efdcapt115

I'd be happier if they just started showing re-runs of Emergency during prime-time in HD!

I'm going to agree with M on the necessity of maintaining the pull box system for inner city areas. Like Dennis Smith wrote about; if somebody pulls a box they KNOW a fire engine is coming. Sure it's a different system now, ERS, push to talk, take a look at JBE's profile photo to see one.
We had a pull box system in the Eastchester Fire District. It connected three school systems, a college, a hospital, public buildings, private schools, and public streets directly to every firehouse. Inside each house had a reel-to-reel tape at the watch desk, and bells on the wall of the apparatus floor, and whistles on the roofs. The tapes and bells were spring loaded, and had to be wound at the start of every day tour. As soon as a box was pulled, it would activate four rounds of the box number through all five houses and simultaneously activate all five fire whistles.
The schools, hospital, public buildings all had box numbers like 83..or 881. You had to hear all five whistles going in the district at the same time to believe it. Back in the day, this was the only way to notify the volunteers...they would count the number of blasts on the whistle to figure out the location of the alarm. There was a pocket-sized box location reference guide; I think there were at least a couple hundred boxes in the district.
Back in the day, the Alarm Bureau was staffed with one or two career guys. The district eventually put the maintenance of the system under the purview of the department mechanic. The system was pretty durable, but over the decades the underground cables connecting it all needed more and more maintenance/replacement.
The general public was getting pretty fed up with the incredibly loud whistles that would go off at all hours, so the department installed kill switches for them, and we began shutting them down at 2300 hrs every night.
The invention of the Plectron probably had the most impact on smaller municipal alarm box systems like ours. With the volunteers now getting toned out, the days of the fire whistle were rapidly coming to an end.
And that day did come, with a Resolution by the Board of Fire Commissioners, they pulled the plug on the pull box system, and another part of fire department history went the way of the horse drawn steamer.
The 1800 hr system test was for decades, the way by which many a resident would set their pocket-watch....pulling it out using the fob, double checking the time and then catching the trolley car for a ride home. Career firemen in Eastchester were required to come and go from work in their Class A uniforms. They could ride the trolley for a nickel, but they were not allowed to smoke while wearing their Class A's.
So they did away with the pull boxes, they did away with the whistles, eventually firemen didn't have to wear their Class A's to work anymore.....and the trolley cars came to a halt....they paved asphalt over the tracks at some point. But through it all some things endured the test of time; the design of the New Yorker...and the Halligan Tool!

I'd be happier if they just started showing re-runs of Emergency during prime-time in HD!

Your old firehouse up on North Ave @the border; the guy that owns that also ran "Firehouse Films" on Centre Ave, which is now a vegetable market (still?) across from the work-clothing store (still?). Firehouse Films closed when they demolished the tenements on Huguenot St. @ Centre Ave. The vibration from the truck traffic on Huguenot started interfering with "Quiet on the set."
I've seen the refurb of the old firehouse he lives in. Sweet home Alabama!

Your old firehouse up on North Ave @the border; the guy that owns that also ran "Firehouse Films" on Centre Ave, which is now a vegetable market (still?) across from the work-clothing store (still?). Firehouse Films closed when they demolished the tenements on Huguenot St. @ Centre Ave. The vibration from the truck traffic on Huguenot started interfering with "Quiet on the set."
I've seen the refurb of the old firehouse he lives in. Sweet home Alabama!

Respectfully fireguy,
I don't know much about that neck of the woods you guys are talking about, so I won't comment on it. However, I take issue with ANY firefighter referring to fire apparatus as "toys." I recently rode with another firefighter who referred to his apparatus as I believe he said "a shiny red toy."
This isn't a lecture or anything. Fire apparatus are there for a deadly serious purpose. Those ladders, aerials, pumps and hoses might be the tools needed to pull a seriously burned victim from a raging fire, or get water on a fire to hopefully prevent that victim from burning to death, or dying of asphyxiation from toxic, choking, burning plastics, wood, or a thousand other things.
Firefighters definitely take pride in their apparatus. We love to wash them, test them and keep them ready for those times of need. We love to operate them.
Let's just keep our eyes on the objective of the mission. And it is serious, it is deadly, it is why we are/were there. To answer the call to action.
I don't think you'll hear too many cops refer to their weaponry or rigs as toys. Why should we be any different?
Have a safe day Bro.

I'm going to agree with M on the necessity of maintaining the pull box system for inner city areas. Like Dennis Smith wrote about; if somebody pulls a box they KNOW a fire engine is coming. Sure it's a different system now, ERS, push to talk, take a look at JBE's profile photo to see one.
We had a pull box system in the Eastchester Fire District. It connected three school systems, a college, a hospital, public buildings, private schools, and public streets directly to every firehouse. Inside each house had a reel-to-reel tape at the watch desk, and bells on the wall of the apparatus floor, and whistles on the roofs. The tapes and bells were spring loaded, and had to be wound at the start of every day tour. As soon as a box was pulled, it would activate four rounds of the box number through all five houses and simultaneously activate all five fire whistles.
The schools, hospital, public buildings all had box numbers like 83..or 881. You had to hear all five whistles going in the district at the same time to believe it. Back in the day, this was the only way to notify the volunteers...they would count the number of blasts on the whistle to figure out the location of the alarm. There was a pocket-sized box location reference guide; I think there were at least a couple hundred boxes in the district.
Back in the day, the Alarm Bureau was staffed with one or two career guys. The district eventually put the maintenance of the system under the purview of the department mechanic. The system was pretty durable, but over the decades the underground cables connecting it all needed more and more maintenance/replacement.
The general public was getting pretty fed up with the incredibly loud whistles that would go off at all hours, so the department installed kill switches for them, and we began shutting them down at 2300 hrs every night.
The invention of the Plectron probably had the most impact on smaller municipal alarm box systems like ours. With the volunteers now getting toned out, the days of the fire whistle were rapidly coming to an end.
And that day did come, with a Resolution by the Board of Fire Commissioners, they pulled the plug on the pull box system, and another part of fire department history went the way of the horse drawn steamer.
The 1800 hr system test was for decades, the way by which many a resident would set their pocket-watch....pulling it out using the fob, double checking the time and then catching the trolley car for a ride home. Career firemen in Eastchester were required to come and go from work in their Class A uniforms. They could ride the trolley for a nickel, but they were not allowed to smoke while wearing their Class A's.
So they did away with the pull boxes, they did away with the whistles, eventually firemen didn't have to wear their Class A's to work anymore.....and the trolley cars came to a halt....they paved asphalt over the tracks at some point. But through it all some things endured the test of time; the design of the New Yorker...and the Halligan Tool!

I'm going to agree with M on the necessity of maintaining the pull box system for inner city areas. Like Dennis Smith wrote about; if somebody pulls a box they KNOW a fire engine is coming. Sure it's a different system now, ERS, push to talk, take a look at JBE's profile photo to see one.
We had a pull box system in the Eastchester Fire District. It connected three school systems, a college, a hospital, public buildings, private schools, and public streets directly to every firehouse. Inside each house had a reel-to-reel tape at the watch desk, and bells on the wall of the apparatus floor, and whistles on the roofs. The tapes and bells were spring loaded, and had to be wound at the start of every day tour. As soon as a box was pulled, it would activate four rounds of the box number through all five houses and simultaneously activate all five fire whistles.
The schools, hospital, public buildings all had box numbers like 83..or 881. You had to hear all five whistles going in the district at the same time to believe it. Back in the day, this was the only way to notify the volunteers...they would count the number of blasts on the whistle to figure out the location of the alarm. There was a pocket-sized box location reference guide; I think there were at least a couple hundred boxes in the district.
Back in the day, the Alarm Bureau was staffed with one or two career guys. The district eventually put the maintenance of the system under the purview of the department mechanic. The system was pretty durable, but over the decades the underground cables connecting it all needed more and more maintenance/replacement.
The general public was getting pretty fed up with the incredibly loud whistles that would go off at all hours, so the department installed kill switches for them, and we began shutting them down at 2300 hrs every night.
The invention of the Plectron probably had the most impact on smaller municipal alarm box systems like ours. With the volunteers now getting toned out, the days of the fire whistle were rapidly coming to an end.
And that day did come, with a Resolution by the Board of Fire Commissioners, they pulled the plug on the pull box system, and another part of fire department history went the way of the horse drawn steamer.
The 1800 hr system test was for decades, the way by which many a resident would set their pocket-watch....pulling it out using the fob, double checking the time and then catching the trolley car for a ride home. Career firemen in Eastchester were required to come and go from work in their Class A uniforms. They could ride the trolley for a nickel, but they were not allowed to smoke while wearing their Class A's.
So they did away with the pull boxes, they did away with the whistles, eventually firemen didn't have to wear their Class A's to work anymore.....and the trolley cars came to a halt....they paved asphalt over the tracks at some point. But through it all some things endured the test of time; the design of the New Yorker...and the Halligan Tool!

Respectfully fireguy,
I don't know much about that neck of the woods you guys are talking about, so I won't comment on it. However, I take issue with ANY firefighter referring to fire apparatus as "toys." I recently rode with another firefighter who referred to his apparatus as I believe he said "a shiny red toy."
This isn't a lecture or anything. Fire apparatus are there for a deadly serious purpose. Those ladders, aerials, pumps and hoses might be the tools needed to pull a seriously burned victim from a raging fire, or get water on a fire to hopefully prevent that victim from burning to death, or dying of asphyxiation from toxic, choking, burning plastics, wood, or a thousand other things.
Firefighters definitely take pride in their apparatus. We love to wash them, test them and keep them ready for those times of need. We love to operate them.
Let's just keep our eyes on the objective of the mission. And it is serious, it is deadly, it is why we are/were there. To answer the call to action.
I don't think you'll hear too many cops refer to their weaponry or rigs as toys. Why should we be any different?
Have a safe day Bro.

This is quite shocking, the whole situation. I'm asking myself "is this really happening?" It's surreal. ny10570 who we now know his name is Lenny Joyner, see his photo on the Denver news story, has been a regular productive member of this board for years. We know his political leanings, his compassion for others, his decency....yet most of us didn't know him personally.
I wish I had.
To those members here who had the honor of knowing him, condolences to you all. We all share in your grief.
For all of us here who care, who feel, please take care of yourselves now. Don't be tempted to grab the beers or anything else to drown the pain away.
Talk about it. Write about it. Share your feelings with those of us here who care for you and want you to be okay. That's what this site is about. A Fraternity of sorts. Times like these are the most testing for everybody. Talk about it at the firehouse, the precinct, the ambulance quarters.
Lenny got called home to God way too early, yet he obviously died doing what he wanted to be doing. Living his life the way he wanted it to be. Quite an adventurist it seems. I imagine he was quite ecstatic to reach that peak, to see that view, to be closer to his God.
Our board has another hero now. And his name is Lenny Joyner. God Rest In Peace.
Edit: Last name proper spelling.

Very true Cap.
And on a side note I'd like to compliment you on your impeccable grammar these past few months. For a guy who couldn't spell "spell" (probably because you looked at the keyboards more than the screen.....my oh my you sure have gotten better at it. I've also noticed you do a lot more OSHA Standards referencing; 29CFR1910.134 comes to mind as of late.
Are you SURE it's really you Cap? lol

Three words for this one; Extremely Bad Idea.

Three words for this one; Extremely Bad Idea.

Very true Cap.
And on a side note I'd like to compliment you on your impeccable grammar these past few months. For a guy who couldn't spell "spell" (probably because you looked at the keyboards more than the screen.....my oh my you sure have gotten better at it. I've also noticed you do a lot more OSHA Standards referencing; 29CFR1910.134 comes to mind as of late.
Are you SURE it's really you Cap? lol

Very true Cap.
And on a side note I'd like to compliment you on your impeccable grammar these past few months. For a guy who couldn't spell "spell" (probably because you looked at the keyboards more than the screen.....my oh my you sure have gotten better at it. I've also noticed you do a lot more OSHA Standards referencing; 29CFR1910.134 comes to mind as of late.
Are you SURE it's really you Cap? lol

They dont need other guys and rigs and stuff...the need MONEY, and their laid off guys BACK.....

Very true Cap.
And on a side note I'd like to compliment you on your impeccable grammar these past few months. For a guy who couldn't spell "spell" (probably because you looked at the keyboards more than the screen.....my oh my you sure have gotten better at it. I've also noticed you do a lot more OSHA Standards referencing; 29CFR1910.134 comes to mind as of late.
Are you SURE it's really you Cap? lol

Three words for this one; Extremely Bad Idea.

The last thing you want is for them to get "experience" in someone elses way of doing things. Not saying they do it the wrong way, but each dept. does do things different and you do not want new ff's that now spent a week or 2 somewhere else and want to do it that way.

They're building this out of stone and glass? No wonder the price tag is so high! (wink)

Three words for this one; Extremely Bad Idea.

You don't have to go to Detrot to find a scab, they are all around Port Chester. Career guys from other jobs close buy Volunteering when our job is suffering with low manpower down 50 % and soon to 60 % and now stealing our Fire Watch. Brotherhood is allmost gone

I couldn't agree more with you Willie. It's one thing going out to buff a department, hand out with them, go to a call and the guys on the rig ask you to take a hydrant while riding with them (if they were to do that). But this idea of paying to be a firefighter for a day there is another reason to remove the top commanders and political appointees who really know nothing of the fire service from their positions.
I hope this was only a tongue in cheek response memo to something else. But watching 'Good Ol' Charlie's" news piece convinced me it was not.
AND I hope that no true firefighter; career, volunteer, private industrial, military or retired brother would ever consider doing such a thing.

I am quite sure there would be "plenty of takers". But I'd love to be one of those Detroit Firefighters when they show up carrying their gear and helmets. First thing I'd have them do is grab a toilet brush and let them get a feel of the job. Then maybe a mop etc.
And even better, if we caught work, I'd make sure they are on the nob right in front of me strtching in. So they can feel all the heat and get all the excitment any real firefighter can ask for. My guess is after that, they would be crying to go home. And their days of Playing Detroit Firefighter would be over.
Yes, if I was one of those Detroit Fire Officers I would Welcome them to join us.

More construction jobs. Let's get these guys/gals some work!