News of Members
- Thread starter nfd2004
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Elwood, Best wishes to you and the Mrs.
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A toast to the newly weds!
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Congratulations, Elwood. All my best to you and your wife. Many blessings to you both.
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- Feb 27, 2010
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Thank you so much for the well wishes ! I am not too sure the young lady knows what she is getting herself into! She does however support my love of the fire service.
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IRISH said:Many Many Congrats Rev. Great News. Im told Ireland is a great place to honeymoon
You are correct my Irish friend but this one will be in Sweden and the Baltic states! Probably next year for your homeland!
Recently, a few of the members made a trip to Boston and Providence to visit a couple of guys on the job up there, as well as check out a couple of fire dept interest.
Taking part in this two and a half day trip - listed in order of SENIORITY (Senior man first):
"NFD2004", aka Willy D
"mack", aka Joe M.
"fdce54", Frank D.
"CFDMarshall", aka Elwood E.
We all had a GREAT TIME, and those guys - "TREATED US GREAT".
Starting with Boston.
Boston has many of the same types of buildings you would see in NYC. Those firefighters in Boston face the same kind of conditions that members of the FDNY face.
We stopped at two firehouses that had an engine and a truck. In one case, the truck was returning back from a fifth alarm relocation in another part of the city. It was a fire involving four three story fames called "three deckers". Boston has many streets with these types of buildings closely packed together. There are also brownstones, high rises, subways, shipping docks, warehouses, even subways.
We were also able to stop into their Fire Alarm Dispatch Office where we could see the operation. The Chief in Charge spent a long time talking to us. He was EXCELLENT and one of the things that he mentioned was how Boston still has all the street corner pull boxes. They were the first in the country to design such a system and today, Boston's street corner pull boxes are very well maintained, with NO PLANS to get rid of them. He presented some EXCELLENT facts to explain why these boxes are still an important part of the city's fire and emergency system notification. Another supervising dispatcher explained to us how the City of Boston is part of a 36 city mutual aid system as well.
We saw the Fire boats of Boston assigned to provide fire protection to Boston Harbor. Those boats are very similar to the kind that the FDNY uses as well. They assisted a disabled boat as we watched. Just prior to that they had been assigned to respond to a person in the water. That proved to be a fatality. After that we could see the smoke from a fire in nearby Chelsea from a three decker. I think that went to a third alarm.
We spent the two evenings at the Boston Sparks Association. They provide rehab services to firefighters/police officers throughout the City of Boston and the other mutual aid cities. On the first night they had responded to a three decker in the Dorchester area of the city. The next day they had also responded to that third alarm in Chelsea.
An interesting note is that on the first visit, we had learned that the President of the Boston Sparks Association is a frequent visitor to this site. He had become familiar with our names by reading a few stories on here. Not only that, he had rode Rescue 2 several years ago when Chief JK, aka "68jk09", who was assigned there at the time. His name is Paul Boudreau. We were also invited to join them for a dinner where we were joined by group of about two dozen members. They do a wonderful job and it is a very well run organization. We were very grateful for EVERYTHING they did for us. The entire operation is run solely on donations.
We all had a great time in Boston and everybody treated us great there.
Our trip to Providence followed the next day, where a Providence Firefighter gave us a great tour of the city and explained the fire department operations. That story will be posted soon.
Taking part in this two and a half day trip - listed in order of SENIORITY (Senior man first):
"NFD2004", aka Willy D
"mack", aka Joe M.
"fdce54", Frank D.
"CFDMarshall", aka Elwood E.
We all had a GREAT TIME, and those guys - "TREATED US GREAT".
Starting with Boston.
Boston has many of the same types of buildings you would see in NYC. Those firefighters in Boston face the same kind of conditions that members of the FDNY face.
We stopped at two firehouses that had an engine and a truck. In one case, the truck was returning back from a fifth alarm relocation in another part of the city. It was a fire involving four three story fames called "three deckers". Boston has many streets with these types of buildings closely packed together. There are also brownstones, high rises, subways, shipping docks, warehouses, even subways.
We were also able to stop into their Fire Alarm Dispatch Office where we could see the operation. The Chief in Charge spent a long time talking to us. He was EXCELLENT and one of the things that he mentioned was how Boston still has all the street corner pull boxes. They were the first in the country to design such a system and today, Boston's street corner pull boxes are very well maintained, with NO PLANS to get rid of them. He presented some EXCELLENT facts to explain why these boxes are still an important part of the city's fire and emergency system notification. Another supervising dispatcher explained to us how the City of Boston is part of a 36 city mutual aid system as well.
We saw the Fire boats of Boston assigned to provide fire protection to Boston Harbor. Those boats are very similar to the kind that the FDNY uses as well. They assisted a disabled boat as we watched. Just prior to that they had been assigned to respond to a person in the water. That proved to be a fatality. After that we could see the smoke from a fire in nearby Chelsea from a three decker. I think that went to a third alarm.
We spent the two evenings at the Boston Sparks Association. They provide rehab services to firefighters/police officers throughout the City of Boston and the other mutual aid cities. On the first night they had responded to a three decker in the Dorchester area of the city. The next day they had also responded to that third alarm in Chelsea.
An interesting note is that on the first visit, we had learned that the President of the Boston Sparks Association is a frequent visitor to this site. He had become familiar with our names by reading a few stories on here. Not only that, he had rode Rescue 2 several years ago when Chief JK, aka "68jk09", who was assigned there at the time. His name is Paul Boudreau. We were also invited to join them for a dinner where we were joined by group of about two dozen members. They do a wonderful job and it is a very well run organization. We were very grateful for EVERYTHING they did for us. The entire operation is run solely on donations.
We all had a great time in Boston and everybody treated us great there.
Our trip to Providence followed the next day, where a Providence Firefighter gave us a great tour of the city and explained the fire department operations. That story will be posted soon.
- Joined
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WOW, would love to have joined you guys on the Boston trip. Heading back to Plymouth on Wednesday.
Willy D are you organizing any other trips in the next few months? KFD
Willy D are you organizing any other trips in the next few months? KFD
fdce54 said:Some photos with our tour guides.
Thanks Frank (fdce54) for posting those pictures. Missing in these photos of course is Frank D, our photo unit photographer.
Our tour guides, starting from the top photo:
Top photo - Chief of Boston Fire Communications, wearing grey shirt
Middle photo - President of Boston Sparks Asso. Paul Boudreau, far right
Bottom photo - Providence Firefighter Dan R., of Providence Special Hazards 1 (Rescue Co)
In addition - we were given an excellent tour of Boston FDs Marine Co 1 by the on duty Lt. We spent time talking with the members of Bostons Eng 33/Lad 15, Eng 8/Lad 1, along with Providence Fire Hqs Eng 3/Lad 1, Special Hazards 1, Division 1, (Rescue Ambulance 4 was out on a run during that time).
Special thanks goes to site member Joe M., (mack) for making the arrangements for our Boston visit. And Special thanks goes to Providence Firefighter Dan R for our Providence visit.
Thank you very much to these individuals for the GREAT JOB they did.
After some heavy traffic delays leaving Boston, due to College graduations, we arrived at Providence Fire Headquarters where we met up with Providence FF Dan R. He had just finished working 48 hours straight at 8 am that morning. He was scheduled to work a detail that night as well, from 9 pm - 2 am, then go back to work at the firehouse again for another 48 hours. This is all due to the situation going on as reported here in the thread "Providence in Chaos".
I have no idea how those guys are doing it. A new probie class is about to begin on June 5th with 80 guys. It takes several weeks of training before they can join the ranks of these firefighters. So it will be ANOTHER SUMMER of no relief for those Providence FFs. Still - even after that, they will be short at least 30 guys out of a 400 member dept. Dan had also caught a third alarm involving two 3 1/2 story frames, plus another all hands (called Code Red) the day before. It is certainly taking it's toll.
As we toured Fire Hqs, Engine 3 got a run. They normally do about 5,000 runs per year, but most believe they will reach 6,000 runs this year with the closing of two other engine cos (Engs 4 and 5). Providence Fire Hqs is generally one of the top ten fire stations for total number of runs in the nation.
Ladder 1 is usually a Tower unit, but they were using a reserve rear mount ladder truck. Rescue 4 is a newer rescue ambulance but that was out on a run at the time. Special Hazards 1, the rig Dan is assigned to, is a large rescue truck very similar to that of the FDNY. They also have a small trailer in that firehouse which the guys built shelves and outfitted for hazardous materials responses. As well as a enclosed pick up truck similar to some of the FDNY Battalion and EMS supervisor units. The on duty Deputy Chief is there as well.
We learned that a few firehouses have smaller boats on trailers towed by a engine co near some of the lakes or ponds. I believe there is also a larger boat that is kept near the dock area and manned by a near by engine or truck co. They also have an air supply unit. I believe it is manned during the day and manned by an engine co at night and weekends.
We saw where the third alarm fire was and how that fire had spread to the exposure as well. I was very surprised to see an entire area of wood frame buildings that was recently all rehabbed, now completely vacant, with boarded windows again.
We visited the Providence Fire Alarm office which is housed in the Public Safety Building along with the city's police dispatching services. On the fire side there is One Firefighter with two civilian dispatchers who dispatch all the calls for the Providence FD. I think the total number of calls is usually about 40,000 for the year.
We enjoyed a great dinner at a restaurant in the famous Italian area of Providence called "Federal Hill" (Atwells Ave). As we ate, we saw the rigs of nearby Engine 14 and Ladder 6 ride by, along with a few of those Rescue Ambulances manned by the members of the dept.
The meal was GREAT and when we got the bill, everybody was shocked. Apparently, the waitress ONLY charged us for one desert. It was $8.61 (?). What I didn't tell these guys was that the waitress and I had worked out a deal. "If I gave her my (Willy) phone number she would only charge us for one desert and not the rest of all the meals". Sure enough, when they got the bill, that is what was - $8.61. "AM I RIGHT GUYS" ?
I think our waitress name was Chris. What a Great Ending to a GREAT TRIP.
nfd2004 said:
Some additional notes:
- In Boston, all firefighters wore red uniform shirts to demonstrate support for our troops. This is a BFD tradition strongly supported by BFD and Local 718. Everyone wears red on Fridays.
- BFD companies visited: E33/L15 Back Bay; E3 (at Boylston Street) busy firehouse; E8/L1 North End good firehouse; Marine Unit North End good unit. L15 had medical run (BFD rotates Engines and Trucks monthly on medical runs to share workload and maintain EMT proficiency). E33 left for EMS training at BFD HQ during visit. Marine Unit fireboat had "civilian in water" run in Charles River - recovery made by E33.
- Visited Hotel Vendome Fire Memorial, Back Bay, (http://www.celebrateboston.com/disasters/vendome-hotel-fire.htm) on Commonwealth Ave - collapse killed 9 BFD firefighters.
- Visited 298 Beacon Street, Back Bay, former fire building (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Boston_Brownstone_fire) - 2014 fire which claimed lives of two firefighters E33/L15.
- Visited BFD Marine Unit, Burroughs Wharf, North End, has three boats (http://www.capecodfd.com/PAGES%20Special/Fireboats_MA_Boston_1.htm) staffed 24/7.
- Visited Boston Fire Museum - 344 Congress Street ( http://www.bostonfiremuseum.com/index.html) Former quarters of BFD E38/E39/L18. Maintained by Boston Sparks Association. Free admission. Several old apparatus and firefighting items. Active location of Boston Sparks Association apparatus which responds to all working fires in Boston Metro area (http://www.massmetrofire.org/depts.html) for rehab and personal decon.
- Visited Boston Sparks Association - 344 Congress Street (http://bostonsparks.com/) - a terrific organization of volunteers. The Boston Sparks Association has operated the Boston Fire Museum since 1983. The museum is located in a former firehouse dating to 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The firehouse originally stood on land sold to the city by the Boston Wharf Company, specifically in order to provide protection to the wool warehouse district. Once home to Engine Companies 38 & 39, and later Engine 39 and Ladder 18, the firehouse at 344 Congress Street was designed by city architect Harrison H. Atwood, and operated until 1977. In its history as a station, seven firefighters died in the line of duty, including five who died fighting the Merrimac Street Fire on February 5, 1898. The museum, dedicated as the Arthur Fielder Fire Museum (in honor of the so-called "fire buff" whose collection makes up part of the exhibits) features antique fire apparatus, fire alarms, firefighting equipment, and historic photographs
- Visited Boston Fire Alarm - Fenway (http://www.bfdradio.net/) - Boston fire communications/dispatch center. Fire Alarm has historical artifacts. First fire alarm dispatch. Staffed by 7 dispatchers.
- Numerous working fires and multiples transmitted in Boston and Boston Metro area during visit. Hot weather.
- 3rd Alarm in Chelsea (https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/05/19/three-alarm-fire-chelsea-displaces-people/tXQVwtA9AoXHoBBsTw6TvK/story.html) (CFD http://www.massmetrofire.org/chelsea.html)
- Witnessed BFD working fire in Dorchester. Triple decker. OMD. 3rd Floor. Balcony/roof. "Striking box" equivalent to FDNY "All-Hands". 4 engines/2 ladders/tower ladder/rescue/1 RIT engine/1 RIT ladder/District Chief/RIT Chief. Boston Sparks Association responded - rehab/decon. L 17, first due truck, new E One 100 ft rearmount (https://www.boston.gov/news/city-dedicates-five-new-ladder-trucks-fire-department).
- BFD and Local 718 has major initiative to reduce occurrence of cancer for members. BFD purchasing a lot of new apparatus. BFD to construct new firehouses (http://www.dotnews.com/columns/2016/new-firehouse-meetinghouse-hill) and renovate several older firehouses.
- Visited Providence (http://providencefirefighters.org/) E3/L1/Special Hazards 1 (heavy rescue)/Div 1 (Washington St firehouse https://www.providenceri.com/fire/washington-street) Engine 3 EMS run during visit. Rescue 4 (medic unit) EMS run during visit. Busy firehouse.
- Visited PFD communications building. 4 dispatchers on duty.
- Several working fires in Providence during visit.
- Toured Providence with Dan (PFD member). Several burned out buildings. Tough neighborhoods with many boarded-up buildings. Many colleges. State capitol buildings. High rise downtown area. PFD has new class in fire school but does not have a PFD Fire Academy. Non-supportive mayor. Excellent fire department and great members with severe budget constraints.
All places and personnel we visited were professional, motivated, welcoming. BFD and PFD members were first-rate. Sparks Association members were highly dedicated and well-trained.