New Members Brief

[SIM108]

I never got around to introducing myself when I joined. I have been a follower of FDNY since the early 1960s and fully engaged in the fire service for the same length of time. Over the years I have visited with FDNY on many occasions and made a lot of friends ... and lost several of those friends on 9-11. I had the opportunity to work with FDNY as a consultant for 6 months the year before that sad day. I still follow FDNY closely and try to stay current with everything that is going on.

My active time in the fire service is coming up on 54 years. I started in Montreal, spent some time in College Park, Maryland; then Phoenix, Arizona; Shreveport, Louisiana; then back to Prince George’s County Maryland; and finally back to Montreal, where I am hanging in as an Assistant Chief. One of these days I might have to consider retiring.

I appreciate the site as a good source of FDNY news, especially the rapid updates.

 

[memorymaster]

Nice to "meet" you and welcome aboard!

 

[OMalley]

Hey, everyone,

I am excited to have joined this site. I live in Queens and am working toward getting on the job. For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to be was a New York City firefighter. I am currently an EMT and was introduced to the site by a coworker. The depth and breadth of the knowledge here is incredible, and I want to keep learning all I can about the job.

Thanks,
OMalley

 

[raybrag]

Hey, everyone,

I am excited to have joined this site. I live in Queens and am working toward getting on the job. For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to be was a New York City firefighter. I am currently an EMT and was introduced to the site by a coworker. The depth and breadth of the knowledge here is incredible, and I want to keep learning all I can about the job.

Thanks,
OMalley

Nice to greet a fellow Italian, OMalley. P.S. I'm 3/4 Irish, 1/8 Swiss, 1/8 Alsatian. But check out the name! (the 1/8 is Italian Swiss).

 

[memorymaster]

Welcome and enjoy the ride.

 

[MagicMan17]

Hey, everyone,

I am excited to have joined this site. I live in Queens and am working toward getting on the job. For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to be was a New York City firefighter. I am currently an EMT and was introduced to the site by a coworker. The depth and breadth of the knowledge here is incredible, and I want to keep learning all I can about the job.

Thanks,
OMalley

Welcome, this sight provides a lot of great information and has a lot of very knowledgeable members. I have the same story as you - best of luck to all of us. Hopefully promotional soon lol.

 

[vbcapt]

Welcome everyone !

 

[johnd248]

Welcome Richard. I too was an auxiliary and rode with E 248 and B 41 from 1964 to 1973. Visit the company from time to time. Had lunch with the men in March, 2022.

 

[mack]

Welcome all new members. Enjoy our site.

 

[Captain784]

My name is Bob Rainey I am a retired FDNY Captain. When I retired I was the Company Commander of Engine 26 in Midtown Manhattan. I spend 30+ year on the job and was assigned to E-27, L-11 & TL-18 as a Fireman. As a Lieutenant is was assigned to Batt. 26 in the South Bronx and spent some covering time in L-19. I also spent some time teaching at the Fire Academy in the Special Projects Unit and "Proby School" Later I was assigned to TL-21 in Midtown Manhattan and had the honor of working in Rescue Co. 1 from time to time. When I made Captain in 1991 I covered in TL-35 & TL-7 in Manhattan and a few tours in Squad 1 in Brooklyn. In 1992 I was assigned at the Captain of Engine 26, one the the FDNYs High Pressure Pumpers, until I retired in 2000. I am also a 48 year member of the Chester N.Y. Volunteer Fire Department Trout Brook Engine & Hose Co. where I was a Captain and later Department Safety Officer 3

 

[mikeindabronx]

Welcome, "Captain784"

 

[memorymaster]

Nice to "meet" you Cap. Have a long and enjoyable stay here.

 

[Darrell]

Welcome to the site! There are many great friendships that have been born because of this site. Must reading includes Johnny Gage's "Gory Days" and Glory Days post, and the History post including the War Years. There is one character on this site, nfd2004, that insist pizza from Connecticut is the best!

Very late about the comment on pizza, I don't see a difference between NY and NJ Pizza (and I ain't comparing Dominos to a local NYC joint) I'm comparing 2 of my Local Joints to a NYC pizzeria). The only difference I see is one is very sloppy with toppings. (tip: It ain't NY)

 

[Atlas]

Very late about the comment on pizza, I don't see a difference between NY and NJ Pizza (and I ain't comparing Dominos to a local NYC joint) I'm comparing 2 of my Local Joints to a NYC pizzeria). The only difference I see is one is very sloppy with toppings. (tip: It ain't NY)

Sorry guys, the secret is the water that goes into NYC pizza. You can not match is any where. Sorry Willie!!!! Next time you are in Yonkers please try the pizza at Carlos on Central Ave. near YFD station # 11.

 

[Signal73]

I'll take New York Pizza over Wooster Street any day of the week and twice on weekends. This is coming from a New Haven area guy too lol

 

[1261Truckie]

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest for 20 years and miss New York pizza terribly. There is a place in Everett, WA owned by some Brooklyn guys who carry on the tradition.
There was a place in Houston, TX (in the Greenspoint Mall) that was owned by Brooklyn guys and had their ingredients "imported". Don't know if it's still there.
To paraphrase the Shakespeare line "....a good pizza, a good pizza, my kingdom for a good pizza..."

 

[JohnnyGage]

Anywhere I go I always hear about a local pizza joint and its always, Two guys from Brooklyn...reminds me of another doozy quote; "Don't look at me, its the way I found it when I got here"

 

[Captain784]

I am from Flatbush Brooklyn, so I know Pizza. I have had great Pizza in New York, and in Boston and also in Philadelphia.
So, I'm Thinkin perhaps good Pizza is an East Coast thing.
Johnny Gage watching Squad 51 in action was one of the things that made me want to become a firefighter for over 30 years.
Johnny thanks for the inspiration.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired.

 

[Darrell]

Theres 3 so called "Brooklyn" spots near me. Big Joe's who give out big a** slices, Brunos, who puts so much cheese I almost chocked to death. And Brooklyn, which is literally just a copy of Big Joe's and Brunos. and for anyone wondering if there's a little joe's, there is, its just a grocery store three blocks down from the big one

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

Hey guys,

I just went through about 50 new member requests from the past couple of months, about a third of which were spam. Looks like the spamming attacks are backing off for the time being. That said, if you were waiting for your membership to be approved, we apologize for the wait. We have to actually take the time to vet each entry to prevent a malware or spamming episode, which are a real pain in the ass. We appreciate your patience. If you happen to still be waiting, it might be because a required field was incomplete or inadequate. For example, if you just entered your first name or some obviously made up one, you may still be in limbo if you haven't received a rejection. In our continuing efforts to make this site an enjoyable one, we need to keep out the spam (and honestly, the occasional nut job).

So if you're one of the 30 or so new members- welcome! There aren't many of these type message boards around anymore and we're a pretty tight group so enjoy it!


Mike M
Truck4

Thanks for the update Mike. I just wanted to let you no that l learned from the best. regarding approval of new members, and that was from you. When l check a request for a person to join NYCFIREBUFFS , l take my time and read everything that's on the application request. It may take a few extra minutes but it's worth the future headaches.
THANKS MIKE. With much respect Doug
aka.. AuxWarYearsCapt