News of Members

Congratulations, Mike & Marie! Just 2 more years to the milestone 50th.  Kay & I will celebrate (hopefully) our 53d in Setember.
 
Congratulations Mike and Marie!  Every best wish for many more years in happiness, perfect health and all the good you can hope for.
 
In February, 2018, joining us was a member calling himself "8060rock". His name is Dan K., but his "user name" says it all.

Dan was born and raised in the Bronx. As a young child, he lived on Brook Ave and 144th St in the South Bronx. At age 7, he moved to a row frame building at Walton Ave and 176 St.

After getting married he moved up to Hull and 209th St in Woodlawn. Shortly after moving from that row frame, the entire row frame building burned down at Walton/176 St.

Yes, Dan's user name says it all. He was a FDNY firefighter in the very busy Engine Co 80. In January, 1990 he was promoted to Lt where he attended Lt's Officer Training at the FDNY Fire Academy, aka "the Rock", with John Bendick, (this site owner/administrator), who was also promoted to Lt at that time.

Dan was then assigned to Engine 60, aka "the Green Berets", in the Bronx from 1990 - 1996.

In 1996, he was promoted to the rank of Captain where he became the FIRST Captain to be in charge of the Fire Academy, following a position that had been held by a Battalion Chief.

These days, Dan is a Retired Member of the FDNY and is now living in Pearl River, NY, home to many members of the FDNY as well as NYPD.

We appreciate Dan K., "8060rock" being a member of this site and hope he continues to make his contributions for us to follow.

Dan, Best wishes on a Happy and Healthy, "well deserved" retirement.   
 
Dan has helped me out with different sections in Da bronx that might be hard to tell apart

Like Jerome Park Bedford Park Ect

I also have shared a lot of my personal info I've kept over the years about Da Bronx

Thanks you for sharing this info about Dan Willie
 
Bill, thanks for the kind words - I think it's always a little embarrassing to see something written about yourself - nothing special about about me that the vast majority of the FDNY members didn't do.

Just a quick correction, I was NOT the 1st captain to run Proby School - for years and years Acting BC Saccamano (88/38) was in charge (JohnnyG would know him, as would many many others).
Then for a couple of classes there was Capt. J. Hughes - than after my promotion I was sorta "sent" to Proby School by Comm Von Essen (long story) - in the beginning not too happy about being sent to the Rock, in the end I loved that job and hope I made a difference for the probies that went through while I was in charge.

By the way, I had a great guy who ran the DIs while I was there - he's going through some tough times right now - wish him all the best - Joe Higgins (L111 ret.), ex-marine, great firefighter, even better guy!

 
Thoughts & Prayers for 111 Truckie Joe Higgins. GB.

Now "Rock', we've got Plenty of Time & Space if you ever care to Share the Circumstances of
Your 'Assignment' to The Rock.  All The Best, Brother !  ;)
 
Dan, I'm sure the guys here will do what is necessary to help Joe Higgins.

I'm glad that you corrected the wrong information I had posted about you going to the Rock.

You mentioned about B/C Saccamono. I too met him while I was roaming around the Rock several years ago. He got talking with me and then invited me into his office. I had told him how I was interested in watching the training going on and that by watching, "I was learning too". He gave me a Probie Manual. For me it was better than something Santa Clause could have given me. There were things in there that I learned that I never knew before. I sure was thankful to him.

Dan, you're right about the vast majority of those FDNY guys. They should get a "pat on the back" too once in awhile for what they've done.

I'm also with "STAjo". "We've got plenty of time and space if you care to share your assignments". We all certainly enjoy those Glory Days stories that Johnny Gage has told us about. And a few other guys added to it as well.

Now, in an unrelated story but worth mentioning here in "News of Members". We may be welcoming back another famous contributor to this site. Hopefully within the next or so. Maybe Saturday or Sunday. No promises but I have very good reason to believe so. So stay tuned. 
 
Hello troops!...Gonna jump in here for a sec; the cool throwback photo of 1972, no me, tad bit too early...I was most likely buffing in the front seat of L 31's tiller with Unk Jack when that photo was taken... As for Capt. Saccomanno I see him often, he lives nearby and I run into him at my monthly retiree meetings and local Double D. Great guy, he and another retired Lieutenant, Pat Larkin are in my retiree group, and I like to give them the business when I see them...they both tell me they tried to have me 'fired' many times over, they still have that spunk.

I worked with Joe when he was with TL 111, great guy as was the other Higgin Brothers. Prayers for Joe.

Thanks for mentioning Glory Days, coming up on first year anniversary! Be well everyone, crazy times! 
JohnnyGage
 
^^^^^ as to Joe Higgins
The Higgins family - truly a band of brothers - Father, Ed (Capt. E227 RIP), Brothers, Mike (L108 ret.), Tim (S252 RIP 9/11), Joe (L111 ret.), Bob (ret. as Capt. I believe), Matt (NYPD ret) -
A quote from Joe - ?We felt a little special. It was like ?Want something done? Call the Higgins brothers,? ?

 
JOE HIGGINS was a FF in ENG*217 then LAD*111 & a Drill Instructor in proby School at the Rock........Joe came from a Tough FF Family ....here is a copy  my post from December 2018 concerning his Dads Obituary....note the part about them all working together at times...........Ed Higgins was THE MAN.... He came OTJ in 1957 & RET in 1989 after 32 yrs in some of the Busiest ENGs during his time.....He ran King Of the Hill like a well oiled Firefighting machine.... He knew how to work hard & play hard. ... A great role model as an Officer....He started in Harlem in ENG*91 then went to Brownsville in ENG*283 then in 1968 was Promoted to LT & was assigned to ENG*227 on Ralph Ave (originally with LAD*123) & after being Promoted to CPT he stayed in 227 for a total of 21 yrs there....In the 1980s when groups 4 to 9 were working four of Ed's five Sons would all be working in Bklyn on the same tours as him....Bob 290...Joe 217 & later 111...Mike 108...Tim RIP 132....A great aggressive well respected Firefighting Family ...REST IN PEACE BROTHER ....THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BOTH MILITARY (USN) & FDNY...PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES...also Continued Rest In Peace to Tim ..FF 132 & R*2...LT SQ*252 on 9-11.
 
I think this might be of particular interest to "Johnny Gage", aka Dan Potter. Perhaps other members here as well.

With this COVID19 thing going on, many of us are staying home these days as directed by our political officials and those involved.

Like so many of us, Frank Donohue, aka "fdce54", finds himself these days either getting the latest on the FDNY etc on this site, or sitting in his favorite living room chair with his cup of hot cocoa, watching TV.

Frank has found that his FAVORITE TV Series is playing. What is that FAVORITE of his ? Maybe you guessed it. But if not, it's the TV Series; "EMERGENCY" featuring "Johnny Gage" himself.

Frank has found that he once again feels the excitement as L.A. County Fire Dept Squad 51 responds to it's emergency incidents. But without a doubt, he patiently waits for "the Big One" to see Engine 51, with commander Captain Stanley responding too.

But wait there's more. He also says that following TVs Emergency Show is another one of his favorites; "Adam 12". There he closely listens to the broadcast: "One Adam 12, One Adam 12, see the man........", as they too respond to their many incidents.

We of course are glad to hear that Frank is not only staying home as he should, but also watching not One, BUT Two of his FAVORITE TV Series. All in the comfort of his favorite lounge chair.

Frank says: "He owes it all to Mr Gage for sparking his interest in his favorite show again". So Johnny, Frank asked me to pass this on to you.
 
nfd2004 said:
I think this might be of particular interest to "Johnny Gage", aka Dan Potter. Perhaps other members here as well.

With this COVID19 thing going on, many of us are staying home these days as directed by our political officials and those involved.

Like so many of us, Frank Donohue, aka "fdce54", finds himself these days either getting the latest on the FDNY etc on this site, or sitting in his favorite living room chair with his cup of hot cocoa, watching TV.

Frank has found that his FAVORITE TV Series is playing. What is that FAVORITE of his ? Maybe you guessed it. But if not, it's the TV Series; "EMERGENCY" featuring "Johnny Gage" himself.

Frank has found that he once again feels the excitement as L.A. County Fire Dept Squad 51 responds to it's emergency incidents. But without a doubt, he patiently waits for "the Big One" to see Engine 51, with commander Captain Stanley responding too.

But wait there's more. He also says that following TVs Emergency Show is another one of his favorites; "Adam 12". There he closely listens to the broadcast: "One Adam 12, One Adam 12, see the man........", as they too respond to their many incidents.

We of course are glad to hear that Frank is not only staying home as he should, but also watching not One, BUT Two of his FAVORITE TV Series. All in the comfort of his favorite lounge chair.

Frank says: "He owes it all to Mr Gage for sparking his interest in his favorite show again". So Johnny, Frank asked me to pass this on to you.
Click to expand...
Now Uncle Willy, if you didn't cheap out and get the bargain bsmt cable package you could be watching these great old time shows too. But noooo, you went cheap so you miss out. Well I've got to go now. The one, the only "Adam 12" is about to start on "MeTv" at 5pm.
 
Some more TV suggestions while on lockdown .....  https://lerant.proboards.com/thread/19832/top-series-binge-watching
 
Just an update on replies # 1366...1367...1370...1371 concerning RET LAD*111 FF/Marine  Joe Higgins... aside from his previous medical issues he is not currently suffering any newer physical problems but he is however dealing with the loss of a Boxer that he trained & was close too...i am sure this affects him as much as physical pain...Keep This FDNY Warrior In your Prayers & Rest In Peace to Boxer Patrick Day....here is a short clip from a recent show on HBO (Real sports with Bryant Gumble : The Fighter ft. Patrick Day) detailing some of what happened.....  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NnDCkrX2Ks
 
As I like to do, I like to keep in touch with members of this site. Some I have never even met but I feel like I know them. Maybe some of you may feel the same way.

With this COVID-19, that seems to be even more important to me now. Particularly with our more senior members or those who must be out in the frontlines dealing with a serious situation that NONE of us have ever faced before.

One member that I did meet a few years ago is Retired FDNY Chief Bob M., aka *******. I only met him once and for a short period of time. I was wondering how he and his family members were doing during this period of time.

He told me that he is doing okay. He also said that his 4 kids and 8 grandkids are doing okay too.

His oldest son a Retired Nassau County Police Officer. Second oldest son an Inspector with the NYPD, His oldest daughter a doctor in a major hospital in Florida, and his other daughter working for the Pall Corp in NY State. A family that he can certainly be proud of. 

With this COVID-19 going on, he expressed his concern for his daughter being a doctor, now on the frontlines of this battle. We are "with you Chief". As well as our concerns for every one of our doctors, nurses, aids, and support staff within our hospitals. Our life savors who are now putting their lives on the lines for ALL of us.

Thank you Chief and to you and your family we wish you ALL the Best.
 
 
To all who know Joe Higgins, I was referring to the issue 68jk09 addressed, sorry about the confusion as to his issue being other than medical, thanks for clearing that up Jack.
 
This could be either a "firehouse story" or news of a member - I see *******(Chief M) mentioned by Willy D - for some reason it brought back a memory that I believe involves the Chief.

If you look at the 80/23 patch in the center is a wood burning stove, which was located in the cellar of the firehouse. It was the pride & joy of Heinz Hilmer, senior man in the house. He would be the main supplier of wood for the stove for many years.  Heinz would somehow find wood pallets throughout the winter months to keep the stove going for a good part of the 6x9 tours,. He would bring the pallets in from home (wherever he got them from is a mystery) and patiently cut them up with a hand saw until he had stockpiled enough wood to keep the stove going until his next scheduled tour. Heinz Hilmer was a soft spoken hulk of a man, hands/forearms like a bear, who never got angry - thank goodness! Around the stove was built a "sanctuary" and parts of many a winter's night were spent there by the men of 80/23.

At some point in the early/mid 80s we had a serious fire in the cellar of the firehouse. At that time Div.5 was also in quarters and the DC wasn't very happy when he woke up to "Chief we have a fire downstairs in the firehouse". It took 2 handlines to put out the fire, which involved numerous pieces of furniture, a number of large wood storage lockers and a lot of other flammable material that was gathered over the years. What also burned that night was the storage locker the men used for the empty "refreshment" cans. By the time the Manhattan Boro Commander arrived the fire was extinguished. The Chief went down the cellar stairs to get a look at the damage and floating in the water were many many empty "refreshment" cans - the Chief wasn't happy when he came back upstairs. As a matter of fact I don't recall him saying to the men "nice job guys"! We all thought that somebody/bodies were looking at charges, but none were forthcoming and I often thought it was because we had great Chiefs in the 5th Div., guys like Bill Alford, Matty Murtagh, Jim Kearney whom the Boro commander respected. I may be wrong, but if I remember correctly the Manhattan Boro Commander at the time was Chief*******
After I read a few of Chief*******'s posts I now think that maybe he remembered back to his days when he was the Captain of  E82 and his men had their own cellar "sanctuary" with refreshments (Jill Freedman story) and gave 80/23 a break. If it was you Chief******* please accept a very belated thank you.

As an aside - Heinz Hilmer, 80/23's senior man/woodsman, who retired after 35 yrs. OTJ, passed on a couple of years ago - when the family held a memorial mass for him in Queens, the church was standing room only with family, friends and former/current firefighters from 80/23. I've never seen more retired members at any other time. RIP Heinz.

The wood stove is gone now, but the stories have been passed on from generation to generation on 139 St.
 
8060Rock. Wasn't me.  I became Manhattan Boro Commander November 1989 when Matty Farrell retired. As a Lieutenant there were no 24's then, we worked the chart, two 9x6's  with 48 hrs off and then two 6x9's with 72 off. I worked with the same guys in 50/19 every set of tours. We worked well together, they knew what lines could be crossed and those that couldn't. Captain was different, the boys were all mine. I had 4 kids at home and 23 at work. Fortunately though 82/31 was a "senior man" house. I believe it was my first tour in 82 that a senior man in 31 came to me and said "any problems Cap see me first, o.k." Only once did I have a "problem." Fortunately the senior guy in 31 was working that tour and he looked at me and said "we'll take care of it Cap,"and they did. I'M being vague here but I guess you can understand the meaning of what I am writing.
 
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