You're listening to the Getting Salty Experience podcast. Hello, Hello, Jason Cologne
twenty one truck till then it's his birthday, caay give a little ship birthday,
bro, Happy birthday Jason. How old could he be? Like fifty
forty? What a I'll bet he's uh, maybe he's not even that an
interest though he's he's probably less than forty something mentioned that. Alright, yeah,
alright, I don't even know if he's in the chat tonight, that
little midget. I didn't seehim yet. How do you like that Mikoles about
adge it right and the kettle black pot kettle Yes and happy to Jewish Yes,
dont dont you? I'm sorry, let me get that first. Throw
that on. What are you doing to do the now? You have to
play a song? I can't wait. You can't see it. Don't nobody
get the people are gonna be like when Gonzal wiz yea, when you met
your old a. I heard you have Jewish already, good hand. But
we got another squad eighteen guy Eddie Tankro just showed up in the group.
Well bless you, Eddie. I know Mikey Millers and the Happy hone and
Mikey love you, Mikey Cankro. What's the guy on the show? And
he has a lot people were resting for a firefighter had his information. Yeah,
we gotta get Eddie on the ship. Definitely gotta get Eddie on the
show. I'll get him trying not too Yeah there is where who is it?
Actually? Mikey Milder got me on next Guys. He's a very intriguing
guy. Man like renaissance man if you will, Multi talented, multi faceted,
that's the multi well rounded like that well rounded. He's too well rounded
here, I'm thinking you know what I mean. I just actually I say
this all the time. Man Like the talent that fireman have, it's incredible,
right, some of them leave the job, like we had Scotty Burrick
right right in squad To eighty eight. Scotty was a fireman and squad To
he knew what he was a talented technical, rest of guy. He was
ultimate fireman. He left a job early because he wanted to take care of
his family. Have found a way to he was. He became a stunt
man and Hollywood started his own stunt company and now he's he's doing it out
in Hollywood. I can't big movies like he's in Blockbust, the movies rigging.
Sometimes you see him in the movie. Sometimes he's in extra movies.
Uh. But I was I was gonna start a segment called second Job Bob
and these guys who had second jobs who turned out to be another career.
So just the talented fine, and it's just amazing. Bro. I don't
know what my talent is. I haven't found it yet, but I'm still
looking at my palent breaking windows and breaking balls in the kitchen. Now I'm
I'm usefuls I'm done. Now he's on the show. Here there you got.
Roofie is on his way back. He should be. He should be
close to being home by now. Man, he drove me. Didn't they
have a snowstorm up upstate New York? He's uh, he's out in Iowa.
What stuntfuck or wherever he is of snow out that way last night when
he said he was leaving, I was like, oh, really, you
know, there was a little bit of snow upstate, but not anything in
Pete Travel. I don't even know that you get anything. Did you shoot
anything? You know? He didn't even send us a pick. He get
up state before he went out west, you know, but he spent a
lot of money to go on here in Iowa. He showed me a picture
of a coyote who was going to shoot because it was it was killing some
of the deer. But he see, we'll see when he's back. He's
back on Monday. We got Mo Davis from Texas, Big Davis from Texas.
Jesus, you know to say about got some Texas right? Really,
what do they say? Everything is bigger in Texas? There we gos come
from Texas. I don't think anything. We'll see about them. He's got
holdes pick oh boy, listen to commercials first before we get our renaissance man
in here. He's a singer to singer and artist Della. I mean,
let's got it brand guy. You know a lot of talent. Yeah,
yeah. Another other fellow, Jill, He actually wrote a very funny uh,
what's the name of this song that is gonna say tonight, Mary Jumas,
marry Jewish Christmas, Marry Jewish Christmas. Mike another Hebrew Hamma, Hebrew
Hamma, he Brew hammah. That was after Mike Moman quote. I wish
I had something that was small Hebrew hammer. You do was looking down.
I was like, yeah, yeah, you look at it the right to
Actually I got my drawer here of good, all right, trying to fight
out. I don't need a magnifying glass, all right. Whatever that person
like, I can't go back to that. Zolowitz is probably the best.
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dot nj f E dot com. Excellent. Well, I was going back
through Pol's comment was my name Baum, I'm sorry, hey John in the
chat j and yeah, all right, let's here's look get the last one
out of the way. It is a book that will perhaps go down as
the report from Engine Company eighty two of our generation, They Saved New York,
written by Glenn Ust and Dan Potter, retired New York City firefighter,
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and so forth. This book explores their stories told through their perspectives. Each
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those that put their lives in the line to save their fellow New Yorker,
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Get your hands on this book today. You will not regret it.
Written by once again retied New York City firefighter Dan Potter and the concept of
photography provided by the one and only Lennis Then, a member of the fire
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of the FDN Y. If you'd like to purchase the book, you can
do so. And they saved? And why dot Com? That is again
ww dot they saved? And why dot Com? You know, let's pull
up the old school gift of the day, bro, because that's Christmas and
getting Salty's got a new hoodie out, so you might want to check this
out. We got the this is the old school. You want that gold
school? That one right there, Oh, that was the one from last
the other day, Bro, get with it. I want to make sure
you don't want to show both. Can you make that big? No?
I have to reload it, but I'll work on it in uh while we're
having some conversations with Black and Red Hoodie. It's a high quality. It's
of course, it's high quality. Get on it. Get on it,
and also go back to the cigar box. Bro's humid You can have your
name, your company, whatever you want. He grabbed on that bad boy.
He comes with a cigar cutter. Partner sore with it as well.
Does it Does that come with a humidification system? It does. We're not
skipping on anything. Nah. You need to keep you need to keep things
points. Yes, you know what, give me the did you get that
text that I just sent your guns? Oh? Man, that will do
that for the end of the show because the voice it got me all nostalgic.
My boy, PETI, the old you know, Pt Pidosa opened up
his gun shop. We want to give him a little plug. Did he
really Yes, I'm Long Island. I hope that's up by you. Oh
I gotta go. Yes, So we'll throw that up at the end of
the show. And man, I'm sitting one night just to catch up with
him. You know what I mean? For sure we should we should go
to dinner or lunch or something just to get him out of the house.
Yeah, well we're going to dinner when Tank comes. So if you want
to come on down right, cot me in. I mean, well,
somebody said free. It's for rey. For me. You got to bring
your lady. Those couples for a second, Okay, I don't get him
in here. Let's get the guy. Let's get the man of the hour.
I see he's got a bunch of squad eighteen guys in there, and
uh, but you know what, you bring him in guns, you do
it all right. I'm just gonna make sure I hope out Butcher's last name.
But you know what, Welcome to the stage everyone, mister squatty team
firefighter Richard ask Nevaski. I say it right, Noleski Neva, Nevaski safe.
You guys got got the eye. But it's there, Naviasky. I
think he might be doing something else in there with that psychedelic backdrop he's got
there. Bro, you know what I'm saying. This is the cake the
cave that I never actually used. I said it all up as if I
was going to but who did the work in the background there? It's a
tapestry and you know I figured it was better than the blank wall and my
uh, you know, my regular spot that I would have been sitting.
Can I say that this man was autistic? Bro, he's every other guy's
got to send the block wall back there, and this guy renaissance man put
a little figure painted it as something you know or lose curtains. You guys
use the word talent a little loosely with me, but you know so I
quite I got. I got a lot of texts about you today saying that
you're talented dude man for a firefighter. So uh, let's get yes.
All right, 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. This is why
I love the brothers. Look at this one. I was just gonna pull
that one up a nice shot. Ryan up, really do all right?
Rich? Before we get into your firefighting Korea? Uh, where'd you grow
up? What made you want to be a fine man? We got to
talk about the whole saling thing to what we u before you came a firement,
et cetera, et cetera. All right, Well, I'm a Baltimore
born and raised. You know, I was, uh, you know,
graduate high school, graduated, you know, gradually got graduated college there and
stuff, and uh I wound up. I was, I'll skip ahead past
the sailing story for a second, but uh, you know, I moved
up to New York as a friend of mine, not out for me a
job, and I was, you know, I was doing nothing. I
was just bouncing around, you know, doing this job and that job and
stuff. And so you know, I got there and I thought, I,
you know, I wonder how you become a fireman? Like I wasn't
the kid that grew up wanting to be a fireman. I just, you
know, the idea struck me and I said, I wonder how you become
one? I love, there's a sign you sign up prettier to take the
test. I figured they give the test every couple of months, you know,
And so, you know, with a lot of things I do in
life, you know, it comes with a lot of luck. And I
just had some good luck with having the idea at the exact right time.
So for I'm sure most of the listeners know. But you know, they
give that test every four years or so, and you know, I just
happened to look into it at the right time. You know, what where
were you living in Baltimore? What part of Baltimore? I grew up in
in the northwest suburbs, in the Baltimore County, you know, if you
if you know, Baltimore County is just like a kind of like a doughnut
around the city. And and then I then I lived in North Baltimore in
the city for about five years before I moved up to New York. Was
that like because they do some work down in there, someone like a shithole?
I had no The fire department wasn't even on my radar at that time.
Though. One kid I grew up with was I the one kid I
knew that was a buff you know, and the uh you know he also
you know, I'm actually I'm going to see the Ravens game with him this
weekend, you know, but uh you know, he Howard, I would
say, is kind of say his name Howard, great, great guy,
one of the best is he is a young job down there. He's actually
one of the very few I mean there maybe even the only one at this
point. He's an auxiliary fireman. Down there. He's been doing it forever
and uh so he you know, he he's rides with the you know he
has he's assigned to a house, but he's but he goes as the uh
the auxiliary. You know, he's where he's you know you know what.
Yeah, like they used to have and you know, like we had the
guy in two ninety two when I first got there, Hank. I don't
know if you if ray if he probably probably know he was I was before
him. Yeah, I was, Gonnay, he's privately. Yeah, most
of the guys are are like, you know, ancient, you know,
like your guys age, you know, like, uh, you know,
but you got quick. But he's a comedian too. I didn't know that
one. Yeah, honest comedian. So that's hence I guess why you're a
Baltimore fan. Yeah, I can't resist, you know, a hard core
Baltimore fan. Bro. Yeah, I'll fight people for it. You know,
svidiums in a ship mess of a neighborhood too, man over there the
stadium, Yeah yeah, yeah, No, it's you walk a couple of
blocks in the wrong direction and you better turn around quick, you know,
So what are you doing? You're flying all the way there for the game.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm I'm a lunatic, you know, but I
get every year I go to one game, you know, so it's it's
not like going to you know, multiple games. Family family then not really,
you know, my my family's actually out here, which is I'm in
Colorado, you know, which is kind of the driving force of what we
were looking for a place to go, and it just was kind of like
a path of least resistance, you know, to go. Uh. And
you know, it's good to be in your family too, because you know,
right where were you living when you were in New York on the jump?
Uh? You know, I bounced around the Burrows for ten years.
I was in Park Slope, I was in Harlem. I was in Long
Island City and Bay Ridge, and then I moved out to beth Page and
I lived there for fourteen years. When my wife got pregnant, she you
know, looked for a house and stuff. So yeah, that'so to you,
ain't it? Right? Back page? Yeah? Next? Yeah,
right next? I think you didn't your I think your brother was your brother
that had the deli there? Right? Yes, yeah, my brother was
deli there, yeah, right right on the main main. Yeah, right,
yeah, maybe a good sandwich, right, he didn't. I never
met a sandwich. I didn't like good point chicken cutlingd hero. Oh I
would be in there. You know. You run into people like Richie Resto
a little too often, you know, but oh no getting rich if you're
listening, If you're listening, I'm sure he's listening because he you know,
he can't resist anything that has to do with the fire department. So so
all right, so tell us before he came up, you know, the
job, tell us about the sailing. Oh yeah, so you know I
was, Uh, I was, you know, I was working in the
boatyard, just doing grunt work and this scraping barnacles and that kind of stuff,
you know. Just and just there was this guy. He had he
had been sailing around the world at that point for seventeen years. He was
a Polish guy. He built this this sailboat out of steel. Literally it
was. It was like a like a battleship of a sailboat. And uh,
and he had he was wintering his boat there for the winter, you
know, And I just overheard him talking about he was getting ready to sail
back across and he was taking people, you know, so I, uh,
you know, I kind of made an inquiry, and you know,
three weeks later, I was I'd never been sailing before either, you know,
I wasn't a sail or. I just worked at the boatyard, you
know. And uh so I was like, I can't resist. I mean,
how do you how do you pass up an opportunity like that? And
as crazy as it is, you know, so so like I say,
three weeks renaissance man, like, you can't you can't hide, bro,
you know, you can't hide from adventures and things like that, because you
know, otherwise, you know, you just wind up. Yeah. Yeah,
so now I say so from Baltimore down to Norfolk, Virginia, we
stayed a couple of days to get some last stuff done and then just had
a due due east and uh and we went like we went to sleep that
night, woke up in the morning in the storm, and then the storm
stayed with us for about over a week, like like literally sideways hail.
Oh you know what, I'm gonna on a break or whatever. I'm gonna
send you a picture because I got a great shot. I should have sent
it to you. It's a great shot at me on the boat that my
friend h Johanan, who was the only other guy that didn't speak Polish on
the boat. Uh, it was there were seven of us on the boat.
They spoke Polish the whole time. I learned three words, you know,
or so when I was there. And I'm not not not the brightest
student, you know, but uh and but uh anyways, so yeah,
we got we went three weeks. It took us to get to the Azores,
which is about you know, two thirds of the way across or so.
And then and then it was another two weeks from the as what we
say there like two days or something, and then another two weeks to get
to Spain Cadiz. And then we went down the straight through the straight at
Gibraltar and then just went like for eight days or so. We knew nothing
about sailing, nothing at all, nothing at all. I learned a little,
oh like like crazy. So you know, so that first week when
we were in that storm, I'm gonna I'm talking, I'll do it in
a minute, but I'll send you that picture because you could see the size
of the waves. It was like literally ten to thirty foot waves for a
week straight. And I was as sick as I've ever been in my life,
you know. But but I just kept going with Somebody had said,
one of the guys on the boat said three days, three days, and
you'll be fine. So I was like please, you know, and showing
up the three days like by it's like your equilibrium just figures it out or
whatever. And I felt fine after that. But man, but those three
days were some of the toughest days of my life. I can't go on
a fishing boat, and I can. I will to this day if I
go on the boat, I'll get like a fishing boat, I'll get sick.
But like man, I was, you know, I always would say,
if not for the love of my mother, I would have jumped overboard.
I was let me see, let me see if I get the straight
So you went for I guess it was five weeks in rough thirty foot waves.
Well well that was just that was just a week that then then we
got just a week and that and a lot of boat. When nobody's smoking,
right, they could they just yeah, it was tough. Weird idea.
Yeah, you spend a lot of time in your mind when you're in
a situation like that. You know, you're looking around and all you see
his horizon and it's amazing. But it's awesome. You lose your mind,
you know, I'm sure did you have like duties on the boat what we
had to do? We all we all were on a rotation at the wheel,
you know, and uh, you know, and it was like kind
of before GPS, like that there were GPS technology was kind of just coming
around. It was not ninety five, I think it was, and and
uh, you know, so we I would just hold the wheel looking at
this compass, you you know, and the whole time I'm just doing this
back and forth, you know, and you know, the other guys,
there's other people on this that actually knew how to stay out and they kind
of get it set right and they kind of do little adjustments and stuff.
But we did two hours at a time, and I'd bet that whole two
hours, I'm just going back and forth, just trying to keep that that
bow from you know, pointing in the right direction and stuff. And you
know, we uh, the storm was terrible, but it was but it
was exciting. We actually made the best time of the whole trip and going
over those kind of waves and stuff. And then and then like later when
between the Azores and Spain. We had an adult drum, which is when
there's no wind whatsoever. And uh And for two or three days, I
think it was three days, we went like twelve miles. Man. It
was it was that I'll take the storm over that anytime, you know,
because you really lose your mind, you know. But you know, like
I, we all went swimming in the ocean, like in the middle of
the ocean at that point. But which is the creepiest, scariest thing you
can imagine, you know. I did like a dove off, did a
lap around the boat, and it was like, all of a sudden,
the boat was the size of a like a football field. It just it
felt like I was never going to get back to the ladder again, you
know. I just I'm seeing like giant tentacles coming up towards me and stuff.
So how old did you stay in Spain? Then? I didn't really
stay that long. I didn't have a whole lot of money with me either,
you know. So like I I got to I got off the boat
in the Bealaris Islands and I took a ferry to to Valencia and I had
this big plan. I'm going to travel Europe. But I had this,
But did you talk to a volleyball? Yeah? But you know, so
like I'm walking around with this iron double bag. I didn't even have a
backpack, and I'm trying, you know. So I traveled for like like
a week and then I uh, then I flew home from there. So
I was I was going flew home. I was gonna say, Holy yeah,
I knew that all along. I knew he was staying and I was.
I wasn't staying in Europe. I was just trying to get a wild
experience out of it. I just sent you just come. I'm gonna dig
up this picture. Can I text? Just sent it to me. Okay,
maybe it's the same one. Give me a couple of seconds too.
Yeah, that looks like a whole bunch of fun to me. Bro it
actually was. I'm gonna i'll show you if if it's I'm gonna send you
this picture just in case it's not the same one. But but I'm going
to show you something in that pictures that you're gonna be pretty impressed with,
probably the most impressive thing in the old trip. Did you test it to
me? I did, I didn't go through Yeah. Yeah, so so
if you look at if you can see, uh you know, it's the
same one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So if you look
at those two back rails, you know, in the back center of the
boat, and if you if you kind of look, you can see the
top one arches back, you know, like it's like on an arch in
it, you know. Yeah. So the thing about that boat was it
had a bathroom, but the bathroom didn't work, you know, so that's
that was the bathroom. You know in those waves too, you know,
would you'd sit on that thing and hang your ass over the ocean and just
you know, let it fall as fast as you could, you know,
with somebody standing right in front of your stee in the boat and is you
know there was one woman on board too, you know, but like she
was she was actually like the second most experienced salur on the boat other than
the captain himself. Is that you know that looks like a load of fun
to me? It was yeah, life experience, right like yeah, I
mean, I guess you could you can see from an early age that my
head was never quite screwed on straight, you know, I can see myself
just a little a drift, you know, you do anything else that might
be of interest, like that before you get on it, before you get
into the fire department Korea. Probably you know my you know, my brain
is also the kind of brain that you can drain spaghetti through. So you
know, I don't have I don't have too much like access to all these
like points. Was at least what's that? Was the Polish girl good looking?
At least? Oh she was, you know, I can't remember because
at that time, even though she was younger than I am now, I
thought she was a lot older. So I was like, you know,
and the truth to be told, there was this kind of secret was it
a naked Spanish? But there was a there was another guy on board that
was you know, I wouldn't say his name, even though I have no
idea if he's even living dead or whatever. You know, I haven't talked
to him in thirty years or whatever. But but he was married and we
were up you know, one hundred percent sure that they had a little thing
going on and stuff like that. So it's like what happens in the middle
of the Atlantic States, isn't they said zip codes? I don't even think
there are are zip codes out there. That's that's crazy, man, that
is insane. All right. So let's go back again to uh, you
take the test right, and yes, you get on you go to Promary
school when uh, February four, two thousand and one is when we started.
So I was the first class of the one top of the list,
as they call us, top of the list. So what was your listening
about? Oh I was two fifteen. You beat me, man, See
that's it's the brain. So you did well on it. Man, I
don't got the muscles that you got, you know, but somebody didn't really
have, you know. It wasn't something like, oh I got to do
this, this is what I want to do my whole life. You're like,
I think I'll take it. Yeah, like everything I do in life,
sailing across the ocean be coming up an accidental you know, all right,
I just I just I'm like far just going by, just dopely,
just walk along and and things, you know, follow my lap sometimes,
you know. So who was in your provy class? Anybody that we might
know. Let me think, I mean a lot of people, well,
Dilly, you know there's a lot of uh yeah, yeah, Andy Androse
in our class. You know, we had it's a great class. I
mean there's a lot of guys still in the job, believe it or not,
you know, but yeah, uh, you know, there's a bunch
of guys from SOCC you know, like uh spindor Eric Lajoda, you know,
Pac Gorman he's not in sock though. He's a a lot of guys
here. It's a good class. So you get the lucky call go to
two ninety two. Obviously you really didn't know anybody at the time. Yeah
with me, Yeah, yeah, no, you're right, it didn't.
It's funny thing is because my class we did the fourteen weeks, right,
So we did ten weeks in the academy, then we went to a temporary
house of the I mean, you guys probably remember this, but I'll just
say it for the the audience or whatever. But it's like, uh,
you know, we got sent to temporary houses where we did seven weeks in
the engine across the floor and then did seven weeks. I don't even remember
that. Yeah, because they did it. They started it before nine to
eleven. It was supposed to be the new thing, and then nine to
eleven ended it. You know, but uh, my class was the only
one that did it the way it was intended, which it wasn't the best
program, I'm gonna be honest, you know, but but we uh we
went for those three months and then we went back to the academy for three
weeks. And when we went back to the academy, they didn't know what
to do with us because well you've already been in the you know, so
so anyways, then then we then we got our permanent fifty four fifty three,
you know, they Avenue U watch Dogs. It was an amazing house.
I had a great time there. Yeah, I got some great,
great experience. I you know, probably only had like three fires or so,
but good ones, you know. Yeah, and uh yeah, it
was a great, great experience. And they're on Avenue U and uh,
I forget no, I can't think of the street. That's it. They're
on the corner there. But uh, because I you know, I I
had didn't work in Brooklyn except for that little brief period, so I don't
Yeah, what what companies did they run with over there? Well, like
the ship, like the highway and stuff like that. Oh, I worked
in a highway once. And and then when I was there, that was
when a Father's Day happened, you know, I was, I was in
I was in that house at that time, and so when I uh,
you know, and so Father's Day for people that don't know, was the
fire where U two guys from Rescue four and then the one guy from one
sixty three you know, were killed in the So for me getting a sign
there, Bryan Fahi and John yeah, yeah down which I never met those
guys, but I heard so many stories about him as soon as I got
there, of course, but I was like me, I was, here's
I'm this young, dough eyed kid, you know, and I was I
was like, I can't believe I'm going to this house. I mean,
what's that going to be? Like? You know, these guys just lost
you know, what what did you get there? Bro? Well, I
got there in July, you know, and the yeah, yeah, he
was probably like three or four weeks ahead. I forget how many exactly how
long, you know, and then and then two months after that was not
eleven, you know. So it was like a house that was reeling and
then all of a sudden they were real and even harder, you know.
So but how would you get along with the guys and rescue when you got
there. How was that whole relationship anyway between two ninety two? And the
thing is, like, I'm not a hater. I'm a lover, you
know, like you know, like the fire department, there's the haters and
the lovers. I love everybody, except if there's a few people. I'm
not going to name their names, but there's a few people that I actually
oh yeah, it's the top of the list, you hear me, Just
kidding, prick you, but there's you know. So so I got along
great with those guys, and I was in on their drills and stuff like
that. So they really liked me, you know, like I got to
really like Bronco a lot. I mean he was like, uh he was
you know that did the car. He was just like the that gentle teddy
bear giant you know that. You know, I remember like that the under
the Bridge party that that they used to have where like you know, of
course you guys remember that where under the Brooklyn and and of course, yeah,
you always have a tendency. That's the best party. It was like
a ratio of like nine women to one guy. Yeah, we got to
go and fuck it up because that summer two fucking probs that had after my
Proby class and I was still a proby that. I think it was that
same year they tried to swim to fucking Manhattan. That's what That's what happened.
An interesting story. Jim Eddy was the Papalian chief that ended up like
being in charge of getting them fished out of the Really he had great stories
about like dropping them off, keeping them out of the limelight. Yeah,
interesting, dude, that was. That was the best party ever. It
was who did two o four two old? I don't remember companies did?
Was it the Happy Hookers or I guess whatever they're calling down It wasn't the
Happy Hooker is uh? I forget who it was. But it was right
under the Brooklyn Bridge, and I said they would go into Manhattan and Brooklyn
and drop all of the leaflets buller nurses and it was like nine women.
Yeah, one of the only times in FDN y thing. It wasn't a
hot dog party. He was like nine chicks to everything, one fireman.
Right, of course we gotta fuck it up. We always fuck it up.
But I was so that that that party that summer. You know,
I think I was in two ninety two for a week at that time or
something like that. And at that time, Bronco was just this giant,
you know, you know, scary guy for a Proby or whatever. And
you know, so I'm at the party and I spot him. I see
him like that guy on Bronco, you know stuff, and and you know,
I don't think he's going to say anything to me. And I'm figuring
I was just like the Proby, you know, don't be don't you know,
be seen, don't be her kind of a thing or whatever. And
he like he it was like the Red Sea. He just parted the crowd
and came just made a bee line towards me and just put his arm around
me and he just like, you know, he just like took me under
that that giant wink of his and stuff. I mean, he was just
such a great guy. You know. Picture of him when he was a
probably right, no, no, the only one to have is the squad
pick unless that picture with the pumpkin on his head. Yeah, that was
the World Trade ten of picture. Oh this one, that one yeah even
covered and all that ship. I was handsome as hell, wasn't I Hollywood
should have found. Speaking of Scotty Buorick, he couldn't have pulled me along
with him. I could have been a star, you know. Yeah,
James Beach, you said Engine two five brooklyn Bridge, part of Brooklyn Bridge.
Yeah, yep, all right, So, uh what qcb's had that
question about the Brotherhood documentary? Which were which one was the brother I forget
which one that one? There was one that I don't know the squad Metcalf
I believe was well, yeah, I might have been. I don't remember
now because I actually a girl that was working on it was an old friend
of mine. So like, I don't remember if I was in that one
though or not. There was the there was the one I used to try
to hide kind of, I believe it or not, because now like I'm
like, hey, Limelight, where are you? You know, But like
I was, I'll try to, you know, hide from the cameras and
stuff. But they had cameras in there were there. It was a follow
up to a I forget what one of those news shows that the you know
whatever it was, and and it was it was like kind of like a
follow up day after the Father's Day fire and and you know, now they're
going back and talking to Mike Millner was like prominent in it. And then
and uh like they had like Thanksgiving dinner with you know, Thanksgiving in the
firehouse with all the you know, the wise special Yeah, yeah, they
had with them. You can spot me in a couple of spots there,
you know. Yeah, you mean all the producers haven't seen you and got
you into Hollywood. Bro. I can't I can't understand. I don't know.
I have no idea that it might it might be this, but I
don't know. And yeah, so we got the opposite haircuts, me and
Kevin. You know, man, so you're working in two ninety two,
right, so f nine eleven, it must have been late insane, right
with the wives they lost, and it was brutal, you know, it
was absolutely, I mean, you know it was for the engine dam you
know, you know, the house together or what was that we at that
time? And again I was not in two ninety two for at the time,
it seemed like forever. It was probably a year and a half or
whatever, because I went, you know, February of O three is when
I went to Spot eighteen. But but but we all got along great at
that time, you know, because you're going through something together, you know,
I know, I know that through different periods. You know, when
you have those double houses with the with the rescue company that you know,
there's sometimes there's there's a little more headbutting than than maybe there should be or
whatever. But but everybody got along as far as I can tell, you
know, like everyone got along great. There were definitely fights and like literal
fist fights and stuff like that, but those things happened, you know,
no matter what. You know, you know, so you know, because
we all, you know, we all like threw in together to you know,
getting these memorials and the and the you know, funerals you know,
organized and whatnot, and you know, it was just it was something that
we were all going through together. And I think because of that, there
was it was a unique time to be there, you know. And but
uh, but you know, and then and then for me, you know,
we had an extremely low roster too, Like I was the first probe
they had gotten. Uh no, it wasn't that I was the first proby
they had gotten in a while, but it but it was just that they
only had I think twelve guys on the roster when I got there. So
so for me, like, uh, you know, at that time,
rescue had gotten. They always had access to it. It was like an
ambulance, it was like a van at one point, whatever it was.
They always had a vehicle that was going every morning down to the site.
So I wasn't really There's a couple of times that I got to go there
on duty, you know, but because we had such a little roster,
really not that much. But every every morning I got off, I jumped
on that thing with those guys, and so, you know, and that
that also like really bonded me with those guys really strong, because you know,
I was here. I am, I was, I was you know,
you know, I don't know if terrified it's the right word, you
know, but like, you know, I was. It was you know,
it's hard for a seasoned fireman, you know. And then but imagine
the guy like like me, who had you know, barely even seen dead
bodies at that point. Now all of a sudden, I was surrounded by
him, you know, like pieces and everything else, and you know,
so and I think that shocked a little wake up call for you man,
you know. And I think, uh, I think because of that,
like that, there's you know, and even stronger bonded stuff. You know
there was there was guys in that. I mean it was it was such
an all star cast in that and and Rescue for at that time too,
you know with who the senior guys who remember floor at that time. Well,
so you know Mike, you know, Mike Milner of course was who
I love to death. You know, you know there's that's uh uh,
this is the one I would go see with Milner, the Firehouse documentary with
the guy try to show a few guys in the firehouse. Yeah. So
I was trying to see where you were on the table. You know,
I'm in the table somewhere right in there. Heglands, right, heland then
can't see as has as big as I can make. It looks like Murphy,
isn't it. Yeah, it's Billy Murphy and least the wonderful Lisa Murphy.
I loved it. Yeah, there, I am right there. Okay,
That's that's why my you know, my trade. I've been told you
know by an old uh, an old Indian man one time, you know,
like a yogi. They said that that I could be a king in
certain parts of the world, you know with this really I should be a
king too? Was all right there bro give it a breaking notes but only
have two hands drunken before. And that's why was like this way well for
which way he goes? I don't know. Speaking of Murphy, I mean,
Billy was the was the absolute godsend for me because you know he,
you know, Murphy, like he can break balls better than the best.
He's like a race eally you know, and and and but he you know,
he took me under his wing man him and Liam, you know Liam
who never stopped. You know, he was always either working doing a funeral
or at the site one. I don't even think he slept, you know,
but you know, so those two and you know you had I just
you know, like guys that came over right after that, like were like
Ray Griffin, who uh you and you know Richie Schmidt and those guys like
that. You know, I was still there when they when they arrived there.
But you know, it's a it was a great house. I mean
I really I loved it. You know, I thought it was the best
house in the world. Like you know, like they say, whatever ause
you're in is the best house on the job. And that's how it felt
too, you know, I did actually for people don't believe me. But
I got a lot of work there. You know, it's really it was
like a from when I got there in eighty one, did a little bit
of work, but their work has picked up. Yeah, over the years,
I think that the neighborhood became more congested, a lot more people living
in. Yeah, you crossed off Queens Boulevard and all Hispanic yesterday on this
side it's all Asian. Yeah, you know, it's it's true. You
know, you got these like you know, it's definitely like it's almost like
you were walking into you know, like like you say, like little you
know, little Mexico and little like you know, like they're just you know,
communities or whatever. But you know, but poor communities of of of
such and you know, like you know, the best nozzle job I had
in my entire career was in one of my last tours that I worked there,
and you know, we we uh we turned out and remember al Vertundi,
he was our lieutenant at the time, and it's just remember the absolute
maniac, one of the one of the funnest guys to work with. I
love, I loved working with him. But but we we we pull up
on whatever it was sixty whatever it's street or avenue or whatever the hell.
You know, Queens is as confusing as it gets. But but and and
you know, he's like he gave a second alarm. On arrival. It's
like the whole house is just blowing with fire. The house next door is
on fire from you know, the siding and stuff. And you know,
so we kind of hit the and eye the nozzle. You know. You
know, they were mad because they had given me the nozzle because I was
leaving. But like, but anyways, you know, so we go in
there, we we you know, put out all this fire. I didn't
even realize I lost my helmet in the door, you know. You know,
I tell your brother, you know, you know, Kevin for people
that don't know, Kevin's brother was like that. When I was there,
he was I believe it was a division commander of the fourteenth, you know.
And but you know, so I didn't obviously didn't have a chin strap
on. I had no idea. I didn't have a helmet on until my
my buddy's like, who's this and he said, I found your helmet.
Oh thanks, you know, But but so anyway, you know, we
get the whole first floor out, we get we make our way up the
stairs. We're you know, half the second floors going. And and then
we opened one door and there's a pit pull in there, you know,
alive, you know, and and another dog that sadly was not alive,
you know. And and so we kind of shut the door and we finish
our thing, and we get relieved on the line like the attic was going
to you know, we the second new company went and put the attic out
and stuff, and and we go outside and uh and al Vertundi says,
hey, Richie, you want to get on you want to get your picture
of the paper. I said, well, what do you mean? He
goes, how do you feel about going and getting that dog out of the
I said, I'll get the dogs. So I go inside and uh and
I go in and I opened the door in this scary looking pit bull.
But I can see him. I say, easy boy, and he kind
of wagged his ass because you know, he saw that I was, you
know, he dog was probably freaking out, you know. And and I
like, I kind of scooped up this. I'll probably weighed seventy pounds,
you know. And I remember, like the chief and everybody plastered to the
walls. I'm coming down, going down the stairs, and and I and
I and so I'm sorry. So Ratundi had said, he's like, because
there's a photographer from the I forget if it was a daily news or the
Post or whatever. And he said he's got to get your picture when you
come out. So I was like, great, you know, So I
get at him all acting just like I'm just doing my job, and I
kind of pause on the porch, just like looking around, you know,
as if i'm you know whatever, I look at like I spotographers. I'm
just kind of look acting like I'm just like a seven exactly. Then and
as as I see the photographer raising his camera, the I it's it's really
actually terrible. But the poor guy who had just lost everything, you know,
the guy who owned the house, he dove on this camera man and
just tackled him to the ground. The cops had to pull him off and
everything, so he never got the picture. And I can't really what can
I say, because this poor guy had just lost everything and he sees someone
taking a picture of his of his loss and everything. And but I was
mad because I was like, I was already envisious a moment in the sun,
bro, he took it away from you. Yeah, I was a
visiiting of you know, on my parents' wall for the rest of their lives
and stuff like that. You know, So with only a year and a
half, what makes you decide you want to go to squatty team? And
you know, sometimes people look and they say, you know, that guy's
got something special and I was just kidding. But but but Steve, they
find out later that is not true, you know. But but Steve Mikolitch
was who was a firefighter and rescue for at that time, and he got
promoted to the squat eighteen. And and you know, of course all the
squad guys you know better than anybody you know, like, uh, you
know, like all the squads and rescues. You know, we're so uh
decimated from nine to eleven. You know. So he said, Riche,
why don't you come over to squad eight team? We need guys. And
I said, I only got two years on the job. He goes,
it doesn't matter. We'll teach everything you need to know. And so,
you know, I I said, well, let me let me get back
to you. You know, I should have just said yes right away.
I was like, let me get back to you. And I went and
I asked all the guys and rescue and the engine, you know, and
and all the guy is funny because all the guys in the rescue to a
t were just like, don't even you know, don't even think about it,
just go, you know, go like tomorrow or whatever. And like
the guys in the engine, and some of them said that and so and
like, you know, I think it was Sean McPherson. Actually you mentioned
before, you know, who said to me. I forget if it was
him or not. I think it was though he said, he said,
Richie, what you should really do? And in retrospect, he was totally
right, except for that I wound up having the exact career that I wanted.
I mean, I loved I loved working in squad a team from day
one to the last day. But but he said, well, you should
do you should do, you know, do a few more years in the
engine, then transfer into a busy truck, you know, get the experience
on both sides, and then and then go into soccer. And and he
was actually right, you know, but the thing was, you know,
they just they needed guys, you know, and and and so like when
I got there, that's what. That's how much time everybody had on at
that time. You know, we all had two three One guy you know
came on. He was still at a provy patch on his helmet, you
know. And but but we wound up, you know, all working together
for like fifteen years or so together and stuff, and we just we got
I mean, like I said, like Kevin and and Ray, both of
you guys, I mean in a different way because you were a little more.
Ray you were much more senior. And and Kevin, I forget when
you got on, but I know you're much more senior than me, you
know. And so but but you know, these all these young guys coming
in, it's just like you kind of you built that that house back from
like from you know, from this massive awful thing that had happened to it.
And uh and it's like it was like a real point of pride.
And and you know I always had that point of pride. I I would
love Squad eighteen to my dying day, you know, I mean honestly,
I love all this hoc companies still my dying day. You know. But
who was the captain. Then when you went there, it was Mike Donovan,
the great Mike Donovan, you know, and then another legendary guy one
two Flimen. Yeah, it's awesome. And Lieutenant worked a long time and
you and I think he's still working with me. Yeah, I think he
is. I think he is. Hey. Yeah. And then and then
when he you know, his back was messed up and so he got out
that summer and then uh, and then Tom O'Brien after that, you know,
and then uh and then yeah man, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, seventy six guy, I think right, it was in
seventy six. Lieutenant wasn't Brian Smith? Uh? Captain also and then and
then captain Captain Smith for a while actually probably for my longest time. It
was a funny guy, man, Yes, the smartest guy you know operationally
on the job. You know, I don't know about anything else but the
job itself. He knew, like you know, as as good as anybody.
You know. It's just it's just so sharp. He was up in
the Bronx, he was climbing up in the bronx. Yeah, yep,
yeah, he's great. I love him to death. He drove me crazy
when he was my captain half the time. But you know we used to
butt heads here and there. But but we we we have a lot of
love for each other, you know, but at the time that we didn't
always have that love. You know, we got to a few a few
screaming matches, you know, and stuff like that. But uh, but
you know, I mean, you know, I'll tell you a funny story
because you know, some of the guys that are listening that no Meal love
this one, because you know, I had this reputation of being a bad
driver, you know when I got when I went to show for school,
but it was only because I never drove, you know, like you know,
you go to show for school and then you know a year agoes by
and you've driven like five times. You know, it's like you're supposed to
remember what you're doing, you know. So like so anyways, I it's
it was Saint Patrick's saying it was a snowy Saint patrick'sday, and I wind
up driving the I forget if it was a twenty four, if it was
just a night and it was an overtime tour, and so like I'm you
know, I pull onto you know, you know, like I wasn't that
good at the time. I'm not gonna say I was. But like I
wind up taking the side mere off of a car, which how many billion
times does that happen? Right? That never happened? Right? So right?
Yeah, cans on the other hand, that's another story. Oh and
so yeah, So we get back to the quarters. It's like three in
the morning, and he starts fallowing me out and and so and now it's
just like i'd had an offense. I'm balling back and you know, we're
like we're like nose to those He's like, you'll never drive again, and
short enough, I never did until until the end of my career. Captain
Bertucci sent me back to Trover school and then I then I started driving at
the very end. You know, I says, this is what I'm missing.
I like, who's the captain there now? Bertucci? Oh? Bertucci
still Prducci? Yeah yeah, yeah. I was in Provy school with him,
man, yeah. Yeah. He helped me out a lot when I
was getting out of him. He's just he's he really he looks out for
the guys. He really does. Well, what you didn't you get out?
Uh? Twenty one February fourth twenty one is almost to the day,
right, not almost to the day to the minute. It was to the
day a minute to the second. Right. I watched I watched that nine
o'clock appear on my computer, you know. And I'm gonna be honest with
you. I know. You know, I don't I tell some people.
I don't tell everybody this, But I didn't feel coming. I saw that
nine o'clock hit, and now I had tears pouring out of my eyes.
Man, I was bawling my eyes out. I couldn't believe. It's just
like the the just like the heaviness just hit me of like wow, that
was that. That's over. You know when when they told me I was
done, it felt like my best friend done. Yeah. He said,
you know you get now, and I was like yeah. People people don't
understand, like how how like how big it is for us, you know,
like you know how much you go through thought of your identity? Bro,
who you are? You know? I tell my wife this all the
time, Like, I mean, I wasn't an officer. I was a
senior man. But they used to run everything through me. They just call
me home for everything. You come, you come up to you this is
what's going on. You come home, you sit across from your wife and
kids. I mean, you're just dad, you know, I mean,
which is an important thing, but you know it isn't. You come from
being somebody and a job where you feel like a superhero. You're running out
the door. I say all the time, it's the close thing to be
in the superhero. The along goes off, you get your batmobile, you
run there. You're helping somebody, saving somebody's life. There is no better
feeling than that. That's that's you're a superhero. And you come home and
you're just like, you know, like you good fellas, just like every
other schnook that you lieutenant to take out the garbage, right, Yeah,
you take a bunch of like funny looking guys like us and you put us
in these uniforms and people suddenly think we're good looking. Yeah. Yeah,
the Blue Magnet. You go to a party. Yeah, I thought,
I think I'm I'm telling some jokes and ripping somebody apart. And I was
like, you think the fire house. You can't. You can't talk to
people like you really, you really have to learn to tone it back,
especially the human that was very quite about being retired, but was not saying
what popped in my head? Yeah, Like, I can't tell you how
the times my wife says that to me, Like you talk like that,
I mean maybe in the fire house, but you're not in the fire house
anymore. Like, Okay, I thought everybody talks WI listen the kids on
probies. You can't. So what about some good jobs in the eighteen?
Bro, talk to us about some good jobs out because you have there's so
many of them, you know, I mean, you know, yeah,
I mean, well that one that that was that was actually absolutely horrible,
actually one of my worst days of work, but it was that, you
know, the favorite days that I always had to working in Squatt eighteen were
the Gay Pride Parade and the UH and the Halloween parade. You know,
I always tried to mutual into those tours if I wasn't working, because it
was just it was so much fun. You know, the place was it
was, you know, his hats and horns everywhere, you know, And
and that that was that Halloween where the guy rented uh like a pickup truck
from like a lowser a home depot and then he wherever it was and he
and he he he had gone and drove down that bike path just like people
over. Yeah, and then he came out and he went and he hit
the the school bus. You know, that's how he ended. He went
and you hit a school bus full of kids. Thank god, nobody got
hurt on there. And then I think he got he jumped out and I
think he got shot in the belly. And I hope he's still alive riding
in jail to be honest, But but I'm not sure, you know,
but but so, but so, you know, nobody knew about the bike
paths remarkably, you know, because it was he wrote, rode over like
twenty something people. But that was like that was an m c I who
was a boss, was a she called an m c I right away in
which yeah, yeah, she was saving a lot of life. Yeah,
yeah, she was phenomenal. So what what happened was, you know,
everybody that was getting sent including us, was getting sent down to that school
bus. Nobody knew about the bike path and we just happened to be driving
down the west side of Highway to get there. And Sheldon George was was
detailed to the squad eighteen that day. Another guy, I love you you
know, but uh, but from Squad one, you know, and and
he's like and I remember him saying, he's like, man, what's going
on with all these people land Land. There's a lot of people laid out
on the you know, we stop and we look and all of a sudden,
you see somebody waving like crazy like this, and so we pulled over
and we got out, and it was like right away we walked into these
three people. When one person had like their late literally their leg was off
and like and then like head indrew with brains out in another person. Stuff.
It was just you know, it was one of those true true like
where they say, like the treoge where you got to say, like,
I can't do anything for that person right now, Uh, that persons,
you know, beyond anything we can do. You know, I'll try to
help this person stuff. And because it was just us and we're watching fire
trucks you know, and ambulances speeding past us, we're trying to get them
on the radio, you know. Brian Roberts was the was the show he's
on with Manhattan. But it took a while. It felt like it took
forever, you know, before we got any help and here we were.
We were six of us with like two medical bags, you know, and
like I remember, you know, I'm I'm with these three patients, you
know, and with with Sheldon and Santos Tores, you know, and and
we're working on these and and the other person that was there, since I'm
naming names, was Sky Shepherd, you know. And and all of a
sudden, Adrian gets me on the radio and she's like, Richie, I
need a tourniquet up here. And I look and she's you know, like
I didn't realize she had gone. She was pretty far off. So I
go kind of running with my bag, you know, you know. And
it was when we had just gotten those those mass casualty bags too, So
we had those bags that just were full of tourniquets and stuff. And and
I remember just running past people in the bushes and I couldn't believe it.
I remember, I I swear to God, I kid, you know what
I mean, There's someone laying there with their head turned completely around backwards and
stuff like that. I mean, that was the kind of kind of horrific
ship, you know, like and im and then I get to the sky,
you know, and so like in that picture, I'm just starting to
cut his clothes off, thinking that I'm going to expose like a wound where
he's you know, because there was a lot of blood. So I just
figured he you know, it was his femaral artery or whatever. And and
I and I and I get it. I get his clothes cut off,
and I see he's he was ripped from his belly to his down past his
crotch, and you know, like his you know, organs were showing and
everything. There was the ones you can't unsee, bro. And he was
and he was conscious, you know, he was you know, he wasn't
he wasn't like aware, but he was conscious. And his friend, like
you can see like it right behind that cop you can see kind of like
a jacket. He like that was his friend. His friend was like a
hysterics and like uh and you know, and it's like I kind of just
I just packed as much you know, like the multi dressings as I could
into him, and I got I got you know, oxygen onto him,
and and then I I you know, he was breathing on his own,
but then he wasn't breathing adequately. So then I go to open his mouth
and I'll never forget because you know that, you know, trying to get
his mouth open and like his lips just kept my finger indentations because he was
so uh he had lost so much blood that it just wasn't filling back in
and stuff. And you know, so we got him, I got the
bag on him and stuff, and he lost consciousness, of course, and
finally and then Rescue four showed up because they agent managed to get them on
the radio. I remember it like Richie Miranda and stuff, you know,
like a world trying to work together. And finally a couple of ambulances show
up, and I remember they had I think three patients and and you know,
and the paramedics, including the guy that I was working on, in
the back of that bus, and then me and Santos got up front and
drove it to the hospital. And by the time we got there, uh,
they they had declared him dead. And it just it fucking broke my
heart, you know, like it killed me because I'm like I'm getting a
little choked up right now when you know, but like but like it just
uh, you know, it's just like you feel like you're you're doing what
you can and then when you see somebody you know, go like that.
It's just it's such a horrible thing, you know. Yeah, did Tink
get recognized on Metal Day? We got the the Thomas al Sasser Medal that
day, you know, for that you know, well deserved. Yeah thanks,
Yeah, yeah, no doubt bro. Yeah, yeah, that fucked
me up. That one definitely fucked me up. That one. Deutsche Bank
obviously fucked me up. You know, I was, I was working for
Deutsche Bank, you know, which is uh, I don't know that was
the building that was I don't see that black flout over your head. You
definitely have one. Yeah, I was at a lot of pretty awful things.
What what happened till us? What happened with you guys at Deutsche Bank?
Well, Deutsche Bank when we got there, so Deutsche Bank for just
for people that don't know, it was like when we got the that's the
building that was on the south side of the World Trade Center site that was
heavily damaged. At first they were starting to build it back up, and
then they decided it was way too contaminated, so then they were taking they
were doing an abatement and and and it was definitely an indication of how screwed
up the city and the whole Yeah, screwed up how bad it was,
come to an agreement, and who's going to do and who's going to pay
for it? So it just linked and then it turned because what was it
six years later, right, I think it was six years eleven, you
know, And and and and uh they we we got the call the you
know, the run because they thought it was just a fire on the scaffold
on the back, scaffolding on the because scaffoldings obviously surrounding that whole building.
And and uh, and so they the only working elevator was the was,
you know, the the whatever you call it, you know, the construct
elevator on the outside of the building. So we just loaded everybody in,
we go up. It's clearly they thought the fire was on the fifteenth floor,
I think it was, if I remember right. And they drop us
off at the fourteenth and all the stairs we were sealed off for the abatement.
So I remember it was clear as day going in Toto the stairwell and
I wound up. I didn't I don't think I put my mask on at
that point, but I was thinking about it only because of this the exhaust
from the saw trying to cut through these uh you know, to access through
the stairway to get to the where we thought we were going to be accessing
the fire. Unbeknownst to us, the fire was burning like crazy. It
was just that it was venting out the back or whatever. And and then
so but but there was, you know something else some people may or may
not know. I know a lot of people do. But like there was
that section of the stampipe that had been removed unbeknownst to the fire department for
the construction site to send up the you know, the the hoses for their
for their tools, and so you know there, you know, there's no
water coming and Captain Smith again heads up. Captain Smith, uh, you
know, he was like, there's something wrong with the stampipe. We should
water in this thing. And he's going he goes out, we can't get
anyone on the radio. We would go back out to that construction elevator,
step out onto the scaffold and he's like he's yelling down, he's calling on
the radio. He wanted to drop his search rope down to haul up the
hose, which is ultimately what they did do. That's how the fire got
put out sadly, that's also how you know, uh, you know,
grafting, you know, and and Bobby Badia died. But but but you
know, so anyways, like we're there, we're now we're facing out,
looking down, trying to get the chiefs attention. All of a sudden we
hear media madea made and we turn around and it was like it was like
that fast, you know, like it had gone to black. And so
everybody got so lost because they you know, it was clear as day and
then it was black as night, you know, or blacker than night,
you know, in in that split second. And and there was so many
it was like a maze because of all the the tunnels and stuff that they
had built for the you know, like the temporary ducks and stuff like that
for their abatements and stuff. And you know, and and I remember at
that time, so so we knew so because of that, we knew where
we were. So we were never lost, you know, because because we
were back at our starting points. So now we did just like regular firefighting
procedures, where you know, we started going along the wall. I remember
seeing Todd Smith tie from Squad one, tying off at the time. It
was in squad one, tying off a search rope, and so like I
kind of I started on the wall. Then I kind of did a sweep
in my hand. I feel a search rope, so I was like,
let me go a little more to the middle. And then I remember hearing
like bang bang bang bang bang, and so and like because these guys that
were had given the initial may day had you know, found their way down
one of these tunnels with the you know, for the for the tubing,
for like the abatement or whatever, and but it was, you know,
they came to a dead end, you know, so I just kind of
went to the sound. I let go of the rope and I just went
to the sound, and we just were tearing plywood and then we're just trying
to open up the wall, trying to get you know, we kept taking
our masks on and off because you know, it was just we knew we
only had so we knew the only way down was that one elevator and stuff,
and it was, you know, we were probably finding those guys,
bro do you know, I'm not sure because I was at that point,
I was so overcome with like a CEO and everything else. You know if
you're taking Yeah, yeah, we were, we were. I mean,
you know, like there's you know, I'm not sure how much I'm supposed
to say people's names and stuff like that on this, but like, uh,
but you know, I always have to praise certain view this. I
say his name because I love him so much and because he's so good.
Yeah, so so. But John Merits, I'm gonna say, you know,
you know, he like like he was in the end, in the
end when they were bringing out the bodies. You know. So now this
is whatever was an hour and a half into the operation or the operation is
still going on. But now Brian, you know, Captain Smith, Brian
Smith, Uh, John Merits and and Greg Wang Uh. They they they
went to meet as they were bringing them to to this elevator and then they
get and then they were doing they wound up doing like John Maris doing mouth
to mouth literal mouth and mouth without you know, without like any kind of
you know thing, trying the uh yeah and yeah while while while Greg Waan
was doing compression and stuff like that, and as we all know, I
mean, it was to no avail and it broke my It fucked him up,
you know. It broke my heart to see him out how how and
and John is such a strong person, you know, like, uh,
you know, and you know that, you know, he's still to this
day one of one of my all time favorite firemen. And uh, you
know, but he but I always I can never forget that that. I'm
like, you know, you did that, and like there's very there's like
almost no one in the world that's done something like that. And even though
it didn't bring him back, it's no fault of yours. But there was
a period of time in the beginning where he was and and I can remember
he was so fucked up in his head, you know, at that when
we got finally got back to the street, he didn't have his helmet because
he had taken his helmet off to do mouth and mouth and he's trying to
go back into the building. We had to like literally like hold him back,
you know, from going back into the building. But didn't didn't have
his mask on, he didn't have anything on anymore. Just like I got
to get my helmet, you know, and like uh, like John,
you got you got to take a second, you know, like it just
you know, it's the stuff, you know, it's just and I tell
that story not to really uh you know, cause John's probablynna be mad at
me for bringing his name up and stuff like that. But but I tell
it because I want to, because it shows what guys goes to do real
mouth and mouth. Yeah you know, I mean, yeah, totally,
but just a good thing in the past and then it went away for a
good reason. Yeah, yes, difficult, and it leaves them off on
you and just want to take him out out and leave it somewhere when you're
done, I've done it, what to do with now? It's a great
justt thing, it really is. Yeah, yeah, so you know,
it's just it's like the kind of heavy stuff that people don't always realize that
vironman, you know, go do you never know what people are carrying.
So when we when we break each other's balls and we get even, we
get like even sometimes a little too upset with each other, but sometimes we
forget that the reason that we're being kind of dicks to each other, which
because we all know that we could be dicks in the firehouse, you know,
yeah, you know, but I mean except me, but but you
know, you know, but you know, it's he sometimes you gotta like
you know, I would always I have. You have to remind yourself sometimes
what what what's going you know, you don't know what's up in that that
you know pocket off there. You know, it's like, yeah, you
don't know. We talked about that in the past. We had Gary Sealantani
after nine to eleven who break to his balls. He was a heavy guy
who breaks his balls, like you said, beat dicks. But when he
was leaving to get off work, he was like, Hey, I'm coming
in. What do you want me to bring in? And then I'll pick
up the meal, went home and fucking killed himself, shot himself on the
couch. You have no idea what's in somebody's head, bro, none.
Yeah, for sure that to think about what you know, I've known a
few guys on the job out of the committed suitor, and you say,
what made them be so alone that that was the option? Yeah, And
if somebody guys would would not let you be alone, if they knew that
a bad place. It's really sad. You know. We just did the
Macy's final last week and you know they were talking about the same thing.
The chief J. Jones was saying that the conditions changed so rapidly reminds me
of that what you were saying, clear as a bell, right, and
then all of a sudden it was lights out. Well you know, I
mean the commonality is that there was no fire protection systems. Yeah, you
know, like this building was probably sprinkled at one point that was inoperative,
and the standpipe they tried to stamppipe and brank and it was just fill in
the basement. Right. Yeah, I don't know who actually put that fire
out. I don't Uh, I don't have to go and ask a few
guys, you know who eventually went And yeah, I know that you know,
twenty four engine was on the line, that's what you know. But
they you know, sadly that's where they lost their lives, you know.
But but I don't know who ultimately did. No. Mmm, you get
a lot of wild stuff in that, and bro, every time I worked
the details about the team, like crazy crazy stuff. I mean like when
they when the crane remember the crane collapse on that brownstone and you know,
yeah you know that was that was we were on an E. M.
S run you know that in the in the past station for just a drunk
you know, and like uh, and then Christa Benedetto was was the show
for that day, and I remember he's like trying to get us on the
radio. He like ran halfway down and he's like saying, He's like,
there's a crane collapsing. You know, we're like what It was like one
of the only times in Manhattan. We were blessed in Manhattan that the ambulances
were usually right behind us. It was one of the only times we felt
like we were waiting for six days for this ambulance to arrive. And finally
two eighty eight went to that crank collapse and we got a really good piece
of this job. Uh. I don't know if I had some crane.
We had discussions on crane and then I saved some, so I didn't know
if this was it. I just wanted to share right in the middle.
I don't know what company that looks that might be. It's kind of hard
to tell, but anyway you get but like we get there and like they
were bringing one guy who I believe was actually the crane opper, so you
know, the crane was I think it was like twenty stories up and it
fell and where that got big piece of it like landed was we removed the
crane outlat and we're seeing, man, this guy wrote this from up there
and survived, right, different different brain flats. Yeah, yeah, there
was there was There was one that was up on like in like the nineties.
This was in the fifties that this one happened, like maybe like a
half a year or they were close together when these happened. One was right
around Saint Patrick's. That was the one that twisted. Yeah, I can't
I can't remember if it's the same one or not. But but but they
but they you know, we're walking up now, finally getting there. You
know, it turned out we wound up getting a huge piece of this operation.
We were there for for hours, you know, because there was a
guy that was trapped in the you know, in like a void in the
in the collas, because the entire brownstone was there wasn't it was. There
was not a recognizable wall, like the whole thing was completely crumbled. And
you know, and I remember, look, you know there's a fire escape
on the building next door that was twisted like a like a toy, you
know, and like the the brick walls like boat out on that thing and
stuff like that, and we're like working right under this thing. But uh,
but there was a guy that was alive and he was like they were
they were talking to We couldn't find him, you couldn't see him. They
were sitting in the search cameras. One of the only times you know that
we really like you know, used the search cameras, you know, for
what its intent was, you know, and and they and and ultimately got
this guy out amazingly, you know, like and he survived. There was
I think I forget it was seven people that died in that building or something,
but uh, but the uh but when we get there, you know,
they they're bringing out a guy in a Stokes basket and just happened there.
You know, they're kind of struggling off the pile. So I just
kind of grabbed hold of it and I helped walk him out to this to
the ambulance. And you know, I didn't even realize if someone got a
picture and and that and that picture around up on the cover of the Metal
Day Book that year. You know, I didn't get a medal or nothing
like that. I think we probably got a unit or whatever, but like,
uh, but they they so anyways, that that same year, Uh.
You know Chris Body from our place had gotten the uh uh the huban
or metal. You know he he for for another thing that I was working
out with him, where like a rope rescue on uh when they were building
the Trump Tower and soho and like uh it was like the I think it
was like the fortieth floor, like the collapse. It like fell down and
dumped all the wet cement and to two guys and one guy fell all the
way down to the the street, but one guy landed in the uh that
kind of like safety netting, you know, about four stories below where it
dumped and uh and you know went up that I you know, I was
able to be you know, the one in position to kind of set up
the ropes and Body. You know, I used two ropes because he's you
know, pretty heavy. But uh now I'm just kidding. Sorry, But
anyways, you know he went in and uh and so he got a metal
that you know, he got one of the top medals that year. But
I used to always say it. I was like, look, you might
have got mettal, but nobody remembers the metals. But this this picture is
going to be sitting in the bathrooms of firehouse. That's right, bro,
And I'm on the cover. I am not you. People are gonna be
looking at you. They're gonna be looking at me. Mister Pelly's system body.
Yeah. What about this picture in the bathroom? Ah, one of
my favorite days to work. Yeah, I kind of, uh, you
know, I kind of fucked up there because I put my arm around him
and I didn't realize how covered in oil he was, you know, but
I was kind of on the side of his yam big like afterwards that was
back. Did you guys have what's his name of living right next audio?
Yeah, he's just suling right. Yeah. Yeah, for about I think
like four years or something like that, he would come in. Yeah,
totally. He was not not always, you know, but he was definitely
you know, when he got when he got to that upper limit, he
was it was like he was playing a drunk in a movie. He was
just you know, you know, kind of you know, almost like one
of those you know things on the side of the road, you know whatever.
Yeah, but he was really cool. You know, he was just
like he was a real like you know, just he loved us, you
know, so like you know, the guy a lot of the guys I
had like young baby My kids were babies at the time and stuff, so
like I I would at that point, I wasn't going out as much as
I used to. But uh, but these guys you know in the house,
they used to go out with them all the time, drinking and stuff.
You know really yeah, school. You know, we had a lot
you know again squatty tea and there was all the celebrities. You know,
we had Brookshields down the street. You know, like uh, she's she
Uh she sent those bagels one time and the uh in the bagel place,
uh gave the receipt they they had written her whole credit card number on and
something like that. So you know, we tore it up. Of course,
we were like credit card here. You know, it's like but uh
and you know, you know Sarah Jessica par Uh. We also have like
a a daycare or like a kind of like a preschool. I guess you
will call it uhhouse. Yeah and uh, and there was a lot of
you know, like Daniel day Little I forget if you had this kid there,
but but like Peter DINKLDD, you know, the you know, the
the guy from uh from Game of Thrones, yeah, yeah, you know,
and like his like he had his daughter there and stuff like that.
And I actually, like I never would ask for autographs or anything like that,
but I always got to thrill out of it. I would. I
would collect handshakes and hey, you mind if I shake your hand? You
know, but uh, there's it's cool, you know. So a lot
of celebrities and I got starstruck every time, you know, yeah, a
lot of them down there. Who I saw Christopher walking down there one time.
The squatty team, we're looking, we're looking. Du yeah, so
you give us another odd fire he caught over there, and oh man,
let me think. You know, there's speaking of people running over people on
purpose. You know. There was the guy in Times Square that uh kind
of like I think only one person died, but he remember you remember you
like kind of right right in Times Square. He rode up wrote up the
sidewalk and just started plowing people over and he just and then he hit one
of those like stanchions and the car went up. Whatever. But uh,
we didn't really do much of that, you know, but that was but
we think, what are some because there's a lot of crazy fires over there.
Man, Yeah, we did all kinds. I mean, there was
you know, I mean with speaking of one of your former guests, John
Esposito, one of my all time favorites. You know, I remember when
he was already not he was already promoted to captain at that point, because
he was my lieutenant when I first got there, you know, and then
he was covering as a captain and we got the uh this uh Essex Street
was Essex Street fire where like uh where it was just one of those Uh
it's another cool picture I should have sent to you, but there's a there's
a shot. People don't believe me, but it really is me. But
it's like, uh, it's I the roof, so I'm on my way
up to the roof. It was I think it was a five story building
and and what it was was that there was the fire was here in this
built in this store and then go and like Endsman and Nikki Google Almo and
uh Guglielma. I just recently I've been calling him the wrong name for my
entire time of twenty years I've known him or whatever. But anyways, Howie
Scott, it was a great crew, you know. And uh and and
so they're they're in the store the adjoining store doing a search. So they're
making their way in. Unbeknownst to them, the uh the two stores were
attached like a you in the back. So the engine opened up the hose
and the fire store, but it pushed it all around back, so all
of a sudden, they were they were getting backed out like you know,
you know fire, you know, like practically on fire. But meanwhile,
I was climbing the area at that point, and all of a sudden,
you know, talk about going from clear to black, you know, I
was, you know, I was, I felt like I was in a
hallway and I'm like I was, you know, I was like, I
tried to put my mask on it, and you know, I'm terrified I'm
going to drop a halligan on someone's head or something. So I just I
just climbed as fast as I cheetah. Yeah, right, right, Allegedly
you had those. I got admit. I never had a cheating myself,
but but the but the you know, then I got to the roof and
I just I put that thing on and it was like drinking ice water,
getting that fresh. He's got a reach for one right there. I never
had one of them. Yeah, you're you're a different era than I am.
You know, you had a whole lot I got. I got on
the job twenty years before you got what I will do you in nineteen eighty
one eleven. I was born in seventy. You know, I tried to
cheat it once, bro, Like I remember Petie Brennan was getting up everybody
at the firehouse. So we get a job in the projects and I can't
figure this, damn And you know that shitty smoke in the projects too and
hot. Yeah, I'm in the I'm I'm in the hallway trying to figure
this thing out, coughing my brains out because it's just it's not working for
me. And what what happened? As soon as I'm sitting there coughing rescue
for walks by with Timmy Kelly, and He's like, you're right, son,
you're gonna make it another I used to call him the Prince among lieutenants,
that guy, and I used to love him. Yeah, he's a
great guy because he was at four right, Yeah, yeah he was when
I when I was when I got there, it was him. It was
uh Sullivan. Yeah. I can't of a sudden, I can't think it
was for Timmy timson, Tim saw anyways, not not not you know,
yeah, yeah, yeah, so and then of course Kevin dal Dell,
you know, sadly, you know, and and you know, and then
and and Captain Oh my god, my brain is just one plank from father
who died on nine to eleven. I'm just I apologize to the world for
forgetting he was twenty six. I had a great fun horrible happened. I
know the job that the son's uh yeah, well but anyways, you know,
so like it was a great it was just a great you know crew,
you know, like you know, Kevin Dowdell, Yes, give me,
forgive me for that, because you know, I had so much aperration
for that man. You know, you know, I never worked with him
because he was still out for because I mean, if people don't know,
like his story was, he was out from the Father's Day Buyer, you
know, on medical leave, and he came back and it was his first
his first twenty four back was nine to eleven, and uh, you know,
I guess it was the end of his twenty four he was working and
I think he was working in Rescue three. He was working Rescue three.
Yeah, yeah, So many guys. Uh, it was like they just
came back from medically even nine to eleven. You know, Edie Brennan.
Brennon came back early. He just got on vacation. He wasn't due back
yet, and he worked for somebody. He picked up a tour for somebody
off his vacation. But Pe Brendan you probably remember from the Father's Day fight,
because he was a big helping Rescue four out back and forth shuttling people.
That was kind of his ticket to Rescue four. Yeah, and when
I got there, because he was he wasn't the sign he was on the
onion skin, but he was. He was in rescue, So I I
you know, I did get to you know, meet him a handful of
times. Anyways, and then his first tour back, it wasn't even like
I said, wasn't he his talk came back vacation, picked up the tool
or he worked all the time. Forget what it was he wasn't doing.
He worked over times what I thought. Someone said the rescue three, right,
he was working Rescue three yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man,
yeah, that's a crazy place. Let's let's talk about our friend Mike
Nolman. How was he as a mental or in the flyhouse, Mike was
the best. So Mike had a thing where he you know, he was
crazy for Krispy Kreme donuts. I don't know if he still is, but
man, at the time he sure was. Gonzo's wearing his talking about sorry,
I gotta be keep but he he Uh. And I remember one time
another guy had brought in popums. You remember those They were like tasty cake
like yeah, so and I remember I'm doing the kitchen, the engine had
the kitchen, you know, the rescue of the upstairs and uh, you
know, for the for the for the committee, work for the c you
know, you know, and uh and I remember I was like, I
thought it would be so funny to do this. Like I took the popums
and I just filled them all around the Krispy Kreme donuts, you know,
and I closed that box off and I didn't think anything else of it.
Like, man, he got on that that you know, radio, and
he was screaming. He wanted to know who it was. You know,
now he knows, you know, but like like I was like, man,
I know, don't mess with that man's donuts. You know what you
know, you have to Yeah, I mean there was Remember I'm just a
probe. At the time, I was like, you know, you know,
terrified, you know, not terrified, you know what I'm saying.
Like I was just I was still trying to be a good uh you know.
It was only later that I became a ball breaker trying to be a
good a good worst thing you can do is tell him something that bothers you,
right right. I had the lock up right outside the bathroom, and
I had one of those fucking things that you throw your dirty wash in the
little net things. Yeah, so guys just fucking around from tissues and shipped
in the fucking hamper and I made the mistakes answer next one of you fucking
assholes that throw something in there and smack the ship. Yeah, back,
dude, there was like guys wiping their ass and throwing and fucking every day.
You can imagine in that fucking hamper. I had to throw it away.
I like, get the my mouth. You do better too, and
you sweat as soon as it came out of Like that was fucking the wrol
thing to do. Man. That was so stupid, Karen, I'm not
talking about Mike. What was it? Well, I wish you happy birthday
already. Fuck big, you missed it. I'm not doing it again.
There's another time. But you know, back back in the days before we
all had our cell phones in our pockets, and bucketing was you know,
you know, it's like a professional sport, you know whatever. You know.
So again again, I don't know who, you know, how much
of your listenership was everything, So I'll just say bucketing was, you know,
it was back when you know, there would always be someone hiding on
the roof for a window with a fifth five gallon bucket full of water,
just waiting for someone unsuspecting to stand in front of the fire as so they
could get you know, the water dumped on them and and so like,
uh I remember, you know again, I was not fucking with the guys
from Rescue four as best as I could, you know, because I was,
you know, looking up to them, and I was young and everything.
But man, there's the guys in the engine. They were out on
a roun. They're like, listen, listen, come on up to the
third floor. We're gonna bucket them. When they come back in. I
was like, no way, I'm I'm not there. So now they're on
like the intercom. You know, they're up there like, nah, if
you push, come on, I get up here, you know. So
I was like, man, So I go up there and I you know,
and I'm like listen, I said, I'm not doing it. You
guys are nuts, you know, and whatever. And then and then all
of a sudden, I find so there's two guys, are two windows,
and they both just as Rescue four is backing in and the guys are stopping
traffic and stuff. So they're on the sidewalk there and I'm wide and I'm
looking out and then I back away and then I see the guys are just
like I can't do it. I can't do it, and they back away.
I was like, give me that fucking bucket. I go over and
I just dumped it. You know. I kind of where I guessed that
I was actually dotell Billy Murph this, but I was I was actually aiming
for Billy Murphy. But I do it, and who do I hit but
Lieutenant Larry Archer. And but these guys he was wrestler. Yeah, oh
my got he well he came after it. So, like, so what
happened was I wound up TV right for the pole hoole, I went,
because we're on the third force, I'm zip down to the second floor,
szip down to the first far and I'm on the other side of the fire,
and I run into the house watch. So now all they need to
think is that I've been in the house watch the whole time. And now
these other two guys that are up there, you know, Larry Archer is
just he's he's trying to like it's like he wanted to torture a confession out
of him and stuff, you know, so he's like fighting, like these
guys are freaking out, and they keep coming to like Richie, you gotta
you gotta tell him was you? You gotta tell him was you? Because
we were all young in the house at that time, you know, in
the engine, you know, you know, except for the few, you
know, senior guys or whatever. But like so finally, you know,
after like you know, he was pissed, you know, and he's like
he's going after these guys. And finally I waited until I calmed down a
little, and I go up to I said, I said, little,
I said, I gotta, I gotta tell you something. I said.
It wasn't on purpose, but it was me. I'm the one that dumped
the bucket. He's like you and the next thing you know, he comes
charging at me and like, you know, you wouldn't know this, but
I actually was, you know, a little bit scrappy in my day,
you know, so like he couldn't get me down, you know, and
he's like and he's like trying to fight me, and you know, I
was kind of proud because he couldn't. You couldn't get me down and stuff.
And then he and finally afterwards he passed me on the back. He's
like, you know what you got. You got nice guy strength, That's
what you got. Nice straight. That's funny. Bucketing, dude. Bucketing
is a profession, bro. It was the work of art. It was
how the story was before. When I was in the once his teen truck,
they were they had it out for this guy in the engine. I
forget what his name was, bro. He was on that rotation. You
know, he fuck like fish all the time. Ducky, ducky from which
one sixteen. So they say ducky outside phone, you know the phones in
the pole hall. He goes in the fucking pole hall and they banned him.
Right. He comes out of a pole hoole, slips on the wet
floor and breaks his ankle on the breaks. I gotta call the MS comes
in, They split them up. They put him on the gurney. As
they're pulling him out the front doors of the firehouse, they throw a bucket
of water over about. That's rough. Yeah, the kid breaks his ankle
and then on the way out they bucket him. If you got fucking with
dirty mop water. I remember a guy telling me a story. Bucketed the
guy and had a dead pigeon on his shoulder. There's because it was such
an old thig of water that there was a dead pigeon in it. What's
talking about, Milder? It might be our way to segue into your musical
career. Bro, we have seeing that It'snica, you want to play it.
You want to play it live for us. So you want to if
you got got a guitars, you know now now that put him on the
spot, Jewish, The guitar was really not that far away. You want
me, what's the what's the name of this little diddy? Merry Jewish Christmas,
Marry Jewish Christmas, Marry Jewish Christmas. Christmas for you Michael m hm
H. I'm a Jew and I love Christmas too. I don't care about
none of that churchy stuff, but up the Christmas cheer. I can't get
enough my Christmas wishes for peace to about and for love to spend the world
around. I'm a Jew and I I love Christmas too. I love the
smell of my Christmas tree and seeing presents from my family. My Christmas will
says, everyone gets along, and I see it here a stranger singing my
song something like that. I'm a Jew and I love Christmas too. I'm
a Jew who loves a Christmas Ham. If that ain't kosher, I don't
give a damn. I love Christmas Ganerize City, and I also love my
finely. I'm a Jew and I love Christmas too. I don't care about
out none of that church stuff, but of the Christmas cheer I can get
and my Christmas wishes for peace to abound and for love to spend the world
around. There you go, oh, there you go, Merry Christmas.
That's a don't you have another one? You have another funny one? Give
me a This one's got a good advice. That's call too Happy Blues.
Too Happy Blues. I've smiled so much my faith works. I'm gonna seen
this all Lite, Oh about you, We'll find a way to incorporate and
something later do we can we do that? Bro myself a living. I
got the Two Happy Blues and I'm bouncing in my shoes. I don't want
to hear the news and have it fucking up my mood because dude, I
don't know how I'm supposed to live my life. Should I want to live
alone or have three children and a wife? The news gets me feeling unncessary
strife, while the Two Happy Blues has got simple advice. Go and slice
the world wide where out of your life and stop focusing on on necessary stride.
When your laughter isn't fake, you may get a belly e and your
cheeks may hurt from smiling from the joys you are compiling. It's all the
side effect of turning off the fucking news that only starts to fuck up everyonets
to have baby blues. So go ahead and turn it off the fucking news
and find your way to suffering your own too happy Bay blues one more time.
I've got the too Happy Blues and I'm bouncing in my shoes. I
don't want to hear the news and have it fucking up my mood because dude,
I don't know how I'm supposed to live my life. Should have wanted
to live alone or have three children and a wife. The news gets me
feeling unnecessary strife, while the too happy Blues has got simple advice. Go
and slice the world Wide Web out of your life and try focusing on unnecessary
strife. When your laughter isn't fake, you may get a belly eight and
your cheeks may hurt from smiling from the joys you are compiling. It's all
the side effect of turning off the fucking news that only starts to fuck up
everyone's too happy, baby Blue. So go ahead it and turn it off
the fucking news and find your way to suffering your own to baby awesome ship.
Bro, I told you this day it was a renaissance. Many make
a plug. You know. I've been, uh I love this guy,
uh I I've been. I started putting out these albums, you know,
because it's kind of you can yeah yeah, So so if you look up
my name on like all these uh you know, streamings for Spotify or whatever,
you know, Richard Navi ask you can find. I got four of
them out so far. I call my bare bones albums. They're like,
yeah, so you know too, Happy Blues is on one of them.
That Merry Jewish Christmas hasn't made it yet, but I'm gonna do not put
Marry Jewish the irons hot man I got. I'm planning on doing about ten
of these volumes because I got writing these songs for for a while now,
So I got I got a pretty big stock bile of them. I'm gonna
learn how to play the guitar. Where do you learn how to? I
never did learn. I just I just didn't know how to do it long
enough that I've gotten pretty good at it, you know. But I really
just I really just have been fucking around all my life and never really you
know, really ever since I especially retired, as I've I've been putting a
lot more time into it, and so it's just, you know, yeah,
I've been getting better. And out here out here in Fort Collins,
I go to these open mics, which has been tremendous for me. So
there's this place called the Lyric, which is like it's like a movie theater.
It's like a kind of like an independent like a kind of hip movie
theater, but they do an open mic and we got this whole community there
now and stuff in this other place called the Fox. Then it's a coffee
shop, I do, you know. So it's a lot of fun,
you know, we all real talented people, real supportive of each other and
stuff. It aspires you to get better, you know. So so Mike
mill No, one of your biggest fans says that you're a cartoonist. Also,
it does have some crazy cartoons. I mean these are all stuff I
just I would draw from my kids lunches, and like if you go back
in time, not that far like they're they're awful, Like he can't even
tell what they are. But I just daughter for so long that I've gotten
better at it, you know, so yeah, bro give me some more.
We got a couple of them though, Yeah, there's so if you
want to see like thousands of them, they're on Instagram, dot Com,
backslash. It's a lunch bag. Treasure is all one word you should write
to send you kids lunch bags. Well, I would, I would I
do them little like a little just what's that kiss? What clock? You
don't recognize? Lips when you see them. I picked it right up.
But I don't freaking okay, that's oh. I got three daughters. I
know that's about. Oh, I know it's right, tell me about it.
Wow, you got some time on your hands there, bro, I
gotta start taking some more time. Although I amn't going to hire you now
because I am I want to. I want to write another song about somebody.
Okay, I already have the soul on which one it is. You
just have to you know, Tim's tow truck. Nice good job. Than
I forgot to tell you about the old school tip of the day. Do
you have an old school tip of the day? Who me? Yeah?
Do I have a tip? Yeah? Not yeah not yeah. Wait.
It's gotta be something to take it out of the books. Gotta be something
that you can pass along to the something that you got from good time to
it tween. You know, I got a good one. It's actually from
my day from when I was in my fourteen week hoss, Like I was
in the avenue you watched dogs to fifty four and fifty three and I got
there and uh and I remember like a hold on, let us set you
up and get hey, hey, god, do you know what time it
is? You're muted? I was. I didn't want to laugh, but
there we go, Yes, what time is it? It's time for it
is time for Here we go hit it up the old school tip of the
day. They all right, take it away, brother. Well hi,
my name is Richard Navy. Asked you tip of the day. So when
I was at my very first you know, there's that fourteen week host and
I remember this one guy was breaking my chops. He's like, rich you're
not doing anything the guys you're talking and I was like what. I was
like, I'm doing I'm doing everything I possibly can. What do you you
know? And now I'm like, now in my head, I'm like,
what can I do more? What am I doing wrong? You know,
as we all know, there's guys in every firehouse. I like to try
to break other people down to make themselves feel better, and that's what that
was a case of. But but I remember going up to my another guy
that I kind of gotten friendly with there and I said, I said,
hey, you think there's you know I'm doing anything wrong or whatever? Think
He says to me. He's like, listen, the rich let me tell
you something goes no matter what you're doing this job. It doesn't matter what
it is, someone's not going to be happy about it. I was true.
I used that line so many times in my career after that because it
was just it was to me, it was absolute wisdom. You know,
you're right, there's always that guy who's got to try to break you down
because he's probably should be. You know, he's got to bring you down
a couple always. Oh man, I enjoyed this show, Rich, I'm
Mike uh put us on the U in touch. Yeah, but we have
to do one more commercial count I believe right one. I didn't even find
one in here. You run it while I look for him. All right,
here we go. H it's oh, I don't know what's going on,
gentlemen. Okay, I got one here. So the old school health
and safety tip is, did you know all fifty states, the District of
Columbia, and federal firefighters all have some type of presumptive cancer legislation? However,
the coverage varies greatly. Visit first Respondercenter dot org to download your free
guide and see how your state measures up there. You got to know the
presumptive laws and where you where you work to protect yourself and the plan accordingly.
It's really an important information. Yep, yeah, they actually we have
it down here. You have to it's it's quite lightly. But the short
version, after retire, you're covered for several years. I mean you gonna
stay with the department's insurance. Like for me, if I where I retire,
I have to say my departments for five years in order to be included
in net clothes. Ah, you have the I said, we're gonna throw
up the PD. PD that produces thing too. Bro. So it's breakfast
and bullets, Grand Opening Celebration, Good guys and guns Ammal Long Island,
one fifteen A Jericho Turnpike. Is that there? You're right, Huntington,
New York. What do you make the white? Oh? Nine A on
this this Saturday twelve nine, nine am to eleven a m. Breakfast opening
celebration. Check it out. You get some fruit loops. I can see,
Yeah, I can. I'm on Keto right now. Can you believe
it? I can't? Oh really? Yeah sucks. So anyway, let
me see how this looks. Yeah. I tried to get it bigger,
but that's a that's as big as I could get it for our old school
gift of the day. Yes, it is the old school gift that just
I tried to get a little bit larger, but it didn't work. Sorry
about that yet, ends men and the great job nov Mike, Emila,
thank you so much. Last minute, we had Van Johnson, as you
know, but he had surgery on his knee and he's not feeling well,
so we're gonna push him off further. Monday we have Mode Davis from Texas.
I don't have anybody for the eighteenth yet. Twenty first we got Chief
Bob Ingram coming on. Then we got Christmas Day, well, probably gonna
have to film something, and then you have the twenty eighth open and Roofie
should be back. Thanks for Rayfan for filing filling in. I think Roofie's
gonna be going away. I don't know if he is or not, but
Ray will be there. We'll have him sitting in there, doesn't me.
I always have a well job as always. I gotta say I love that
Ray was here, and I wish that Lott was too, because I think
the word of him as well. You know, I gotta take a quick
louse story. It's not it's not a happy one though, but it's just
that it really is, is it again? Because it's something something that was
like a reason I always hold him in my deep my heart because I wasn't
working this day, and I thank God that I wasn't. But but there
was this iron the projects on the West side of Manhattan. You know,
we were I think we were the second engine the squad eighteen and uh and
it was like I think it was four kids that were dead in the apartment,
like including like an eighteen month old. I think the oldest kid was
like maybe like nine, you know. And uh and and he was the
boss. He was he was covering in squatty team that day and uh and
I know I know it was I know that he never got over it,
you know. And and it's uh and I can't imagine anybody would, you
know. But it's just so like I I just just bringing that up because
I whenever I hear Lui Frano's name, you know, it's just my heart
in a beats for him, because you know, it's such an article.
Rich Why I remember you from the rest of your school so much? Were
you detailed there? We won't like duty for I worked there a lot,
but I was also probably there when you you were probably teaching when I was
there, you know, uh, I'm guessing, you know, because but
but I worked there a lot. You know, I got a lot of
tours there and not as much as some guy, you know. Yeah,
and then at the end you got to drive the soak chief, right,
you drove a chief Jarden. Oh yeah, but he was. He wasn't
the sock chief. He was the safety chief at the time, and he
was I got my little my little bedroom at at home, you know,
headquarters on the I forget with Florida was whatever I forget you're on. Well,
I try to get him on the show. He's a great guy.
He's he's terrific you talking about it's terrific. What a great guy. You
know he speaks of you. Yeah, I told him he was crazy,
but you know, no, no, no, no, all right,
guys. So Monday we'll be back with who I say, Mo Davis movie.
Ye have a great weekend, Rich stay. Don't go anyway yet,
bro, because so we have a little thing after the show. Well I
want to bullshit with you for seconds. See everybody anyway, Jake Jake Rick
through YouTube. Good to you YouTube, All you guys Frankie Suffin, Captain
Grim's and the Schneiderman Irene. I hope to see Irene back out at Harrisburg.
Uh and uh what else? That's it. The first show coming up
is the Long Island Show that's in February. At some point I'll put the
date out there. We have to advertise for them, so we'll soon do
that. Anniversary today, Pearl, and of course, the last thing I
want to say is thank not thank you, Happy birthday to my beautiful wife
tomorrow a Joe, Happy birthday, Love you, Moochoe. She's the best
in the world. Twenty nine, right, she's twenty nine, twenty nine
years younger than me. I think, I think pretty five, right,
you know it? All right, guys, we'll see you on Monday.
Until then, stay long ago all right, guys, have a good night.
Be safe,