My younger Buff years

[nfd2004]

As we know, the fires of the War Years were not just in the South Bronx. They were also in Harlem, the Lower East Side, Brownsville, Bed Sty, Bushwick and even parts of Williamsburg. In the Bronx what was considered the fires of the South Bronx, pretty much south of the Cross Bronx, later spread further north as far as Fordham Rd and to many areas of the West Bronx, west of the Grand Concourse.

  The story was the same and repeated over and over again. one apartment has a fire, then another, then another. Soon the same thing happens to another building in the block and the cycle begins. Block by block buildings would burn. You could almost predict the next buildings to burn.

  Apparently some of the people who had these fires decided to pack their bags and leave NYC all together. In Bridgeport, Ct I remember seeing moving vans from "LaRosa Delmonti Moving Company' which was located on Southern Blvd in the Bronx at that time. People from these heavy arson plagued neighborhoods were now starting to move into Bridgeport. And I'm sure also places like Yonkers, Newark or Jersey City. As the very busy War Years were starting to end for FDNYs Bravest, the City of Bridgeport was beginning its own set of War Years. The same thing that had been happening in the South Bronx and the other arson plagued areas of the City was starting to now take a hold on a city like Bridgeport (CT).

  After chasing fires in places like the South Bronx, I would sometimes also catch a job on my way home in Bridgeport. What was once a thriving industrial city, became a mini South Bronx. Everything that had contributed to the FDNY War Years was being repeated in what became Bridgeports War Years. It was a kind of education that you couldn't get from a book.

  My brother George was a part of it. He was on the job and there were nights that I saw him catch  four working fires. For those that might be interested in reading more of the Bridgeport War Years, there is a thread on www.ctfire-ems .

        http://www.ctfire-ems.com/showthread.php?t=12060 (click on Ctfire-ems forums, then General Forums for "Bridgeports War Years"....But I think you'll need to sign up to view the stories)

 

[1261Truckie]

I just have to ask this, it's been buggin' me for a while

In the documentary "The Bronx is Burning" there is a medal party for 82, 85 & 31. During the party, Charlie McCarthy gives a salutation before downing his silver bullet.

Does anyone know the wording of his salute? Please let me know....Thanks !!!

 

[nfd2004]

I just have to ask this, it's been buggin' me for a while

In the documentary "The Bronx is Burning" there is a medal party for 82, 85 & 31. During the party, Charlie McCarthy gives a salutation before downing his silver bullet.

Does anyone know the wording of his salute? Please let me know....Thanks !!!

  Jim, I know that part of the documentary that you are talking about. Funny you mention that movie (The Bronx is Burning). Just last week I was invited down to a firehouse in Groton. We watched that video and "Brothers in Battle". This site member "Bxboro" works there. For some of the guys, they had never seen that documentry and of course, as the video played myself and "Bxboro" described how it was down there from a Buffs perspective.

  I've watched that video a hundred times over. The best I can make out of what Charlie McCarthy is saying is: "To all me, To all Thee, Without me".

 

[mack]

Early 1970s - Rescue 2 was not assigned until the 3rd alarm in parts of Bklyn and SI.  Amazing to think of their response area during such a busy time.  R5 was not formed until the 1980s.

 

[mack]

Meals - The meal I had during the last night tour a few nights ago was pretty good.  One of the guys made the chicken on sale from the local supermarket into decent cutlets.  I thought back to some of the meals I was exposed to in the firehouse as a kid.  Really should call them feasts.  Different groups were known for their respective chefs.  Menus were proposed, headcounts taken, trip by the cook to the right butcher shop to pick out the beef, stop at the vegetable stand,  sauces made from scratch, speciality deserts baked.  Kitchens smelled better than my grandmother's during the holidays.  The aromas were like a magnet.  Made you even hungrier. The guys doing the meal were allowed to stay back during runs to finish a meal in progress.  Aides found out when special meals were n progress and got inviters for the Battalion.  Brown-baggers who were not in on the meal caught shit while they ate their bologna sandwiches.  Company "seagulls" raided the leftovers. 

 

[68jk09]

R*2 10-75s borowide in BKLYN since '74....(except the tip of Greenpoint  which was R*4).....R*2 also handled all Haz Mat in BKLYN & SI......Haz Mat not formed till '80s then it originally was R*4 w/a small 2nd piece prior to HM-1 being organized as a Citywide response Unit......R*5 organized in '84 but did not get assigned to BKLYN responses till years later......some of the seat of the pants  Haz Mat procedures done by us in the Rescue during early days (prior to HM*1) if done today would result in some heavy fines at the least.

 

[nfd2004]

The other day I was talking to a member of this web site. He told me a story about his father who was a FDNY Battalion Chief during these busy years. I told him that I wanted to pass this story on, so I guess its okay to tell it.

  His father was a newly appointed Battalion Chief and as most of us know, as a new boss in the FDNY you start out as a "Covering Officer". I believe that's the way it is.

  Apparently his First night was a tour with Battalion 28 in Bushwick right at the peak of their busiest years in the mid 70s. For his very first night on the job, he caught "Five All Hands" and made "30 Runs" (fire calls only-no EMS). In his first week there he caught a total of 26 working jobs. We look at those numbers today with amazement. But in those days, that's kind of just the way it was. Just another routine night in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

  And of those All Hands then, how many should have actually gone to a multiple alarm. But that was frowned upon by the higher ups. I had heard rumor of that, but it apparently was a fact. There just wasn't enough companies to be sending them to multiple alarm fires.

 

[Ghetto Gladiator]

Those were the days,"the usual"  A/H were usually 3 lines stretched ,2 in operation and as many as 5 lines operating. Plenty of manpower, unlike today. And 6 after each job.

 

[mack]

Holding down the multiples:      I listened to one BC get grilled for transmitting a 2nd instead of special calling extra engines and trucks.  Had the opposite effect on the BC - he transmitted a 2nd on the next two vacants he had.  Responding staff officers demanded to know "by whose authority was the 2nd or 3rd alarm being transmitted".  Heard that a lot.  I believed there was pressure to hold down the number of multiples to demonstrate Chief O'Hagan's 1970 innovations were working (elimination of 3rd and 4th engine responses, adaptive response program, ERS boxes, DRBs, TCUs).  I know that the tremendous workload was taking it's toll, but leadership was probably trying to make the statistics appear better than they were to hold down budgets. 

 

[nfd2004]

As the winter season approaches buffing the FDNY was a challenge. In the mid 70s, there was a gasoline crisis. There were cars in gas lines for blocks waiting to buy gasoline. As I would get into the South Bronx, my first job was to fill up that gas tank. That was a chore in itself. Sometimes we'd miss a job, but there just wasn't much we could do about it. We needed to have enough gas for the day and to drive that trip home. This was right during the height of the very busy War Years.

  There was no place to go. No McDonalds, no Wendy's, no Dunkin Donuts. Just blocks of abandoned buildings, many that were scared from previous fires. No cell phones and no restraunts. We would sit in that cold car trying to keep warm. I was too cheap to run the car and burn up that 68 cents a gallon gas. Sometimes our feet would get wet from the water puddles created by the running water at the fire. It was like we were camping out in the middle of the countrys Worst Ghetto in the coldest months of the winter.

  But we always got our share of fires. Six or eight jobs in a day. And we didn't have to sit very long in that cold car. A job would come in and one guy was reading the map, and the other guy made sure he listened to the scanner and wrote down the box numbers. Sometimes those dispatchers would put out three boxes in a row. You needed somebody to do the writing. It was just too much to keep up with.

  Even though we would freeze in that car, I sure do miss those days. And as tough as it was, I guess The Greatest Generation of Firefighters also probadly miss those days too. 

 

 

[nfd2004]

Here are a few numbers that I came across the other day. When you look at them, you'll understand why I refer to them as "The Greatest Generation of Firefighters".

  From the years 1968 to 1977 there were 20 Engine Cos that went over the 7,000 run mark: (Engine Cos Only)

      Year 1968...Engine 82.... 9,111 runs
              1968...Engine 85.... 8,386
              1968...Engine 45.... 7,098
              1968...Engine 290.. 7,061

      Year 1969...Engine 94.... 7,477

      Year 1970...Engine 290...7,151
              1970...Engine 283...7,141

        Year 1971...Engine 82....7,871

        Year 1972...Engine 82....8,390
        Year 1972...Engine 94....7,181

        Year 1976...Engine 45....7,829
        Year 1976...Engine 73....7,297

        Year 1977...Engine 92....7,968
        Year 1977...Engine 42....7,759
        Year 1977...Engine 75....7,579
        Year 1977...Engine 290...7,488
        Year 1977...Engine 45....7,320
        Year 1977...Engine 73....7,297

        Year 1978...Engine 75...7,666
        Year 1978...Engine 92....7,469

  As I look at those staggering numbers, I wonder where those guys found the time to fight fires. But actually they fought the Highest Number of Fires probadly in the History of this Country during those years. It boggles my mind now to look at those numbers for runs, and then to realize just how many fires there were during those Extremely busy years. These guys were the Greatest. How can anybody else compare ? And those runs were mostly all "FIRE" related calls. So when I refer to these guys as "The Greatest", I guess with numbers like this, you really gotta kind of "buy it".

  I have a few more numbers to post later from back in the day. But no matter how you look at it, the numbers are just staggering.
 

 

[1261Truckie]

Willie,

Great numbers, thanks for your efforts.
On the truck side, I don't have their figures readily available but a few companies jump out at you:
120, 31, 103 (both 1 & 2), 123, 42, 26, 48, 111, 17, 27, 107 (just to name a few)
All were (and still are) hard working companies with proud traditions.
I've said it before "Here's to the War Years Warriors"

Jim (1261)

 

[Ghetto Gladiator]

Here is a good breakdown of runs + workers from the Firebell Club site.
http://www.firebellclub.org/fdny_stats__64_78.pdf

 

[firebuffkevin]

Here is a good breakdown of runs + workers from the Firebell Club site.
http://www.firebellclub.org/fdny_stats__64_78.pdf

Very interesting to look at how things were done in 1979.  Typewritten,  probably analyzed by hand, perhaps a calculator used.

Today, wordprocessing, and information analyzed in a spreadsheet or a database, easily converted to graphs and charts.

In any case, great job Ira Hoffman.

 

[nfd2004]

        Year 1977...Engine 92....7,968
        Year 1977...Engine 42....7,759
        Year 1977...Engine 75....7,579
       
        Year 1978...Engine 75...7,666
        Year 1978...Engine 92....7,469

  In the case of the Bronx, you could see the movement of activity by the numbers picking up in the later part of the War Years. The activity was moving towards the West Bronx. Both Engines 75 and 92 had reached that number 7,000 runs in 1977 and 1978. Although both were very busy prior to that neither one had reached that 7,000 number before.

  At the same time other previous busier companies were starting to slow down. Basically due to the fact that everything and every neighborhood had been burned out. There just wasn't much left.

  And Thanks Lad 103 (ret). I can't or don't know how to get that "PDF" but I think my orginial paper came from Ira Hoffman years ago. Is it possible to get that paper posted on here. I may have the same numbers and study done.

  And Thanks Jim. You got it right. "Here's to the War Year Warriors".

 

[*******]

Keep in mind that the city did everything they could to keep the run/worker count down. The unions were using this heavy fire load to demand more units/manning. They actually took some first due boxes away from 31 truck early 70's figuring a run reduction for 18's but would go in as usual first on phone alarms. 82 engine as I have written before was on mandated (forced) interchange every second night, with Sq. 2 running first up on the nights in-between. Would go like this. Mon. Interchange with 295 engine 1900 to 0900 next morning, Tues. Sq2 ran first up 1900 to 0100, Wed. Interchange with 297 engine, Thur. Sq. first up, Fri. Interchange with 295, Sat. Sq. up and Sun. Interchane again with 295. This went on my entire time in 82 9/73-5/76. I have no idea how many additional runs/work would have been added without this interchange/Sq., would have to be several thousand each year.

 

[mack]

There were a lot of other things which influenced run totals.  In the late 60s, there were double sections and new companies formed.  3 & 2 box response allocations were decreased to 2 & 2s. 1970s saw adaptive response and Tactical Control Units (TCUs) appear.  Response areas were adjusted.  There was an interchange system initiated to keep run totals down.  New battalions were formed.  New division was formed.  Battalion response areas changed.  DRBs were initiated. 
A lot of this was stubby pencil accountability.  Many unit responses and activities never made official counts.  No computer tickets sent.  How many countless times did units stop to extinguish fires and not get credit for their work?  I believe there were also changes defining when a unit "worked" which changed statistics over the years.

 

[jkal]

I was a Probie in 94 Engine in 1978.  We were on the rig constantly.  A major portion of our work was in vacant buildings BUT we had some devastating occupied tenement work.  You are right as to the work load shifting to the West BX.  I too did so and transfered to L-59.  They burnt the West BX down in about 10 years.  We always said, "if Fordam Road goes, it's all over".  For some reason, it really didn't go beyond, but the North East part of the Boro is now the busiest.  It was an interchange area then.

 

[Atlas]

The shift to the West Bronx was done almost over night. Co-op City openning & Hunter College selling their campus & the same with NYU sell their campus. The two colleges became community colleges at the same time. Apartments open up over night. The students & staff were living in the area. All of a sudden the South Bronx residents took over the first due areas of Engine 43, 48, 75, 79, & 81 all around the same time. I remember a police officer tell me that he had worked in the 41st Pct, but then asa detective in the 52nd Pct. When he was walking on streets between the Grand Concourse & Webster Ave, north of Fordham Rd, it was old home week. All the new residents all knew him by name.

 

[guitarman314]

Atlas is 100% correct. While I was working for the USPS during the early 70's, we noticed "pseudo-exodus" from 10454, 10455, 10456 & 10459/74 zip codes to 10452, 10453, 10458, & 10468. Later on the migration went further up into 10463.