VINTAGE FDNY WAR YEAR LIDS

[JohnnyGage]

Rare helmet finials:

SERPENT










FOX



GREYHOUND




BEAVER




SEA HORSE




LION




TWO FINIALS IN ONE; FIREMAN AND BUGLE FINIAL...WITH FIREMAN WEARING EAGLE FINIAL!  (Note unusual frontpiece fron Niagra NY)

 

[JohnnyGage]

^^^^^^Thanks Willy, every helmet is a fireman's resume! One look tells a story....I posted the helmet image you mention above. I had to add Unk Jacks R3 lid. The Capt of  L 31 told him he needed another helmet when he transferred in. Notice on Jacks helmets rear brim is cut...he did that cutting a roof when his helmet fell off and he couldn't see due to heavy smoke while operating the partner saw.

 

[mack]

Babe Ruth - FDNY helmet:

   

 

[mack]

Quote from a Florida FDNY retiree site:

    ?If my helmet could talk, it would cough."

 

[CVILLE7111]

I recall a blurb (in WNYF?) regarding helmet being field tested by a truck in the Bronx.  Does anyone recall and/or have any info on that?  It was back during the War Years.

 

[68jk09]

i thought that was Willy D in the photo shown in reply # 108 above ?.....funny that this came up now as Monday i was with Willy in Bayside (yes he was having a burger) & on the wall was the original picture this clip was from showing Babe Ruth standing next to a Cop (or another player with a Cop's Hat & Jacket on) taken on the field in a Baseball Stadium.

 

[68jk09]

I recall a blurb (in WNYF?) regarding helmet being field tested by a truck in the Bronx.  Does anyone recall and/or have any info on that?  It was back during the War Years.

Yes those were the "Darth Vader" Helmets i know SQ*4 & LAD*19 had them to test .....during the early 1976 Atlantic Ave Supermarket Fire some of the Members of R*2 lost their Helmets in the Rescue of several FFs as well as the recovery of FF Charlie Sanchez LAD*131 RIP...the Job had collected these Helmets back from the Units testing them & gave one to each R*2 FF while they were having new Helmets made...the consensus was NG...they had no brim so hot water ran right down & worse the suspension had an opening all around (sort of like a football helmet) & this allowed heat to build up inside the Helmet....after the R*2 guys got new Helmets the Job did not even collect the "Darth Vaders" back..they were sitting on the gear rack when i got to R*2 in 1977 & remained laying around for quite awhile collecting dust .....FF Charlie Sanchez was the first FF from my proby class to become a LODD...he was a US Marine & Squad Leader in the proby class.

 

[mack]

i thought that was Willy D in the photo shown in reply # 108 above ?.....funny that this came up now as Monday i was with Willy in Bayside (yes he was having a burger) & on the wall was the original picture this clip was from showing Babe Ruth standing next to a Cop (or another player with a Cop's Hat & Jacket on) taken on the field in a Baseball Stadium.

Chief - Babe Ruth in fire gear was standing next to Lou Gehrig in a cop uniform - I believe it was at a NYPD-FDNY game at Yankee Stadium, about 1930.

   

And Babe does look like Willy D.

 

[68jk09]

This picture has been on the wall with other sports memorabilia ....i always thought it might be Yankee Stadium since the Babe had an ENG*68 Helemt on...i never realized it was Lou Gehrig next to him.

 

[mack]

I recall a blurb (in WNYF?) regarding helmet being field tested by a truck in the Bronx.  Does anyone recall and/or have any info on that?  It was back during the War Years.

Yes those were the "Darth Vader" Helmets i know LAD*19 had them as well as some other Units...during the early 1976 Atlantic Ave Supermarket Fire some of the Members of R*2 lost their Helmets in the Rescue of several FFs as well as the recovery of FF Charlie Sanchez LAD*131 RIP...the Job had collected these Helmets back from the Units testing them & gave one to each R*2 FF while they were having new Helmets made...the consensus was NG...they had no brim so hot water ran right down & worse the suspension had an opening all around (sort of like a football helmet) & this allowed heat to build up inside the Helmet....after the R*2 guys got new Helmets the Job did not even collect the "Darth Vaders" back..they were sitting on the gear rack when i got to R*2 in 1977 & remained laying around for quite awhile collecting dust .....FF Charlie Sanchez was the first FF from my proby class to become a LODD...he was a US Marine & Squad Leader in the proby class.

WNYF 1975 1st Issue:

   

 

[mack]

...during the early 1976 Atlantic Ave Supermarket Fire some of the Members of R*2 lost their Helmets in the Rescue of several FFs as well as the recovery of FF Charlie Sanchez LAD*131 RIP .....FF Charlie Sanchez was the first FF from my proby class to become a LODD...he was a US Marine & Squad Leader in the proby class.

    FF Charles Sanchez, Ladder 131, Brooklyn box 55-532, Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, floor collapse, trapped in basement, January 7, 1976

         

 

[JohnnyGage]

1966 Fahrenheit 451




1975 Ladder 19

 

[68jk09]

Yes those were the helmets...i never actually saw the NASA Masks designed to go with the Helmets but the masks whether good or not were not adopted (at least in the original form) .....the helmets alone were sent to R*2 after the supermarket incident but no new masks.

 

[CFDMarshal]

Cairns 660 or 770. One was called the Phoenix and one was the Philadelphia.

 

[nfd2004]

I recall a blurb (in WNYF?) regarding helmet being field tested by a truck in the Bronx.  Does anyone recall and/or have any info on that?  It was back during the War Years.

Yes those were the "Darth Vader" Helmets i know LAD*19 had them as well as some other Units...during the early 1976 Atlantic Ave Supermarket Fire some of the Members of R*2 lost their Helmets in the Rescue of several FFs as well as the recovery of FF Charlie Sanchez LAD*131 RIP...the Job had collected these Helmets back from the Units testing them & gave one to each R*2 FF while they were having new Helmets made...the consensus was NG...they had no brim so hot water ran right down & worse the suspension had an opening all around (sort of like a football helmet) & this allowed heat to build up inside the Helmet....after the R*2 guys got new Helmets the Job did not even collect the "Darth Vaders" back..they were sitting on the gear rack when i got to R*2 in 1977 & remained laying around for quite awhile collecting dust .....FF Charlie Sanchez was the first FF from my proby class to become a LODD...he was a US Marine & Squad Leader in the proby class.

WNYF 1975 1st Issue:

   

Cairns 660 or 770. One was called the Phoenix and one was the Philadelphia.

Yes Rev, aka CFDMarshall, that was the name of those helmets. As the name indicates, I think the Philadelphia FD used them for many years. Maybe one of the Philly guys can confirm that with us.

I can relate to those helmets too. The entire dept of about 60 members were given the Cairns 660 metros (I believe they were called) along with the MSA Air Packs (?) to go with them. After about one year of use, the members pushed to get rid of them. And bear in mind, we were no FDNY or Philadelphia.

Unlike the leather helmets there was no brim for water to run off. Or where a piece of truck tire tube could be used to hold a small light. These 660s required a special light and a plastic holder to be attached to the helmet. You can probably guess how well that piece of specially designed plastic held up on the fire ground.

Through the efforts of the local IAFF officials we were able to arrange a deal to replace those Metros (?) 660.

During the year of using those 660s, some members wore T-shirts with a picture of a "leather helmet" on it that said: "LEATHER FOREVER".

i thought that was Willy D in the photo shown in reply # 108 above ?.....funny that this came up now as Monday i was with Willy in Bayside (yes he was having a burger) & on the wall was the original picture this clip was from showing Babe Ruth standing next to a Cop (or another player with a Cop's Hat & Jacket on) taken on the field in a Baseball Stadium.

Yes, I caught up with Chief JK, aka "68jk09", the other day in Bayside on a return trip from lower Manhattan I had made. Chief JK had pointed that Babe Ruth photo out to me which was displayed on the wall.

 

[JohnnyGage]

San Francisco tested these clunkers...

 

[jbendick]

  That's the Babe wearing an Eng. 68 helmet. Eng. 68 and Lad, 49 are 1st due at the stadium.'     

 

[mack]

Babe Ruth - FDNY helmet:

   

Babe Ruth with Chicago fire helmet and turnout coat - old White Sox Comiskey Park - 1928:

   

 

[mack]

FDNY helmets worn backwards:

   

   


LA:

   

 

[JohnnyGage]

The brim would deflect heat when wearing your helmet backwards. Also a tillerman would wear his helmet backwards so that the brim protected his face from rain and snow... I don't think I saw anyone do that during my time otj, and I certainly did not. With the helmet formed and designed to fit the shape of your head, I imagine it would be very uncomfortable. I did see guys wear their lid incorrectly with the helmet tilted upward on the back of their head.

Then again maybe there are those who don't know the correct way of wearing a lid:




How 'bout a rare "derby" styled helmet for the dashing fireman, double brim...