More War Years Audio

[tbendick 27]

http://www.nycfire.net/node/380

Ps. Have to thank R1SmokeEater for the clip...

[Firefighter57 0]

all i can say is wow...that is great! some great old school radio transmitions. besides it not sounding as good because they didnt have the tech., it really amazes me how much radio transmitions are still the same.

[RWC130 594]

I'd say that was a BUSY night in Brooklyn.

Did you catch the year? 1971

COOL!

[FirNaTine 370]

One word. AMAZING! Kudos to those Dispatchers during those war years. You know what amazed me most out of all those transmissions guys? I only heard one 10 code ever transmitted and that was 10-75. I guess plain english does work.

[goon16 155]

very nice like said before seems like a BUSY nite in Brooklyn

[JBE 328]

What's freakier is I recognize the voices of not only people who trained me, but voices of guys I worked with or for in my short career.

[CAM502 6]

Man those clips are intense....

JBE can you imagine working then?

[R1SmokeEater 359]

Glad some of the younger guys get to see what it was all about ! There will be more to come from Da Bronx ! Thanx to Tom for putting them up for me.

[SQDBOSS 6]

R1, truly AMAZING !! I remember reading Dennis Smith's book for the first time around 1979 and being captivated then by the work that was performed in the early 70's! I can't wait for the BX audio. By any chance would anyone know if there any Video from that period out there. I've seen various places offer "War Year" footage but I can't recall any that early?

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Im sorry for being so niave but what exactly was the War Years....i know that they were a busy time for the FDNY but what exactly was going on?????

[Remember585 815]

Some cool stuff!

I like the "Manhattan Bridge."

God Bless the guys in the field and those at the Comm Center!!!

[JBE 328]

I am not sure I could have handled working back then, but I would have given it a hell of a shot. I think I would have learned more in the sense that you weren't depending on a computer and you had to really learn that borough. Bell tapping and the voice alarm and status boards, fun stuff.

The War Years were a period of time from the late 60's that lasted up till the late 70's/early 80's. It wasn't uncommon to have numerous multiple alarm fires in the same borough, at the same time, and not too far from one another. The story was told to me, you knew how busy it was going to be when the dispatchers drove into work over one of the bridges and they counted the plumes of smoke.

There were more companies than we have now, Second sections of companies, extra units staffed during the afternoon/evening hours. Structure fires on the initial assignment would only get an engine and truck if nobody else was available. Another story I was told by one of the oldtimers was they would leave work and try to figure out which job they were going to buff.

It wasn't uncommon to hear dispatchers asking to see who was available anywhere. "Any Engine available south of 14th/42nd/59th Street??" Or, "Any Truck available in Bay Ridge??" It was also pretty common to see companies from the Upper East Side going first due from quarters to jobs on the Lower East Side. I can't remember if it was Battalion 8, or 2, or if it was Ladder 8 or 2 going into a box first due in the Bronx over in between 82 and 94 Engines area.

[210 91]

We used to go down to Engine 35/Laddder 14 in the mid 70s. Man it was unreal some days and nights.

[JBE 328]

One of the other things you saw was the interchange program. Slow companies would go up and cover the night tour at a busy house. 62 Engine would go down to 82 or 295 would go up to 82. 95 to 75. They tried this again in Queens about 5 or 6 years ago with some of the Jamaica companies, like 127 to 135, and 133 to 167. It fizzled out quickly. They also tried it with the 52's going to 62 and 79. Sometimes you had companies just lined up in front of firehouses ready to go, many were acting as second sections of companies, like Engine 60, even with the Squad, 2 sections of 17, and 2 sections of the 14 Battalion(14-2 went on to become the 26).

Just a story of evolution, Ladder 17-2 was disbanded, I don't think they were reorganized as anyone. If they were, I think they may have become 55 Truck. Ladder 27-2 became 58 Truck. The TCU Ladder that ran out of 82 Engine became 59 Truck. Engine 88-2 became 72 Engine, and they were the second section of 46 before moving up to 88. And lastly, 85 Engine became 53 Truck. The Squads you had then were pumpers and for manpower. I do have a clip somewhere of Dennis O' Connell, one of my mentors in the Bronx and now the guy I relieve on my day tours, telling Squad 5 "We got no trucks available in the South Bronx, you're going in as a truck to 139 and Cypress".

Edited October 7, 2006 by JBE

[eckyphats 0]

awesome audio!

[R1SmokeEater 359]

"I do have a clip somewhere of Dennis O' Connell, one of my mentors in the Bronx and now the guy I relieve on my day tours, telling Squad 5 "We got no trucks available in the South Bronx, you're going in as a truck to 139 and Cypress".

JBE, That's on the next clip being put up.

[JBE 328]

Yeah, as I like to say about Dennis(34 years plus and counting), he's forgotten more about this job than most of us have ever learned. He was like 19 or 20 when that tape was made.

[goon16 155]

got anymore audio clips being posted soon??? can't wait to hear. very interesting to hear how busy the war years really were

[Bunkers 0]

"all units standby a second please, I can only talk to you's one at a time"

jeeez

imagine how stressed EVERYBODY was..

[JBE 328]

That was Warren Fuchs, recently(2003) retired and one of my instructors.