VINTAGE FDNY WAR YEAR LIDS

JohnnyGage

JohnnyGage

Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
1,098
Hello Troops; I have expressed my thoughts about vintage war year fire helmets on e-bay, it moves me in a sad way... I have always felt your fire helmet was your resume, a business card, receipt of work well done. It is your personal trophy, prominently placed in your favorite spot near the fireplace when you leave the job. The beat up shape, wear and tear of previous battles with the red devil. It was your personal lifeline...f you were in trouble you would toss your helmet, and help would be on the way...Unfortunately, like the way of the scaling ladder, the trophy will eventually return to the quartermaster in the sky, or just neglected in an attic or basement until it fades away. I thought you might help me catalogue these treasures, once removed and they go on e-bay and leave it's owner, is when the fat lady sings. Hope you enjoy the following collection. And why not lead off with Dennis Smiths Engine 82 helmet. Note, there are two different Captain L3 helmets, the first is Captain Paddy Brown's helmet in honor and memory of 9/11 Brothers. Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to jump in with pics, stories and/or comments!


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Dan, each one of those helmets have their own story to tell. If they could only talk.

Not a FDNY War Years helmet but my father was a firefighter in Bridgeport, Ct. He was my Role Model and the guy I wanted to be like. He retired in 1978 and he gave me his helmet, which I still have today.

I will see if I can get one of the guys here (Brad Y., "signal 73" are you out there ?) to post the picture of it for me.

I wrote a little story about him in 2009 on another web site. Here is my story of the guy who wore that helmet, my father, who I nicknamed "Smoke". 

http://www.emtbravo.net/topic/33201-our-role-models?#comment-190007 
 
Bill,

I can well understand why your Dad is your hero, and very deservedly so. 

I also appreciate how you glide over your own heroism; it?s one very important point of the story and you haven?t given it enough ?punch?.  You didn?t just give a handout to Ed Martin and walk away, but you took the time and effort to buy him a cup of coffee and share some time with him which gave you such a wonderful story.  So typical of a Fire Fighter to overlook the importance of a small gesture.

You?re a good man, Willy.  I know ?Smoke? is proud of you and I can understand why.
 
Judging by the front piece I would say this is from the Queens 326 and not going back to when the company was on Neptune Avenue in Brooklyn. Back then there were no company number inserts.
 
memory master said:
Judging by the front piece I would say this is from the Queens 326 and not going back to when the company was on Neptune Avenue in Brooklyn. Back then there were no company number inserts.
Click to expand...

Anyone know when the Department switched to inserts?
 
The Lieutenant insert changed over the years, the Lt had a white frontpiece, but the insert was the same as a firefighter would have. The Captain had a white frontpiece and white insert with red number for truck co's, black for engine, etc.

During the mid 90's the department implemented a program that when you were detailed to another company you had a "shop made" insert attached to a rubber inner tube tire that you positioned on your lid over your facepiece. The program did not last long, the faux facepiece was either taken by accident, lost or just forgotten inside the housewatch desk.
 
JohnnyGage said:
$555 bucks and you can own this trophy
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This actually belonged to a Charter Member of the re organized 326 (started in QNS 1984) ...the FF came from ENG*55 ...(info Thanks to Marc D.)
 
1261Truckie said:
1959 or 1960
Click to expand...
Correct they completed the switchover in 1960......i still feel this was a waste of time (& a $ scam at the time).....the original idea was that  a FF would have the frame w/Badge # & if he transferred he would just get a new Company insert....many guys just replaced the whole thing if they transferred if they wanted to keep the Front intact for their memorabilia ....plus if the Front was old sometimes trying to separate the insert from the frame resulted in destruction..... it is odd that the older straight fronts from Cairns even though they had some cardboard sandwiched in the layers stood up better than the crap available from the FDNY Quartermaster today.
 
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