My younger Buff years

[nfd2004]

Hi

I am new to this site. Just started reading the first 8 pages and wanted to say Thanks.
This has brought back many memories of my day's as a Fire Buff at E92 in the Bronx.
I also had CD training so I could ride with E92. That all started around 1966. I then worked
as a Fire Alarm Dispatcher in the Bronx CO from 1969 to 1979. I saw my fear shear of fires
and worked many of them at the Bronx CO. NFD2004 in your post #3227 you mention about
a fire with 25 civilian injuries at 167st and Morris ave. I really think you are talking about a fire
that occurred at 165st and Morris ave where 25 civilians died. Some by jumping out windows most
because they couldn't get out. This occurred in a club (call it a Night Club). I remember this for
I was working the midnight shift at the Bronx CO and took the first call. It was ERS box and the person on the box was telling me the whole building was on fire and people were jumping out
windows. On the transmission of the alarm, think it was BOX 2523 we gave them a full assignment
got rescue 3 going and called the Division Chief on the phone. Radioed Batt 17 with the information.
Of course as soon as E92 left Qtrs they saw the Fire and radioed back to us either with signal 10 30
or 10 75. This want to a Second Alarm. This one fire kept us busy all shift many notifications had to be made as well as taking many phone calls ref this fire.  Just one of many fires I worked from the Bronx CO. By the Way my Dispatcher # was 182.

  "Maxima2012", you might be right. Maybe it was 25 civilians that died. I rode with Engine 92 shortly after that fire. The guys pulled the rig over on the way back from a run and showed me where people were jumping onto a metal canopy which had numerous dents in it from the jumpers. Just a guess, it goes back to some time around 1978/79. Engine 92 did not have the six man enclosed cab at the time. I was in the jump seat and the member standing next to me was the one that told me about the jumpers.

  Around that time the work was starting to quickly pick up from the very burned out area of Engine 82 and was moving west to the other side of Webster Ave around 92.

  "Maxima2012", for what it's worth, I also think I remember hearing "182" as another one of my favorite dispatchers. 

 

[68jk09]

The Social Club Fire on Morris Av w/25 DOAs was 38 years ago yesterday in '76.

 

[nfd2004]

The Social Club Fire on Morris Av w/25 DOAs was 38 years ago yesterday in '76.

  Thank you Chief. Yes, that must be the one I was referring to. The same one that "Maxima.." was referring to also.

  Going back, besides this fire, and Happyland on Southern/East Tremont, wasn't there another Social Club fire that also had several fatalities. They then organized some kind of Social Club enforcement team. Maybe a few years after the Morris Ave fire. I want to say it was somewhere around Jerome Ave near the old 75/33 quarters. I believe WNYF had a story on it.

 

[68jk09]

Yes that was the "EL HOYO" (loosely translated as "the cave" or "the hole" it was in a store basement) Social Club Fire in 1988  w/ 6 DOAs....i think 46/27 might have been 1st Due it occuured on a Sunday morning w/patrons still inside from Sat night.

 

[nfd2004]

Yes that was the "EL HOYO" (loosely translated as "the cave" or "the hole" it was in a store basement) Social Club Fire in 1988  w/ 6 DOAs....i think 46/27 might have been 1st Due it occuured on a Sunday morning w/patrons still inside from Sat night.

  Thanks Chief. "El Hoyo" was the name of the club. That was it and that is when the city started the Social Club Task Force.

  To some of us, 1988 may not seem like too long ago. But there are guys on the job now, that weren't even born when this fire happened.

 

[Maxima2012]

Thanks 68jk09

Notable Fires in the New York City Area

NY Times - June 21, 2014


Oct. 24, 1976: Puerto Rican Social Club Fire

A blocked fire escape at the South Bronx club contributed to the deaths of 25 people when a fire in the early morning began in the building?s only staircase. Some of the 24 seriously injured jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames. Three men were convicted of arson case.

I was wondering if anyone knows how do get there hands on Audio from the War Years.
The ones that I found on this site and uTube don't have any audio with me at the Radio?

nfd2004 - Yes thanks form mentioning me as a favorite Disp.

I would just like to add and reflect on that time in my life. I was born and raised in the Bronx
living on Townsend Ave between 171 and 172sts. 19yrs and then moved to Yonkers. It was
a very exciting time to be a buff and also work at the Bronx CO. I sometime wonder how we
covered all those fires and going home after shift knowing you did not let any request for the FDNY
go uncovered. Now there were times when the normal response time was throne out the window
do to the limited number of resources at a given time but everything would get covered. Seeing the Bronx burning down really wasn't pleasant . But there wasn't much anyone could do. To this day I hold NYFD FireFighters in the highest regard. They are the best and the Bravest. Also I made many friends within the ranks of the NYFD. Just mention one firefighter from engine 92. His name was probationary firefighter Peter Ganci. Little did I know he would become the Chief of Dept and later gave his all at the world Trade Centers. Let me just say no fire was to big for him. I will never forget
the great time we had toghter. If there is one thing I am sorry for that I lost touch with him in the 1990's. 

 

[nfd2004]

"Max...", thank you for providing the date of that fatal fire on Morris Ave.

If it helps in any way, I remember a great dispatcher always ending his transmissions with: "One Eighty Two at ####" - and the time would be given. Am I right ?

  Also, that area around Townsend and 172 St was a pretty tough place. For a period of time, I would hang out around Mt Eden, Teller and Clay Aves, near the park. Pretty close to your neighborhood because it was so busy there at the time and pretty easy to get around using the Grand Concourse or Webster Ave for North/South, and 170 St, 161 St, Mt Eden, Tremont, Clairmont, for East/West. Long before a thing called a GPS.

  Besides the late Chief Ganci, Chief of Department, working at Engine 92, I believe the current Chief of Department, Chief Kilduff also worked at Engine 92 part of his career. Somebody had mentioned that to me at our recent Get Together, 2014.

  Getting back to the Social Club fires, The Bronx had some of the worst starting in 1976.

    1) The first in 1976 was this Social Club on Morris Ave in which 25 people died and 24 were hurt.
    2) The Happyland Social Club on Southern Blvd and East Tremont Ave. As I remember, 87 people died there in March, 1990
    3) As posted earlier here called "El Hoyo" in 1988 in which six people died.

  All were deliberately set fires with limited exits.
   

 

[Maxima2012]

Thanks nfd2004 you are correct. That is the way i always ended my radio transmisson's.

If I could only find audio tapes that had me on the radio - would be great !

Thanks

 

[mack]

Maxima - Any possibility here:  http://www.firegroundphotos.net/bronxco/index.html

 

[Maxima2012]

Mack Thanks

I went thru these and no there isn't any.

 

[nfd2004]

"mikeindabronx", our Most Valuable Player, has added Page 21 to his web site of Bronx/Harlem FDNY Fire Photos web site. What a story these pictures tell. This is how it was then.

  As Mike says; "This one's for you".

  www.fdnysbravest.com  (page 21 is his latest added to the collection).

 

[1261Truckie]

Mike,
Once again, great pictures thanks for posting them
Jim (aka 1261)

 

[69 METS]

"mikeindabronx" ... It's a real treat every-time you post another page of fire photos from the 70's and 80's. Great stuff, thank you!!!

 

[mikeindabronx]

Thanks guys

 

[nfd2004]

On the "Firehouse" thread site member "Memory Master" mentioned about the now defunct Howard Johnson's (Ho Jo's) in Queens is gone on Springfield and 97th.

In My Younger Buff Years, the closest place to get a hot coffee or grab a quick bite to eat was the Ho Jo's at Fordham Rd and Southern Blvd. it is now a Micky Ds and it's location was once one of the most famous FDNY Buff locations during those extremely busy War Years of the South Bronx. I would sometimes stop there for a breakfast on my way home after a wild night in the streets of the South Bronx.

 

[grumpy grizzly]

And how many Boston buffs remember the HoJo's near 43/20 house?

 

[nfd2004]

And how many Boston buffs remember the HoJo's near 43/20 house?

I remember it. The Ho Jo's on Mass Ave and Southampton St. Nicknamed "Whip City" for all the buffs (Sparks) cars in the parking lot with large antennas to monitor Boston's Primary Fire Channel of 33.74 MHz.

That goes back to the mid 70s and early 80s. It was right around the corner of E43/L20 and the Shops.

 

[811]

Didn't the sparks call it "the lot"?  (From what I remember in the 60s anyway it was a very central location to respond from)

 

[nfd2004]

Didn't the sparks call it "the lot"?  (From what I remember in the 60s anyway it was a very central location to respond from)

"811", Yes, guys would just say, "I'll meet you at the lot" and everybody knew where to go. It was picked because it was a good location to get onto the highways and to reach surrounding cities. Plus it was a place to use the restroom and buy chow. The crowd was good and Ho Jo's appreciated the business. I would guess to somebody just stopping by it was a little strange for them to see all these guys standing around holding portable scanners.

I know Providence, RI had the Burger King buff spot on Broad St and in Bridgeport, Ct a few if us hung out at a hamburger place on Boston Ave near Glenwood. I think Hartford had a Dunkin Donuts on Farmington Ave, but I'm sure "Patrickfd" would know more about that.

Basically, for the 70s and 80s there were lots of fires. Today there is much more code enforcement and it is much harder to get away with arson now. If you get caught now its not just written off as criminal mischief. You could serve prison time now.

 

[811]

In the 1970s some guys hung out at a Burger King near Bushwick & Conway.  Gave good access to Brownsville, East New York, Ocean Hill, Bed Stuy, Bushwick, and Williamsburg.