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Years ago, I was a Firefighter in TL-18, and as a trained MPO/ECC, I was hired to drive a reserve Engine to a movie production. The movie was being filmed at the quarters of Ladder 8 on North Moore St. and West Broadway in Manhattans Lower West side. The movie was "Ghost Busters" Myself and...

I was still active until July 2000. Up until my retirement I was on the Promotion list to Battalion Chief, due to politics my list number was never reached on the B.C. List. But being a somewhat senior Captain in Division 1 and being on the B.C. promotion list, I was often acting Battalion...

The Firehouse formally used by Engine 15 on Henry Street was damaged during renovations to the notable; landmark The Henry St. Settlement House located right next to the firehouse. As a member of TL-18 from 1977 to 1984 I worked overtime and details in E-15s Henry St. Firehouse, a great old...

After spending more than 25 years working in FDNY Tower Ladders and also have used Ladder Towers in the Volunteer fire service. I firmly believe that solid boom Tower Ladders like the FDNY "Baker" booms are inherently stronger and safer. In open truss Ladder Tower designs the truss design is...

A sad situation. The fire reached such a heat level due to the large amount of low-quality mostly synthetic material stored in both the cellar and 1st floor. If you read the collapse dangers talked about by the great Fire Service building construction experts, like Depuy Chief Vincent Dunn and...

The unit chart shown above FROM "raybrag" is from 1948. When I came on the job in January 1973, in March 1973 I was assigned to Engine 27 at 173 Franklyn St. part then of Battalion 2. Most of the Chief's in Batt. 2 had just been transferred from the then closed Batt. 5, that had been in the...

I have been a Firefighter and Fire Officer for well over 50 years, including 30 years with the FDNY. Only a few times have I heard of somebody being found days and in this Queens case weeks after the fire. I would seem that alot of brushing up on human behavior in fires and how to fully examine...

Who said the Bronx is burning? Years ago. A 4th alarm and a 2nd alarm in about just 2 days. Somebody is still doing some fire duty. Also, on the door situation I believe it still in the FDNY Regulations that you must train on the "Back Up/Manual" use of the chains, to be used to raise the...

A CIRT Team went to the site of the Deutsche Bank fire a day or so after the fire, the C.I.R.T. = Critical Incident Response Team, that was at that time the FDNY's psychological response team. C.I.R.T. had just left the scene when another incident happen at the scene and 2 more members were...

FDNY back in the 1960 & 1970 had 2 "High Ladder" Units. Maguras 144 ft. aerial ladders on Mack rear mount frame. At one time one 144-footer was assigned to Brooklyn's Ladder 119 the other one "I Think was given to Halem's L-14. Latter one of the 144 footers ended up quartered with Midtown...

I have been to Germany, the U.K. and China and have seen what you say about the aerial device towers being lighter in construction. But I still believe that using portable ladders from those buckets is possible. I know that the Paris Fire Dept still uses "Scaling/Pompier ladders" with hooks on...

I remember both of these films. Boy the "Stars" back then were stars in every sense of the word. A friend of mine from the FDNY and his wife went to Tahiti and told me they met Mrs. & Mrs. Hope while there and said they could not have been nicer. Ask any of our servicemen & women about who saw...

In the FDNY we are able to place a portable ladder into the Tower Ladder basket to extend the ladder to people trapped above the height of the tower ladder. Years ago, this was actually done in I think Brooklyn. Also, years ago a FDNY Evolution was on the books for this operation using both...

I you are not familiar with dust explosions and how to prevent them. Any building or other area that has dust can lead to a dust explosion if the conditions are in place. I has happen in NYC. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired.

I visited San Francisco a few months after 9/11/01. On the kind invitation of members of SFFD Rescue 1, I met while sitting in a park with my wife, we visited their firehouse. When I told them where I worked in the FDNY we got into a long discussion about hydrant water supply at major fires...

If the gang in San Francisco can do this why can't Los Angles do this? Some of the L.A. area Conflagrations took place near the Ocean or other large bodies of water, use some inventive ideas when you need alot of water for major fires. Even in FDNY perhaps this is something we need to take a...

You are right the FDNY finally saw the light and decided that it was worth ensuring that all the new Engines had Power Steering. Sadly, alot of 1st line older rigs were built before 1975 still did not have power steering and we still often had the same problems. I went to M.P.O. = E.C.C...

At one time no FDNY Engine Companies had rigs with Power Steering. Mack had a deal going that said with each Engine rig, you could be get a Partner K-12 Saw OR "Power Steering". The FDNY took the Partner K-12 saws and gave the Saws to the Truck & Rescue Companies. The Engines got a new pumper...

I spent alot of time in very busy units in the FDNY. Sometimes you just need a catch a break from what is often a mundane EMS run. We first and foremost are firefighters or fire officers we accept being busy with fires as truly part of the job. I once worked as a covering Captain in Brooklyns...

Does anyone know where L-19 was during this major fire? I covered, as a Cov. Lieutenant long term in L-19 during the mid 1980's and at that time the really got to most major fires in much of the Bronx. I say once more at the chance of sounding like a broken record. If you must call multiple...