The first FDNY firehouse I walked into for a tour was 19 truck on March 30th,1960. Crazy but at that time myself and another 100 proby's did not have one minute of training. The training school on Welfare Island was in session with the previous class and we had to wait until they finished to begin our training. My Lt. told myself and my partner proby (2 were assigned to a 6th Div. house) to get gear off the rack, each carry a can and stay with him. He said that if reached out and could not touch us we were in trouble.19 had a spare wooden aerial for the tour. During the tour a kid walked into qtrs. and said a "cat was in a tree down the street". The Lt. said come on we will take the spare out and test it. We did and that was the only time in my 37 years that I took a cat out of a tree. Caught a few jobs in the 6 weeks there before school, nothing major. After school I was assigned to 74 engine in Manhattan for 4 years then transferred to 127 truck in Queens for 5 years. My first year in 74 we were 9th in workers with about 1200 runs and 700 or so workers. Hard to say when the war years actually began. I remember hearing that 26 truck did 350 runs one month around 1963 and I couldn't believe that a company could do that much running. A guess would be that the war started around 63 or 64, peaked probably around 76, burned itself out.
I was promoted to Lt. 8/69 out of 127. While 127 was fairly busy for Queens (South Jamaica section) there was no comparison for the busy companies in the actual war zones, S. Bx, Brownsville, Harlem etc. We would hear stories about 120 truck, 31 truck, 82 etc. But hearing and being there is/was a whole different ball game. On promotion 8/69 I was assigned to the 19th Battalion covering. Worked in what would become busy companies years later, 33 truck, 75 engine etc, but they were not busy at that time. Being in the Bx though every tour the circuits would be open due to jobs and all the boxes being transmitted would be heard throughout the boro, never stopped. One day tour I was assigned for the tour in 50 engine. I have to say though it was not an exceptional busy tour maybe 10 runs no real work I fell in love with the guys and the house, just the way they handled themselves. At this time there were only 2 Lts. assigned to 50 with no Captain. They were waiting for Charlie Rivera (later Fire Commissioner) to be promoted out of 76 engine to be given 50. I put in for the company and was assigned 1/7/70. I worked there until 4/73 when I made Captain. I have to say that these were the best years of my time in the FDNY. Just to rub shoulders with those men was an honor and a privilege. Some fires I remember well others not at all. A few. Came in one summer night for a 6x9. Was a busy day in the Bx. 50 was in qtrs. 19 was not. A 2nd alarm was going over by 82. At the first minutes of the tour we were sent to a box a few blocks from the 2nd by ourselves. On arrival we found a rubbish fire going good in an ally between 3 story row frames. We dropped 2 lines one to knock down the rubbish and the other into the exp. 4 side occupied frame that had fire on all 3 floors. We knocked the fire down couple of rooms on the1st and 2nd floors but when we got up to the 3rd we were short hose. Fire was in 2 rooms and the cockloft. I sent one of the guys down for a roll-up. As we were waiting a BC came up and ordered us out of the building. We left the line and came down into the street. We went across the street and sat on a stoop. No masks our eyes were bothering us beside other things. A 3rd had been transmitted for the box. A BC was coming down the street and when he saw us he asked "if we wanted to go to the hospital and have our eyes washed out?" I said sure so 5 of us went in the BC car to the hospital (Bx Leb). I found out later that when the chief returned to the car the aide told him that they were at the wrong 3rd they should have been at the 82 3rd. So they responded to the other 3rd. As we are at the hospital the frame we were in collapses. All that can be seen is the collapse on top of our line going into the frame. An Assistant Chief comes in and does a roll call. No 50. He is about to transmit a 4th with additional rescues, chaplains etc. for a company in a collapse when a ff from 19 tells him that "50 got in a chief's car and left." I'm at the hospital and a nurse asks me my name. I tell her and she says "you have a phone call." It is the Bx dispatcher and he says by order of A.C. Snyder I was to immediately return to the scene, a car was being sent for me. I think he wants to give me a well done for all the fire we knocked down, didn't know about the collapse. But it was not so. As he was chewing me out I told him that the BC had put it over the radio that he was removing ff's to the hospital, he hadn't. This stopped the A.C. and that was it. We were all granted "remainder of tour off" by the medical officer. Was a great tour, had a good fire and was back home by 2100 hours.
Another 6x9 around 0600 hours we go in 3rd due to a box. Fire is in an occupied 5 story tenement. Arson. Someone had thrown gasoline throughout a 1st floor apartment and on the stairs 5th floor down. The 1st engine 71 takes their line into the 1st floor apartment. 50-2 is ordered to stretch into the exposure to prevent extension. We are ordered to knock down the stairs. The apartments have dumbwaiters in the kitchens. Two apartments per floor. We knock down the stairs 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th and hit the kitchens where the fire in the dumbwaiter has spread to them. As we are making the hall on the 4th floor we find a badly burned dead body. It takes us a few seconds to "get around him." As we make the turn the stairs from the 5th floor to the roof collapses. We can't get by as the stairs are completely blocked with a ton or more of debris, close call. The body was a father who went back up the stairs to try and save his family, but they were already out. I always have thought that he saved us, another second or two and we would have been on the stairs.
I was promoted to Captain 4/73. During my years in 50 my wife would be after me to transfer to a slower house so that I wasn't always so tired after tours. I would put her off by saying that when I made Captain I would be assigned to a slow Division as department policy. On promotion I was assigned to the 15th Division, the second busiest division in the FDNY at the time. My first tour was in103 truck and we had 27 runs. I came home tired and my wife just said "you don't look any different." There was 6 of us promoted to Captain. One of the news guys was mad out of the 16th Division, probably the slowest Division in the job, east end of Queens. He stays in the 16th covering. I call up the transfer Lt. and ask him if I have ghetto next to my name. He says why and I say I go from the 6th to the 15th and another new Captain stays in the 16th? Like him I want to see my grandchildren grow up. He says O.K. send me your paper. I do and a few weeks later am transferred to the 13th Division in Queens. Am there a week when the Division Commander of the 6th, DC Kelsey, calls me and says that Captain Grey (Albergrey in Smith's book) is being promoted and do I want 82. I say sure and send in my paper. The Lt. in the transfer unit calls me and tells me I am a wise ass.
Assigned to 82 9/1/73. 50 was very busy, 82 even more so. 50 would run heavy until 0200 or 0300, 82 would never stop, go all night. But like 50/19 the guys in 82/31 were great. As above in 1960 74 did 1200 runs 700 workers, 9th busiest engine that year out of 212 engines. July of 1975 82 (the number) did 210 structural fires with 205 structural hours for the one month. And this was as 82 was slowing down. Busy box of course was 2743, Charlotte and 170. Good times and some not so. We had the strike 11/73, with ordered lifts, the lay-offs, some tough times.
There were thousands of FDNY guys doing heavy work during those years. I'll be 78 next August don't know how much longer I'll be here so I hope other brothers add to this thread as to their experiences during this FDNY period. Best of times, working with the greatest firefighters in the world and the worst of times seeing so many people lose their lives and homes, why was it allowed?
I was promoted to Lt. 8/69 out of 127. While 127 was fairly busy for Queens (South Jamaica section) there was no comparison for the busy companies in the actual war zones, S. Bx, Brownsville, Harlem etc. We would hear stories about 120 truck, 31 truck, 82 etc. But hearing and being there is/was a whole different ball game. On promotion 8/69 I was assigned to the 19th Battalion covering. Worked in what would become busy companies years later, 33 truck, 75 engine etc, but they were not busy at that time. Being in the Bx though every tour the circuits would be open due to jobs and all the boxes being transmitted would be heard throughout the boro, never stopped. One day tour I was assigned for the tour in 50 engine. I have to say though it was not an exceptional busy tour maybe 10 runs no real work I fell in love with the guys and the house, just the way they handled themselves. At this time there were only 2 Lts. assigned to 50 with no Captain. They were waiting for Charlie Rivera (later Fire Commissioner) to be promoted out of 76 engine to be given 50. I put in for the company and was assigned 1/7/70. I worked there until 4/73 when I made Captain. I have to say that these were the best years of my time in the FDNY. Just to rub shoulders with those men was an honor and a privilege. Some fires I remember well others not at all. A few. Came in one summer night for a 6x9. Was a busy day in the Bx. 50 was in qtrs. 19 was not. A 2nd alarm was going over by 82. At the first minutes of the tour we were sent to a box a few blocks from the 2nd by ourselves. On arrival we found a rubbish fire going good in an ally between 3 story row frames. We dropped 2 lines one to knock down the rubbish and the other into the exp. 4 side occupied frame that had fire on all 3 floors. We knocked the fire down couple of rooms on the1st and 2nd floors but when we got up to the 3rd we were short hose. Fire was in 2 rooms and the cockloft. I sent one of the guys down for a roll-up. As we were waiting a BC came up and ordered us out of the building. We left the line and came down into the street. We went across the street and sat on a stoop. No masks our eyes were bothering us beside other things. A 3rd had been transmitted for the box. A BC was coming down the street and when he saw us he asked "if we wanted to go to the hospital and have our eyes washed out?" I said sure so 5 of us went in the BC car to the hospital (Bx Leb). I found out later that when the chief returned to the car the aide told him that they were at the wrong 3rd they should have been at the 82 3rd. So they responded to the other 3rd. As we are at the hospital the frame we were in collapses. All that can be seen is the collapse on top of our line going into the frame. An Assistant Chief comes in and does a roll call. No 50. He is about to transmit a 4th with additional rescues, chaplains etc. for a company in a collapse when a ff from 19 tells him that "50 got in a chief's car and left." I'm at the hospital and a nurse asks me my name. I tell her and she says "you have a phone call." It is the Bx dispatcher and he says by order of A.C. Snyder I was to immediately return to the scene, a car was being sent for me. I think he wants to give me a well done for all the fire we knocked down, didn't know about the collapse. But it was not so. As he was chewing me out I told him that the BC had put it over the radio that he was removing ff's to the hospital, he hadn't. This stopped the A.C. and that was it. We were all granted "remainder of tour off" by the medical officer. Was a great tour, had a good fire and was back home by 2100 hours.
Another 6x9 around 0600 hours we go in 3rd due to a box. Fire is in an occupied 5 story tenement. Arson. Someone had thrown gasoline throughout a 1st floor apartment and on the stairs 5th floor down. The 1st engine 71 takes their line into the 1st floor apartment. 50-2 is ordered to stretch into the exposure to prevent extension. We are ordered to knock down the stairs. The apartments have dumbwaiters in the kitchens. Two apartments per floor. We knock down the stairs 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th and hit the kitchens where the fire in the dumbwaiter has spread to them. As we are making the hall on the 4th floor we find a badly burned dead body. It takes us a few seconds to "get around him." As we make the turn the stairs from the 5th floor to the roof collapses. We can't get by as the stairs are completely blocked with a ton or more of debris, close call. The body was a father who went back up the stairs to try and save his family, but they were already out. I always have thought that he saved us, another second or two and we would have been on the stairs.
I was promoted to Captain 4/73. During my years in 50 my wife would be after me to transfer to a slower house so that I wasn't always so tired after tours. I would put her off by saying that when I made Captain I would be assigned to a slow Division as department policy. On promotion I was assigned to the 15th Division, the second busiest division in the FDNY at the time. My first tour was in103 truck and we had 27 runs. I came home tired and my wife just said "you don't look any different." There was 6 of us promoted to Captain. One of the news guys was mad out of the 16th Division, probably the slowest Division in the job, east end of Queens. He stays in the 16th covering. I call up the transfer Lt. and ask him if I have ghetto next to my name. He says why and I say I go from the 6th to the 15th and another new Captain stays in the 16th? Like him I want to see my grandchildren grow up. He says O.K. send me your paper. I do and a few weeks later am transferred to the 13th Division in Queens. Am there a week when the Division Commander of the 6th, DC Kelsey, calls me and says that Captain Grey (Albergrey in Smith's book) is being promoted and do I want 82. I say sure and send in my paper. The Lt. in the transfer unit calls me and tells me I am a wise ass.
Assigned to 82 9/1/73. 50 was very busy, 82 even more so. 50 would run heavy until 0200 or 0300, 82 would never stop, go all night. But like 50/19 the guys in 82/31 were great. As above in 1960 74 did 1200 runs 700 workers, 9th busiest engine that year out of 212 engines. July of 1975 82 (the number) did 210 structural fires with 205 structural hours for the one month. And this was as 82 was slowing down. Busy box of course was 2743, Charlotte and 170. Good times and some not so. We had the strike 11/73, with ordered lifts, the lay-offs, some tough times.
There were thousands of FDNY guys doing heavy work during those years. I'll be 78 next August don't know how much longer I'll be here so I hope other brothers add to this thread as to their experiences during this FDNY period. Best of times, working with the greatest firefighters in the world and the worst of times seeing so many people lose their lives and homes, why was it allowed?
