Rescue Company 3 1944-1945

[entropychaser]

I had the opportunity to review a company journal of Rescue 3 recorded in 1944-45. I believe at the time they were quartered with Ladder 17 on 143rd St. It looks like the Rescue responded to boxes in the 14th and 12th Battalions, 2-2 signals in Upper Manhattan and southern Bronx, 3-3 signals in the northern Bronx, and Signal 10 special calls (fires, inhalator, refrigerator leaks) everywhere. Preliminary signal 7-5 was not seen. Signal 7-5 was in use by the 1950's, but was a call for a full first alarm and not an indication of a working or all-hands fire.

Everybody in the company lived in the Bronx except the Matron Mary Charboneau (Appt 1/19/32) who lived at 427 W24th St,(a nickel subway ride away). The Captain, Henry Eberle, lived on McGraw Ave. Lieutenant John J. Kelly (7) lived on Perry Ave. and Lt, Thomas Phelan lived at 1155 Hoe Ave. Names familiar to me were Scarbeck, Vodvarka, and Schneible (covering Lt, E 60). Deputy Chief Halligan checked in every few days. Even Dr. Archer is seen once drilling the members on medical issues.

Sadly, Andy Milyko (Appt 5/1/37) is in the company journal. The late Jack Lerch told me he was buffing the job where Milyko collapsed and died while cutting the roof of a tenement on Southern Blvd. on July 1, 1953. Also, Packey Radican was a covering Lieutenant from Ladder 17. In 17 Truck he broke in a proby named Richard Hamilton.
Radican would die on 12/26/52 while supervising Hamilton at a top floor job on Lincoln Pl.

If you went only by the amount of ink used in the book, you would think FDNY was only a classic bureaucracy who sometimes went to a fire. The whereabouts of every member is recorded several times a day. Every gallon of gas and quart of oil put in the rig is carefully supervised and noted. The travel of every new or broken piece of equipment to and from the shop is there as well. You can find who brought the payroll and the amount of money for the Matron forwarded to the 14th Battalion. It was seen that every time a member was absent due to illness, It was the wife that called in sick.

What's missing are the things that make a firehouse a human activity: kitchen "activities", pranks, neighborhood characters, and maybe even a trip to the basement to sort things out.

 

[RSQAus]

I had the opportunity to review a company journal of Rescue 3 recorded in 1944-45. I believe at the time they were quartered with Ladder 17 on 143rd St. It looks like the Rescue responded to boxes in the 14th and 12th Battalions, 2-2 signals in Upper Manhattan and southern Bronx, 3-3 signals in the northern Bronx, and Signal 10 special calls (fires, inhalator, refrigerator leaks) everywhere. Preliminary signal 7-5 was not seen. Signal 7-5 was in use by the 1950's, but was a call for a full first alarm and not an indication of a working or all-hands fire.

Everybody in the company lived in the Bronx except the Matron Mary Charboneau (Appt 1/19/32) who lived at 427 W24th St,(a nickel subway ride away). The Captain, Henry Eberle, lived on McGraw Ave. Lieutenant John J. Kelly (7) lived on Perry Ave. and Lt, Thomas Phelan lived at 1155 Hoe Ave. Names familiar to me were Scarbeck, Vodvarka, and Schneible (covering Lt, E 60). Deputy Chief Halligan checked in every few days. Even Dr. Archer is seen once drilling the members on medical issues.

Sadly, Andy Milyko (Appt 5/1/37) is in the company journal. The late Jack Lerch told me he was buffing the job where Milyko collapsed and died while cutting the roof of a tenement on Southern Blvd. on July 1, 1953. Also, Packey Radican was a covering Lieutenant from Ladder 17. In 17 Truck he broke in a proby named Richard Hamilton.
Radican would die on 12/26/52 while supervising Hamilton at a top floor job on Lincoln Pl.

If you went only by the amount of ink used in the book, you would think FDNY was only a classic bureaucracy who sometimes went to a fire. The whereabouts of every member is recorded several times a day. Every gallon of gas and quart of oil put in the rig is carefully supervised and noted. The travel of every new or broken piece of equipment to and from the shop is there as well. You can find who brought the payroll and the amount of money for the Matron forwarded to the 14th Battalion. It was seen that every time a member was absent due to illness, It was the wife that called in sick.

What's missing are the things that make a firehouse a human activity: kitchen "activities", pranks, neighborhood characters, and maybe even a trip to the basement to sort things

You’re probably already aware, Richard Hamilton was the author of the book “20,000 Alarms”. In his book he describes some of the things that you mentioned.

As for close monitoring of fuel and station supplies, this also applied here in Australia as well.

 

[3511]

Lieutenant John J. Kelly #7 (I believe there were nine of them at one point) later worked in Rescue 5 on Staten Island (I believe he helped organize it), Captain of Ladder 5 down in the village, and Chief of Battalion 14 back in this firehouse. Worked all through the war years, retiring in 1969 with 35 years OJB. He was my uncle.

 

[entropychaser]

The 1944-45 winter was tough in the Northern Hemisphere. Ask those fighting the war in Europe. I knew a Dutch couple (a Shell Oil engineer) who spent that winter not only freezing, but starving- rats saved the day.

New York City suffered too. The first 35 days of 1945 had an average temperature of 17 degrees with no day above freezing. FDNY sustained eight line-of-duty deaths in January.
The following is a list of Rescue 3's runs for the ten days of January.

Date.....Signal.....Minutes OOS.....Incident

1/1 2149 8m fire E 138 St

1/2 10-2373-3 65m fire 973 Fox
1/2 2148 10m fire 483 E 137 St

1/3 2114 18m fire 27 Bruckner Blvd

1/4 1501 10m MFA
1/4 2148 15m fire 440 E 138 St

1/5 10-2340-3 115m fire 861 Forest
1/5 10-1435-3 105m elevator 523 W 121 St
1/5 1478 25m fire 51 E 125 St
1/5 2174 8m MFA
1/5 22-2597 53m fire 1150 Vyse Ave

1/6 10-1778-3 90m fire 570 W 193 St
1/6 2152 15m fire truck
1/6 2148 10m fire 229 Brown Pl
1/6 2209 15m fire 525 E 147 St

1/7 2194 10m fire 423 St Ann's
1/7 2192 32m fire 2578 Park Ave

1/8 Deputy Chief Halligan visited quarters

1/9 22-1455 44-1455 fire 2296 8 Ave 6 story warehouse 2 LODD's Engine 36
1/9 33-1262 ............... fire 204 E 100 St piano factory
1/9 55-1566 240m fire 2327 7 Ave 5 story MD
1/9 2501 10m MFA

1/10 1477 53m fire 42 W126 St
1/10 2501 10m MFA
1/10 2501 10m MFA
1/10 10-2323-3 30m fire 858 Cauldwell Ave
1/10 22-2754 75m fire1381 Jerome Ave

 

[Darrell]

The 1944-45 winter was tough in the Northern Hemisphere. Ask those fighting the war in Europe. I knew a Dutch couple (a Shell Oil engineer) who spent that winter not only freezing, but starving- rats saved the day.

New York City suffered too. The first 35 days of 1945 had an average temperature of 17 degrees with no day above freezing. FDNY sustained eight line-of-duty deaths in January.
The following is a list of Rescue 3's runs for the ten days of January.

Date.....Signal.....Minutes OOS.....Incident

1/1 2149 8m fire E 138 St

1/2 10-2373-3 65m fire 973 Fox
1/2 2148 10m fire 483 E 137 St

1/3 2114 18m fire 27 Bruckner Blvd

1/4 1501 10m MFA
1/4 2148 15m fire 440 E 138 St

1/5 10-2340-3 115m fire 861 Forest
1/5 10-1435-3 105m elevator 523 W 121 St
1/5 1478 25m fire 51 E 125 St
1/5 2174 8m MFA
1/5 22-2597 53m fire 1150 Vyse Ave

1/6 10-1778-3 90m fire 570 W 193 St
1/6 2152 15m fire truck
1/6 2148 10m fire 229 Brown Pl
1/6 2209 15m fire 525 E 147 St

1/7 2194 10m fire 423 St Ann's
1/7 2192 32m fire 2578 Park Ave

1/8 Deputy Chief Halligan visited quarters

1/9 22-1455 44-1455 fire 2296 8 Ave 6 story warehouse 2 LODD's Engine 36
1/9 33-1262 ............... fire 204 E 100 St piano factory
1/9 55-1566 240m fire 2327 7 Ave 5 story MD
1/9 2501 10m MFA

1/10 1477 53m fire 42 W126 St
1/10 2501 10m MFA
1/10 2501 10m MFA
1/10 10-2323-3 30m fire 858 Cauldwell Ave
1/10 22-2754 75m fire1381 Jerome Ave

5-5-5-5's for January, 1945.

Lieutenant Joseph E. Joyce, Engine 40, Jan 1st
FF Vincent A. Schmitt, Engine 292, Jan 6th
FF Nelson L. Tuite, Engine 36, Jan 9th
FF Elbert Hardman, Engine 36, Jan 9th
FF John J. Russell, Military Service, Jan 15th
FF Morris Graf, Engine 31, Jan 22nd
FF Frank J. Winklarek, Ladder 36, Jan 24th
Battalion Chief Anthony Jireck, Batt 32, Jan 27th

Continued Rest in Peace.

 

[68jk09]

^^^ VERY INTERESTING .......I think the Vodvarka mentioned in the R*3 Journal was the Father of the Tony Vodvarka who Passed To A Higher Level in 2020....

https://www.torbertfuneral.com/obituaries/Anton-Tony-Vodvarka?obId=19293608

 

[68jk09]

^^^^^

Anton "Tony" Vodvarka Obituary​

Tribute to a Firefighter
Anton (Tony) Vodvarka
October 25, 2020



In our culture we honor our heroes, we celebrate their lives and honor them even after they are no longer with us. It is therefore, with deep regret that we announce the death of Anton (Tony) Vodvarka Jr. on October 25th, 2020. He died peacefully, if unexpectedly, in his sleep. He was 81 years old. He was a retired Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department with 21 years on the job, and one of the bravest men of his generation, a superhero, our words, never his.
He was born in the Bronx, the only son of Anton and Mary (Hlavsa) just before WWII. He was a much loved child; his father was a New York City firefighter and his mother a homemaker. Tony’s beloved sister Kathleen was born when he was 11. He was her sibling but also a role model of superhero status and guiding light in her life. Tony was a child of “The City”. His favorite childhood stories were of being given a couple of nickels for the subway and a sandwich by his mother. He would then ride across the city from Parkchester in the Bronx into Manhattan to his favorite haunts, The Museum of Natural History and The New York City Library. He had his own hole in the fence into the Bronx Zoo. His first parachute jump was at Coney Island.
A graduate of James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Tony’s love of learning never flagged. At 19, he enlisted in the Army, “so I could travel” becoming a member of the 82nd Airborne and serving in Germany and then in the Army Reserves. He was honorably discharged in 1964 as a PFC (E3) having earned the Parachute Badge and the Expert Infantry Badge. Later in New York and working as a busy firefighter, Tony would earn his BA in History from Columbia and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
He took the entrance test for FDNY as soon as he returned to the US and scored No. 2, beginning a career during “the years the city was burning down”. His first house was Ladder 26 in Harlem. He went on to serve in Rescue 3, Rescue 1, and as a lieutenant with Engine 92, Ladder 82 and Ladder 101. He was awarded the Prentice Medal for Valor on November 22, 1969. One of his best friends said, “Tony made many friends, pissed off as many, but regardless could never be criticized for less than being one of the best in the job”. Another said, “Tony was one of the greatest. He always had his view and defended it with great vigor, we all loved Tony for that”.
Though he retired from the job in 1983, he always had his finger on the pulse of “Mother Fire Department” checking the Department Orders nearly every day. As September 11, 2001 changed everyone in the US, Tony was also changed. He grieved for his fallen brothers and wanted justice for them and all the victims of that tragedy. Studying it relentlessly, he wrote “An Appeal to Firefighters, Present and Past” which was published by Firefighters for 911 Truth in September 2009. Tony often quoted Gore Vidal, “I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I’m a conspiracy analyst.
Tony’s retirement plans always reflected his great love of travel and was still a work in progress. He also had a very strong sense of “home”; he treasured his roots and was very proud of his Czech ancestry. His grandfather, the first Anton, came to New York City in 1900. Fifteen years, five sons, and a daughter later, he and his wife Antonia left the city for a farm in Hartly, DE. It was a part of this farm that was gifted to Tony by his father and together they built his “Casita Papagena”. He always said that he built his house in the woods where he had camped in his tent when he was seven.
In his own words he met the love of his life and soulmate, Barbara, in 1980. Together they walked, hiked, trekked, ran, sailed, flew, and drove throughout a large part of the world. When someone would say, “Tony, you have traveled all over the world in your life!” his reply was always, “Not yet!” He named his 26 foot catamaran “Papagena” (ultimate joy) and his Daihatsu 4x4, “Leonore” (ultimate love and faithfulness). He and Barbara planted over 15, 000 trees to create a wildlife habitat around his beloved home.
Family, friends, and strangers didn’t visit when with Tony. There would be a feast (prepared by Barbara, often assisted by Kathy). Every meal always began with the toast “Nazdar” (Cheers!) whether at home in Hartly, on “Papagena”, a tent on Assateague Island, a guest house in Gorak Shep near Mt. Everest Base camp, a cabin in Ushuaia on the Beagle Cannel, a sandbar in the Suwannee River, their apartment in Buenos Aires, swinging at anchor near the Isle of Capri, a grass hut on a beach in Thailand or a goat roasting in Nepal. Beside his love of good food and drink, there was always music. Classical, especially Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak to blues, jazz, folk, and modern “until the 80’s when it just wasn’t my music anymore”, his record collection included vinyl 78s, 45s, and 33s and he would boast that he had “over 900 movies” filling the bookshelves that he had made himself. Boredom was not in his vocabulary as there was always Scrabble played at the genius level where he won quite often and would not allow any help from the “peanut gallery”.
Many will remember Tony for his profound sense of duty, honor, leadership and especially, his generosity. He was always the first to offer help in any situation he encountered. Seeing a disaster in the making after Hurricane Katrina in 2009, Tony packed up his pickup truck and with Barbara headed to Louisiana. They worked as volunteers in Jennings for 17 days as the town cared for over 3000 refugees from New Orleans. Barbara worked at a medical clinic along with many of the local medical professionals while Tony as her faithful assistant did all and every task at hand. Even when Hurricane Rita sent the refugees further north, they stayed. Tony was so impressed with the selflessness and kindness shown by the residents of Jennings as the entire town held out helping hands to strangers.
Tony’s very fullness of life has left a very deep void. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Barbara (Ripplinger), his devoted sister, Kathleen, and cousins in Hartly, New York, Connecticut and Chicago. As he did not want a funeral, a celebration of his life will be held in the future, COVID permitting.
One of Tony’s heroes, William Wallace said, “Every man dies, not every man really lives”
Tony Vodvarka knew how to live.
Donations may be sent to Meals On Wheels, Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forest Avenue, Dover, DE 19904 or to theraypfeiferfoundation.org to aid FDNY members hurt in 9-11.
Letters of condolence may be sent and guestbook signed at www.torbertfuneral.com

 

[1261Truckie]

Rest in Peace, Tony. May Perpetual Light shine on you and may your family, friends and those you worked with be comforted.