You're listening to the Getting Salty Experience podcast. I don't work, we go
I waited this time. Come on, fool me once, Shame on me.
Yeah, I was FOOLI one, Shame on you. Fut me twice,
shame on me. Whatever. Getting Salty Experienced podcast it's the only one
that brings all the stories from the kitchen table, the apparatus floor, those
late nights on the rig, in the punk room, all those stories.
We bring it to you, right rough, Yeah, from the base.
We definitely don't. I don't know about the basement. Sorry, anybody huh
ever take a trip to the basement with anybody? Actually no, I didn't
have to. I got out of a couple pretty good. You know.
You know what it is if you if you present well right, you can
you can back people down to you know what I mean. I have the
crazy face. You know, I used to have the crazy eyes. So
I think that worked for me and the and the crazy a Guinea Italian uncle
switch because it's like throwing a light switch. He's read. We finally got
this guy. Huh. This guy he was he was doing the matress from
when we first started. When we first started, we said, who could
we get. You know, when you brought this idea to the about the
show, we said, who we're going to get? Right, who'd you
say, said, Hank got Murphy Kelly, you show you to say,
mister Randy watching I heard that name come up. But he always guy would
never retire, No heed the service bro, you know what I mean.
They had to roll him out. He just did retire right with two weeks
ago something. A couple of weeks ago he said he's finally absolute, he's
actually out. You mean he was at he was still chief in the volunteers
and he was still teaching out at in Suffolk. I believe. Wow,
the guy who you know, we had a lot of good stories with his
fellow, very funny guy, just laughing in the pre show right too.
Got that head ahead and he's always similarities there. He does have a very
good he does. He's got a little more soft than pepper now though.
Yeah, he was a salt pepper guy. He's always salt pepper, but
now he's a little more so. But he's salt. He's a salty guy.
That's what are you drinking there? Yeah, a little mother's milk drinking.
I'm drinking, Uh, Jack Honey Jack Daniels, honey tonight. Oh
shit. You know, Roofy had his sweet sixteen for his daughter this week,
and I was it a lot of he is but it was yeah,
good you would do a number two candles, you know, it was so
funny. She didn't really give me anything sixteen years. You know, I
kind of think she hates me to death. But yeah, but she gave
the little speech. You know, she was pulling out some stops there.
I was surprised she actually was listening to me. Yeah, did you have
you have to wipe a couple of while? Come on? You know me,
I'm I'm a hot guy. So it wasn't itthing like give a little
shout out there? Yeah, Mellie mouth, sweet sixteen, Happy birthday.
That's awesome. Sweet sixteen you buddy. Mom had to be number one candle,
right, she was number one. You know what the last candle was?
That was from my mom, my dad and my phone law. That
was everybody was balling. Oh she was a bullet, but it was balling.
Would you have a lot of eight bomb a lot of bosh. We
had a little chicken franchise of cost had sugar Regonada. We had uh steak,
had steak for the Irish, you know, so let's go boil some
meat and some potatoes. Came a couple of taties. I'm not an animal.
A couple of spaghetti. You had Penney La vodka. Come on,
you take the gun out. That's what he went to the place last night.
And that night he was like this. It's like, oh we had
the time. He was a plane in the background. You know, you
gotta do it right, wonderful. All right, listen, I want to
get this guy in. He is. We've got a lot of stories to
go over the bro so get get to the commercials quickly. So we all
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Falling Firefighter Foundation full and the Old School Safe Health and Safety Tip tonight,
is you ready for this one fall of fire shower? As soon as possible
before cleaning the tools. The sooner remove contamination from firefighter is the lower the
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in there, rinch the ball bag up, clean the shit off, and
then go clean the tools. All right, We are grace to see him,
and we haven't seen him in a while. This guy coming in hot,
Mike coming in hot? What's going on going on? Mike? Gentlemen?
All right? Is that all we got and we have ours. Lets
you get skipped that one tonight. Okay, let's skip it on. Just
tell them how to get into the stupid chat. They want to get the
questions. You know what I mean. Yes, tonight is gonna be a
great knife of the super Chat. Everybody again, if you want to support
the show, hit us up in the super chat. If you have a
question with mister for mister kellyton I, please do so in a super chat.
That is the best way to get him answered. Get that, Bro,
I'll let you bring him in. Get the man, do it all
right? Uh, coming to the stage. This is Uh Kevin and I's
uh one of our favorite lieutenants that we had the opportunity to work with and
the privilege to work with, Lieutenant Tim Kelly, who looks great. Definitely
more so definite. We finally got him, Bro. I had so many
unanswed texts, Bro, and then finally he reappeared out of nowhere. I
don't know what happened. Well, I was texting him. I had the
wrong number. That's why I wasn't answering. Maybe really liked me. Maybe
we left that plot out, were sending the texting their own number. But
as a guest, like from random, all right, before we go to
further you know, we got to be patriotic before we get lost in the
weeds over here. Yeah, we was almost were doing so okay, stand
by, here we go. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Well, wonderful,
what's the and we would be remissed? What is the word of the day?
You're ready? Yeah, give it a face? What it is?
New? Wait, you didn't do them, mister sadafest guy. All right,
don't let I saw your finger this. I thought we were gonna didn't
want to hit that one right out of the box. That that story real
quick because it was me. I remember telling that story so many times because
it was I. It was I contact from Yeah, it was like it
was stories, like a couple of stories higher. So the story I believe,
he don't think so, but should be good. When when Lieutenant Kelly
transferred to rescue far he was in the squat a couple of years and then
yeah, so when we were like the strut when he left, right,
but we understood he was going to Big Blue. He was a rescue guy.
We understood it. But he didn't realize that we had Jerry Murphy,
which was Hankstrom right. So of course getting out to Long Island, any
job going towards uh east end, the Queens most of the time rescue far
and us we would converge on. They would take Queens Boulevard to the Lae
or the Grand Sexual and we would jump right on the Lae because we were
right there. And the l A, even back then was just packed all
the time. Right. So we were getting on the highway and there's a
couple of spots on the highway where you can get off on the service road.
You can come up right, there's three lane, six lanes. It's
like this, right. So they came around from Queens Boulevard and they were
going up the ramp to get onto the Lye and Murf saw that it was
packed. I don't know, you know, I mean he was always packed.
But he did some concoction maneuver and he came down low Wood and jump
around. Come up. Now we're on the service road and there's never any
traffic really over there, but the l Ie is up high like it's up
like right now. I remember, so, um, I got my arm.
I'm behind Murf and we're going out east and I look up on the
l I E. I see lights, I look up and he looks down
at me, and it was just kind of pretty, you know. Soon
after he retired pretty close and he looked at me and he was just like,
you know, like from Seinfeld. He was like you. And then
we kept calling him that for a while because I mean we were always trying
to beat them in. They were always trying to beat us in. It
was you know where yeah, hello, thank you. Oh yeah, that
was I remember I was talking about that, like when he looked down at
me and he was just because listen, in the end, if there's work
to be done, whoever gets there first generally will get the more of cherrav
you know. So we renamed Jerry not Hagstrom's. We called them Magellan because
damn city anywhere anywhere incredible. Jerry know, I got it all right,
yes, and he did. Yeah, he would. We would never waste
any time like other chauffeurs. We'd look at the map right see which way
we were gonna go, or they would get started and then we would have
the maps in the back. It would be like he missed the first two
job, like right down the block. For me, that time is out
the window. It's out the window over here. Why do you go?
What other light? God? Bless him? I love that guy. But
yeah, we're gonna have a lot of quick stories tonight. Yeah, let's
get out to Lieutenant Kelly's career. Where is my hold on him? Minute?
Hold on him? Oh my god, that's a funny, my fair
short already on my face? All right, here we go, all right,
t K. So before we get started, we want to know what
made you get into the FIST service? Any family on any and that's a
great story. I could I could eat up an hour on that one.
All right. So out on the Suffolk County where I grew up, I
had my really my best friend out here. Um, his dad was a
chauffeur and rescue four. So he says to me, and we're fifteen years
old, do you want to coin and ride with my dad? And I
had no idea what that meant, so I was like, yeah, sure.
So we went in and did a night tour and rescue four and it
was incredible. We went to multiple fires. There were jump as people threw
a mattress out and the guy threw his whole family out and jumped. It
was like Holy crap. I mean, I'm fifteen years old. It was
just like insane. And then I go back home and I'm like, they
pay guys to do this. This is the best show on earth. So
I kind of made it my mission to get on the job and I was
looking all over the place. And then once I was on the job,
I always had it that I wanted to go to Rescue four in some capacity,
and I did it. And the lieutenant that was working that night we
had had to jump as John Dillon. Oh my god. I called him
up when I was one of the first night to us there and I just
said, hey, John, and do you know who this is? And
he goes, I know who it is. He had an incredible dungaree jacket
that had um adult beverages that were always available. And I said, I
tossed the office. I can't find it. Where is it in my trunk?
And you can't have it. But it was really quite an honor for
me to make it all the way back. And uh so you weren't even
a volley at this time. I was a pre volley fireman. And then
I was like, you know this, this guy was a friend of mine.
And then I did go into the volleys and uh before he got on
the job. Yes, and you have to hide it, you know.
And I did have a party at my house and I invited all the guys
from thirty eight truck there and lo and behold that silly radio went off when
they were all there, and they looked at me ner a volley and I
kept it from him for years. So they were just like, that makes
perfect sense now, you know, So that that the lieutenant, that that's
the duke, right, that is the duke, right. So I have
I have posted so many pictures of him. Guys have sent me. His
helmet was like this little roofing shingle. That what I used to see his
helmet on it. I mean, he had no visors, right, it
was just like this little coops. It's like a yamica, right, you
know. It was incredible, the box on a camp fire on the head.
It was like and every picture he's like talking to the chief and you
know the chief is just listen like I hate hate that helmet. Right.
Yeah, oh well he was thinking that. But now is that the duke
that they talk about in Brooklyn, Because they talk about a guy to duke
in Brooklyn. That was different. That's different. That's a guy from one
eleven Ironx guy as a fire and you know, um, well it had
to be doing the seventies a Bronx guy because he was when you went there,
it was probably like so this would have been the seventies as a lieutenant
and four wow maybe yeah, you know he's in uh saw him, you
know it just recently. So there was definitely was an incredible uh to go
complete circle to circle. Now I'm in my late late the forties getting back
to rescue four and and just you know a lot of folks didn't even realize
that. You know, I always had that on my radar. I didn't
know that story. Yeah, I would have felt so bad. You guys
are so destruct you threw my stuff out the window. I help him,
I help you probably did. Did the Duke's son get on the job,
I don't. I don't know. Well, no, it's one son is
a Suffolk police officer and um yeah, because I went to his wake and
all, and uh, you know he came around in nine to eleven.
He was he was in credible uh uh calming force with us, you know,
and he's still alive. No, he passed. He passed. Yeah,
but uh, yeah, I don't know where the hell that Dan Helmett
is and the dungaree jacket they I think they went with him, you know,
so I'd have to get the jacket back. Do you have any other
family on the job. I don't know. No, you me. You
know, my middle son is um he's on the job in Greenwich. Um
so, um yeah, it's it's pretty wild. He loves it a lot.
And uh, you know, I brought both my sons in to ride
and rescue four and and Milner could back this up. On his last day
tour, they uh on the job. He went out. We convinced Mike
to go out front to take a picture and my boys bucketed him. And
he didn't think it was that funny. But oh, you know, you
know, my sons were probably thirteen and maybe fifteen then, or maybe a
little younger. But what's going on now? The you don't like it got
him good too. It was really the perm back then. Probably he didn't
want to hear him, I said, probably could have broke his knees,
you know that. But yeah, you took the test that uh that got
held up with the women, right in the seventy something tests. That was
a difficult test. Yeah, it was really wacky. Yeah, yeah,
physical was even more. That's what the mile run, the mail sack,
up the stairs, the ledge walk, the eight foot wall was really a
man. They got to bring that sucker back. That eliminated a lot of
phonies. Yeah, imagine jumping over that now, Yeah, yes, I
could, Actually I could imagine it. I won't be able to do it,
but I would. Oh my goodness, you're keeping yourself in shape these
days. I'm you know, I got hooked on the peloton thing and uh
you know good yeah, so um, well, you know, I mean,
it's all good until it's not good. You know, he's got the
rescue Force fan dex with the leg worms, the blue leg womans, right
slash dance you all right, let's drow a picture of his probably class because
he was in there with a famous guy. Here we go, they're all
famous. Who was in there besides you? That? I see you there,
he's in the middle, in the lower middle. And then the guy
who's at the bottom with his thumb up in the air. That guy I
never seen him before. That's the bush. We can get him on.
Tell the story about what you said, and uh yeah, so we uh,
you know, we're sitting there just trying to get to know each other.
This was my squad and it's I don't know whether it's graduation or whatever
the hell's going on. But um, early on in probi school, Steve
confides in us and says, I don't even want to be a fireman.
I just need a paycheck. I want to be an actor. And like,
you know, when all of a sudden, like the pancakes stop in
mid air and they're just like, what did you just say? You got
tell another soul? They're gonna they'll drown you. What do you mean?
So um, but it turns out we got another photograph of we're utilizing him
as a battering ram on the door, you know, and it's very funny.
We're just picking him up. So um, he didn't change much,
you know. He's a great guy then, and uh, you know ten
years fifty five, right, yes, yes he did, he did ten
years or whatever he did, so it was terrible. He stayed ten years
and he still comes. Yeah, it's a good guy. Absolutely. The
job grew on him. Why not, right? How could it not?
Who else was in that picture anybody. Yeah, Dennis Devlin's in there.
Um you know there's uh billy album. You know there's uh you know some
of these guys. It's funny how you just keep crossing. So the other
guy, uh, John Roy, the older guy with the mustache in the
middle. I think he had like four kids. Oh he went up.
I got held up because I wasn't even twenty one yet, so I would
have had to wait for this class anyway. And a matter of fact,
out of the hundred, I think sixty of us just turned twenty one.
Oh you know, they tried to do to the real march with us.
I think the guy swallowed his tongue at probi school and almost died. None
of us were in the military. Uh, we didn't even know what dress
right dress it was. They gave up. They just so it was during
the winter. I shoveled more snow with those banjo's. Uh that that's all
they did. Last I didn't shovel, you know. So it was John
He went up to the green Berets right in the barn. Team didn't roll
go up to the bronx when yes it did. Yeah, a lot of
us were. It was. It was la, you know, in our
class. So we just kind of went where over time was running. So
they just kind of broke us up. But uh yeah, we were in
this tiny, tiny locker room and it was really quite funny, you know,
us one hundred guys and it was probably a twenty by twenty space.
I think the Custodian uses it in Building nine. It was they were really
it was quite unique. But uh, like I said, we were still
wearing the yellow slickers, um, you know, the raincoats and the Civil
Defense yellow helmets. Oh my god. It was just I think they lent
us old boots. That was the only thing we had that looked like fireman.
Wow. So did you get did you have a hook? How did
you How did everything work? I thought I had a hook. I was
supposed to go to Queens a family friend, and uh, all of a
sudden it comes up eighty eight and I'm like, where the hell is eighty
eight? You know, I was a Long Island boy, and so they're
just like, oh, you're gonna love this place, you know, and
I'm like wow. And then of course you go there and the museum it's
it's it's incredible. It's on the National Archive of Historical The Yeah, cool,
walk in there. It's a museum. I worked there two times.
You walk into you don't want to touch anything. You wipe your feet before
you come in. It's incredible. I've heard you talk about it in the
past. It's like picture here, you know as the Bronx brickyards Um.
You know, it was all these vacant buildings. It was. It's a
great company. And when you look at a map at the Bronx, it's
almost dead center. So I don't know, they had some hooks in the
communications office. We were like on it. We used to have that old
loose leaf book on multiple alarms and you could tell when they transmitted if there
was anything that was a third alarm, and the Bronx just about we were
on it. I don't know who we paid off, but it was great.
As as a young farmer an engine we were going to everything. You
know, what was it like looking at those buildings coming from Long Islands,
Like when you first went into that area where you just like, yeah,
it was just it was blocks of them. This is probably down by forty
five Engine and ben Eyes and just by the Cross Bronx and then they would
burn and then you know, all the stairs were all m they already gutted
them for whatever, scraped the holes in the floor. It was just like
incredible. And then they would take the fire escapes out just to reduce the
number of people. And then you'd be in there and folks would be like,
I'm in here, I'm back. You're like these things they were never
unoccupied, you know, there was always uh, you know, taking out
the cinder block. Um. Just the Bronx training towers, you know,
as they were just a great opportunity to go to a lot of a lot
of fires and uh, really get good engine work. I mean the Clorox
bucket with a rope, and it was an invaluable tool of going up to
an upper floor and dropping that sucker out and getting a line up stairs really
fast. You know it was it worked when the stairs are all burnt out
pretty much. And then whoever got up there first, you know, it's
like you gotta be you gotta be agile, you know. And uh,
and then the four point fives were just coming out, um so wearing a
mask. They were like it was funny. There was a lieutenant's test coming
up. We were always being asked you know, what did they go over,
what did they emphasize what? You know, the the mask policy was
coming out and h it was the backstep was wasn't taboo just yet? And
uh um we were still doing in the chain when I got there. But
they would lie about how many runs you had. Allegedly we wouldn't have to
interchange, right. They asked how many jobs you went to? The bosses
would say two. Meanwhile they were at four of them with us. You
know what it was like? So your first job team, Um, I
do actually and uh it was pretty funny because it was on the north side
of the Cross Bronx Expressway and I was a volley so um it was a
vacant row of stores. We were second to engine, second alarm on arrival,
and they told me to jump up on the deck gun because it was
that volume of fire and the particular chauffeur, Um, he was priming the
pump. He couldn't get water. And I'm up there roasting away and I
could see the cover, the hostbed covers starting to stretch and melt. I'm
melting up there, and I could see the lenses on the lights are starting
to get a little uh weepy, and they're like, hold on, we
got to move the rig. So all I kept saying to myself, so
this is how the big boys doing. They melt the sheepishly, climbed down
and just say, uh, what else can we do? And they like
just just help stretch the line, you know. But I do remember that
with so it's with great humility, you say, Oh, even the big
guys make mistakes, you know, your first shot. Um. I stayed
there three years and I had an opportunity to go to the truck. Anytime
it was a detail, I would go to the truck and I just loved
it. Um. I mean just working in the truck is just opportunity to
just do everything, every position, every building. It just um you know,
with all books and what to do on what type building, it's just
it doesn't get boring. Uh, And I just enjoyed. We were a
rear mount company in thirty eight, and um, you know it was great.
A lot of times they'd transmitted greater alarm because it was going badly and
they'd be calling tower ladders and uh they'd be like thirty eight, you guys
could take up because it was gonna be an all nighter you know, so
it was kind of like did we do something wrong and they're like, nah,
we don't need you. So it was how was the response area compared
to the engine, Like you run into a lot a lot more engines,
right than that than with the truck aut on runs without the engine the truck.
Yeah, it's funny. We did have different boxes and stuff. Um,
you know where the truck would go. M but the engines was pretty
good, you know, the eighteenth Italian and then they brought forty eight and
fifty six in with us, so um, you know, if we went
to the West, we ran in with seventy five and thirty three and forty
eight and they when they moved six truck up. Um. But it was
yeah, it was great. You know, a lot of row frames as
we nicknamed them row f aimes. I just loved those suckers top floor fires
type. I nicknamed them sneak of fires because you were just running around with
you know, get the line over here, get the line. You know.
We would bring two hooks because the trucks would just you know, they
were stretched to the limit of just trying to pull ceilings and uh so you
just did a truck work as an engine man, and it was it was
great. They are that's that's their first do you know. It's so we
were on a between one hundred and eighty three hundred and eighty fourth see great
shopping. You know that's the best. You have. You got the work
and you have you know the food. Yes, yeah, and oh it
was just yeah, it was. It was fantastic, you know in all
the holidays there, it's just uh, yeah, it was good. It
was good. You know, Italian neighborhood. And I looked like I had
some Italian blood in me and you know to be like, you look like
a nice boy. What's your name? When I said I'm going to ruin
your day? Timothy you're talking about. Yeah, it was a great,
great, great hub to be first dude at the zoo and uh you know
Fordam University was right there, so it was it was very pretty diverse neighborhood
of buildings. I mean we had everything, you know, probably the only
thing we didn't have was subways, but everything was elevating. Yeah. Who
was some of the guys you remember that stick out to you that well in
the engine, Um, you know, tough Timmy. Yeah, I saw
that pop up, and uh, it was so funny. He would he
busted my horns. You know. He kept asking me, um, well,
he asked me once, get me the probably, get me the serial
number off the tires. So I'm like, serial number, What the hell
they got serial numbers? Yeah, I need the serial numbers. So I'm
crawling under the rig. So I wrote them down because I figured that not
going to change him very often. So about four or five months later,
it must have been his only you know thing that he had all the time.
He says, give me the serial numbers off the tie. So I
went to my locker and I got the numbers and he said, you got
him that fast. I said, I wrote him down the first time.
You think he didn't like that answer? Did you say? Knew me?
Damn it. So we were going on a family vacation, my wife and
I and she brought in cookies and uh, she gave something tough, timmy,
And if I would have known that, I would have had her come
the first day to work with me, because then after that I couldn't do
any wrong with him. So he wasn't that tough, you know, Coe,
It was. It was pretty funny. He was in the engine.
Yeah he was the engine boss, you know, I mean it was it
was probably in his if he's still on the hockey team, you know.
Wow. I mean he got a fistfight at a job once. I think
he was acting battalion and uh nice and you know the deputy comes in and
they're like, do you want to uh you know, bring him up on
charges and he goes no. The guy shows great spirit. He appreciated getting
punched in the face. I guess nothing. He definitely did not. Uh
he earned it and uh you know he was He was a tough old Irish
boss who was like who was the captain in the truck at that time?
You remember, Um, there was several that came through. Um, Joe
Morevic was when I went across the floor and um, then we had a
few others. Tom Cherry was there. Um, you know, great great
role models. Um. One of the lieutenants in UH eighty eight was Kevin
Burns. Uh. You know it's like when you get promoted or even you're
your whole stick as a fireman, you just kind of you steal from,
you know, some other guy's acts and you're like, I like what he
does. I like you know Kevin was. If he knew Tough Timmy was
coming in, he'd come downstairs. He'd take his shirt off and he says,
come on, come on, let's let's get a card game going.
Let's let's get this going. And he'd like shuffle papers all over the desk
like he didn't do anything all day, and we'd make it look like we're
playing cards all day, just to I go, this is a lieutenant busting
and Captain Horn make this up. But uh, you know great boss Kevin
Burns was. That was Frank Montagnier. He was the chief at the Rock
and uh so you know he was a lieutenant there. He came out of
the Upper east Side thirteen truck. Uh so you know he went on to
bigger and better things. But you know a lot of a lot of good
guys running in with twenty seven truck um fifty eight. I know you had
McCluskey on some episodes ago, and that's a big dude. Oh man,
he is. He is. You know, the guy eats glass for you
know, because nothing else. It's a sad hog, right, wasn't he
s? Yeah? And Devil was yeah whole you know they forty five and
fifty eight. They had a few of them, so yeah, it was
sure being twenty one years old I work with. I mean, Leo Faccassi
was a World War Two vet. U was in then U on the UH
Patton. He was served in North Africa and liberating Italy. Uh um.
You know, Marino was a career war vet. One guy was you know,
World War two Iwajima uh several Vietnam vets and they took great liberties.
A bust of my horns, like what did you do? And I said,
well, well, you guys were all doing that. I was learning
how to ride a bicycle. Thank you for your service. You know,
it was nothing going on. I was a you know, it was a
punk, you know. And what we say all the time, those guys,
Coop says it all the time, like those guys. When you work
with those guys, If those guys were in those situations, there ain't nothing
that they're going to see here, and it's really gonna make them. You
know, you just learned to be calm, right, You learned to be
to handle that, you know, or any situation that's coming at you.
You learn to handle it because you're dealing with those types of guys all the
time. Yeah. I mean this one guy in the truck, Jimmy Marino,
I happen to look down at is the year he got assigned to thirty
eight and it was the year I was born. And his uniform had absolutely
nothing on it. And I'm like, jim every Christmas I can remember,
you've been bringing you're sorry butt into this firehouse and he goes, you're a
punk, Kelly. But the guy was great. He was always the irons
man. He was the great guy to learn under, you know, and
they all were. They really really set the pace for you know, how
you behave and uh. But I just always admired the fact that, you
know, you'd make a grab and just no big deal. Yah, and
uh he didn't need to write up, he didn't need anything, and he'd
just be like just quietly go about his job. So I like that act.
And uh, I just try to emulate a lot of those guys.
Well you will live, you will live in a life there twenty one years
old and a busy company. It was great, it really was. I
had I had a grand time. I really did. I h that's a
great house to go to right out of this Yes, and how did I
get it? I think tough Timmy just you know, he went that you
picked three of us. One guy was a contract U me and another guy
would just probably. I think we were next to each other under the order.
We know how you got it. I should have sent my wife,
like I said, your time. Speaking of your wife, how long were
you there before? You were you with her? When? Yep? And
then I got so I got married. Uh went across the floor and uh
in the same month, and uh, you know it was so nice.
They detailed me back to the engine for thirty days because I had a red
shield working in eighty eight, so no way. Yeah, so it was
but it was all good. Um married forty years this year, so oh
yeah, I'd say it worked out. I'd say, so agree. Any
any particular job that stand out to you while you were in in the truck,
Um, not really up there, you know. Um, you know
there was jobs, but I mean, you know thirty eight was, um
the Happy Land Social Club. I wasn't working, but um, I know
the importance of BI because that was in a BI district and uh the captain
m was Walter Brett and uh it was interesting. They weren't even back from
the job yet and two guys came in and suits and pulled the folder before
you know, the relocates are in there. And they went up to the
office and helped themselves to the bi folder. And thankfully we had well died
or he had well documented attempts to get in there. So that was h
he did an outstanding job of you know, doing the right thing by the
fire department and the city. You know that we were so they then created
that task for us after that, the social club task for us, and
uh so uh but no, it was just um, we were very very
familiar with the place and and just those type things. And Paul Sman had
the pipe at that job, right he did, Yeah what was he working?
Have been? Right? Yeah, they would literally almost could see it.
So it's right on Southern Boulevard. You know, we were second d
there. But I just you know, the the the incredible number of people
killed was just um seven right, the seven people perish, right, Yeah,
yes, so it was um, you know, it's it's all uh
you know, you you're going along having a great time and then you you
you know, just seeing the impact that had on the guys that worked it.
I was kind of glad I wasn't there, you know, because uh,
you know it was like one of these things, well who's got that
many body bags? And they're like the port authority does so uh Unfortunately we
became skilled in large body counts and they were like, oh so uh it
was an incredible an eventment that it wasn't working, but um, going through
it and just seeing it, I was kind of kind of glad I wasn't
You guys probably went back there and looked at the building every day, right,
We absolutely did. And you know, you know, it's actually kind
of good therapy for the folks that were there, the firefighters, you know,
for us and the guys, and then getting them to retell his story
to us and and just you know, you're just silent and it it actually
is is probably good for them that they they just kind of describe what they
what they went through, y rothe who do We just had somebody on that
we were talking about how great the job is and the last and everything,
but the job I could turn on a dime and be serious as a heart
attack in a second and humble you in the second. Who who is that
that we had on that was saying that I mean a lot of people say
that. I mean, everybody knows that, right, but somebody just you
know, they brow up a good point and I forget what it was,
but they were saying the same exact thing. I can't remember of it was
very recently, though. I do remember that you have a lot of fun
in the firehouse, but you can humble you on. I wasn't that was
the old school tip. Wasn't that the old school tip? Remember, you
ought to make it one Hell, here we go. What's that? Uh?
Somebody asked the question and that let me go back over it. Oh
yeah, here we go. Oh there it is. I'm sorry it takes
twenty years to ask what was killed in Brothers in Battle? Were you in
Brothers in Battle? Um? It was going on while I was up there.
So Brian Hickey um was filming, you know, in while he was
in thirty eight and then ask you for so um, like when you guys
were asking do you have any pictures? Uh, that's one of the things
like if somebody broke out a camera, I went the other way, you
know. So Uh, it was funny when you see things like that going
on. So I was, I was, you know, making faces in
the background to the guys they were filming and stuff and uh, but I
remember when that came out. I was in Probi school ninety three when that
came out. I could not get enough of that film. You ain't heavy.
He's incredible. I mean it's it really is uh, I mean just
the information he gave out too, like in each borrow Right, I was
school. They showed that in prob school. I remember, right, it's
it's really is timeless. It's it's so well done and uh, you know
it's I never even realized it was him, like until many years later,
many of the years later. Yeah, getting back to it quick, he's
in that. There's a lot of good ones in there coming with all the
as remember he was in he got the huge bona for that one. That
one. There's a question I've been meaning to ask you, So, at
what point do you decide to go to the rescue at number two? The
follow up question is, if you wanted to do the rescue four thing,
why did you go to Rescue one as a fineman and not for h good
question. Um, yeah, it's a good question. So you know,
going to Rescue one is just an incredible company. Um, you know my
wise crack answer. When you go there and you talk to folks from other
rescues, you go there's other rescues, so UM, to me, there's
only the one. UM, you know working in Manhattan is I'm so glad?
So why didn't I go to like even why did you go to three?
Why didn't you go here? Um? I just want to go to
a place that was so different from what I was doing, and Midtown Manhattan
was completely different, and UM, I'm just glad I went there. Fantastic
company, great reputation, really got um you know, I had eleven years
on the job. It just at that point I was I was comfortable in
the truck and then I'm like, all right, what more can I do?
And when you get you're going into sock and you got thirty people of
like minded uh that just want to do more. It just makes it a
great job where everybody is just trying what more can I do for my company?
You know? What more can I do for the new guy? What
more can I? And um, just being the best of your game at
all times. So I really got it in one and yeah, good god.
Yeah. So the giant Ray Philips from Rescue three, you know.
So so that's why Angeline he's climbing up on the bumper because he was who's
the other guy, who's the blodhead guy? Uh Neil Frederickson. So uh
he he was in my proby class as well, different squad, but he
just retired not too long ago. So um, moha right father Baldwin,
you know he's yeah. So what was the what was the process like getting
who was the captain? It was impossible, um, you know because the
captain he didn't care for Bronx firefighters at all. Who who was the captain?
Then? Briano Flaherty So um it was you know, many cheesecakes and
you know, bakery products and so he had been a did the captain's rep
to the union and I knew he'd be taking a leave of the company.
So I said, cap, I've been buttering you up for two years.
You got to bring me over, you know. So it was his he
uh he brought me over and left, you know, and they're like great,
so uh but you know what you miss it? You should have brought
your wife's cookies. Well come out to the garage bar. Well, well
I was, uh, you remember when you first met Hankel. Yeah,
it was in one, you know, and uh yeah it was it was
good. Iran was there, Kevin Shay. So I went like two weeks
after Kevin's uh you know, the rope rescue and uh so the media frenzy
was you know, incredible. Um, which was even better because then I'd
see them show up and I'd go back in the kitchen, you know,
and go do something. You know. But uh, you know, it's
it's quite a place that how many visitors you get, and if you're not
into that entertaining them, being respectful of them, you know, just showing
them the rig and and just it's it's almost NonStop. You know. I
can only imagine after nine to eleven with those guys were probably just they should
have just moved to a different address. We've moved. Oh my god.
Yeah, it was Look at what it was like for I mean where we
were, it was crazy. So can't imagine, like you said, I
can't imagine what it was like over it was. Oh I worked at quite
a few times and it was back and in. It was just like people
waiting outside all the time to Yeah, we would fake runs if we saw
like too many buffs out yeah, take a picture of radios and like what's
going on? Like, I just you know, you know I always see
those things on social media. Yeah, I went to New York. I
knocked on the door. I mean you know they they were coming. Yeah,
yeah, dude, yea to go there and have that happened. You
know, this isn't a T shirt store, right, I mean this is
a freaking firehouse, you know what I mean. So I get it both
ways, but you know, yeah, I gotta say, though, a
couple of times that did work in rescue one. Like, like you said,
though, there was something. It's just like a feeling like you're driving
through Times Square in the back of rescue ones. It's like there's nothing else
comparable. There's nothing like it. Right, You're photographed a million times and
this was before cell phones. Now yeah, right, could you imagine now?
Just you know, it's it's uh, it's really pretty funny, you
know when you when you get down to it, you know, what where
are you on the wall? Well, I don't know what do you think?
You know? Which ropes? I'm the guy with the one wheel wheelbarrel
of garden cart, you know, because I used to do carpentry. Every
night, I'd have to take all my tools out of my car, and
then I had a garden cart. And so they being from the Bronx,
they thought it was great at they took the wheels off and left it on
cinder blocks, you know, nscue, Big City Rescue. And then now
you have to go, you know, after a night tour, I have
to go find the wheels. Who was the captain? They came in after
flower? Oh wow, you got a picture of it, you know,
Well there I am you want and this one because that does a couple of
them. I try to figure out. I think I see the wheel barrel
on the on the babe and the lion king the rear the rig, right,
yeah, I'm looking at you. Yeah, cleaning the windows or something
so bad? Right, he's on the Yeah. Yeah, they should actually
make up a thing with uh you know who it is? And why why
did depict it like that? You know it's Hank was always clean and he
had to wear the shot in time, right, yeah, Hazel, Yeah,
Hank was definitely a clean, a clean person. You know, you
need one of those guys in the fire god. Yeah, yeah, no,
I'm glad to see that. Still still kicking that's the other one.
Yeah, so that would be me with the it looks like the other wheel.
You know, you were the rope guy. I would have thought you
would have been on the nah, not then, But then I I learned,
uh, and that was a great opportunity to Uh. You guys got
by roco, right, we did, we did, and then um,
I guess you know, it's one of these things keV when you they put
it on the rig and as they used to call them, our funny colored
ropes. They had some other expressions for him. But you know, we
were the first company with it. And then when you really get down to
it, um, you know, like a scaffling incident, was was a
big deal. Now it's it's it's routine. You know, it's really you
know, you guys uh know the way of the rope and uh and it's
um really it's no big deal at all. And once you know the technique
and then you welcome it. But there was a lot of opportunities to uh
to use it, so I went toward them. So I wanted to know
it really well and then share that at the rock, you know, and
that's uh, what was it like trying to convince the chiefs to put put
your guys up on rope and uh you know, yeah, they would rather
um like a scaffling into They're like, yeah, we'll take the window.
And I used to say, chief, your pension is secure. You're okay,
we know what we're doing. You guys remember the first time you actually
used it at a I remember me personally. We had a m a woman
conn ed was um working on a manhole and you know how they always put
the um metal uh three sided area around it. Well, she walked right
into the manhole and uh you know, she's down about fifteen feet and there
I am, were setting up a tripod and she's hurt and um. I
could remember my hand shaking so much that the pulley, the double pulley was
rattling hard. And another guy and I said, just a real guy,
and you can actually hear the plates, you know. So I said,
you gotta get you gotta get your confidence up, you know so, oh
doubt man when you're the guy, right, yeah, the guy you know
when you guys who to laugh about it here, I'm like, when you
haven't take it gets a lot of covering bosses and they'd be like, guys,
I don't know anything about that, so you know they would defer too.
And then if you were the rope guy, even the senior guys would
be like, he's got it, you know. And uh then before you
know, it kind of became uh with our riding positions, you know,
who would do rigging, who would be entry, you know, so it,
um, it became ingrained into our assignment. If an event we got
a high angle job, you you were taught in what year? How long
did it take to get rescue one? You know, wound up? And
and and and I went there in ninety one, it probably was you know,
we we went online pretty quick with it, and um, you know,
Chief Downey was in sock and then you know, some other chiefs that
were there, and they quickly realized, you know, this was all born
out of that the water tunnel uh incident up in the Bronx. The young
guys were in there, and you know, they had the old roguelist systems
and uh they realized we didn't have capability beyond a couple hundred feet and so
were they all realized this is something that all the rescues needed to get.
So then it was get them back train the other rescues and then I saw
it as an opportunity and uh I asked to go work for them. Um
and you know, they just wanted that New York the swagger and the stories
to go with it. But you're really good at it, you know.
So yeah, so UM I liked it. It was it was a great
opportunity to uh, you know where you could create monsters like you guys,
you know where you would train by Rocco and then did did you guys?
Did Rocco train the other rescues or they they each one had like five six
guys from each of the rescues. They did like a two week class at
the Rock and then we were there also is like um basically train the trainers
where we were learning to um be instructors. Yeah. And and once you
know, we were pretty very confident with it. And then you know,
Kevin Shay worked for him, Eddie Morrow uh and myself worked for uh Rocco
and we basically uh um, you know, we just gave it to all
of us sock and then the squads. It was a great opportunity to say,
listen, well we're all going on right. That's what it became in
house yea, yep, R. How did you do with the scuba great?
I loved it. I loved it. Um, you know, it's
it's funny. So that was the other thing is they wanted you to be
open water prior to going to rescue, and I kind of refused. I
said, listen, I'm I'm not going to take a class. I'm doing
this for you. So um, eventually I did take it because you needed
something to uh knock out your competition. But uh, you know, you
dive a few times and you know, we you guys trained as tenders and
or if you're not divers, and uh, it was always funny. You
could whenever the diver found the victim, you could hear them scream, you
know, and you're like, they got him, you know. And if
you were listening to right, yeah, yeah, scary coming upon right in
the water. Screw that we went out in Flight eight hundred to help support
that out there. Um, you know I was not the uh the strongest
uh diver. Um. Actually I was parting it. It's funny. You
brought his picture off, Neil Franklancing and he was the better diving than I
was. So we were partting it up and I would basically be the the
drop. I think I only dove once on that and Neil was so I
would be tethering him at you know, at that depth. And we didn't
get to do a lot, but we were you know, f D and
Y was out there on the cane um, you know, just trying to
help out with that. I mean, if you think about rescue one,
all of the rescues that they've done in the river, it's it's crazy,
man, between Harsh and even just the ones that they did the helicopter just
recently, even though that the people you know were I mean, just to
even get in there and do what those guys did is it's incredible. Man.
Yes, it's you know, it's um, yes, there's there's no
doubt. And and to be able to turn out and and put that on
oh going, Um, I don't even know what the hell those guys did
all twenty four right guys think, oh yeah, it's just you know,
think about if you were just sitting home, you know, doing calisthenics and
and you had to go run and do that. But you know, go
go home and uh, you know run just you could have just had a
fire, you know what I mean, and now two minutes later you got
to be in this you know, twenty feet ten feet down under a dock,
which you know, shopping carts and you know, fishing everywhere. Oh
my God, get the hell out of here. God bless you guys.
Yeah. It was. It was unique. It definitely, you know.
And then um, I remember once I went as diver one and off the
west side and uh, one of my fins came off, and the boss
like, you know, I radioed coms. I said, you know,
I lost the fin. He's like, good, keep going. You know.
It was Tony Erico. He was like, you know, and I'm
like, well, I only have one. So I was like, you
know what, I just I let the air out of my BC as much
and I basically clawed myself along the bottom and figured, all right, I'll
just use my arms. He didn't want to hear, We'll get you another
one, you know, because they're like, you know, es us here
and they're gonna put a diver in. They're like, I'm not coming up
unless I get this guy. You know. He probably said, yeah,
um, well he was at the rock then, but yeah, I didn't
get to work with him. Um. A couple of tours here and there.
But you know he was a great guy man, great guy, great
stories. He is so exciting. He came on. He was just his
son. Yeah. Yeah, that was the other one. Yeah there when
you were there. Um so in my time there, we went through six
captains, so it was Kyle and you know, in seven years. So
it was definitely a great example of what a good company is because we didn't
need the captains. We were you know, we're all just kind of going
along. But it always coused. You know, the senior guys would be
like you could doing this or that, and uh, you know, I
was rather young, and I enjoyed, uh, rubbing somebody the wrong way
as a as a side hobby, you know, and uh nice you can
see you can get him and you're like, oh boy, this is great,
you know. But uh yeah, so we had um uh um,
Charlie Caspell was there. He was the captain. A rescue him. Yeah
I didn't know that. Yeah yeah. So um when the first Trade Center
bombing, um, he was the captain and Kevin was in the hospital and
uh it's funny he comes up to the firehouse, Um, you know to
pick us up. You know, we're back in quarters and he says,
we're gonna go see Kevin, and uh and it's funny like it I felt
like it was, you know, national vacation, National Lampoon's vacation. He
had like a station wag and I'm like, people still have station wagon,
Reagan, Queen Family, Chuckster, the family. So he we have paneling
on it drives to the corner, hits the brakes and he's like, go
ahead and get two six packs because like, all right, this is we're
definitely gonna do destressing, you know, on the way to downtown Beachman,
you know, and uh, you know he wanted to hear I didn't know
he was a captain. Yeah. Yeah, so it was and it was
great because we you know, we that's all we wanted to make sure that
Kevin was gonna be okay. You know. We uh, they whisked him
away from us, and you know, I'm like, he fell really far.
Yeah yeah yeah. When he when he was on the show, when
he told us about that, I could not believe how far, how far
that was. Man, It's easily sixty to seventy feet, you know,
incredible. Yeah, I mean he broke everything, you know, I mean
and the guidal story like him going there and getting him as even uh you
know that's even more crazy too. That's crazy stuff. So yeah, yes,
and and you know we it looked like a giant barbecue pit, you
know, and it was just uh but yeah, it was really uh quite
a day, you know, Casper. So what did you start studying?
Let's get to that when before he start How long were you there before you
felt like you were comfortable with what was on that week? I would say
probably about eighteen months before you get that swagger, you know, where you
could just you know, you get a covering boss and he might be not
even a sock guy, and they just kind of look at you like,
uh if we get this, and you're like, don't worry, boss,
we got to gotch and you know where you're just you're not that I've seen
everything and done been there, but you know you've got brownstones. Um,
you know subsellers, uh, those sub sellers, which like, what the
hell you know? Did you like subsellers? I have. I had a
few experiences, none of them none of them good. No, I know,
Yeah, guys make fun of me that I don't like subsellers. Meanwhile,
ye when he hears subs he hears this. Yeah, so that's when
very lonely down there. It's very lonely. It's only you. Most of
the time, it's you and you, you three. He's rattling again.
Other than crackling, mister wizard. Tim doesn't want to do this anymore.
I was studying while I was in the bronx Um and you know, it
was it was really funny like when you you're in a company like this and
we were still doing the the boxes, the you know, the two and
two on a pull boxes, and it I just was, I guess a
little bit might say we respond on at least forty to forty five boxes before
we have to get off the rig. You know. It was just maddening
the number of false alarms, and um, I just felt like I can't
keep doing this. You know, this is this is not what I see
as you know, uh, serving people, and this is just you know,
they're playing with us. So I got my interest in going. And
of course that they find out, you know, they throw your stuff out
the window. You know, it's uh um. But so then I got
to rescue one and I said, well, I'm not leaving here, so
I stopped studying, so I really, uh was. I was quite happy
there, um, just because the number of just the the action and the
variety of stuff and um, you know, working with folks and they're coming
and going, and it was really uh. So I ended up at the
bottom of the list, and uh, you know, was fortunate I got
promoted. And after I got promoted in November, it was seventeen years to
the day that I got appointed. And they were like, where the hell
have you been? I said, in the kitchen, you know, it
was too much fun, and so I was kind of old for my lieutenants
class and you know, uh. And then it was March. I was
back in sock and guys were like, you just relieve me. How the
hell do you get back? Tell us a little how that went about how
didn't go with some folks. You know, how the hell do you get
a spot? You know? So uh um yeah. So I was at
the Rock doing um rope training because I did not enjoy covering um because every
night this size and you up, where do you work this thing? So
I used to come up with a line forty third Street and only guys went
to the job nude it with two companies on forty third Street. They just
wanted an answer so that you'd hear the guys go, oh, this guy's
from midtown. We're on our own tonight, you know, we're on our
own. We'll see what happened with the two fires. Its whole life.
Yeah. So uh but with that, um, then this squad concept came
up and squad tryouts happened, um and uh so I was one of the
monitors during it, and uh, you know I was. I was like,
oh boy, this is great. So it was funny. I didn't
put in for it. And it was George Crucier that said to me,
your name's not on the list. I said, Lou, I just got
promoted a couple of months ago. He goes, You're exactly what they're looking
for, you know, with that, and I did. And so fortunately,
um, Dennis had recognized me so from some rope training that we had
done. And uh so you guys didn't really know each other like from outside
of that other than through Rocco and um, you know, because we didn't
really bounce around that much. And when Dennis was in two and you know,
they wasn't like it is today with sock um where we're kind of our
own battalion right right, right, So you know I was I was really
thankful that that I got drafted, you know, and then just being a
new boss and a new unit. Um, I know it it Payne's Rescue
Forward it, but I truly it was probably my best time on the job.
Those that time I did with Squad. It was really just really really
um rewarding just you know, taking a twenty four guys you know at the
and making in the unit under Dennis's leadership, and and it really really was.
And and just the fact that everything was an uphill battle. You know,
all our neighbors hated us, and that was like it was thirty six
right everybody. You know, it was you know, all a cat calling
on the radio and you know, silliness. But I kind of like that,
uh being that adversary like that and just say, yeah, show and
we did, you did? And uh no, I say all the time
on the show. It's you know, your whole career is special, right,
but there's times that are really and in each place You've been to quite
a few places that are really incredible places, but there's even in those places,
there's time slots that are just really when you look back at your career,
like they were like the sweet spots, you know what I mean.
And for me, you know, obviously those first two years were great,
and then after nine to eleven everything changed, right. It was the same
thing in two ninety, you know, it was great in one h three,
and then Richie Pastor Scofani died and it changed, right. So it's
it was exactly that I felt that, you know, that squad was twenty
five new guys, right, we had all new bosses. You know,
you were a certain way, and Garat was a certain way, lou By
was a certain way, and of course Cat Murphy was a certain way.
And you know, we were half the guys who were under five years I
think probably, yeah, And you know we were and and you had Hank
and Ronnie and Jerry Murph and Bill Hill and a couple of guys there that
were senior guys that really I think it was perfect time. You know,
I really were aggressive and we enjoyed this. Yeah, what do you think
about that many young guys that when you were all concerned that there was a
lot of young guys, no, because um you had mentioned it in one
of the podcasts I looked at. I just tried to do a little research,
but um, you know, we kind of set up scenarios on squad
tryouts, UM where they weren't. Um, we weren't looking at technique.
We were looking at hot and you know, we we saw guys that would
go beyond. Like when we gave you a two and a half and we
said, you know you by yourself, take it down the hallway, keep
the nozzle open, keep operating, dragging the line by yourself. Um,
you have to make to the end. You know. The guys that did
that, we were like, yeah, that guy. You know. Meanwhile,
we're playing at the rock and you were like that, that showed a
lot of tenacity. And when you come out, like you said, they're
not taking a knee. They kept their coat buckled and they were like what
else you got? You know, we're like this one. So all the
captains were there, so you know, we were the guys setting up the
scenarios, doing a reset, next group of guys and just going about it.
And uh, you know it really for the folks that showed up,
it was quite a quite a talent pool to a mask that that group and
then you know, start the training. I mean, I love when a
few times we'd go out after midnight to go look at commercial buildings, going
a roof down and look, you know down a mask but and has Matt
making Coca Cola. I don't know they would be looking themselves up to an
ad that we're going out. Oh my god, you remember that has Matt
dilemma, too tired to eat? You know, Coops just so he knew
in there. Oh so I was in Captain Murph's and Garrows groups. Who
whose groups were you? And Kevin? So I had quick is my chauffeur?
Oh my god, yeah quick here story Um? I had um Sweeney
ielpi um. We got that picture that guys we're in the trouble groups.
They were always right. One of the squad pictures. I have this one.
No, no no, and in front of the rig. No,
not that one. We have this one. No, that's one. It's
a job picture. And I have a bunch of them. So I'm going
through no problem we have we have this is coops. So we're at the
rock. That's that's when we Oh that's uh, that's lou Bye. That
was when we first became the squad. Squad with oh this guy this is
the job. Yeah, so I yelp, he's on the left. Yep,
Lieutenant Kelly Quick. That's Paul Baldwin, he transferred over from Rescue one.
Uh and that's Brian Fahey. And that's so I was looking at this
picture, you know, like, and there's a lot of those pictures that
I see, and you know, you say to yourself when you took this
picture, if somebody said to you, you know whatever, five ten years
from now, only two of you guys are going to be around. Like
it's just these crazy things that I think about when I look at some of
my pictures that yeah, you know, you're a I mean, but I
don't know where this job was. But that's the old Max. So that
was early on, yes, and you know I have you know, the
stories were quick and uh so I should I should tell that story real fast.
So Billy Quick was the showffer. So I guess I was working.
I was probably working a mutual or something. And uh, I always told
this, Lieutenant Kelly. All the time, I was sitting in the kitchen
with my back to the front of the firehouse that we had big windows in
the front on the second floor and I was reading the paper and I was
having a couple of call. I was by myself, and Lieutenant Kelly comes
in. He gets a cup of coffee and he comes and he leans against
the table. He didn't sit down, but he leans against the table,
but he's looking out in front of the firehouse and uh. And he's taking
like a sip of coffee. And I'm I'm looking. I'm looking at the
paper on the table. You know, we're bullshitting a little bit, I
would imagine, And he says to me, he goes, oh, there
goes my chauffeur. And I look over at him, like, and he's
sipping his coffee looking out the front of the firehouse. And I turn around
and I look out the front of the firehouse window like you know, I'm
looking like this, and I see Billy Quick in his car. He had
a blue like yeah, it was like a land cruiser, you know,
like one of a kind, one of a kind, and he's driving down
the service road. But he's yeah, yeah, yeah. So he's working.
So I'm like, and Lieutenant Kelly he's like this, He's like like
this, and he just walks out of the fire out of the kitchen and
he walks in the back, and I remember saying to myself, like,
I mean, think about how that's after all the stories I have, that
sticks out to me because I jumped up, I ran downstairs. I'm like,
well, FP is quick, you know, so we get on.
He took a radio with them, so we get him on the radio citywide.
Yeah. Right, he went down like two blocks or three blocks to
the auto pots or whatever the heck he was. He came back right away.
I'm like, dude, what the hell are you doing, Lieutenant Kelly?
He never. I mean, it still sticks to me, Like you
said, you think about how you are there, right. I try to
figure myself like not getting too as a boss, like two upset over things
like I know some bosses that would have been like what the hell's going on?
Like he would have ran downstairs, you know, you went back in
the office, right. I mean, I think to myself like that sticks
out to me, like all these little stories. You know, dropped your
knees and the hell is going on? If you remember, do you remember
we did build us a quick didn't at the rock too, We did drill.
He has reputation. We got jamped up for that one. A little
bit. You remember we did the drill down in the water tunnel. We
went down the water tunnels and we came up and what do we see we
came up? Do you remember, No, Billy Quick was sunbathing with shared
office shared off look the waters you look like with on the top of the
ring and which like, oh my god, dude, I love that prize.
Yeah, the Oceanic Society didn't drag dude. I've seen that guy in
a couple of jobs though, man like little Harry jobs that he calmed people
down, like like uh if you would jammed up, yeah you want he's
in the top three man. Yeah, guy, Well he would come get
you, bro, no doubt about it. He actually came and spoke.
I don't know, probably a couple of years before he passed down by my
fired pupping down here for one of our guys graduating and came down and he
was sweating like a pig in the hallway. He's like this fucking build,
it's hard, just totally soaking the whole thing away like a man. I
was like getting completely naked and jump up on the kitchen table like a fucking
uh an eight. Yeah, he was doing this whole like this. He
would go on the on the cabinets and the hast all the old hatsmat guys
would be mortified, you know what I mean. His ball bag was hanging
out and everything so funny. Yeah, he definitely, um, he was
entertaining, you know. Yeah. I say, though, you're getting back
to something that you said, like there was never a time because even on
Garrow used to do it, three o'clock in the morning. All right,
guys, we're gonna drill. Nobody would ever complain. You're right, we're
going out. Nobody would complain. Forget about more than day drill and the
guys who bitch I'd go to a detail of the fire houses. Guys with
bitch it they had to drill. We'd be drill at three o'clock in the
morning. Nobody would ever complain. I agree, Mill Glenn Harris was the
He might be number one if if I was in the basement, who's coming
to get me? Yeah? Now they're they're very similar. Yeah, I
mean I always uh, I always love the one. So you coming to
work, you would, uh, you'd put your gloves on, you know,
the latex gloves like you were a proctologist, and you would check that
rig out from basically bumper to bumper, and then you'd snap the gloves off
and you'd say, now we're ready. You know. It just reminded me
that Karanji at the at the anniversary the other night said the same thing.
He says, you prick used to used to check the from stuck to third
before I got in everything. Just you tracking those gloves off, you know,
And and if somebody said, yeah, I got that, you'd be
like, yeah, that's nice, and you would just be and then you'd
be like the exam is over and the doctor says we're good to go.
It was, it was, and you know what I loved. It wasn't
just a flash in the pan. You did that always, and uh it
was nice to see. And you know if if other guys pick up like
that, oh no, they definitely coops, well coops ended up. Let
have it that you had, And uh, I appreciated it very much.
You after Elemon Kevis became he was the guy I was for a little while.
That's that's a good reason. Yeah, good mon. All right,
So let's get too were at the squad and you decide now you're gonna fulfill
your life alone dream and you're gonna be a lieutenant and rescue for Yeah,
happened you get the call you knew you wanted. Yeah, I mean I
could remember distinctly. Um, you know, so Brian Hicky and I,
um, we ended up going to college together out in Suffolk and he was
big with the fireman eligibles and so we got friendly with each other. And
and then he went to Manhattan. When he got on the job, he
had some major, major weight and then he came to thirty eight and we
worked there, and he left thirty eight, uh and went to four as
a fireman. So you know, it was great to get reacquainted with him
after all those years. And uh, he calls me up, I'm off
duty and he had an he just became the captain and rescue four and he
says, I could I need three lieutenants and uh, would you be willing
to come over? And I said, uh, I just have to make
one phone call. My wife was with me, so that would have that
would have been two phones too. I called Murph and I said I can
go to four. Um, you know, what's your thoughts that he go
go? You know? And uh, you know, I obviously I felt
bad. But uh. I then got back to Brian and I said,
let's leave it until it's on the order. And then when you Jagaloon saw
it on the order, then you lost you You'll have a lot. We
were heartbroken. I kept it under wraps, you know, until I was
I was in the clear, you know, and uh, but it was
you know, we're right next to each other, so running in with us
uh just became It heightened the game even more of beating each other in Oh
my god, I was so love that. Yeah, that was so much
fun to do that. I mean, I really I took I love it.
It's like, yeah, it's in you. That's it. You just
have to beat the other guy, even if you didn't do shit at the
job. So as you beat him did a freaking job. Initially, you
know, we went to a job in the projects on Long Island City.
Quick was driving and I'm gonna call it a Brooklyn thing. I've never seen
it ever down there with locking up the wheels on the rig, you know,
coming into the well, he slid with the engine and he rear ended
four. I was welcome until you hit him. I said, before you
do anything, make sure that we didn't kill the chauffeur, Will you please
and back it up ten feet so we could deny any knowledge of this.
And we hit him hard. Oh, we whacked him squarely and they weighed
thousand pounds. All I kept seeing was the four getting bigger me too.
Wait, you were in the back. Who that was? You were in
the squad at the time. Yes, I was back. Oh we hit
him so square, It wasn't I'm holding it and removed that rig probably about
three feet, you know, I said, but I hit him. I
was impressed. Shot, you idiot? Shot? Oh? He really was.
He was shot. Yeah, we you know, Like I said,
I got in a few with him, but none reported. You know,
when did you get there? You got four? And what the two thousand,
two thousand? Yeah, right right? And uh, Brian Hikey went
over, I mean not Brian, Brian Fahey went over one after you.
Now, so he was already there. Yeah, yep. Do you remember
where this picture was? No? I don't you know what that was that
was? It looks like one of the spares though, right. That was
the oil tanker that flipped over on the b que on the Oh yeah,
yeah, yeah. You remember when they stole they stole the truck and they
flipped it on the uh and he and the guy was burned up, and
they the fuel was going down the down under the thing going into the sewers
on fire, and uh yeah, Dave Rayner, he moved that track to
trailer. He popped the air brakes. The next thing, I see him
going down the service road in the track, the trailer just rolling. So
Dave, just make sure you know how to stop the damn thing. We
already got one flipped over. And then I just remember the because the chief
parked under the in the gas station across the street and they the antle system
dumped all went off. God, that call was was covered and we're just
like, wow, that's probably not a good place. Yeah, we got
on that pretty quick. You know. That was h That was a lot
of fire. Yeah, it was. I have a couple of pictures.
We didn't do anything. Yeah, we got well we got you know,
my thing was there's somebody in the cab and uh, you know, we
got ten forty five. Of course, it was kind of made that all
mission that just you know, that was about the only thing we could do.
It was really just, uh, a lot of fire, you know,
oh my god. It was roasting right. It was every whole sign,
a picture of the sign, the BQWE sign was all burnt. Yeah.
Now did you know Brian before, I mean from outside and the volleys
at all. No, no, just just from going to school with him
and and and then when he came to thirty eight, like I said,
it was just like, ohly crap, I remember you and uh so yeah,
it was just uh it was just a fun time. And we gave
me that opportunity of going there, and um, you know, it's it
was fantastic because you know that was another unique thing. He had three new
lieutenants, uh, Kevin del Del John Weisheite and myself and uh and he
was a new boss, you know, to new captain. I should say,
uh, you know, he's lieutenant all but uh you know, but
um, you know that Notre Dame's emblem of the fighting Irish. He was
the epitome of that, that little irishman. Uh you know, oh he
definitely uh you know, not a big man, but he was a giant.
You know. It was really uh great guy, great bossy six right,
Well he's in rescue is yeah yeah, yeah. And the Times yep,
a little bit us guys, Charlie women. Yep, this is the
compliments of Jills from the chest. I was gonna say, Joe took that
picture that, Yeah, this was I remember that. That's we had that
Oklahoma rig, Oklahoma windshield. I was like, holy crapper killed in this
thing, right Richie Smith was driving down Queen's Bolvard. Holy shit, man,
he's right up there with two ninety bro with that rig. Yeah,
yeah, he wheels that son of a gun. Well, the wind shield
was about knee height. I rattling, you know, and then well,
zealman, I don't know how many mirrors I think I did. You know,
we would either find out, we get replacements, and we go to
truck junkyards. I think he's you know, it wasn't so bad when he
took out his mirror, But when he took out mine was like, all
right, now, now you're getting serious. You know, God's where's that
other picture with me in the loom. I think I was telling him that's
when he first went to rescue far. I was telling me, yeah,
you missed a good job in here first two. Look at him, he's
got this. It was was that just one where um Tommy Macray had to
go out there the head first ladder slide out the window that was that was
over by. That was like Paul lock Alley. That was like old a
tenement type. Oh no, plock Alley over there, man, I can't.
I'm I'm dying with low wood hare here. Look at this. Yeah,
I get the chops too, the big chops going on there. So
you it was actually Brian Hickey who was working for Father's Day, right,
it wasn't uh yeah, it was. So it was really unique because it
was Harry was my chauffeur, and we were doing hazmat training and I said
that Harry, let's choose this week we'll be all Father's Day and he's like,
nah, boss, I got something to do. So, um,
Brian was working over time somewhere else and he worked the night before so he
yes, you know, listen, I'll just stay here in my own place,
you know. So you know, it was one of those things of
you know, his fate would have it. Um, so I'm home studying
for Captain Father's Day and uh, you know you hear that, and it
just you know, it kind of changed everything, you know, because studying
wasn't so important anymore, you know after that. Uh, you know when
you just you know, it just impacts you in such a way, right,
No, it changes everything. The whole fire house changes when you know,
you know, losing Harry was uh as well as Brian. They would
just you know, Harry was just I would always gotta kick. The chiefs
would call him like, you know, Division one four to Harry, you
know, like I have a big wheel around. Yeah that's fun. Yeah
if I ever worked in four like they've eating ice cream of salt, and
I wouldn't be eating and cool you know what, eat what you want and
die when you're supposed to. Right, it's Harry is for sure. Yeah.
Yeah, I see his kid now his kids didn't want to wait,
I think, yes, yeah, big kid he is. Yeah, Harry
was, you know, great guy. Um. You know when citywide details
first started, he walked to rescue one. You know, shit, I
was like, what the hell? And when you know there was no cell
phones or anything, he comes in like you gotta be kidding me, you
know. So I think in the morning, I said, Harry, I'll
give you a ride back. You know, He's like, yeah, that's
great. It was you know, it was a long walk. You know,
he's yeah, improve point, you know, but wow, yeah,
you know it's even hard or was that that? Uh nine to eleven was
so close to that man where you know, daily recovering from Father's Day and
uh Rescue four they lost everybody, but how many guys did they losing?
For? They were nine guys that day. Um, Well, Hikey was
working in rescue three. So he had relieved me. Um Sunday night.
Um. It was his first two of back and he was working Sunday night
and Monday day. And he said to me, you know, I've been
out a while. And I was just like, oh, so glad to
have you back. And he said, I'm either gonna play golf Tuesday or
I'm gonna take overtime in three. And they had just bought a new house.
And I was like, you know, just welcome back. And he
took the overtime in three, and you know that that was that. So
Kevin Daldel was the boss in four. And I had called Kevin when it
happened, you know, being Buffy and all. I had a scanner in
the car and you know, and I'm like, Kevin, something just happened
down the Tracy. He goes, yeah, we're watching it. He goes,
hey, we're getting a ticket. I'll talk to you later. You
know. It's like wow. And so I was working with Hank On on
a side job and with Ronnie Geese and all of them, and you know,
as the day went on, we were like this thing, something's really
bad has happened. So we all went to work and like, like you
said, lives changed for for there after. And I didn't think I swung
a hammer again after that. You know, that was the last day with
the side job. You know, really, so many guys tell me that
you were really a big part of carrying that firehouse after nine eleven. I
said, you wouldn't. Well, you wouldn't maybe, Uh you're a very
modest person. But a lot of guys said to me that Timmy Kelly is
what got rescued for through that time. UM, yeah, thank you.
Um it was um. But there were a lot of a lot of good
guys, uh that you know, they were tenacious. Um, you know,
Liam Flaherty, Um, Billy Murphy, UM, Eddie Morrison, you
know, and Ed Zelman, you know, and it goes on and on
and you know, just um channeling that was was my biggest thing of you
know, they were not going to be denied, um, you know,
and we set up an incredible network of uh accurate information. There was so
much misinformation and these poor families were just getting a lot of bad stuff.
And we're like, listen, we got a guy there. They basically were
there at twenty four to seven forever and we like, we have a guy
there. I'll call him right now and we're standing you know, he's there
right and we would get him a little better handle on what's actually happening.
So yeah, it was, uh, it was. It was interesting.
So you know, studying for captain. I never attained the rank, but
I definitely had that unit. And um, just selecting all new guys.
I had to recruit new guys and get them and you know, they are
on the phone trying to call companies like I need your best guys and they're
like why, and I'm like, I need some spots to fill and and
then some guys, you know a lot of guys stepped up and um,
you know, it's just just um, you know, getting a company back
in service again and starting to rescue school. It was almost like you know,
rebuilding or you know, starting the squad, it was rebuilding the rescues
and we we were all unique you know, um the rescues and some of
the challenges, and you know, the squad says, you guys know,
we're decimated, and we were almost like every man for himself to rebuild you
a unit. You know, we couldn't look globally. We just had a
h get ourselves back online and and take care of our folks too. That
was that was a big part of it. You know, I wish I
was better um identifying that and keeping them with us. But you know,
the thoughts of actually collapsing the squads right, And it was initially yeah,
yeah, you know, it seemed like the quick the quick fix, so
to speak, just um, hey how about we do this and then consolidate
a few Um. But I think you know, our early years proved their
worth and and you know, I think with they realized is wait a minute,
we got this. Uh what we have left is is they're really good.
So you know, who knew if more attacks would be coming we would
need additional So I think, um, our short history proved, um,
we're very valuable to the fire department, and and thankfully they persevered. I
just remember John Gaine coloring and asked me saying, if they do that,
we could think about coming over. Right. Yeah we were, we were
all, yeah, we were. We were definitely recruiting, you know.
Um but you know, like I said, it was every every company for
themselves to um, you know, rebuild and get them where you could.
And like I said, I got a lot of great guys just um,
you know, they showed up and uh and stepped up really. Um.
They were from great houses and uh, you know, I just remember sitting
them on the stool and having a conversation of you know, you you realize,
you know what what we just went through and it may not be over,
so um, you know, just consider that before you you know,
I never really thought about that actually, that you guys lost both officers there,
so yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And then you know we had
to get I had to get a captain. And I was calling places like
do you want to be the captain? And they were like who are you
to Colby? Who was the next cab It was a Gandhiello no, um
no, um, Paul Haglin came right and then we had Haglin for a
while, but Um it took a while to fill at uh you know,
and and and then lieutenants Larry Archer came. Um, we got Tommy Sullivan,
uh remember you know, and uh you know, so we we were
you know, it was like the three lieutenants running running the show, you
know, which was great. We had a really nice uh system there really
um really got it back together very quickly. And the other thing was unique
is our our rigs of five nine to eleven. Um, you know,
it was kind of kind of interesting. Eight we had to find it.
Um. So Zelman and I, uh, John Norman had said your rig
survived, Um find it. So I did a mixer off and asked the
Manhattan CEO, and they're like, the last we knew it was at Pace
University providing power. And you know, I get back to Eddie and there
it is sitting next to ten and ten like like it just came out of
you know. There it's sitting there like a horse coming back to the barn.
And I go there it is right there, that's the one in the
whole of flame now right it is it is, and uh, you know
I went out for that dedication of that thing. It's just a great job
on that thing. It's it's did I remember zelman Man? He was We
had him on the show. He was one of my favorite guys. He's
just he was a beast of a guy, right. I always looked up
to him because I was a kid. Yeah, I know. He was
a thirty three truck guy and I wanted to go to thirty three and the
whole thing. And when he was talking about when they wouldn't let us in,
right, they wouldn't let us on the site. The cops were blocking
everything off and and all the firemen were pushing. He was the front guy.
We had a picture of him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
it was just and I was a couple of couple of guys behind him,
you know, I got but he was a presence, right and oh
yeah yeah yeah. He another Hay another Harry dude. So after Father's Day,
I you know, I I chose him as my chauffeur. And uh,
you know, just his level of dedication. He uh he would be
up at night just studying the Queen's map, you know, I mean just
you love when you see that, you know, and um, you know,
he just didn't want to make a mistake, you know, And uh
you know, great funny, funny man funny. Oh my god, some
of the things he did to visitors and guests is just you know, he
could drop his draws faster than that I've ever seen. West comes. It's
a beach guy, that's why. Because he gave me a good zay on
this. He gave he gave him Coops the best thing that we've ever had
on the show in three. He's not easy to get, you know,
no, Coops. Oh you can't get coups, right, Coops shot me.
Yeah, so ze Man's son can Doze Man's son works. It lives
in Long Beach, so it's smarted by Coops. Right, and he works
out in the same gym. So Coops says something like, hey, dude,
I see your son all the time. Like, if you ever come
up, you know, let's get together. We'll get a drink. You
know what I mean. If you're always you know he's up there. True.
Oh good for you. Now you think frozen. He's froze story my
froze nice. So he goes, he goes. Yeah, Coops, when
I come up to New York is a short list of people I want to
see and you ain't on it. I was like, Wow, I think
I saw his bottom up through that. You know, I do say about
him, he's like the best guy. Hey, what's going on? He's
babysitting. It's great into something, you know, right right? Full shit,
man, that was awesome. You know, we had it. We
had a chief come in and he wanted a roll call and I wasn't very
skilled at doing formal role calls. And the chief was there too. Wasn't
exactly one of our friends, and he wasn't brother was It was well,
you know what's funny. Initially we weren't best friends, but he we learned
to like each He came to my retiring party. You know, I mean,
there's a lot to me. He's um but never no, no,
it wasn't. But uh, anyway, the chief says, you don't do
many role calls, do you? I said not actually? And then um,
he said, by the way, tell your show for the shave,
and I Zeeland was doing something and I gave a silly face like shock and
I said, Chief, that man's a cheap He was clean shaven two hours
after and if you stand next to him you can hear his hair growing.
He's just like you know, subtle. He's very subtle, like Kelly.
Then he asked me, aren't you gonna invite me back for coffee? I
said not after that role cool, No, he invited him your hurry get
out. He was unhappy with something we had done. But uh, it's
always in our you know, us trying to do what we'd like to do
best, you know, Yeah, God make it go away a few yes,
yeah, all right, let me go back up to one. I'm
gonna say too. You know who we lost is one of his first tours
back mister Peabody. Right, Yes, I don't think they ever found him
in doll right, um, Kevin, they found his tool. He had
a very unique calligan. Um. But no we did not, and Pete
we did not. Um. So it was I can almost imagine Kevin saying
stay with me, right, he was only there. So Pete did a
lot of work for us at Father's Day after, as well as transmitted the
who's authority has matt One. I was like, man, that is one
of the most priceless transmissions. I ever said, how the hell did you
think of that so quickly? I was outstanding on your part, you know
so. But yeah, I said to Brian, bring this guy over.
He's uh, if anything, he's entertaining, but he's he's a great injured
guy and uh and Quick hates him and him two guys like ended up with
both of them, So it would have been fine with me. Got yeah,
we got a few more. We got a little bit of something a
little different here. Where is that is this? So this is out east?
Um after my f DN y career, I uh worked for uh federal
agency and uh just kind of ended up his chief of department out there and
uh so it was you know one one uh one firehouse, um, you
know, two engines and uh you know or an engine, a truck and
a rescue and uh so it was kind of kind of cool, but we
would get called off site. Um so it was at an incident on the
l ie. Um but I did I did the chief of apartment like that
you yeah, um yeah, it just worked out. Um, you know,
it's uh just I think it was probably attributed. You know, you
just you're into it, you want to do more, and uh I think
people notice that that you just, um, you just work hard and you
just can't do enough, you know, in terms of making yourselves better,
making a place better and uh, you know, really really try to improve
the group. So all right, he's one of those stack guys. Can't
do enough, bro, you know, then you put us with twenty five
others and it's just a fun day. Yep, we got this one the
Peabody too on the left. Yep, yep, Brandon Fahey Corrado cool.
He's like five six in that picture the Volo geese about my height. Ye
like it look like a baby next to those men. It's like four foleven.
Yeah, yeah, feeling that's why I jumped up on the all right,
So I got one from mister Joe again. I got this guy.
Oh it's John Dylan man in the back, you know, dead sun of
man, the white shirt nice yeah, yeah, the Chiefs. Yeah,
he looks like he's going to a lou Wow. That's Sully right in the
middle. What's like, I said, I look like I'm wearing the tablecloth
manties. Maybe I don't know w yeah for sure. Right, And then
I get this guy. Yep, this is a seat, I guess,
said Andy. Who else is in there? You got Hassick has Wells.
I came on with Willie. Yeah, you're great guy. Oh my god,
they're all They're all funny dude, sank Sean Parker. I love that
guy too, man, he's all the jobs. Yes, yes, yes,
all right, I'm doing it. No, he's up in three now,
always in three. Yeah, awesome. And then we got with the
dungaree jacket in the front, Dead John go belly. I see him in
the back all the time. He loves in movie. Yeah, look at
Griffin, good guy, good guy. It's Ray to senior guy that.
Um he's out right, you know he's he's on medically right now. But
yeah he's still I don't yeh, he's probably right up there, you know.
Um, but Richie's Richie Schmid. Yeah yeah yeah, so raised there.
Well, RAI on more time in the company though, yes he does.
Yeah yeah, I came out ray right, was my problem? Class
nice And we we briefly peaked at this one before. If you want to
on a little bit, big lieutenant on guard, bless him. Yeah,
you wouldn't want to grapple with that guy, though he's a good wrestler.
Were you a wrestler, lou No talking about Garrow? No, I know
I understand that I was asking the LOUI if he we're wrestling. Hey,
we're talking to my guy all wrong, stabbing a face with a soldering iron.
We this one Coop sent us over to himself. That was the second
alarm. We went to Yep, you got Magellan Na Murphy. There he
is nice, Chris Kermangie Tito and John Ielpie again. Yeah, used to
catch work bro Oh my god. Yeah, he was definitely out to prove
something that man, you know right ye away, Oh my god, he
was gonna be a good really really really good. I mean he was then
too, but he was young. Yeah, he was aggressive. He could
get under your skin. They wanted to pummel him in probi school. That's
how I want to pummel him everywhere. Wantubble him, right, and yeah,
you get somebody like palled upset, you know, unscrewed his bottom of
his locker and slid a pizza in and screwed it again and it got so
rotten. And Ielpi's locker. I could see him come up every cool like
you smell him. That's awesome. It was definitely like six months nice all
right, And I got two more. We got this one. Yep,
Wealthy, that's Joe Fable Wealthy quickie Joe Hunt them one of my favorite guys.
Yeah, so we went to take that picture, you know with the
World's uh World's fair globe out there, you know globe they filmed the Men
in Black at that time, and that's Woody uh McHale right from Yep,
that's just passed away not too long ago. Yep, all right. In
the last one I have was this guy. Wow, it's kind of that
was the crew right there. Man. Yea, yeah, so this is
you guys just had that squad anniversary. Was pretty impressive. They had this
picture and then they had the picture now twenty five years later of all the
guys. It was pretty cool how they did how they did it. They
took away from a fronto. I'm standing next to afronto again. How do
you yeah, how do you pick yourself out? Okay, stand up?
You counted another. You're gonna give me a complex soon, I don't know,
I'm sure. Come on, guy, man, come on, man,
Oh well that's it. That's what we have. A photo we got.
I think you know what time it is, Damn bro, I think
I know what time it is too. I think I know what time it
is. You ready for the music? I'm you ready for I don't have
this one, mister, So I need you, I need you all right
ready, here we go, It's time for me, oh of the day.
Take it away, sir. You know you guys have quite a few
mild stones, and seeing some of your previous shows, I mean, how
much more can we go over? But so I was just thinking of something
that you need to do well because if you don't, I'm speaking from personal
experience, and I just say going in and out of a window, make
sure you can execute that move very well from a portable from a roof,
and then once you get in, make sure there's a flaw, because I've
done that twice where there wasn't. So I just thankfully survived on both falls.
But the only thing was hurt was my pride. And the other one
is coming out. And if you want to execute that maneuver where you look
like you know what you're doing with a mask on without making anybody too concern
for your own safety, do so, but do it quickly. So I
was just trying to think of for myself just getting that maneuver in and then
back out again, because it doesn't go well on the way out usually you're
in a hurry. Uh, if you're on the floor above. I was
just gonna say it. He used to practice that in the squad a loss.
Yeah, but Joe Harky used to do the jump head first, grabbed
the top run and swing him. Oh my god, yes, right going
out to the side. You used to wrap your hand under the run and
then we would tie each other off so that, like the lou just said,
you're gonna be coming out of there in a hurry. So and it's
the guy behind you that's gonna make sure that you're Yeah, yeah, you're
getting asked out. You don't want to be the first guy. But at
times, yeah, he gets to take his time. You're the one that's
got to get out of the way. But uh, I just figured just
the basic thing and just doing in a conventional book ladder. You know,
it was always portable ladders. Um. I used to steal the ladder off
the engine because I couldn't do the twenty four foot ladder off the truck.
You know, took two guys and I wasn't capable. So I the one
off the engine all the time and I could always run around the back with
the engines twenty four footer and it was just a lot faster for me.
I can handle that. I'll tell you one thing too, is when you're
going in the window, most of the time you have an audience. Yes,
so you're better off making sure that you uh, you know, did
you do your calisthenics and practice that maneuver like you said, because just hooking
your leg on a curtain coming out, it's like Oly Christ or if you
gotta take out the window guards or any of that. You got one leg
in, you feel your hamstring ready to pop. I'm okay, I'm good.
I meant that. No, it's good. That's definitely a great tip.
Mans is on fire? Who is this guy? Pulled the pictures all
all over the place? When I'm in the zone? You know the same
thing when you get in the zone. You're in the zone. When you're
in the zone, in the zone. But you know, yeah, we
finally got him roof well worth it. My face hurts so many stories.
Yeah, he's the man, come on, he was the man. He's
the man. Now he knows he's the man. The man, You're always
the man, That's what I said. I think we got to take him
up and go out to the garage to the man ship bar is open.
Yeah, and you know what, you're on my list coup, So the
hell with zealman. You can your zeal exactly what we will tell stories about
good Old what's his name? Exactly. I don't know if Roof can come
down from God's Country, though, you know I'll come down. The trip
is worth it. It's worth worth it, all right. You can't come
to the trip on the fifth, I'll be down in the down South like
a shame. Yeah you know, yeah, I know we have it every
year, So you come on next year. I would. It would be
a pleasure. Don't right Your train going by, Yeah, well that's that's
my train. I gotta catch. Listen, it's not all roses. I
live on the other side of the tracks. Oh I got you. I
don't have my phone here. Oh yeah, you got the house. Got
the Rocco money, you know what I mean? I think he gets residuals
on the Rocco money. Somehow comes in every rope gets something look in his
face like this? Why not? Why not? Good for him? He
still looks good. All right? So you got anything, Roof? You
have any shout outs for the end? I don't did you have did you
want to go over those? Um you know I've I've been out a long
time. Um, you guys been after me for a long time as well,
and uh you know, it was just, uh really quite an honor
that you you had me on and you always have real heavy hitters and I'm
just not shot but I'm sorry. I know well and uh you know we
ran in the same circles, so uh just we had you on the radar
from Jump Street literally from the first when the first I thought we had about
doing this podcast. You were you were in the top five, like right
out of the box that we wanted to get but obviously you were still working
and you kept giving us excuse. Yeah. Yeah, well, Louis,
I met you in one seventeen when you were there and uh you know I
covered up in the up in that battalion for a while, so you know,
wow, you guys go way back. Yeah. Yeah, it was
just but good but uh you know, like I said, uh, some
of the folks we mentioned and um, you know you're looking at the old
school tip of the day one of the things that um not related to firefighting.
But I just you know, you gotta everybody coming on. Like we
talked about some you know, mental anguish we suffer and dealing with that.
Um, take care of yourselves mentally physically. Um, you know it's uh
we deal with it differently today. But um, you know, being being
fit is you know, win votes with Kubla on this, but um,
you know it's really the only tool that you're personally responsible for maintain a level
of fitness. And uh, you know you I found it was one of
the things that kind of got me to retire. I just said, I
didn't want to, um, you know, last guy up the stairs,
you know, I didn't want to be that guy of like where the hell
are you? You know? So, um, you know, you just
got to be a top of your game and when you're not so much,
I said, I don't want to do something seconds So I left more and
I want to leave on the top of my game. So and you want
to retire and spend some of that those years my mate later something like that.
Now that that is terrible, right, right, don't stay too long?
Yeah, guys that you know, yep, stay fit And I'm doing
well and healthy and you know it's I had a few incidents before I retired
and you come to that realization it's uh, you don't dwell on it,
but it's an incredibly dangerous job. You know. I had had a few
run ins, uh like tour after tour, and I was like, you
know, you you rethink, uh, I want to be around a little
bit more so you know now I'm my days are filled being grandpa days.
And I ask you we had grand babies. Good, so I can't wait,
like wait, but I really can't again. Thank you all from it
sounds like the trains coming back for you. It is he I start get
stay fit and living on a hundred years and I'll never have as much money
as with Frano. I'm just saying, like, there's my boy smiling way.
But alright, God play the outro for us. Let's prop's got something?
No I gotta you? Uh, did you guys want to I'm gonna
play the banner or I'm sorry, the outro, but do you want to
cover with the yellow dds? I don't. I'm kid took my phone.
I don't have the information. Do you have them? I have a pick
of them, but I don't have the act about this. Come on,
we prepped I did my son took the phone and put it on the charger
for me, and I had it on my phone. So ayead we had
a guy from Memphis. Correct. We had the gentleman last night from Memphis,
Lieutenant Jeffrey Norman. And then a couple of nights ago we had the
gentleman that got shot uh in Alabama, Birmingham. I'm sorry, Jordans Milton.
So hopefully rested both line of duties. I will give them the five
bells because they are a line of duties. So stand by all right,
both is rest in peace again, Lieutenni Kelly in the man shead sooner than
you can say, coops and uh rough Gonzo, great show, Thank you,
I'll see you. We'll see you guys next Thursday. We had a
guest but he kind of tapped out on us. So we'll be we gotta
we gotta go to the We got a mutual, getting another mutual. Yeah,
yeah, you sure to get a top out, you know, are
you doing the out out? What do you do on your side? Yeah?
I was waiting for you, guys. I don't want to overstelle you.
Here we go. We'd like to thank you once again for tuning into
the Getting Salty Experience as always. If you think we're out of good content,
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tuning into the Getting Salty Experience. Alrighty it, We'll see you guys next
Thursday. Yes, have a great night, Thanks Lou, Thanks Lou.
Okay, until let me see you all right, everybody, We'll see it
the big one, al right, guys. Be safe,