Books on the "War Years"
- Thread starter mgk110
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,014
All of the above
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,014
Since I pulled out Tom Zambrano's book I took another look at it after 15 years. Starting i July, 1960 he was in Engine 67 for over 13 years. Yes, he made the jobs at 93/45 and 84/34 houses. In 1960 67 did just over 1000 runs: then #26 in the City. More interesting, he claims that 67 was the busiest fire company in FDNY over the years.
His analysis:
1) Engine 67 was a four man company. You would stand watch every night tour.
2) 67 was a single company fire house. It was not unusual to perform first-due truck work while stretching a line. Plus the
kitchen was on the top floor.
3) "In the Heights" was busier than a sunny Broadway musical. Washington Heights was a center of Dominican drug trade.
4) Their district has a lot of big, occupied buildings. This means many stretches above the first floor.
5) 67 would respond under "Command Post Procedures" to Engines 283, 76, and 50 during periods of civil unrest.
6) Dynamite- The GW Bridge was in their administrative district. Construction on the roadways required twice a day dynamite inspections: noon and midnight. During those times a 1200 foot deep sewerage tunnel got the same inspection. In addition, they inspected dynamite and radioactive material haulers coming across the GWB. Then, they would escort them through NYC, occasionally to the Nassau County line at Douglaston. Also, terror groups such as the Weather Underground was stealing construction site explosives. This was tough in the winter. After much complaining about the freezing conditions (at 50 mph) they were given an old chief's car with a heater during winter months. Complaining also got 67 the reputation as a troublemaker which earned them a non-stop parade of misfits dumped into open roster slots.
7) Relocations- 67 was a "gypsy" company (like Engine 26 in Boston). They were listed as a relocator on every running card in the Bronx and down to Engine 76 and 53 in Manhattan. They would relocate to busy engines (all five man minimum manning) in Harlem and the South Bronx regularly two or three times a week. This duty is stressful at night when the Officer and MPO aren't familiar with the neighborhood. He notes that in all his years, 67 got a relocator twice.
8) 67 was on the slow end of interchanges .Once the busy end companies found out about 67's workload, they wanted a different partner. He specifically mentions Engines 69, 71, and 46. It was funny when the busy engine acting as 67 would have to relocate back to their own house.
Zambrano feels that due to the above issues, Engine 67 had the most duty hours (work) in the FDNY during his time there.
His analysis:
1) Engine 67 was a four man company. You would stand watch every night tour.
2) 67 was a single company fire house. It was not unusual to perform first-due truck work while stretching a line. Plus the
kitchen was on the top floor.
3) "In the Heights" was busier than a sunny Broadway musical. Washington Heights was a center of Dominican drug trade.
4) Their district has a lot of big, occupied buildings. This means many stretches above the first floor.
5) 67 would respond under "Command Post Procedures" to Engines 283, 76, and 50 during periods of civil unrest.
6) Dynamite- The GW Bridge was in their administrative district. Construction on the roadways required twice a day dynamite inspections: noon and midnight. During those times a 1200 foot deep sewerage tunnel got the same inspection. In addition, they inspected dynamite and radioactive material haulers coming across the GWB. Then, they would escort them through NYC, occasionally to the Nassau County line at Douglaston. Also, terror groups such as the Weather Underground was stealing construction site explosives. This was tough in the winter. After much complaining about the freezing conditions (at 50 mph) they were given an old chief's car with a heater during winter months. Complaining also got 67 the reputation as a troublemaker which earned them a non-stop parade of misfits dumped into open roster slots.
7) Relocations- 67 was a "gypsy" company (like Engine 26 in Boston). They were listed as a relocator on every running card in the Bronx and down to Engine 76 and 53 in Manhattan. They would relocate to busy engines (all five man minimum manning) in Harlem and the South Bronx regularly two or three times a week. This duty is stressful at night when the Officer and MPO aren't familiar with the neighborhood. He notes that in all his years, 67 got a relocator twice.
8) 67 was on the slow end of interchanges .Once the busy end companies found out about 67's workload, they wanted a different partner. He specifically mentions Engines 69, 71, and 46. It was funny when the busy engine acting as 67 would have to relocate back to their own house.
Zambrano feels that due to the above issues, Engine 67 had the most duty hours (work) in the FDNY during his time there.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3,348
One of the reason Boston Engine 26 relocated on every second alarm was they were a 2 piece with a Squrt apparatus. Also they were in a 2 engine company house with Engine 7 and were centrally located. None of this mattered evidentally when on April 10 1981 they were placed OOS.
Attachments
I remember those election night’s. They put into service an old CD pumper manned by OT. Guys would look forward to any call that came in, I was new young etc in TL 131 and never understood that an Election night would bring out the crazies. Yes that could be a book in itself with some of those memories.
Similar nights as the 4th of July manning and extra units in place around the hot spots in the city. OT and a good chance of catching some work.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,014
Lol! I wasn't there. I'm guessing that Malcolm X wasn't celebrating St. Patrick's Day when he got wacked in 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom down the street. Zambrano was there from 1960 to 1973. On page 289 of his book, I quote his description of standing the 3X6 watch in a quiet neighborhood. .".After working all those years on Engine 67's noisy, congested street with it's six-story, overcrowded tenements, double-parked cars, and it's almost continuous loud Latin music, this, to me, was almost like paradise."
I understand that a new edition of the book titled: "FIREHOUSE", by the late Jill Freedman, is being offered through the NYC Fire Museum to honor the 45th anniversary of that original book release.
Jill Freeman's original book, released in 1977, documented photographs and stories of the New York City Firefighters on the job in the 1970s.
It is already a big seller and they are currently out of stock.
But hopefully more are on the way.
The price is $95.00 and can be purchased through the "NYC Fire Museum" at www.nycfiremuseum.org
Jill Freeman's original book, released in 1977, documented photographs and stories of the New York City Firefighters on the job in the 1970s.
It is already a big seller and they are currently out of stock.
But hopefully more are on the way.
The price is $95.00 and can be purchased through the "NYC Fire Museum" at www.nycfiremuseum.org
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2010
- Messages
- 1,193
Received mine yesterday! Owned the original but haven't been able to find it since I moved 12 years ago!