There were 5 salvage companies serving NYC. The "Salvage Crew" members were hired from the Model City program. "Mack" has contributed real insightful info, check out page 5 of this History section for interesting aspects of Fire Patrol and Salvage! Good stuff there...
I was detailed to drive Salvage 3 one night tour. S3 is located in E 48's old quarters on Webster Ave. I walked into quarters, saw a handful of fine young men. I met the officer, again very nice man. He told me my sole responsibility was to distribute the "hammer staple gun", one per man at an operation , and "make sure" you get "one hammer staple gun" per man back at the end of the operation. The staple guns are "locked" in a wooden box, on the floor of the apparatus, bolted down. "Aye, aye, Boss...got it". I mean, what else can I say...then he gives me a key to my room on the second floor. The room is the old 48 officers office and is padlocked closed from the outside with a hasp and lock! The Boss tells me, make sure you lock the door between runs. I'm saying to myself, what the ding dong hell is going on here?...anyway, I thank him and proceed to look over the GMC rig.
The group doesn't eat together, so I got a sandwich and ate it in my room with my own tv. Since the old firehouse was 48's, the computer signal has not been disconnected and it is interesting hearing it pulse indicating a run for 48. I can hear 48 responding about a block away.
Well, so far a quiet night. We get turned out sometime after midnight to a Manhattan job, somewhere near 103 street. And I locked the "room". The officer tells me, "no rush, we'll take our time responding"...got it. I forgot the route, but I'm just keeping with the traffic. The officer has the siren going like crazy, flipping through the different electronic tones, you would think it was the end of the world.... He turns to me and says "we can slow down a bit more"... "sure, fine with me". I literally took my foot off the acelerator as we coast from the Bronx to Manhattan, traffic passing me by... At the fire I gave out, and accounted for the return of four hammer staple guns. Wierd tour!....Anyway here are some salvage lids...
Old Salvage 4
Different salvage lids
