GLORY DAYS

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Dan - Found a 1983 WNYF "All Hands" column which you might like to explain from E88/L38. "Penmanship" Potter is acknowledged. Also, several other E88/L38 legends.

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Thanks Mack, Good find! I was the "designated" scribe to submit scoop about E88 & L38 members for WNYF All Hands column, handful of legends recorded in this contribution. At that time I had a calligraphy pen and ink set. I did not type, so I submitted my ancedotes to John Koskie in calligraphy, hence the nickname. When I had 'housewatch' duties I used to make journal entries in calligraphy, too. John Koskie headlined the 7th Division Column for many, many years. When he retired, he asked me to take over. I was honored to and did so until I transferred to Brooklyn in 1988, the column has since been authored by members from L38. Having a tough time remembering what the "reward" John was referring to.

Some years later when I was at L 5, I was requested by the 1st Division Commander to head the 1st Division All Hands column and did that column as well.
 
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I'm not a member of FDNY but a firefighter never the less. Fdny has the best firehouse humor and I would like to add a story from my department.
We have a firefighter that takes anything we throw at him and he returns it with interest.
The one thing everyone from the house knows about him is that his wife is extremely jealous and because he can't eat certain things his wife would drop off food for him we already knew head time his wife would be dropping off food for him and made arrangements for a girl to come to the firehouse before the wife would arrive pretending to need help with directions and made sure she would only talk to him well as predicted the wife shows asking where he was and we said outside talking to girl and when she heard that and her hair burned off her head we knew we gone to far with this prank but no turning back now and it got real ugly we tried to tell her it was a prank but didn't work the food she brought for him he's now wearing it the girl left in panic the wife left everything started to calm down and he still took it on chin when he found out it was a prank so we ended up getting 1 room knock and when returned to the firehouse there was pile of stuff in front of the bay ended up she came back with all his belongings while we were out and dumped it.
It took a few days to convince the wife it was a prank and now all is good between them.
Like I said earlier he pays it back with interest and we are still waiting.
 
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To Our NEWEST MEMBERS:

This thread is called: "GLORY DAYS" written by one of our Most Popular Members, not only on this site, but throughout the entire fire service.

His name is Dan Potter, aka "Johnny Gage" on here.

Dan started writing stories on here beginning March, 2019.
He talked about his younger days starting out in the fire service.
He was introduced to the FDNY by his uncle (?) who at the time was assigned to the busiest Ladder Company in NYC - Ladder 31
A very popular, best selling book was also written by a firefighter named Dennis Smith, who recently passed away, called; "Report From Engine Co 82", which shared the same firehouse on Intervale Ave/169th St in the South Bronx during the so called very busy "FDNY War Years".

Then for Dan, it was onto the very busy, former NYC-EMS, which he worked there along with another member of this site, "69METS", Garrett Lundgren, now a Retired FDNY member also.
As Dan told us some stories working the NYC-EMS, he referred to them as his "GORY DAYS".

After a few years working the NYC-EMS in the tough streets of Brooklyn's East N.Y. section, he moved on to become a career firefighter with the very busy Washington, DC Fire Dept in one of their Busiest Fire Companies.
During that time, Dan made a Heroic Rescue in which he never got recognition he rightfully deserved.

Then after his serving with the DCFD, Dan finally got the call that he really wanted.
That was to become a member of the FDNY
Dan, of course took that opportunity that he waited for and then became a member of the FDNY

Dan, took notes during his entire career and on this site, he tells the stories of each FDNY company he worked over those years until his retirement.

Dans wife also wrote a book titled: "By the Grace of God", telling her survival story, as well as Dans, when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001

Dan also has an upcoming book called: "They Saved New York", in which he has interviewed 87 retired FDNY War Years members, who tell their story of those UNBELIEVABLE FDNY WAR YEARS - the BUSIEST YEARS FOR FIRE ACTIVITY IN THE FDNY HISTORY.

I think you will find Dan's "Glory Days", as well as his "Gory Days", very well written and certainly very interesting starting with page 1 on here.
 

mack

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Dan - Thank you for your outstanding career and contributions as a terrific firefighter, writer, leader, friend and person. Johnny Gage would be proud that you use his Emergency TV name on our site.


DCFD - Engine 21 - Adams Morgan "The Alley Rats"
Dan made scaling ladder rescue with Engine 21
Dan is bottom center

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FDNY

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Thank you, Dan.
 
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mack

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Dan's wife Jean is a heroic WTC bombing survivor - her inspiration book is "By the Grace of God"

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mack

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In spite of Dan's incredible career and accomplishments, he is a modest hero who only talks about others he has served with and his inspirational wife, Jean. He is a role model and a person admired by all.

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mack

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Dan is also responsible for creating a comprehensive historical thread on our site, "Vintage FDNY War Year Lids", which is an incredible compilation of helmets and front pieces of FDNY and other fire departments.




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NO FRILLS P 5
?CHINAMAN?

I was lucky to work with some fantastic colleagues my age that had about the same amount of time on the job. A commonality among us with young children were scouts, little league, dance rehearsals, PTA?s and new homes. We became a tight solid crew working together, celebrating holidays, funerals, picnics, company dances and other personal experiences. Speckled into our maverick group were a few senior members from the ?War Years?. Our de facto leader; ?Senior Man?, LCC and ?War Years Vet? Jimmy Thornton, was our mentor, he always had a warm and genuine smile, for fun we used to call him ?Pop?. Jimmy was our moral compass and he kept us in line, never had to raise his voice, all he had to do was give you ?that look? and you knew it was time to take it down a notch. With a young group of mavericks Jimmy kept us under control like a skillful Ringmaster. Pop was respected.

Jimmy's partner in crime and carpool buddy was also a Senior man and ?War Years Vet? Tommy Dunn. Jimmy and Tommy were inseparable, when Jimmy worked, so did Tommy. We made it known and often said that Tommy was Jimmy?s illegitimate son. Jimmy and Tommy worked on the side together in a busy catering deli during their time off on Long Island. Jimmy and I hung out in the kitchen and chatted for hours while Jimmy positioned himself behind the stove whipping up some delicious catering dishes. In fact, there were probably three or four of our crew at any given time in that cramped kitchen yakking it up and laughing.

[ Jimmy eventually transferred to a quiet Queens truck company before he retired. Tommy stayed in L 112 but retired when Jimmy did, no surprise! They were like two peas in a pod. Tommy died a few years after retirement and the Ringmaster passed away a couple of years ago. Before Jimmy died, I pulled him out of his house to have lunch, we laughed and had a great time recalling the ?too many? antics and characters..]

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the Ringmaster; 'POP'

There were two Genes in our groups, they were both solid and aggressive firemen, both preferred the Outside Vent position, a difficult and heads up position that they covered masterfully. Few other special buddies rounded out my groups that I?ll get to later but one stands out in particular; Steve ?Bud? Jaeger.

Bud Jaeger was detailed ?until further notice? from E 277 to L 112, the ?notice? was called an ?onion skin? and basically it was an ?official detail'' pending the next transfer. Bud was transferred to L 112 on the following ?Firefighter Transfer Order? after I arrived about six months later.

Bud was a colorful spirit; larger than life, he was a tall guy that never wanted to grow up. He perfected and loved to perform his alter-ego which was a flamboyant floozie, complete with a lisp and hanging limp wrist. You knew when his alter-ego arrived; ?Hellooo Friscooo!?

But we fondly called Bud ?The CHINAMAN?. During company picnics, dances and outings, or when we used to meet on paydays to collect our checks (a day tour member driving home after work would gather the specific checks from the company office, sign them out and do ?the check run?, meeting several of us at a local TGIF?s and deliver our checks, alleviating a drive into Brooklyn), These events Bud eventually morphed into the lovable ?CHINAMAN?.

Bud loved his ?tall boy beer?; those tall, large cans of sudz. He?d belt back a few and it wouldn?t take long for him to get giddy, you could see the transformation slowly taking shape, and then with a wave of a wand he became; ?The CHINAMAN?; His eyes became squinty and he spoke rapidly while laughing, you couldn?t make out a word he was saying, it was incomprehensible babble. At that point someone would notice and announce ?The CHINAMAN? is here!

Bud had a heart of Gold and loved his miniature collie. He had a good gig as the only movie projectionist on Fire Island where he used to spend his summers with his girlfriend. Bud and I used to ride our motorcycles into the firehouse on occasion, he had a beautiful brand new Harley Goldwing I had a Kawasaki CHiPs bike (without the sissy windscreen). On a couple occasions he and I hooked up to ride with the NYC Fire Riders Motorcycle Club on several outings and memorable jaunts.

Bud used to say to the kids when they came to visit the firehouse on a school trip that he did not want a ?SMART? fireman behind him going into fires. The teachers would look at him curiously, then he?d deliver the punchline with perfect timing; ?Because any ?SMART MAN? would run away!?. The kids laughed out loud!, me too.

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The "CHINAMAN" is just about to arrive....

Sadly, Bud died unexpectedly February 2008, he was fifty-three and the active Captain of L 117 in Astoria. His funeral was well attended by loving family members, friends and those who knew him as ?the CHINAMAN?.

************

It?s a quiet night tour the day before Christmas Eve in the firehouse, December 23, guys are yakking it up, everyone is excited about the upcoming Holidays. In the morning I will be relieved and off duty for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This month the Engine is responsible for procuring the meal as the Truck holds down the housewatch, each company altering monthly responsibilities as do other FDNY firehouses. And like in all firehouses, the wise-cracking banter of which company makes the better meals is always a lively clash of opinions. It was known that there was a smidgen of guys in the Engine that were ?cooks?, I?m using the term lightly, but I think they would have agreed. Once in a while Senior Man and ECC Mike Schuman would make a tasty meatloaf for dinner. The next morning he and I would enjoy a cold leftover meatloaf sandwich with mayo. But, others lacking cooking skills and creativity really had no business being near the stove or else you had the dreadful ?half-a-chicken? -a-man, or sliced canned ham with baked potato dish. But, tonight was going to be a treat.

East of Bushwick on the border of Queens is the neighborhood of Ridgewood, a community with strong German influence. The neighborhood is filled with working class families that own small businesses, breweries and factories living in mostly two or three story row houses and small tenements. Various Avenues like Myrtle and Seneca have numerous thriving German food stores, shops and bakeries.

In fact; one of the members from L 111 had a family owned German Delicatessen and Catering establishment that specialized in splendid traditional German dishes. Tonight E 277 members have picked up two large trays of Sauerbraten, gravy and dumplings with a side dish of red cabbage from the Deli and two loaves of freshly sliced marble rye bread from a nearby bakery for dinner tonight.

Many firehouses ?plate? the chow as common practice, meaning; equal amounts of food are dished onto all the plates for whatever the amount of eaters ?in? on the meal. Except, we did it a little differently on Knickerbocker Avenue since we did not have much room to dine. There was a long formica table that hinged and hung down alongside the television room wall when not in use. When we were preparing to eat, the table would be lifted up and supported by chains that were attached to the wall and then snapped into an eyelet of the table with a ?s? hook. On top of the table we placed the entire dinner that was served ?family style? in large pots and pans. You lined up and helped yourself, like a buffet. It was very convenient to serve dinner that way due to the small confining dining room.

L 112 has been turned out; ?Truck only, Truck goes!?. I noticed the large clock alongside the housewatch wall headed into Knickerbocker Avenue to stop traffic, it was a little after 5:00 AM and a chilly wake up call. We are responding to a reported building collapse further north than we usually respond; The address is 409 Bushwick Avenue a few blocks above Flushing Avenue. I have the ?Roof? position and sitting opposite me is Bud who has the OVM position. Pop is wheeling the rig.

The apparatus stops on Bushwick Avenue near the corner of Varet Street. It is still dark with only a street light overhead, It appears that a three story row frame has collapsed sideways across the sidewalk and partially covering the top of two or three cars parked alongside the curb. It is a typical ?pancake? type collapse, the upper floors settling into the lower floors. While hopping off the rig we hear over the ?handi-talkie? the Chief advising the incoming units to be on the lookout for squatters, he already has two confirmed injuries and suspects there may be more inside the fallen structure.

With a quick size up while grabbing the ?roof saw? from the rigs compartment, Bud and I notice the possibility of lean-to type voids where the building fell sideways on top of the cars, that is where we are headed to initiate the cuts and search. From the street, it is only a few feet high to get on top of the flat roof, I throw the saw on the roof and hop up, then walk over to our spot. I flip the red ?start? toggle switch up, then do the same with the blue choke toggle, my left black work boot placed firmly into the ?D? shaped handle with the throttle secured and ?locked in?. Two quick pulls on the starter cord and the partner saw fires up, ready to go.

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We?ll start by making ?coffin cuts? into the tar paper, and wood planks, Bud uses his six foot Halligan Hook to pull the roof material off. I continue to expand the first hole, enlarging the opening as Bud keeps pulling the material off to the side, we now have approximately a 12 x 12 foot hole. There are about three saws operating on the roof now, and the Captain of Rescue 2, Ray Downey is monitoring the ?cutting? activity. It takes a while, but Bud and I keep cutting further down into ?our? hole, removing ceilings, wall lathe and flooring that are compacted on top of each other. We anticipate seeing the street with every pull of another layer of the structure.

The cutting process has been going on for quite some time, cut and pull, more cut and pull, layer after layer, the work is tedious and I?m expecting the saw to run out of fuel any minute. Finally as Bud pulls more of the structure away, we have a clear view of the sidewalk about four feet below us. I shut the saw down and lower myself into the void. Captain Downey notices our progress and approaches while the other saw teams continue to cut and pull. The Boss orders one of his men from R 2 to join me, Bud follows down too. The three of us are now under the collapsed frame in a void which is being held up by the parked vehicles. There are smaller type voids that we each attempt to search and shine our flashlights into, Bud does a primary inside the buried cars.

There were six injuries at this job; exposure #4, another row frame that was occupied was listing precariously and could have fallen at any time, the structure had to be searched and families evacuated. Row frame buildings are connected from outside walls of end units all the way through, the row is ?one? structure. Each unit gets its stability from being part of the row. If one ?unit? is removed due to previous fire, the other remaining row frames become weakened, lacking stability and could possibly fail as did this frame. Exposure #4 was ultimately torn down shortly thereafter.

Our search was ?negative, all clear?, Bud and I hopped back out of the hole for a breather. Other companies have now arrived at the scene and L 112 was told to ?take-up?. The morning sun had risen, fire apparatus filled the street. Pop drove us back to Knickerbocker Avenue for a hot mug of Joe, then it was time for a hot shower and begin my Yuletide kick-off.

PROFILE:
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Senior 'lovable' man; 'Dollar' Bill Gallaghan. Bill always dressed immpeccably and stylish coming into work, in uniform, and going home. He had a beautiful sailboat and loved to sail. Did not matter, working or off duty, wore a gold necklace and matching bracelet. When we asked him what he wanted for lunch, he always requested "wagon wheels and fish cakes". He never got them. Bill had a great sense of humor, was well loved by us mavericks and very well respected.


Hope you enjoyed!... Stay safe, wash your hands, crazy times...this too shall pass. KMG-365
I love this!!! It's Kristee. Jimmy " Pops" daughter. Miss him terribly and reading this is awesome. I also just listened to some gettin salty podcasts and it was amazing. I almost felt like my dad was next to me and when I chucked I heard him chuckle too.... how can I go about finding some classics pics of my Dad. Trying to make a memory book for my Mom and brothers.
 
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Hello Kristee, loved working with Pop (I gave him that nickname, oh what a look I would get), he was the ringmaster to us out of control knuckleheads, still young at heart and spirit he was the voice of reason. We loved your dad. I was fortunate to have lunch with him just before he left us, had a wonderful time catching up with him and enjoying his laugh one more time. I wish I had more photos of him, but the only one I have was from the company journal. Don't we all wish, now that we know, that there could never be enough photos!

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Kristen, not only did I work with your pop, but I also went to the deli where he and Tommy worked for an egg sandwich and coffee when ever I could. Don’t know if you remember the party he had at your house for the whole firehouse. I’m sure his helmet is priceless to you. Keep it forever and pass it down to your children. I wish I had my fathers.
Tom K. Lt. L112
 
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Welcome Kristee, great first post!
Thank you!
Kristen, not only did I work with your pop, but I also went to the deli where he and Tommy worked for an egg sandwich and coffee when ever I could. Don’t know if you remember the party he had at your house for the whole firehouse. I’m sure his helmet is priceless to you. Keep it forever and pass it down to your children. I wish I had my fathers.
Tom K. Lt. L112
I remember Kurt's deli. Pete Linden owned it at one point I believe. Could be wrong. I remember several parties. Lol. I know they had a cpl Xmas parties that had amazing turnouts! Some still there when I woke up the next day!
 
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That sounds like a 112 party for sure, but it wasn’t me there in the morning. I live close by Kurt’s and when ever I pass by I think of your father. It’s great to hear from you and welcome to this site.
 
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That sounds like a 112 party for sure, but it wasn’t me there in the morning. I live close by Kurt’s and when ever I pass by I think of your father. It’s great to hear from you and welcome to this site.
Always a good time. I always hear lots of laughter. Thank you. I'm glad I found this site. I think it was Kenny Urban that was always there in the am. And be there for days. Lol
 
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Here is a bunch of familiar faces from a Christmas party years ago, I'm thinking 1990's. Maybe you'll recognize a couple of us...Pops not there, probably in the kitchen whipping us up deli-style burgers...(BTW, we almost met in Hemlock Farms, you almost sold my house, remember?)L112Christmas.jpeg
 
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Here is a bunch of familiar faces from a Christmas party years ago, I'm thinking 1990's. Maybe you'll recognize a couple of us...Pops not there, probably in the kitchen whipping us up deli-style burgers...(BTW, we almost met in Hemlock Farms, you almost sold my house, remember?)View attachment 26884
Great pic. Def some familiar faces. Red shirt, plaid shirt and the 2 guys in blue to the left of plaid shirt look familiar. Your upfront I believe on right? Not sure of who's who but I'm going to see my Mom tomorrow and will ask. Funny thing i asked her about my Dad today of what year he started etc what other houses he was in.... and she said it was so wierd that i was asking about that today because she moved a tv recorder today because it wasnt working and underneath was a pic of my Dad with a bunch of guys. I think she said it was Auggie, Danny Gimple, Stretchman, Joe Lyons and Bobby. Wow! I actually forgot about Hemlock Farms house. I'm too young to forgot stuff like that. Lol
 
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