My younger Buff years

[68jk09]

I was a FF in LAD*108 from '68 to '77......when we were still on Siegel St the mandatory interchange started (every 3rd night) plus any night you did 20 runs between 1800 & 2400 you interchanged for the rest of the night tour ......(many runs were discarded in that last hour so we could stay in our own area).....the 1st Co we had for interchange was LAD*128....a few years later it was changed to LAD*115....next it was LAD*136 & the last Co we interchanged w/was LAD*106.......during this period we also were bracketed by TCU*731 operating out of LAD*102 & TCU*732 operating out of ENG*277 (LAD*112 was still on Madison St)......in spite of the TCUs & the interchange we still did around 6,000 runs & plenty of work.....if the interchange & TCUs never existed i wonder what the numbers would have been.....i also feel that if we had not moved from Siegel St to Union Ave in Aug '71 we would have caught a lot more work in Bushwick which was taking off in the early '70s......at the end of the interchange years when we were going to 106 they were actually in the far end of our BN (35) since the 36*BN had been disbanded......many nights we had several hours of work back in our own response area & a call to our friends in the Dispatchers usually resulted in a relocation to the South Bx.   

 

[R1SmokeEater]

Here Chief- a blast from the past for ya....... This was my favorite book growing up, I would take it out from the Library, return it when due, and retake it out over and over.

I know Rona Beame was the Mayors Daughter, u can fill in the rest if U'd like.

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

The total runs numbers look very impressive on paper but as posted by new member *******, those were the days of interchange, TCU units, ect.. I no for a fact back in the 1970s to 1980s it was very very busy. It depends on how you come to the totals. In 1970 we started interchanging with E 332 located on Liberty Ave bet Cleveland and Ashford Sts.
E 332 had a schedule that was night one E 332 was at quarters. Night two TCU 531 was at E 332's quarters and was the up front engine, which meant they would respond 1st due to whatever box came in. This was from 1600 to 2400 hrs. The third night we would interchange with E 332 which meant that 332 would be in 319's quarters from 1900 to 0730 hrs and 319 was in 332's quarters for the same time period. At one point 319 was given the runs and workers that we did while interchanged when the yearly stats were tallied up, but that only lasted for a very short time. Then in the late 70's maybe 1978 we went on a point system with 332, which meant that we would basically interchange with them everyother night, and if they had enough points by 2330 hrs , we would do a midnight interchange. By then the TCU unit was no longer at 332. After looking at the whole picture figure for approx 8 years we interchanged every third night and did atleast 15 runs a tour, most of the time on the weekends we did alot more runs. Now in 1978 we interchanged everyother night which meant we did alot more runs there for the last 2 final years of 319's interchange with 332.  Since TCU 531 was a actual unit with a full staff of firefighters, they had there own fire record book and kept there own stats for the years. There were indeed some wild nights in East New York that I will never forget for the rest of my lifetime.  The greatest bunch of guys I was privilaged to be associated with.

 

[Bronx72]

When an interchange occurred, say E82 and E295, did the rigs swap positions, too?  If so, I'll bet E295 had to arrive on Intervale before 82 left. 

 

[68jk09]

Certain Companies had a specific spot to make the interchange ....some at the busy units qtrs & some at a halfway point etc...also if the slower Unit had for instance a wooden Aerial then they would have to swap rigs  w/the busier Unit so the Metal Aerial remained in the busy area.. ...also the manpower was an issue ......the Unit remaining in the busy area  had to have the higher manpower....for example if the busy Truck normally had 6 FFs & the slower unit had 5 then someone from the busy unit had to stay back & ride w/ the slower Unit while it was interchanged in the busy house...(not much of a problem as guys used to fight to stay back in the busy area).

 

[68jk09]

Here Chief- a blast from the past for ya....... This was my favorite book growing up, I would take it out from the Library, return it when due, and retake it out over and over.

I know Rona Beame was the Mayors Daughter, u can fill in the rest if U'd like.

........She was the mayors daughter-in-law....she rode for several tours w/ us....almost every tour she rode i was the Chauf. driving CPT John Wakie RIP....she & i did not see eye to eye from the start  for several reasons mostly political & i guess just  the fact that she was there....i asked her not to be included in the book & she agreed....she was a very pleasant lady though.......there are some great photos both of the BROTHERS & the  ALF Tiller Rig (my baby)....PS i never bought the book but i do have a copy from a Library that i never returned. 

 

[69 METS]

....PS i never bought the book but i do have a copy from a Library that i never returned.
[/quote]

Better keep an eye out for this guy, Chief ...

Seinfeld - Library Investigator Mr. Bookman (synced)

 

[nfd2004]

....PS i never bought the book but i do have a copy from a Library that i never returned.

Better keep an eye out for this guy, Chief ...

Seinfeld - Library Investigator Mr. Bookman (synced)
[/quote]

  Well my friends, first let me explain that "I Have the Book". And guess what, "its offically fully paid for". An Excellent Book with black and white photos. It still is one of my favorites.

  So as I sit here with my morning coffee, reading the many excellent post that have recently been added, I come acoss the most recent that was posted by "69 Mets". I click on his post to view that You Tube video. "It just made my day". It was Great ! The guy sure means business. He sure is dedicated to his job.

  I know I'm a little off track here, but sorry Chief and with all due respect, with that guy working for the NYC Library System, if I were you I'd probadly bring that book back as soon as I could. He sounds like he means business.

  "r1smokeeater', I bet when you posted that story on the Ladder 108 book, you never thought it could lead to a possible prison term.

  But don't feel too bad guys, I'm sure I'll get a "Nasty Gram" from "Truck 4" telling me to keep on this threads subject (My Younger Buff Years). Otherwise start a new thread. But I do understand, he (Truck 4), is only trying to do his job, just like that guy working for the NYC Library System.

 

 

[*******]

To answer your question Bx72 yes we had to go to Queens and swap rigs (we (82 had rapid water) with 295 and 297. This made for a lot of problems. They would be at a job around 0900 and wouldn't get back to Queens till 1000 or so. Also 82's qtrs were vacant for periods of time and this also was aproblem. 82 didn't interchange during those years as the area was to busy. One sort of funny story was one morning was when 295 came back from the Bx and they had had a very very slow night, only 4 or 5 early runs and no work, which was highly unusual but did happen occassionally. One of the ff's came in and said to me "hey Cap anytime you guys need a rest up there we'll be pleased to go, might as well sleep there as here." I just laughed and said nothing. The next week thay came back again from the Bx with some hose still draped over the rig and the guy who broke my balls I remember had plaster all over his helmet and coat. He just looked at me and said "don't say anything, they made up for the other night." The forced interchange was a pain in the ass and put the members and civilians in peril so the city could save money. Nothing changes.

 

[Bronx72]

Thanks for that, *******.  Your earlier comment about the battle to keep the number of runs down among individual companies certainly skirts the real issue...there were too many darned runs overall!  One telling figure is the total number of Initial Runs Transmitted.  In 1972 in the Bronx, there were 72,251, up 22% from 3 years earlier.  That's nearly 200 per day if every day was equal.  But Summer was far busier and an average July day would be more like 375.  On top of that, from 1500-2300 were the busiest hours which suggests an average of 24 runs per hour.  To think that 7 or 8 dispatchers often had trouble keeping up, especially on the "above average" days says that the adjustments that were made to alleviate the problem were too little, too late.

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

during our 10 years of interchange a few things were tried but did not work. A few examples were  that a member from the busy house was left behind to make it a 5 man company.  That did not last to long......Then we had to swap rigs becausehave a Rapid Water pumper. That problem was solved when we got 290s handmedown 72 rapid water rig. The next issued was when tney exchanged chauffers for the tour. Again that lasted for a very very short time. Once it was straighted out all was well and all were happy.

 

[nfd2004]

I keep saying "the numbers were staggering". But I think there is something else that comes to mind about the War Year Warriors. I am reminded of those hundreds of vacant buildings. I would sometimes go into them to try and view the roof action of a job from the exposure. In the case of the Bronx, usually a six brick. But as I think about it now, it really wasn't such a great idea. Generally, these buildings were also fire damaged. Usually most of the stair threads were missing. There were numerous holes in the floors. The buildings were dark even in the daytime because the window openings were usually boarded up or even Bricked up with cinder blocks hoping to keep intruders or squatters out. A pretty dangerous place to be even without a fire in the building.

  And now I think about those firefighters, climbing those stairs with all the threads missing. Numerous holes in the floors. A heavy smoke condition with no visability at all. And making matters worse, all the windows bricked up with no place for that heat and smoke to go. It was hard, time consuming work, to smash out those bricked up windows. In the meantime those guys were in there trying to move in with those lines, and do a search. 

  When they call these guys "The Bravest", they aren't kidding. Not only were they fighting the Highest number of fires in recorded history, but they worked under some of the most dangerous conditions on a Daily Basis.

  As I think about it now. Some 30 or 40 years later, I am still amazed at the job these guys did. Call them The Greatest Generation of Firefighters or The War Years Warriors, they sure earned that title. No other firefighters throughout the world has done what They did. That is to respond to a record number of fires, under some of the most dangerous conditions ever faced by any firefighters throughout our country. 

 

[1261Truckie]

Also, let's not forget the buildings, which in addition to fire damage, were purposely booby trapped by those who wanted to screw with the troops and the people who screamed that someone was trapped inside (usually kids or old people) when they knew no one was but that the guys would go in and search no matter what.

 

[Ghetto Gladiator]

Favorite"booby trap".......refrigerator leaning on a stick on a stairwell,  my all time fave. were condoms full of gasoline up in the ceilings.

 

[CFDMarshal]

I agree with all that have posted regarding the staggering run volume. That is an awful lot of off and on and up and down! We would get excited when we would reach 10 runs for the day. I can see why Willy D and others would drive into foreign territory to buff the jobs that were popping up all around. One thing that has not been discussed. The rigs!

There are two other threads that are discussing the quality (or lack there of) of the current Ladders and Engines. I would like to hear the opinion of some of the War Year Vets regarding the rigs they rode of that time. I do know 68jk09 has a great affection for the old ALF Tiller he had at L 108. It just seems to me that was an extra heavy run load on the old Macks and ALF's. How did they hold up? How long were they in service?

 

[nfd2004]

I agree with all that have posted regarding the staggering run volume. That is an awful lot of off and on and up and down! We would get excited when we would reach 10 runs for the day. I can see why Willy D and others would drive into foreign territory to buff the jobs that were popping up all around. One thing that has not been discussed. The rigs!

There are two other threads that are discussing the quality (or lack there of) of the current Ladders and Engines. I would like to hear the opinion of some of the War Year Vets regarding the rigs they rode of that time. I do know 68jk09 has a great affection for the old ALF Tiller he had at L 108. It just seems to me that was an extra heavy run load on the old Macks and ALF's. How did they hold up? How long were they in service?

  Elwood, I can't speak for the guys that used the rigs during those very busy years, but just from what I heard and saw, they just couldn't kill those Mack Cf Pumpers, and the Mack Tower Ladders. In fact, many cities refurbished some of these rigs after they did battle in NYC at the height of the War Years.

  I know Providence, R.I. took delievery of two heavely used Mack Tower Ladders from the FDNY. I think it was FDNYs TL 13 and TL 114. I remember seeing them right after Providence bought these. I thought, Wow, what a mistake they did. I was proven completely wrong on that. The shops at Providence did most of the rehab work and those rigs put in many years of additional fire duty as Providence TLs 1 and 2. Probadly the two busiest ladder companies in the city. And this was during a time when Providence was having their own set of War Years with some very heavy fire duty.

 

[1261Truckie]

When I started riding with 132 (1968) we had a 1959 Mack-Maxim 85ft Tiller rig. The thing was a workhorse. Good rig to work on and work with. The only complaint the men had was it had a short trailer and the tillerman took a bouncing in the seat. We got a 1956 ALF as a long term spare in late 1971/early 1972. That was a good rig. The tillermen got a well earned steady ride.

In July 1972 we got a Seagrave Rearmount. I always thought that it was a good truck. It rode well, the tormentors were positioned quickly and the aerial was fast to raise/rotate/extend. From what I understand it did not last a full 10 years in service. It was beat to hell by FDNY standards, but sold to a fire department in Chester, South Carolina (I think).

 

[nfd2004]

One of my favorite stories of the South Bronx was told to me by NYCFIRE site member "fdce54". As some of you may know Frank (fdce54) works for Con Ed. He worked in some of the worst areas of the Bronx during his earlier days. One day back then he came out of a building on Hunts Point Ave in the South Bronx. Outside were two anti-crime cops and as he walked up to his work truck one of the cops said to him; "you go in there by yourself"? Of course he said yes, thats my job.

  The cops then said to him, "we only go in there in pairs, and we carry guns". And they said even the firemen go in there with six guys.

  They then told Frank, you know what, "We are the Finest, the Firemen are the Bravest, and the Con Edison Workers are the F**king Craziest".

  I love that story Frank. Did I get it right !

 

[fdce54]

Yes Bill, you got it right though I think the real reason those anti crime cops came up to me was after seeing my pale face come out of that $hithouse, they thought I was a customer that had just made a purchase. Those bldgs were the attached 4 story bldgs on Hunts Point Ave oppostite Seneca Ave and Gilbert Pl, real $hithouses in the day. Nowadays I confine myself to the lush greens of Westchester County although last Friday night I got to spend some quality time on Palisade Ave in Yonkers down by the square near Yonkers fire headquaters. Got to hear the sirens of ems, fire and police vehicles. Brought back memories. In a few hours I'll see what tonight has in store for me.

 

[Bxboro]

Caught many a jobs in those buildings....you can burn them out but not burn them down !!