The scene was funny, but, as you said, a tad unbelievable. Maybe NYFD is different in it's respect of rank, but down here in old MCFR (Montgomery County Fire Rescue), that kind of out burst would get you "early retirement", justified or not. No sense of humor.
-- Al
I bleeping missed it again! Will have to catch the rerun.
-- Al
Hi Alex. I have been retired for approaching 11 years and it still seems like yesterday that I was riding firetrucks. It was a great occupation and life to be part of and I miss it. But, as you said, life changes. I am shocked that it has been so long since I wore turnouts but I sure don't miss the 3am smells and bells calls.
-- Al
Hi Alex. I have been retired for approaching 11 years and it still seems like yesterday that I was riding firetrucks. It was a great occupation and life to be part of and I miss it. But, as you said, life changes. I am shocked that it has been so long since I wore turnouts but I sure don't miss the 3am smells and bells calls.
Blast from the past, Bill. When I got hired in '79, our FD was still riding the backstep on some obsolete Chevy's and Ford's from the 60's and early 70's. Spent many a call in bad or cold weather under that hose cover trying to keep that ice-sleet-snow-rain out of my face. My company also had a '67 Pirsch Ladder Truck mid-mount that was open cab. We has some long (up to 14 miles) runs as we were the outlying ladder in our area. That could get right cold, too. Never rode a bucket or cab until about '88. The good ol' days.
-- Al
I do not know about other jurisdictions but here in Montgomery County, Md., alcohol on FD grounds is strictly off limits and drinking on duty is a sure ticket to the unemployment line. This has been the case since I was hired in '79 and I'm sure it was the policy prior to that. The only time I ever was aware of an alcohol on duty problem was when we ran a house fire (fully involved) with another company on our first due boundary line. The other company was water supply and their pumper driver was unable to supply water to us, forcing us out of the house when our pumper went dry. We re-established water and went back in to finish the job but the water supply failure was because the driver of the other company was under the influence. I know it was the last time it happened with that man because he was "retired" within days. -- Al
I understand about being a little looser in the old days. I heard all sorts of stories from the older vets when I got hired. The 50's and 60's were MUCH different. From the 80's on things changed a great deal in our department as we became predominantly professional as opposed to volunteer. Up until the mid 80's the MoCoFD was volunteer controlled supported by paid men, of which there were around 600 county wide, then with the fast and large growth of the county, the volunteer system couldn't cover anymore and the paid service grew rapidly and became the controlling factor. There are now over 1000 professional FF's in the county. Lots of new rules and regulations and modernization in the way things are done. -- Al
Wonder how many firemen we have here?Boy, the memories really are coming back. The Scotts and MSAs had just been coming into use a few years before I was hired. Most of our Scotts were "demand" systems, no positive pressure. I think it was the late 80's before we had updated SCBA's with pos pressure for everyone. Heck, we still wore the 3/4 pull up boots until about 1990 when the county said we had to wear bunker pants on all calls.I remember the nozzle fights, too. If the nozzleman put it down, say to adjust his mask or whatever, it was gone, grabbed by whoever was closest.Boy, now that brings back memories. Lots of books could be written about life on the job. Beer in the firehouse was fairly rare although there was nothing better from an apartment fridge than a cold beer to clear out the crap from a real snotty fire. It wasn't until the early-ish 70's that we were able to get scotts. Those were the days of the guys with the iron lungs. I wasn't one of them. There was always a fight to be on the pipe as that was where the air was
Bill
We had a engine and truck in each house where I worked so we bounced back and forth according to who made the line-up. Always liked truck work. Was partial to the Clemens hook, about 6 ft long. Great tool. Liked the haligan, too. It was great fun. -- AlInteresting observation, Gary. I never understood that, myself. I have never smoked and I noticed almost all the old timers did. I'm not sure but I don't think the new hires are allowed to smoke. Part of the job contract. Another thing was the rush for coffee after the fire (or during) when on break. Most guys went for the hot liquid from the mobile canteens. I always wanted something cold after a fire, to help cool off, regardless of weather. Gatorade, soda, or water, as long as it was cold.
-- Al