys like this that continued to put their lives in danger everyday they went to work. At times they took those risk almost on an hourly basis.
I don't know any of them, but if they fought those fires that I used to see, then they are probadly exactly the guys that I have been referring to in all the previous pages. THE GREATEST GENERATION of FIREFIGHTERS the World has ever seen. No doubt, although I don't recgonize them, I saw them in action hundreds of times, over and over again.
As the beginning of the video "The Bronx is Burning" states: "New York has more fires than Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia put together." These were some of the guys that were there.
A long time has gone by since then. And there have been so many changes. I still have the Highest Respect for the members of the FDNY. They face daily challenges that many other fire depts will never see. I Respect and Admire them for what they do. But I certainly will NEVER Forget the conditions those War Years Firefighters had to deal with. Hours and hours in the streets, day after day, night after night, whether it was below zero in mid January, or the brutal hot humid days of July and August. And I never remember hearing any complain. They sure belong to a elite seperate breed of firefighters.
Thanks John for posting them, but shouldn't you also be in those pictures too !!!
I don't know any of them, but if they fought those fires that I used to see, then they are probadly exactly the guys that I have been referring to in all the previous pages. THE GREATEST GENERATION of FIREFIGHTERS the World has ever seen. No doubt, although I don't recgonize them, I saw them in action hundreds of times, over and over again.
As the beginning of the video "The Bronx is Burning" states: "New York has more fires than Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia put together." These were some of the guys that were there.
A long time has gone by since then. And there have been so many changes. I still have the Highest Respect for the members of the FDNY. They face daily challenges that many other fire depts will never see. I Respect and Admire them for what they do. But I certainly will NEVER Forget the conditions those War Years Firefighters had to deal with. Hours and hours in the streets, day after day, night after night, whether it was below zero in mid January, or the brutal hot humid days of July and August. And I never remember hearing any complain. They sure belong to a elite seperate breed of firefighters.
Thanks John for posting them, but shouldn't you also be in those pictures too !!!
Regarding the E-94 audio, I was a probie in 94 in 1978. The locals used to say the Point (Hunts) was were it's at. It was CRAZY. We had 4 guys riding the back step. We were ready. I am glad I was young then, don't know if I could do the same thing now. I love the job and the people invloved. The longer you spend on the job, the amount of fires you go to changes relative to the people you know. I am a Capt in a TL and honored to be part of what we do.