Super Pumper and Super Tender to be reunited in Michigan

Man oh man, if there was a way to get the Fire Fighter into the lakes other than a very long, very expensive and very unlikely trip around the Canadian Maritimes that would be a hell of a meet up. All three of W.F. Gibbs designs for FDNY in the same spot. It would be something to see Fighter drafting to the super pumper and the tender rig runnning that big monitor all at the same time
 
I was at the 1st fire the FDNY Super Pumper was used a, as a buff. The fire was at Manhattan Ave. & Commercial St. In Williamsburg Brooklyn, I think Brooklyn Box 98. Later when I was appointed to the Engine 27 in the FDNY I was detailed often to Satellite 1 when it was quartered at the old quarters of Engine 30 on Spring St. in Lower Manhattan, now the FDNY Museum Building. When the Satellite Officer found out I was a Diesel Mechanic in the U.S. Navy and had a NYS License drive a Tactor Trailer, I filled in a few times driving the Super Pumper pump unit. It was a beast to drive on NYC streets. You had to drive slowly and anticipate the need to stop, due to the weight of the unit. I never once pumped with the Super Pumper, but I did drive it a few times to major fires. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
 
Somewhere deep in the internet the current owner of the tender(?) wrote about the joys of driving a short axle Mack cross country after it had sat at the FDNY yard for a few months. I'll see if I can find it but long story short it involved a lot of fuel filter replacements and probably a compressed backbone or two
 
That interior doesn't look bad for a 60 year old vehicle. I assume the tender is being transported and not driven?
 
captaindewey50267021@gm said:
I was at the 1st fire the FDNY Super Pumper was used a, as a buff. The fire was at Manhattan Ave. & Commercial St. In Williamsburg Brooklyn, I think Brooklyn Box 98. Later when I was appointed to the Engine 27 in the FDNY I was detailed often to Satellite 1 when it was quartered at the old quarters of Engine 30 on Spring St. in Lower Manhattan, now the FDNY Museum Building. When the Satellite Officer found out I was a Diesel Mechanic in the U.S. Navy and had a NYS License drive a Tactor Trailer, I filled in a few times driving the Super Pumper pump unit. It was a beast to drive on NYC streets. You had to drive slowly and anticipate the need to stop, due to the weight of the unit. I never once pumped with the Super Pumper, but I did drive it a few times to major fires. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
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Great Story. Thanks for sharing
 
When i was in R*2 on Carlton Ave we were in the 31*BN...the two LADs in thge BN were 110 & 118 both Tiller Rigs back then.....R*2 FFs back then would regularly get detailed within the BN to equalize manpower...often as a Chauffeur or Tillerman ...the first few times i was detailed to 110 i spent a lot of time on the Apparatus floor examining the Super Pumper & the Tender & asking the ENG*207 FFs questions about it.....finally one tour when i was there the SP had a Run....i was in the kitchen when the Housewatch announced the Run...i jumped up & went to the Apparatus floor to see it turnout....one FF came out & started both the SP & the Tender then went back into the kitchen...i was standing there wondering what was happening expecting to see the Rigs fly out the door like a regular Rig.....slowly the guys came out & got onboard & they Responded...i was like WTF ? .....i asked one of the 110 FFs about it & he said the Rigs needed a good warmup period,,,,very different...i knew a FF in 207 who's first Run driving the SP was to the Tenth Alarm in Bushwick in July 1977 on a 104 Degree afternoon......another Friend i knew was in proby school & had hopes of getting assigned to my original Company LAD*108 ..... he wanted to become a FF in a Busy Truck....he was very enthusiastic & trying to make a good impression on the Instructors....one day they asked the Class "does anybody hold a Class One Driving License."....thinking stepping up might help his goal he raised his hand & told them he had a Class One.....the day of the assignments as he waited to hear 108 they told him he was going to 207 / Super Pumper since he had the Class One.....took him a few years on Tilliary St before getting to 108.
 
It's great to see these pieces of firefighting history preserved. The Superpumper was a very impressive unit to see in operation and the whole system was something else. I wonder if they will ever get a Satellite to go along with the Superpumper and Supertender.
 
Do any of the original Satellites still exist? Or were all three "refurbished" into those ComCoach abortions? Rumors exist that one was rebuilt by "New Lexington" (what/wherever that is), but I can't find corroboration. Anyone know?
 
raybrag said:
Do any of the original Satellites still exist? Or were all three "refurbished" into those ComCoach abortions? Rumors exist that one was rebuilt by "New Lexington" (what/wherever that is), but I can't find corroboration. Anyone know?
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Id imagine all those Mack C's are long since gone. Even their subsequent CF and ALF rigs are probably razorblades by now, and if they arent they are probably sitting in the weeds out in the country
 
I was at the 10th Alarm "Actually 11th Alarm" in Bushwick around Myrtle Ave. in July 1977. I was a firefighter in Tower Ladder 18 on Manhattan's Lower East Side. I think we responded on the 6th Alarm, as a Special Called additional Tower Ladder. We ended up positioned above a McDonalds' or Burger King and at one point had fire on 3 sides of us operating in the basket, on a 90o F. Day. Down the block the Supper Pumper Tender was operating it's Inteligiant Stang Nozzle on a large commercial building that was fully involved. At one point 32 attached & unattached buildings were burning, and water pressure was a problem due to kids opening hydrants, to cool off, plus the major demand on water mains from the many streams used at this large fire. Note a week later the "Great NYC Blackout of 1977" happened and TL-18 went to Brooklyn again and we fought 7 major fires. W.N.Y.F. Magazine had an article about the 11th Alarm called. "Bushwick is Burning!" Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
 
68jk09 said:
When i was in R*2 on Carlton Ave we were in the 31*BN...the two LADs in thge BN were 110 & 118 both Tiller Rigs back then.....R*2 FFs back then would regularly get detailed within the BN to equalize manpower...often as a Chauffeur or Tillerman ...the first few times i was detailed to 110 i spent a lot of time on the Apparatus floor examining the Super Pumper & the Tender & asking the ENG*207 FFs questions about it.....finally one tour when i was there the SP had a Run....i was in the kitchen when the Housewatch announced the Run...i jumped up & went to the Apparatus floor to see it turnout....one FF came out & started both the SP & the Tender then went back into the kitchen...i was standing there wondering what was happening expecting to see the Rigs fly out the door like a regular Rig.....slowly the guys came out & got onboard & they Responded...i was like WTF ? .....i asked one of the 110 FFs about it & he said the Rigs needed a good warmup period,,,,very different...i knew a FF in 207 who's first Run driving the SP was to the Tenth Alarm in Bushwick in July 1977 on a 104 Degree afternoon......another Friend i knew was in proby school & had hopes of getting assigned to my original Company LAD*108 ..... he wanted to become a FF in a Busy Truck....he was very enthusiastic & trying to make a good impression on the Instructors....one day they asked the Class "does anybody hold a Class One Driving License."....thinking stepping up might help his goal he raised his hand & told them he had a Class One.....the day of the assignments as he waited to hear 108 they told him he was going to 207 / Super Pumper since he had the Class One.....took him a few years on Tilliary St before getting to 108.
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I know of one Lieutenant assigned to the Superpumper who would have both rigs started and ran at the beginning of the tour. He liked to have as fast a turnout as possible.
 
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