For whatever reason, this third year after the ten-year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York seems for many of us to have felt different. Different as in, forgotten. This was the first topic of discussion this past Wednesday morning as a few of us gathered on Fire Engineering’s Humpday […]
“My fundamental duty is to serve humanity…” We all stood. “All rise and raise your right hand”..The clatter of the old wooden auditorium seats clapped and banged as the entire academy stood as one. “Repeat after me..”, said the Chief officer in attendance. The thunder of male voices rang through the auditorium. Our families sat […]
“The blaze was a stubborn, dangerous and heavy smoke fire–but every man faced this with the highest courage that men can attain. There was work to be done, and these brave men did that work without a look behind..†from the Firemen’s Grapevine. Nov. 15th 1939 The Gray Building Fire, Los Angeles, Ca. 1939, courtesy […]
We were on a roll… Remember when the new buzz going around the Internet was all about better ways to do the job? Better tactics, little nuggets, the tips and tricks. That wasn’t all that long ago. I remember one of the websites that I really took a liking to was “Fire Nuggets” http://www.firenuggets.com Whether […]
The following diatribe is written poorly at a late hour. My sincere apologies. But I would like to take the time to dedicate this declaration to the five highly dedicated firemen that have helped me this far acting out the foriegn roles of drill instructors. They have followed my lead, endeavored to meet it and have […]
Did you know who the procession was for last Friday? Did you hear the drums beat, the pipes calling, take note or shroud your badge? No? Not the usual coverage, I agree. A slightly more subdued affair. Still I would have liked to have known. This past Friday, the New York Fire Department members gathered […]