Unless it's illegal in a few years because it's not electric.
SUPER PUMPER 1
- Thread starter Skyler Fire
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I caught jobs detailed, but also many in my assigned unit from March 1977 to Nov. 1984, Tower Ladder 18 on Manhattan's Lower East Side. TL-18 was quartered with Battalion 4 and Engine 17, at that time. We were in the top 20 busiest units in the FDNY for many years. As the firehouse was located right next to the Manhattan end of the Williamsburg Bridge we often were sent to Brooklyn on Multiple Alarms, or Relocated to Fill in for Brooklyn units engaged at fires. I was rare indeed if a major fire happened in Manhattan or Northern Brooklyn that at some point we would not be called to the fire. My 1st job in TL-18, just after being transferred from Ladder Co. 11, was to a 8th Alarm in a Hotel Under renovation in Brooklyn overlooking the East River. It was the coldest I have ever been, with the wind chill was -35o F. We spend hours up in the Tower Ladder basket, exposed to the cold and the strong wind coming off the East River, The Super Pumper was out of service for repairs I believe, at this fire, but the Super Pumper Tender and the 3 Satellites that existed at that time were used. The same year we had another very cold night at a 8th Alarm in a Vacant Warehouse compless, located at West. 30th Street, and 12th Ave. along the Hudson River. This fire continued to burn for 48 days due to the extreme cold weather, frozen layers of Ice from firefighting kept streams from reaching the fire in the center of the building. Even the Super Pumper System supplied by fireboats was unable to reach the raging fire deep within the buildings.
I was not working for the Gardner warehouse fire, but my unit TL-18 did respond on, I think he 5th Alarm or was "Special Called" when more Tower Ladders were called to the scene. There is a great video of one of the Satellites operating from the elevated "West Side Highway" hitting the fire from about 2 city blocks away. The Super Pumper and the Super Pumper Tender were too heavy to position on the elevated "West Side Highway" roadway. but both were used on the street level to attack the fire, and were supplied by Marine Units = Fireboats from the nearby Hudson River. Captain Bob "The Rainman: Rainey FDNY Engine 26 Retired
I was not working for the Gardner warehouse fire, but my unit TL-18 did respond on, I think he 5th Alarm or was "Special Called" when more Tower Ladders were called to the scene. There is a great video of one of the Satellites operating from the elevated "West Side Highway" hitting the fire from about 2 city blocks away. The Super Pumper and the Super Pumper Tender were too heavy to position on the elevated "West Side Highway" roadway. but both were used on the street level to attack the fire, and were supplied by Marine Units = Fireboats from the nearby Hudson River. Captain Bob "The Rainman: Rainey FDNY Engine 26 Retired
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The old Super Pumper System had maps on board to show the locations of large water mains. Special Hydrants were at times found on these mains, painted Red and they had 2 4 1/2" outlets, Instead of the 1 4 1/2" and One 2 1/2" outlet on standard Low Pressure Hydrants. Two of these special Red hydrants would be "Paired" in close proximity to each other to allow quicker use to supply the many intakes on the Super Pumper. A Captain and his driver were on duty to control the water supply for the Super Pumper and/or the Satellites. I sure sounds like they may be using this concept again. With the 5,000 GPM Pumps in the New Satellites already responding to fires, things look interesting.
Captain Bob "The Rainman" Rainey FDNY Engine 26 Retired.
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I have the hotel Margaret fire on DVD as well as the Gardner warehouse job !
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Here is the job in the Stanley soap works factory, it’s towards the end
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Correct me if I am wrong or if something changed. But the FDNY Satellite units, including the ugly newer ones did/do not have a fire pump on it. The new “super pumper” industrial fire apparatus that FDNY purchased with federal money two years ago does have a 5000 GPM pump
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My guess is that It will be assigned to certain boxes though out the city, like the 2 airports, Port Mobil, and Brooklyn Union Gas. Anything else, it will be special called to a large-scale fire. So, I would say that the rig will have a long service life for the FDNY.
Correct.
Satellites have no pumps at all.
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Along Columbus Ave. in Manhattan Ihave seen a few "pairs" indicated as on 30 inch mains in the vicinity of 62nd st for a few blocks. I have also noticed cases where there is only one red hydrant and in other cases two or three hydrants painted black and silver. Unless I am mistaken, however, the out;lets appear to be the standard 1 4 1/2 and 1 2 1/2 inch outlets.
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Haven’t heard anything on that only that if they want to use it they have to get a hydrant on 2 different mains. To get max pressure for the super pumper have to use 343 or FF2
Bulldog
Bulldog
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Yes but that was because of issues with the construction of the unit. This unit is taking a while to get in service because of training, SOPs etc.
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You guys also had the “infinity Disco fire” on Valentine’s Day.
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INFINITY DISCO.
I was driving R*2 that night of the 1979 Fire at 653 Broadway.....it was referred to as "The Infinity Disco Fire" ....it was an old large Loft Bldg with the Infinity on the ground fl on the Broadway side.....upstairs were both residences & commercial occupancies....we were in BKLYN when the Fire first came in....over the SOD monitor we heard a Unit of ESU Truck 1 reporting sighting 2 women trapped at a window facing the Bleecker St side...John Vig was the LT , he said head for the Bridge....ESU kept reporting the women....when we got to the Bridge John called Manh & told the Dispatcher that the Women were still being reported trapped & that we were at the Bridge ....Manh assigned us....when we got there the Women were still in a window about the fourth fl about halfway back in the bldg on the Bleecker St side which was exposure 2....they were not in a position to be reached directly by an Aerial.....Vig reported to DC Radtke DV*1 & told him about the Women....Vig told Jon T. RIP & myself to take the Roof Rope to the Roof....we soon realized the problem was that they were shuffling Rigs in the street to set up TLs & no Aerials remained to the Roof at this time so we attempted to go thru an interior stair.....as we passed thru the Disco it was surreal....there were large neon phallic symbols still lit on the walls & a large amount of burning ashes falling down in an enclosed shaft....there was only a light haze in the Disco....as we searched for a way up we heard a report on the HT that LAD*5 had gotten to the Women by going up a Ladder from the Mercer St (exp 3) side & made there way thru the bldg to the Women & removed them back the same way.....in searching for a way to the Roof Jon & I got a good sense of the depth of this bldg & that it extended to the next block....now we set out to find Vig & the rest of the Company.....I called Vig on the HT & he said they were on the Fourth fl & had come up the straight run stair from Broadway....we made our way up & found them operating a Line ...Jimmy L. was by the door & was trying to pull more line from the stairway....I asked him how far they were in & he said almost a Length...I said Jim the bldg goes to the next block ! .....about that time all units were ordered out of the bldg .....it looked like it was burning more when we took up than when we got there.
I was driving R*2 that night of the 1979 Fire at 653 Broadway.....it was referred to as "The Infinity Disco Fire" ....it was an old large Loft Bldg with the Infinity on the ground fl on the Broadway side.....upstairs were both residences & commercial occupancies....we were in BKLYN when the Fire first came in....over the SOD monitor we heard a Unit of ESU Truck 1 reporting sighting 2 women trapped at a window facing the Bleecker St side...John Vig was the LT , he said head for the Bridge....ESU kept reporting the women....when we got to the Bridge John called Manh & told the Dispatcher that the Women were still being reported trapped & that we were at the Bridge ....Manh assigned us....when we got there the Women were still in a window about the fourth fl about halfway back in the bldg on the Bleecker St side which was exposure 2....they were not in a position to be reached directly by an Aerial.....Vig reported to DC Radtke DV*1 & told him about the Women....Vig told Jon T. RIP & myself to take the Roof Rope to the Roof....we soon realized the problem was that they were shuffling Rigs in the street to set up TLs & no Aerials remained to the Roof at this time so we attempted to go thru an interior stair.....as we passed thru the Disco it was surreal....there were large neon phallic symbols still lit on the walls & a large amount of burning ashes falling down in an enclosed shaft....there was only a light haze in the Disco....as we searched for a way up we heard a report on the HT that LAD*5 had gotten to the Women by going up a Ladder from the Mercer St (exp 3) side & made there way thru the bldg to the Women & removed them back the same way.....in searching for a way to the Roof Jon & I got a good sense of the depth of this bldg & that it extended to the next block....now we set out to find Vig & the rest of the Company.....I called Vig on the HT & he said they were on the Fourth fl & had come up the straight run stair from Broadway....we made our way up & found them operating a Line ...Jimmy L. was by the door & was trying to pull more line from the stairway....I asked him how far they were in & he said almost a Length...I said Jim the bldg goes to the next block ! .....about that time all units were ordered out of the bldg .....it looked like it was burning more when we took up than when we got there.
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Thanks I had never seen this video before. The fact that the main fire building had been the Stanley Soap works was part of the fire problem once it got going all the years of fat residue and other components of the soap had impregnated into the floors of the building.. Back many years ago alot of slaughter houses and meat packing plant were located on the West Side of Manhattan. The name for the area in Manhattan on the west side generally from the W. 30 to w. 59th Street was and still sometimes called "Hell's Kitchen". The fires used to render the animal fat, illuminated the area almost like the fires of Hell and the area smelled like Hell. Young boys and young men in this area were very tough and known for "not being nice" so, from being from "Hell's Kitchen" became a image that was hard to shake off. Some of the most active units in Manhattan are in this "Hell's Kitchen" area. Battalion 9 near all the Broadway Theaters is the "Most active Battalion Chief in the FDNY in term of responses. I worked in Battalion 9 as a acting Battalion Chief a few times and it was not unusual to have 20 or 30 responses in one 15 hour night tour and often times some jobs = structural fires. Captain Bob Rainey "the Rainman" FDNY engine 26 retired.
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- Jul 20, 2022
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- Joined
- Jul 20, 2022
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The problem with the old Super Pumper was more of getting enough flow = G.P.M. from the hydrants, NOT pressure.
Using hydrant on 2 different water mains did not really help unless the hydrants were on Large water mains. The Super Pumper had A 2 Stage design. In the Parallel Position = Large Flow Position you had a capacity of 8,800 GPM @ up to 350 P.S.I.. In the Series Position= Pressure position. Your could pumper 4,400 GPM at up to 750 P.S.I. As I said when I filled in, in units of the Super Pumper System the Super Pumper Captain and the Satellite Captain carried water main charts and maps, which also showed the locations where a Marine Unit = Fireboat, could moor and had access to supply the Super Pumper system. I am sure this is and will be a consideration for the New Super Pumper. The officer on duty in the new Super Pumper is also the on duty officer in the Engine Co. that is quartered with the New Super Pumper. This is the same arrangement that existed when the Old Super Pumper and Tender was quartered with Engine Co. 207 in Downtown Brooklyn.
Captain Bob Rainey "The Rainman" F.D.N.Y. Engine Co. 26 retired
Using hydrant on 2 different water mains did not really help unless the hydrants were on Large water mains. The Super Pumper had A 2 Stage design. In the Parallel Position = Large Flow Position you had a capacity of 8,800 GPM @ up to 350 P.S.I.. In the Series Position= Pressure position. Your could pumper 4,400 GPM at up to 750 P.S.I. As I said when I filled in, in units of the Super Pumper System the Super Pumper Captain and the Satellite Captain carried water main charts and maps, which also showed the locations where a Marine Unit = Fireboat, could moor and had access to supply the Super Pumper system. I am sure this is and will be a consideration for the New Super Pumper. The officer on duty in the new Super Pumper is also the on duty officer in the Engine Co. that is quartered with the New Super Pumper. This is the same arrangement that existed when the Old Super Pumper and Tender was quartered with Engine Co. 207 in Downtown Brooklyn.
Captain Bob Rainey "The Rainman" F.D.N.Y. Engine Co. 26 retired
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- Dec 14, 2014
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im curious was the super pumper and tender cross staffed by 207?
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Yes the "old Super Pumper and Super Pumper tender was staffed by the members of Engine Co. 207, in Downtown Brooklyn, near the B'klyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge and near several major highways. The Satellites were and are staffed by the Engine Co. in which firehouse thay were/are quartered. Example Engine 9 in "China Town" has Satellite 1in Quarters and some additional manpower are assigned each Tour of Duty to staff both the Satellite and Engine 9. Also Ladder Co. 6 "The Dragon Wagon" one of only a few Tiller Aerial Ladders in the F.D.N.Y., is also in the same firehouse. Engine 9 has a new rig with, I have heard, a pump capacity of 2,000 GPM and the new Satellites have a pumping of 5,000 G.P.M. These New Satellites are the first normally assigned Satellites units that have any pumps, the old one were just "Hose Wagons: with Super Pumper 4.5"
latter 5" Hose. A Satellite almost always responds on any 2nd Alarm. Photos (Off Internet) Below of "New" 2021 Satellite (On Left), and "Old" Satellite (on Right) NOTE Hose Manifold on the Street In Front of the Rig.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 Retired
latter 5" Hose. A Satellite almost always responds on any 2nd Alarm. Photos (Off Internet) Below of "New" 2021 Satellite (On Left), and "Old" Satellite (on Right) NOTE Hose Manifold on the Street In Front of the Rig.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 Retired