Firefighters of the 1970s

[nfd2004]

For many, they did it without air packs. For many, portable radios or handie talkies were a luxury item. Opening a roof was done with an axe. Bunker gear wasn't in place yet nor was there a thing called an MDT. Hose couplings were made of brass and added to the already heavy weight of the hose material. The term "double clutching" was a part of driving a fire truck and air conditioning on a fire truck was unheard of. Many times it was an open cab rig with no protection from the cold or rain. Riding the back step was the normal thing to do. There were no smoke detectors or cell phones.

Fires far out numbered EMS or Medical calls. There were no FAST or RIT Cos. Rehab was done by taking a blow sitting on the back step of the rig or sitting on the sidewalk. A friendly neighbor sometimes took the place of a RAC Unit by serving hot coffee in the winter and cold water in the summer.

In the firehouse there was no such thing as being politically correct. If you didn't pull your own weight you were quickly put in your place. It didn't matter who you were or where you were from.

As a young probie myself, for the first few weeks, I thought those guys hated me. As much as I wanted to be a firefighter, I was about ready to quit the job. Even being the son of a firefighter, thinking I was ready, didn't really prepare me for the first few weeks in that firehouse. My only friend was the rookie who had about six months on the job more than I did. He told me not to worry because they had verbally beat him up too. He said it just takes some time to prove yourself.

Today, some have referred to these firefighters of the 70s as Dinosaurs. But in most cases everybody got along great. There were no rules of what you could say or could not say. Everybody was open game for the attack. But when it came time to show what Brotherhood was really all about, it was easily found. When one guy needed help painting or fixing something, the Brothers would show up. If somebody was sick, the lawn would be mowed or snow would be shoveled.

  This is a story of what it was like then. It is a story of Firefighters of the 1970s in Allentown, Pa. But it could very well be Newark, NJ., Yonkers, NY., Hartford, Ct., or Boston and everything in between. Many of the firefighters of the 1970s have gone now. To those that are left, I think most agree, "they wouldn't want to change anything at all".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=daAZ-EyzWSc

 

[1261Truckie]

Willy,
They were the legends, the War Years Warriors. The workload was incredible. Guys learned in 5 years what previous generations learned over 20. They were tough, hard men who all pulled together to do the job. The kitchen was a minefield, and if you couldn't make it there, oh well there, was always the door. You had to prove you belonged.

 

[nfd2004]

Thanks Jim for the encouragement. It wasn't the FDNY War Years, because they were in a class all by themselves. In fact I heard one story the other day told by a retired member of the FDNY. He said in his FIRST week as probie assigned to a Ladder Co., they caught "49 Working Fires - 10-75s or greater". That not counting a 2 x 2 assignment for a fire considered then as a 10-30.

But for the other places outside of NYC, many departments saw the spread of arson into their cities too. I think there is a thread on here called "The Other War Years", which talks about places like Boston, Hartford, Providence, Newark etc. Fighting those fires was often done then without the benefits of many basic necessities considered today. But, it was because of those Firefighters of the 1970s, over the years, that many improvements came about.

When these firefighters did get the chance to use an airpack, there were no pass alarms and no low air warning devices. Trying to suck in some air ended when no air was left. Then, the only thing to do was unscrew the air hose and putting the end of that hose inside of your turnout coat, hoping to make it outside of the fire building.

With no portable radios to call for "charging the line", the only clue for the pump operator to fill the line with water was to see when the line stopped moving. Or else somebody had to run down to tell the MPO to charge the line.

For many of these departments, there was no Probie School. It was all "on the job training". Maybe a few hours at the beginning of the tour to have the new Probie climb the aerial ladder, hook up to a hydrant, and hold a line. Sounds crazy but true. I know of one guy who did just that. No probie school and caught a job ten minutes after his "crash course in firefighting". Today he is a well respected battalion chief. If a guy was lucky some places had a one week Probie School. Such was the case for my brother in Bridgeport, Ct. That was then, but today all firefighters in Connecticut attend a 16 week probie school. Many department members had to fight for those to get that basic training.

Many of those firefighters paid a steep price with a higher than average cancer rate because of no air packs. I also think on here there is a thread where some Boston Firefighters talk about fighting fires with no air packs and they are suffering from cancer. Some in that interview passed away since then because of it.

The tougher it was the higher the company morale was. The firehouse kitchen table was the unofficial meeting place. A fun place to be where everybody was open game. Sometimes the shows there were much more entertaining than any high priced comedian could offer. Everybody had their own talent to offer. But when the real time came to perform their skills, these guys put it all to work and gave nothing less. 

 

[guitarman314]

AMEN, WillyD, you hit it out of the park with this one.

 

[manhattan]

AMEN, WillyD, you hit it out of the park with this one.

Definitely!

 

[1261Truckie]

Willy,
Home run !!! When you tell stories to the young guys today, they look amazed. Indeed those were tough years, but the men prevailed. When the arson wave hit, no matter what city you worked in, it was a hell of a ride. Now we look back and say good times and have so many memories of the jobs worked and the guys we worked with.

 

[aussiegeorge]

Well written,it was still like that in the early to mid 80's over here in Sydney Australia the job has changed so much some for the better some for the worse.You tell the young ones of today about the good old days and they look at you like you are telling bullsh%t stories,glad i worked though those years,mind you still love the job today after 31 years.