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L 31 FIREMAN MEL HAZEL
50th ANNIVERSARY
Yesterday I was honored to speak to L 31 War Years Legend and personal good friend Brother Mel Hazel, known as “The Haze”. On October 31, 1970, fifty years ago Mel Hazel was appointed to L 31, and we were celebrating this special occasion, he and I. Mel told me that he asked an instructor at the training school at graduation why no other firefighters have been assigned to L 31 and the instructor told him, straight face, “you crazy, it’s too dangerous”.
Enjoy the following recollection of my time with The Haze;
Mel Hazel was a huge mentor to me during my early years as a young teenager riding with L 31 and Uncle Jack. I was introduced to Mel on one of my first visits in 1971. Mel had just completed his probation at Ladder 31 and had this exciting youthful persona. Mel is tall and lean and has a great sense of humor that is a must-have with thick skin on Intervale Avenue in order to exist, he is a religious and highly respected fireman. There were a few times when I would spend the day tour with Jack and Mel would be off duty, but he’d make a trip to the firehouse and hang with me. I really appreciated his friendship and always looked forward to seeing him when conditions worked out, the few times hanging with him made the trip to L 31 even more pleasantly memorable. During the winter months when I could not get off from school Mel and I exchanged letters.
In 1973 Mel made a “Roof Rope” rescue days after I visited him at L 31. The rope rescue was one of a kind and rare during the War Years. During that era, there wasn't a “Lifesaving Rope Evolution” as it is known today. During the War Years truck company members were issued a personal harness that they wore as an accessory around their waist, it was a new and innovative tool.
L 31 responded to a fire where a teenage victim was reported trapped in a window of an apartment house courtyard threatening to jump. Attempts were made to reach the victim through the apartment inside but were thwarted from the overwhelming fire. As a last resort, Mel ran up the stairs through the bulkhead door onto the roof where the “roof rope” was in the process of being deployed, he tied himself into the rope and initiated a single slide without hesitation over the parapet down to the victim. The victim, ready to jump, was instructed by Mel to embrace him tightly for the hairy ride down to the courtyard below.
Mel made the risky grab, and was recognized by receiving the Hugh Bonner Medal the following year. Later, his unique rescue would become a feature article in a WNYF magazine. Afterwards, Mel transferred to R 3 and later he was promoted to Fire Marshal. Mel and I lost touch from that point.
Miraculously and unbelievably, Mel and I reconnected on the morning of September 11, 2001 in a very bizarre way. I had just emerged from the Deutsche Bank on Liberty Street after the collapse of the first tower, WTC #2, onto Greenwich Street which is directly across from L 10’s quarters. At that moment I was trying to make my way toward the North tower where my wife worked and was inside. I proceeded out of the Bank, the hot gray ash blinding and choking me, all of a sudden a solitary figure materialized from the dust, I recognized Mel immediately. He spoke first when he noticed my red thirty-one helmet frontpiece.
“Hey 31, you ok?” were his first words when he became visible through the gray matter looking like a ghost in a suit, it was just the two of us surrounded by dust, fire and silence. I was able to cough out, “Mel, it’s me Dan”. He was bewildered for a second and then recognized who I was, and we embraced.
I told Mel I needed to find my wife, she was working and is somewhere in the North WTC #1.
We discussed the best way to get there circumventing the huge jagged mounds of debris from the South Tower that was obstructing our path. Overhead we heard the loud whooshes of fighter jets passing at close range, but we could not see above us due to the cloud of dust.
Suddenly a Police Officer appeared running around the corner of the Deutsche Bank building we were standing outside of, without slowing down and pointing to his portable radio he yelled to us that he was advised the North Tower was about to “come down any second”.
And no sooner did the officer say that in passing the tower began to crumble with an incredible sound of cement, glass and steel gnashing and grating overhead. Mel and I were too close to the tower to outrun the overhead deluge of showering steel about to rain down on us, we took immediate cover and positioned ourselves shoulder to shoulder in an upright fetal position against the Deutsche Bank outer wall. Mel covered his head with clasp hands as I held onto my helmet and prayed. We were barely covered by an overhang that ultimately became decimated. Together we awaited our fate being pelted by rocks, cement, hot wind embers and debris. We both thought the “big hit” was imminent. It was very close, but, by the grace of God we had survived but not out of the woods, yet. After the falling debris the air became as thick as wool socks and difficult to breath in, we had thoughts that after surviving the collapse we would now suffocate, there was no clean air to breathe, our lungs filled with powdery ruins.
Since September 11 Mel and I have never lost contact with each other. We continue to have wonderful phone conversations and try to connect for lunch when we can. Our friendship as Mel would often say “Was baptized by fire” and I couldn’t agree more; Amen to that Brother.
HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY!
Mel is a member of this network! Pictured; Dennis Smith, THE HAZE, JohnnyGage.
50th ANNIVERSARY
Yesterday I was honored to speak to L 31 War Years Legend and personal good friend Brother Mel Hazel, known as “The Haze”. On October 31, 1970, fifty years ago Mel Hazel was appointed to L 31, and we were celebrating this special occasion, he and I. Mel told me that he asked an instructor at the training school at graduation why no other firefighters have been assigned to L 31 and the instructor told him, straight face, “you crazy, it’s too dangerous”.
Enjoy the following recollection of my time with The Haze;
Mel Hazel was a huge mentor to me during my early years as a young teenager riding with L 31 and Uncle Jack. I was introduced to Mel on one of my first visits in 1971. Mel had just completed his probation at Ladder 31 and had this exciting youthful persona. Mel is tall and lean and has a great sense of humor that is a must-have with thick skin on Intervale Avenue in order to exist, he is a religious and highly respected fireman. There were a few times when I would spend the day tour with Jack and Mel would be off duty, but he’d make a trip to the firehouse and hang with me. I really appreciated his friendship and always looked forward to seeing him when conditions worked out, the few times hanging with him made the trip to L 31 even more pleasantly memorable. During the winter months when I could not get off from school Mel and I exchanged letters.
In 1973 Mel made a “Roof Rope” rescue days after I visited him at L 31. The rope rescue was one of a kind and rare during the War Years. During that era, there wasn't a “Lifesaving Rope Evolution” as it is known today. During the War Years truck company members were issued a personal harness that they wore as an accessory around their waist, it was a new and innovative tool.
L 31 responded to a fire where a teenage victim was reported trapped in a window of an apartment house courtyard threatening to jump. Attempts were made to reach the victim through the apartment inside but were thwarted from the overwhelming fire. As a last resort, Mel ran up the stairs through the bulkhead door onto the roof where the “roof rope” was in the process of being deployed, he tied himself into the rope and initiated a single slide without hesitation over the parapet down to the victim. The victim, ready to jump, was instructed by Mel to embrace him tightly for the hairy ride down to the courtyard below.
Mel made the risky grab, and was recognized by receiving the Hugh Bonner Medal the following year. Later, his unique rescue would become a feature article in a WNYF magazine. Afterwards, Mel transferred to R 3 and later he was promoted to Fire Marshal. Mel and I lost touch from that point.
Miraculously and unbelievably, Mel and I reconnected on the morning of September 11, 2001 in a very bizarre way. I had just emerged from the Deutsche Bank on Liberty Street after the collapse of the first tower, WTC #2, onto Greenwich Street which is directly across from L 10’s quarters. At that moment I was trying to make my way toward the North tower where my wife worked and was inside. I proceeded out of the Bank, the hot gray ash blinding and choking me, all of a sudden a solitary figure materialized from the dust, I recognized Mel immediately. He spoke first when he noticed my red thirty-one helmet frontpiece.
“Hey 31, you ok?” were his first words when he became visible through the gray matter looking like a ghost in a suit, it was just the two of us surrounded by dust, fire and silence. I was able to cough out, “Mel, it’s me Dan”. He was bewildered for a second and then recognized who I was, and we embraced.
I told Mel I needed to find my wife, she was working and is somewhere in the North WTC #1.
We discussed the best way to get there circumventing the huge jagged mounds of debris from the South Tower that was obstructing our path. Overhead we heard the loud whooshes of fighter jets passing at close range, but we could not see above us due to the cloud of dust.
Suddenly a Police Officer appeared running around the corner of the Deutsche Bank building we were standing outside of, without slowing down and pointing to his portable radio he yelled to us that he was advised the North Tower was about to “come down any second”.
And no sooner did the officer say that in passing the tower began to crumble with an incredible sound of cement, glass and steel gnashing and grating overhead. Mel and I were too close to the tower to outrun the overhead deluge of showering steel about to rain down on us, we took immediate cover and positioned ourselves shoulder to shoulder in an upright fetal position against the Deutsche Bank outer wall. Mel covered his head with clasp hands as I held onto my helmet and prayed. We were barely covered by an overhang that ultimately became decimated. Together we awaited our fate being pelted by rocks, cement, hot wind embers and debris. We both thought the “big hit” was imminent. It was very close, but, by the grace of God we had survived but not out of the woods, yet. After the falling debris the air became as thick as wool socks and difficult to breath in, we had thoughts that after surviving the collapse we would now suffocate, there was no clean air to breathe, our lungs filled with powdery ruins.
Since September 11 Mel and I have never lost contact with each other. We continue to have wonderful phone conversations and try to connect for lunch when we can. Our friendship as Mel would often say “Was baptized by fire” and I couldn’t agree more; Amen to that Brother.
HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY!
Mel is a member of this network! Pictured; Dennis Smith, THE HAZE, JohnnyGage.
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