War Years Questions

[Ladder63]

During the mid 1970's when I buffed the Job on my scanner I recall hearing of Second Sections to some Companies.  Engine 50 seems to be one such.  What was a second section?  Was it Quartered with it's namesake?  Also during those years I recall the Queens CO dispatching The Combo or a Combo followed by a number.
What were the Combo's, were they an Engine & Ladder Co.  responding together as one unit?  Thanks for any info anyone can provide.  Bill - a Volly from NJ.

 

[lucky]

2nd sections were separate units with a full staff of officers and firemen. The first and second sections switched daily at 9 AM throughout the city. Most of these double units ran 1st and 2nd due on the original unit's 1st due boxes and 2nd and 3 red due on their old 2nd due boxes. The front unit would respond to 3rd due and multiple alarm boxes and relocations. The surrounding units that were originally 2nd and 3rd due at those boxes was removed from the assignment, thereby relieving their workload. Engine 233 worked differently in that only one section would respond to many of the boxes near their quarters.
The combo units paired a rapid water pumper with a tower ladder. Their was only one officer, a captain, assigned on each tour. It never worked out because it was very confining for the dispatchers on busy tours because they had to keep the 2 pieces of apparatus together. They also had a light duty man for fire inspection duty because they didn't want both pieces on the road doing inspections.

 

[Ladder63]

Thank you Lucky.

 

[68jk09]

2nd Sections were in existence in some FDNY FH's years ago & not too much history about them is published but the War Years Second Sections formed in mid'68 were there strictly to help w/the workload & were great places to work unfortunately when the bean counters felled the budget axe during one of the busiest era's in the mid '70s the then Second Section's where hit w/that axe & became History  but not forgotten .