WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:04.200 Disclaimer. We'd like to know before the start of this 2 00:00:04.280 --> 00:00:06.839 interview that the opinions about to be expressed by the 3 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:09.960 guest of tonight's Getting Salty Experience Podcast are that of 4 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.960 the guest and do not directly or necessarily reflect the 5 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:17.239 views of the host of the Getting Salty Experience Podcast. 6 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.600 We're listening to the Getting Salty Experience Podcast. 7 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:47.320 Hello, and away we go. Go with the old one, 8 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.320 the old style, welcome back. It's wrong with old school 9 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:53.119 now gets Old Experience podcast. It's the only one that 10 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.079 brings the Flying House Kitchen table to you with me 11 00:00:56.119 --> 00:01:01.759 and my host voice Roofie gons Raad. Show you a 12 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:04.519 good guy coming up? Another f d m Ony legend down. 13 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:08.079 I'll say, right, Root, I still. 14 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:09.439 Don't know what we the way. 15 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:19.959 Sorry, you've gotta have a guy on from uh from Florida. 16 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:21.959 And then he just said, nah. 17 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:25.239 No, we weren't gonna do that. Did x A on 18 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.519 the Florida actually. 19 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:28.719 Enjoy uh all that kind of guy? 20 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.000 He was good. He was Florida. He was from l A, 21 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:32.640 l A. 22 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:34.719 No, I'm just saying outside of fd M. 23 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:36.319 I right, you know it was in Florida. 24 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:38.400 What's his name? 25 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.040 Uh? He got good hair too. I can't. 26 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:44.959 Yeah, oh, Gonzo, we'll have Gonzo on the show one day. 27 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.480 Gonzo. I'm not from Florida, I live here. 28 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:49.879 But right it looks. 29 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:51.000 A little sweaty down in that kubs. 30 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:54.120 Finally, it's good hundred degrees down there. 31 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:55.519 No, did you guys? How are you dealing with the 32 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:57.159 flood up there by the way. I just saw the news. 33 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:00.159 It was the city get freaking happenings, greens and what not. 34 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:01.879 Yeah, yeah, we had a lot of rain here by 35 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:02.280 me too. 36 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:06.319 It's good to see guys like pro Kacchini and there 37 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:08.199 hasn't signed up for the thing yet. A lot of 38 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:11.680 guys without the green lettering. You know what I'm saying. Appreciate, 39 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:17.199 appreciate the little help that you give us from the podcasts. Mike, 40 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:19.080 and he's coming on the boat cruise too. You think 41 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:23.360 you would throw to sign up for the freaking membership? Guy, 42 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:29.120 Holy crap, you're good bunch from Johnny albert E's qc B. 43 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.439 Still avid fans, but nobody wants to do in the membership. 44 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:35.319 All right, I'm done plugging, I'm done. How much can 45 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:36.120 you hurt my feelings? 46 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:39.759 I'm done? Moving on. Let's play some commercials really quick 47 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.120 before I lose my voice. 48 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.560 And all right, we're gonna listen to Vince. 49 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.400 And Vince is coming on the cruise. He is, mister 50 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:52.000 Vince will be on the cruise. You guys gonna collaborate 51 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.960 on what you're supposed to be doing. And as the 52 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:56.000 Northeast rip. 53 00:02:57.159 --> 00:02:57.960 Yes. 54 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:03.680 To talk to him because I'll be there, because he'll 55 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:03.919 be there. 56 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.120 There's only one guy here from the show is not 57 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.719 gonna be that guy goes on cruises every fought in 58 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:11.840 five days, but he can't come up to go on 59 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:12.319 this cruise. 60 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:13.000 He's busy, you know. 61 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.159 I unfortunately I have some words for you. 62 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:16.199 Go fuck yourself. 63 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:18.879 I'm sorry kids. 64 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:20.840 If you're listening at home, I apologize, but I mean 65 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:21.759 it in a most loving way. 66 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.080 A good good stuff. 67 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:25.800 All right, there we go, mister Vince. 68 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:26.520 That's awesome. 69 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.360 Need a new floor for your fire station? 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Yep, yep, yep. 131 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:10.360 I got to play the final one that I've been 132 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:15.759 halping about, you know, like Froch just refuses to join. 133 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:19.920 I'm here we go looking to take your love for 134 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:22.800 the fire service the next level then join the Getting 135 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.399 Salty Experience YouTube premium membership club where the. 136 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.000 Stories burn hotter and the history runs deeper. 137 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:32.360 As a member, you'll lock exclusive content you won't find 138 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:35.560 anywhere else from history with hashagen, where you dive into 139 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:38.560 legendary FDNY fires and the men who flought them, to 140 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:41.959 feature length documentaries spotlighting the rich and gritty history of 141 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:45.240 the fd and Y told the way only Getting Salty can. 142 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.839 You'll also get early access to special interviews, behind the 143 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.199 scenes content, and members only perks designed with our most 144 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:53.720 loyal followers in mind. 145 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:55.040 Joining is easy. 146 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:57.519 Just hit that join button right in our YouTube channel 147 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:01.720 and become part of the brotherhood. Support the show, celebrate 148 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:08.959 the job, yeah, and stay salty. 149 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.920 That voice is just smooth. 150 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:12.240 It's like. 151 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:17.839 This is beautiful. What is velvet? 152 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:20.160 Took a little delay them like damn. 153 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:25.600 Already. Yeah, let's do it man, bring him in. 154 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:29.879 F d n Y assistant cheap Robert Boyce. 155 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:38.480 You got the young girls screaming for you. That look 156 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:38.799 at that? 157 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:42.399 Keep going. 158 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:48.879 The best Tom Jones rendition right now before we dive 159 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:52.399 into Chief Voyces career. Though, we gotta get patriotic right. 160 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:58.919 Here we go, I pleague Allegiance to the flag of 161 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.639 the United States of America and to the Republic, for 162 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:10.879 which it stands, One nation under God, indivisible with liberty 163 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:12.720 and justice for all. 164 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.159 By the way, the girl m Jay's coming who sings 165 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:29.120 the national anthem. I don't want to rub it any 166 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.840 gowns anymore, but just it's gonna be so touching when 167 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:33.440 we go around the statue of the Liberty. 168 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:33.759 And she's singing. 169 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:34.960 Are you just facetiming? 170 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.639 I'm getting over clemped over clem. 171 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.279 I had to. I had to weigh my option to 172 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:41.440 take my dad. You know it was deteriorating. 173 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:44.639 Don't you don't have to explain it, nobody, I just 174 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:48.159 want to I got I already got at the left on. 175 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:51.559 Next moving on. 176 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:53.559 All right, chief, all right, let's do this, get this, 177 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:53.960 let's go. 178 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.960 We got a guy that's seventy six. We're talking rough. 179 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:58.960 But before we get it to your fire service, tell 180 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.519 us a little about the earl years of a Robert 181 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.000 Boyce where you grew up home. 182 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:08.039 Uh, who's your audience, Like, who's listening? 183 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.440 A lot of guys Jimmy Graham just popped in. 184 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:14.559 Well, I mean like the young guys and young. 185 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:19.240 Variety, young guys, older guys. 186 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:23.080 Well, I'm going to share with you like pretty personal 187 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:28.039 stuff because I think that people might see it and say, well, 188 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:29.799 this guy can do it, I can do it, you know. 189 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:34.919 So first I think you're scraping the bottom of a 190 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:39.639 barrel by calling bob boys. But uh, you know, I 191 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:44.320 had a pretty tough upbringing, and the Fire Department of 192 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:49.519 Fire Service really I think saved my life. My parents 193 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:54.440 were you know, uh married very young right out of 194 00:10:54.519 --> 00:11:02.120 high school. I came along. I lived with my paternal grandparents. 195 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.679 You know, we all lived together and my parents never 196 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:11.559 owned a home, they didn't graduate high school. You know. 197 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:15.960 My sister came along six years after me, and my 198 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:18.679 parents got divorced when I was six and she was 199 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.919 an infant. Wow, So you know, I was really raised 200 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:27.000 by my mom and you know, welfare and food stamps 201 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:32.080 and it was tough. And I moved to Malvern to 202 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.799 Limbrog into the Malvern School district in nineteen sixty five. 203 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:42.279 During the race, they weren't riots, but they were bussing 204 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.480 force bussing, and I just remember it being very very tough, 205 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:51.159 you know. And I only share with that because there 206 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.720 might be some people that you know, weren't born with 207 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:58.960 a silver spoon in their mouth, and you know, so 208 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:04.840 I just wanted to share with that. My father I loved. Obviously, 209 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:11.399 they were both alcoholics, and my father was not easily 210 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.799 aroused to activity. So in other words, I don't want 211 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:16.399 to say he was lazy, but he you. 212 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:18.039 Know, but he was. 213 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:25.759 Correct. I loved him and involved with the fire service. 214 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:29.960 He was a volunteer fireman from nineteen fifty six in 215 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:33.440 Valley Stream, and like when I would go with him 216 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:35.679 on the weekends, he would take me to the firehouse 217 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.200 and hang out and blah blah blah, and I just, 218 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:41.720 you know, I enjoyed it. And I was a junior 219 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:45.320 fireman from like eight years old. And then they had 220 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:49.559 an explorer post from I think there was fourteen to 221 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:56.000 eighteen and I participated in that, and then I got 222 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:00.679 sworn in on my eighteenth birthday in the volunteers. That's 223 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:04.039 kind of you know how. I and my father had 224 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:11.919 really good friends that were for FDNY, And one guy 225 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:15.600 that I really gravitated towards was this guy Baria McLaughlin 226 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:20.000 who just recently passed, and he was a fireman in 227 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:25.000 twenty eight truck. I'm guessing in the late sixties. Wow, 228 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:29.600 and he got severely burnt respiratory burns. I think he 229 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:32.840 had a year on the job and he was in 230 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:37.679 the hospital for months and he had you know, yet 231 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:40.559 one lung has two lobes and one Hunt has three lobes, 232 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:43.679 and he had a lobe move from both lungs with 233 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:47.840 the burnswith But he just somebody I looked up to 234 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:51.879 and I wanted to emulate. And he became a nurse 235 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.879 after that, and you know, just a guy that I 236 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:59.679 really admired. And then there was another guy, Tom Bosh 237 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:02.159 that as a fireman, then forty truck and one oh 238 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:06.320 five and another guy, Tommy Hendrix. They were all in 239 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:10.279 the volunteers together and I just looked up to them 240 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:13.360 and I wanted to emulate them. So that's kind of 241 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.600 why how I got involved. And then you know, they 242 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.279 always seemed happy, and. 243 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:26.320 I just you know, did they push it to that 244 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.879 or you were already push. 245 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:33.519 I wouldn't use the word pushed, but my father pushed 246 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:38.279 me towards civil service, where Bobbie, you know, they were 247 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:41.440 close friends in high school, pushed me to go to school. 248 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:46.559 You know, so I did try college. I mean, I 249 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:49.360 barely made it through high school. I was a poor student, 250 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:53.679 and then I flunked out of National Community College after 251 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:58.320 a year. I couldn't do it. So I had gone 252 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:03.159 to Bosi's for copping tree. So I for a year 253 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.399 or so, and then I went to work for my uncle, 254 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:14.159 and then I joined the volunteers on my eighteenth birthday. 255 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:20.320 And one thing I wanted to mention about it was 256 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.159 one thing I wanted to mention that I forgot to 257 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.720 mention was I looked at the list of who has 258 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:29.759 done this interviews before, and guys I really admired and 259 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.120 looked up to and worked with worked for was Donny Haide, 260 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:41.519 Dennis Murphy, Kevin Say, Bobby Sano, John O'Connell, fiming together 261 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:45.639 on one O two, Vincent Dunn. He recruited me to 262 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.799 go to the third Division as a new lieutenant that 263 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:58.879 he killed off. I worked for at headquarters. I looked 264 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:02.519 up to and worked Tommy Richardson we were finding together 265 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:07.399 in one O two and Jay Jonas we got promoted together, 266 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:12.200 and Tom Galvin and Di Dominico. And one other thing 267 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:16.120 I wanted to mention was before I got too involved, 268 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:19.480 was you know, I was a little apprehensive of doing 269 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:25.039 this because of the twelve step recovery programs that have 270 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:28.240 what you see here, what you hear here, what you 271 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:30.480 do here, let it stay here when you leave here. 272 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:34.320 And you know, there was a I think a UFA 273 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.799 poster in the firehouses over the year, and you know, 274 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:42.440 I honestly believe in that, and I'm not going to 275 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:46.960 share anything, you know, that's not beyond the statute of limitations, 276 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.559 but I just wanted to share with that. 277 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:54.320 It was it Bobby Sono a volley in where you 278 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:55.240 work too over in. 279 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.679 Yeah, we grew up together. He was much older than I. 280 00:16:59.519 --> 00:16:59.919 Was, but. 281 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.480 I'll remind him of that when I see him still. 282 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:04.319 It still looks good. 283 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:08.079 I'm sure he's listening. I'm sure he's listening. No, we 284 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:10.160 were like two or three years old. He's older than me, 285 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:14.559 but we were in the explorers together and the volunteers together. 286 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.680 And one of the fires that I wanted to talk to. 287 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:19.559 As a matter of fact, I think it's picture number 288 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:24.960 two his dad took and I wanted to share with 289 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:25.799 you that fire. 290 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:28.240 It was his name is there source Robert Arnold. 291 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:33.359 Right, I'm sure his dad was a you know, I'm 292 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.599 sure he was a big photographer and took the picture 293 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:38.559 and babyat Bobby. I don't know where I got it from, 294 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:45.519 but but that fire, you know, really shaped who I was. 295 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:46.960 I mean, I really don't want to go back with 296 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:50.440 the volunteers, but it shaped my whole career as a fireman. 297 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:57.839 And it was the ninety four Thanksgiving in nineteen seventy nine, 298 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:02.839 and I had gone to the Ranger game earlier that 299 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:07.039 evening with my cousin who was down from college upstate 300 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:13.440 to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and my tones went off. 301 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.119 The plectronum went off and it came over as the 302 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:20.559 table temple gates of Zion. So I lived literally around 303 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.119 the corner. You could see the building from my bedroom, 304 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.839 so I looked out. I looked at the window and 305 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:29.480 I couldn't see anything. So I had gear in my car. 306 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:31.519 I jump in a car. I go around the corner. 307 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:35.240 I'm the first one there, and there was a one 308 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.599 of the assistant chiefs lived a couple of blocks away. 309 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.680 He got there. It's about four o'clock in the morning. 310 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:46.759 There were some people milling around. I had turned out 311 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:50.960 gear in my car. The first engine pulled up and 312 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.000 I jumped on the back step. I took the first 313 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:56.039 three folds to two and a half in the nozzle 314 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:01.759 and I pulled it off. And I really can't tell here, 315 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:05.000 but there was a walkway to the main entrance to 316 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:12.119 this synagogue, and we stretched the line, and obviously it 317 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:18.480 wasn't looking like this at that time, but we got 318 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.440 I got in the sanctuary and we had to make 319 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:24.319 two turns to get towards the front of the building. 320 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:29.200 And I turned around and my best friend Mike Moran 321 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:32.400 was backing me up. So I didn't have a mask on. 322 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.680 He didn't have a mask on. He had gear from 323 00:19:35.960 --> 00:19:40.480 a borrowed from a company. And ye, all right, we're gonna, 324 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:41.799 you know, do what we have to do put the 325 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.359 fire out. So we're hitting what I think is a 326 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:50.759 lot of fire, and we're moving in hitting fire, moving 327 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:55.759 in hitting fire. But something really weird at this fire 328 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:01.680 and never happened before. It never happened that. I think 329 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:05.359 we were moving in too quick, too much, too fast. 330 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.000 So I said to Mike, I'm gonna go out and 331 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:11.640 get a mask. I'll be back. So I go out 332 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:15.480 to get a mask, and in the frontier there was 333 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:20.599 windows that it was basically opposite of way we were hitting, 334 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:23.680 so I kind of said like, oh, this would be 335 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:27.880 a good place for horizontal ventilation, but I didn't take 336 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:31.119 the windows, and before I got a mask on, I 337 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:36.359 hear a whoosh, like a really loud whoosh, and I said, 338 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.880 what the fuck was that? So I go running in 339 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:43.319 back to the door where I came from, and guys 340 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:46.640 were burnt in the fouryer there, and I went back 341 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.960 into the sanctuary to look for my friend Mike, and 342 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:53.920 I got in little ways and he basically got himself out, 343 00:20:54.599 --> 00:21:00.839 but he was badly burnt, and so you know, I 344 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:05.640 got help because there was about eleven guys burnt, and 345 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:10.640 I got my friend. Mike was pretty seriously burnt. So 346 00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:14.440 I got a stretcher and we got help for him, 347 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:18.079 and there was an ambulance about a block away on 348 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.319 Corona Avenue and Valley Stream, and wheeled him down to 349 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:24.920 the to the ambulance. There was an e MT there, 350 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:28.200 a m T and they were working on him in 351 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:32.680 the back of the back of the bus and there 352 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.359 was nobody around to drive the ambulance. So I was 353 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:38.279 going to jump in and you know, drive the ambulance 354 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.079 to the hospital. Then a cop came as Aga We're 355 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:46.799 going to NASA County Medical Center. So they take take 356 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:48.440 take him off, take off. 357 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:48.319 And. 358 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.279 Now the fire is looking like it is. What happened 359 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:56.319 was there was a cuckloft explosion so that the ceiling 360 00:21:56.519 --> 00:22:01.400 and the roof blew down onto the guys. That was 361 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:06.000 the wish that I heard. So I couldn't participate in 362 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:09.480 the fire anymore. So I had to go tell mister Moran. 363 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:12.920 So he lived about six blocks away from the fire. 364 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.319 And I drove to the man's house and you know, 365 00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:20.680 his my and Mike's two sisters were there and they 366 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:23.960 were young, and I said, you know, it's your dad. 367 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:26.079 I got, you know, I got to talk to your dad. 368 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:31.359 So he came to the doors that that mister Morane, 369 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:33.519 Mike's been hurt. I says, you got to go to 370 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:37.160 the hospital. So I drove him to the Nassa County 371 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:42.000 Medical Center and Mike was in bad shape and he 372 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:48.240 was talking, but he was very bad. So he lived 373 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:53.039 for about two weeks. After the fire. There was another guy, 374 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:57.880 another fireman, Captain John Tate, that was badly burnt too. 375 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:03.759 He lasted eight days and Mike listed until December eighth. 376 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:08.000 And you know, they only allowed immediate family. So I 377 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:11.880 initially I told him that I was his brother. So 378 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:15.319 towards the end, you know, the doctor calls me and 379 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.880 he says, Bobbie, you know my name. You know, Mike's 380 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:21.359 not doing well. He's not going to make it. So 381 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:27.359 I said, okay, you know, I'm not as real brother 382 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:34.240 about our fellow's dad. So he died and in the 383 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:38.039 introim Mike was the captain of our company in a 384 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.599 volunteer company and then Valley Stream Engine four and we 385 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:45.559 had gotten a brand new rig and he was instrumental 386 00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:49.640 in getting us this new max CF beautiful pumpa and 387 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:56.160 uh we worked to get the pump in service while 388 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:59.279 he was in the hospital. And the first official thing 389 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:10.480 that we did with that rig missus funeral. So I 390 00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:12.680 was twenty one, he was twenty three. 391 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:13.759 Wow. 392 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:19.880 You know so that that matures you for the rest 393 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:23.440 of my life. So I wanted to share that. 394 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:26.759 First off, Chief, that's uh. 395 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:29.799 We appreciate you telling that story because that's uh, I 396 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:31.000 know it can't be easy for you. 397 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:37.640 To say, well, how did you one of my firefighting 398 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:40.319 you know experience, No. 399 00:24:40.359 --> 00:24:42.440 I know we all we all have these little things. 400 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:46.079 How did you like my first gut. Now after I 401 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:51.079 didn't realize that you were going that way? How did 402 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.720 you feel? Like obviously you said, and this is your 403 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.839 best friend, I guess your brother, But like how lucky 404 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:57.759 did you feel or bad? 405 00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:00.519 Did you feel that you got it out of there? 406 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:02.359 Like you know by chance? You know what I mean? 407 00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:03.160 Like it's crazy. 408 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:06.359 I survive his guilt for a long time. You know, 409 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:10.319 I stretched the first line. I was the noushle man, 410 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:14.039 and like I said, something told me, you're going in 411 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:17.720 too fast, too deep, too fast. And you know, it 412 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:20.160 was nineteen seventy nine. I mean, we had masks, but 413 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:23.279 we didn't have them on. And I said, I'm going 414 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:24.880 to go out get a mask this way I can 415 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:28.200 you know continue And he said okay. I said I'll 416 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:32.079 be back, and wow, it was three minutes, you know, 417 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:32.839 three minutes. 418 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:34.920 Yeah, no, I listen, we say all the time. But 419 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.079 I don't know if at your time, at your time, 420 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:37.480 I don't. 421 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:40.240 Know what friends good friends that they ever got burnt 422 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:45.079 And it's a shit, shit sandwich for a long time. 423 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:48.480 But did you use that when you became an officer? 424 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:51.559 Did you use that experience? 425 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:56.599 I don't think I brought that scenario up, but I 426 00:25:56.920 --> 00:26:01.319 certainly you know, it's part of me to my DNA now. 427 00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.119 So one of. 428 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:06.039 The cool things would you tell guys to slow down, 429 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.480 like in the back of your head? 430 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:12.960 So yeah, I mean as an officer, you usually have to, 431 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.240 you know, pull guys out, you know, like slow down, 432 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:19.519 money and ronan. But one of the cool things about 433 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:25.599 that happened positive for that story was for the last 434 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:28.119 I don't know how many years, and it's seventy nine, 435 00:26:28.599 --> 00:26:33.359 forty four years, forty five years, that every either the 436 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:37.480 Sunday before or the Sunday after Thanksgiving, five of his 437 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:41.119 close friends we all get together and we go and 438 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:44.960 visit him at the cemetery. You know, we say never forget, 439 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.839 but you know, we never forgot. And I think it's 440 00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:52.240 a cool thing that we do. We started out just 441 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:55.319 the guys, and then when we got girlfriends and wives 442 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:59.759 and kids, we'd meet at each other's houses. And we've 443 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.839 done and doing it for you know, since nineteen seventy nine. 444 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:06.039 And unless I was working or I couldn't get off 445 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:08.559 or whatever, I was there and so was everybody else. 446 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:12.599 So we visit. We tell the same stupid stories every year. 447 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:15.200 Because I've only known I only knew the guy for 448 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:18.079 like six or seven years, and now it's forty five 449 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:20.640 years later, and he was on our list. You know, 450 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:24.880 he was on al Fimu's list in seventy seven. Really, yeah, 451 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:27.519 he was. I was four thousand something, he was five 452 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:29.480 thousand something, so he would have been on the job. 453 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:33.119 And well, Coops always says, it's not a slogan, right, 454 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:35.400 you either live it and you really don't forget, or 455 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:37.720 you know, we all have guys that you know, to 456 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:40.200 nine to eleven and stuff like that, so you could 457 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:42.680 say it wear a hat or some shit like that, 458 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:44.599 but it takes a lot of effort to do that 459 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:46.640 for forty years to make sure you guys, you. 460 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:48.000 Didn't coup with the name of the day. I've got 461 00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:51.119 to drink by myself. 462 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:55.480 You ain't drinking bout itself, Jeane, that story so your. 463 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:59.599 Brother Mike, sorry to you know, break down. 464 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:06.640 But uh, chief was that Mac an open cab. Mac 465 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:08.240 was the old School was an enclosed cab. 466 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.400 The there was a company and Valley Stream that had 467 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:18.599 one of the open cab cps. That's still yeah. That 468 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:22.960 was the Nope, go back, that's the rig. Yeah. So 469 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:27.319 that West End Avenue is a funny story. So West 470 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:30.960 End Avenue is in Coney Island. So one day where 471 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:35.839 I don't know half in the big group of guys 472 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:42.000 getting allegedly happened. We were volunteers, We were allowed to drink. 473 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:46.799 We went to Coney Island and you know, we had 474 00:28:46.839 --> 00:28:52.119 to get up on somebody's shoulders and acts the West Sign. 475 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:53.039 But I like it. 476 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:55.319 That was a story in itself. But that was the 477 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:56.559 rig that we got in service. 478 00:28:57.079 --> 00:29:00.920 Yeah, that's a nice, nice rig. Not the Beatles, match Man. 479 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:02.200 How did you. 480 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:06.880 Keep obviously that's that's a that's a job that you 481 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:10.799 know could push people not to do that. Like, how 482 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:13.240 did you still keep the motivation to get on the job, 483 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:14.200 Like how did that happen? 484 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.720 Or did you even think about it? 485 00:29:16.039 --> 00:29:19.440 You want to do it? No? The thing that kept 486 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:22.279 me going was Mike died doing what he loved to do. 487 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:26.759 You know, That's all I can We went to funerals together, 488 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:31.039 other volunteers that died over the years, we go together, 489 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.480 we tell stories and you know, it just he loved 490 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:39.160 doing it and he was good at it. And he 491 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:44.559 worked for a fire supply company, remember the name of it, 492 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:48.640 But it was in Franklin Square and you know, he 493 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:53.759 did extinguishes and whatever whatever else they did, but ah, 494 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:57.680 he just loved it. It was his body, it was 495 00:29:57.720 --> 00:29:59.200 his life. 496 00:29:59.720 --> 00:29:59.880 Yeah. 497 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:01.559 Yeah, that's what kept me going. 498 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:09.799 Well sure, well with that, Chief, Uh, just really quick, 499 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:11.240 I don't want to go too far ahead. And in 500 00:30:11.319 --> 00:30:13.319 the beginning, you want me to show picture one with 501 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:16.759 when you're talking about the initial days of value Street one. 502 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:18.480 Was this a picture that you wanted to show or 503 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:18.960 talk about. 504 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.640 I don't want to know. I thought you're going to 505 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:25.799 show that for the like introduction. Uh and you use 506 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:26.880 the one with the ice. 507 00:30:27.400 --> 00:30:29.759 Yeah, like that was a pretty cool So I wasn't 508 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:30.960 sure if that's what you wanted to do. 509 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:36.079 That because I don't have watching that freaking picture my 510 00:30:36.200 --> 00:30:36.759 whole career. 511 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:40.079 Like what picture the one that I used for the thumb? Now? 512 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:43.160 What this one right here? 513 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:44.720 Say one too? 514 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:47.000 That's why I want. 515 00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:49.119 Chief. When you sat down, I'm like, I don't want to. 516 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:52.759 That's about He's already one or two. 517 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:59.960 So I was, uh, I wish I had more picture 518 00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:01.799 is like I see guys with you know, in front 519 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:03.559 of the rig or in front of the fire and 520 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:05.200 six guys. 521 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:06.119 And you were in the fire building. 522 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:08.319 Chief, all these other guys that standing there, Yeah, yeah, 523 00:31:08.440 --> 00:31:09.759 standing around the thumb up the rest. 524 00:31:10.119 --> 00:31:11.599 I would come out of a building, I'd see a 525 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:12.680 camera and walk the other way. 526 00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:12.960 I just. 527 00:31:14.599 --> 00:31:17.839 But that picture. I don't I don't know who took it, 528 00:31:17.960 --> 00:31:20.039 but somebody from you don't get my good side. 529 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:25.799 Yeah, all right, so seventy seventy. Take the test in December, 530 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:29.119 but in the meantime, you gotta go slumming. In eighty 531 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:30.599 two you become an NYPD. 532 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:34.440 I took a lot of civil service tests, you know. 533 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:38.519 That's my father steered me to that. Not not an 534 00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:46.079 education or formal education anyway. I took the Port Authority Police, 535 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:51.839 I took you know, other fire departments tests, and I 536 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:55.680 took the seventy seven tests, which I was nineteen years old. 537 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:58.960 I don't know if I had long hair. I mean, 538 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:04.119 I just took up you know, they had the uh 539 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:08.920 they had the applications up on the on the counter 540 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:12.079 in the valley firehouse, you know, and you took it 541 00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:13.960 and a bunch of guys and we get in the 542 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:18.400 car and I did work out somewhat and I went 543 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:21.039 to I think the city had some classes that I 544 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:24.319 went to, but I really didn't do well in the test. 545 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:27.759 I mean I just passed. I was forty nine forty 546 00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:30.680 four on the list, which I you know, that helped 547 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:33.440 me later on because I says, well, it ain't never 548 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:37.880 going to happen again. So I just got on. And 549 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:40.200 if it probably wasn't for the women, I you know, 550 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:42.759 they probably wouldn't have extended the test the list the 551 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:43.400 way they did. 552 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:46.720 So uh, things happened for a reason. 553 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:52.000 Yeah, I went into I always wanted to be in 554 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:54.799 the busiest firehouse I can get in and the slowest 555 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:57.960 precinct I can get in. It was. 556 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:01.960 In the buildings all day, but I ain't chasing anybody 557 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:02.759 behind the house. 558 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:06.279 When I got Yeah, I was in Forest Hills one 559 00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:12.279 o seven precinct and right near Queen's College. I wasn't married. 560 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:14.640 I worked four to twelve. It was great. You know, 561 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:17.000 I had a good time. I would have enjoyed it 562 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:18.680 more if I knew I was going to get on 563 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:22.839 the fire department. But I didn't know, right, And but 564 00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:26.880 I took another FD test while I was on a 565 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:31.480 police department and I ended up getting So this is 566 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:32.319 a funny picture. 567 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.960 So, well, this is your PD days, right, I'm assuming 568 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:36.559 that's you in the ped uniform. 569 00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:40.359 No, that's that's me, the tall guy. 570 00:33:41.079 --> 00:33:46.720 No way so early look at it, look at the lots. 571 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:51.359 So the picture is funny because that's my partner. I 572 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:52.240 was still a cop. 573 00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:53.720 No. 574 00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:59.000 Yeah. So the other guy, Kevin Powers, was in two seventeen. 575 00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:04.039 We very very close, and he says, come on watch 576 00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:06.960 with us. I'll get you a uniform. So we go 577 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:11.320 to Decalbay Avenue. I'll have my gun in my pocket 578 00:34:12.440 --> 00:34:18.119 and we go to the firehouse and Gino Sabastano was there. 579 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:19.760 I don't know if you ever heard of him, but 580 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:23.199 great guy who was a fireman in two seventeen and 581 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:26.480 he died I believe while he was an active chief 582 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:30.280 and the second battalion. But a great guy. And they're 583 00:34:30.280 --> 00:34:32.400 going through the lockers saying, oh, yeah, you're about the 584 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:35.920 size of so and so. So they gave me a 585 00:34:35.960 --> 00:34:39.159 fucking uniform. We took the train into the city. We 586 00:34:39.639 --> 00:34:42.159 did what you know what we everybody does on Saint 587 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:45.199 Patrick's Day. So this is Saint Patrick's Day in nineteen 588 00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:49.440 eighty three. So as I'm walking or marching whatever you do, 589 00:34:50.079 --> 00:34:54.239 I see my partner. So that's Jimmy afterday. He's probably 590 00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:57.440 watching tonight because I told him. He says, I'm gonna 591 00:34:57.440 --> 00:34:58.480 have a picture of you on there. 592 00:34:59.239 --> 00:34:59.880 So I see him. 593 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:01.719 He says, come on, we gotta step out of line 594 00:35:01.760 --> 00:35:05.000 and take a picture. So that was my part. 595 00:35:05.239 --> 00:35:08.679 That's great, good spot. 596 00:35:09.039 --> 00:35:11.840 Did he did he know that you were obviously looking? 597 00:35:13.719 --> 00:35:15.239 It wasn't cell phones at the time. 598 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.599 No, No, I'm saying, did he know that you wanted 599 00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:18.920 to get on f d Oh? 600 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:22.280 Yeah? He was a volley too, in a different department, right. 601 00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:25.440 We always talked about the you know, the real job. 602 00:35:27.039 --> 00:35:29.000 I can't get over the head of head, that's it. 603 00:35:29.360 --> 00:35:31.880 And we we would buff a lot of fires, not 604 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:34.119 that there was a lot of fires in Fresh Metals Queens, 605 00:35:34.280 --> 00:35:37.480 but when there was a ten fifty nine, we would go. 606 00:35:38.519 --> 00:35:42.239 And nice, that's awesome. That's a pretty good picture. 607 00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:47.679 I don't have many. So that's so I got called 608 00:35:47.719 --> 00:35:51.119 in uh that was March of eighty three. I got 609 00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:55.280 called in June, and every very happy day in my life, 610 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:59.239 I had to go. I had to figure what you 611 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:01.920 call that. You have to you know, vauchi you guns. 612 00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:05.880 I vouched my guns. I had my PD shield in 613 00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:11.480 one pocket, my FD shield and the other and uh, YadA, YadA, YadA, 614 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:14.760 who who. 615 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:18.880 Are you probably schooled anybody that, uh, you know, I 616 00:36:18.920 --> 00:36:21.039 don't really remember too many guys. 617 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:26.199 I mean, there was this guy Burns, Kevin Burns, I 618 00:36:26.280 --> 00:36:32.039 think his name was that that I he ended up 619 00:36:32.079 --> 00:36:34.679 in one O two when I was there. But I 620 00:36:34.760 --> 00:36:37.920 don't remember a lot of guys. I do remember. I 621 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:40.960 think there was three hundred people and one hundred and 622 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:45.519 fifty of us were cops. Half the club. 623 00:36:45.559 --> 00:36:47.480 That's why they were changing it, right, I mean then 624 00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:47.760 in the. 625 00:36:48.760 --> 00:36:51.360 You know, I mean I could understand that you train 626 00:36:51.440 --> 00:36:54.480 him for six months, and I did. I did a 627 00:36:54.599 --> 00:36:58.519 year and a half. But people, you know, would get out. 628 00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:01.840 There was this one guy I remember, a long Greek name. 629 00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:05.519 We were in police academy together. We went to the 630 00:37:05.559 --> 00:37:08.599 fire Academy together. He went to two thirty seven. I 631 00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:12.920 went to two thirty. He went back to the cops. Well, yeah, 632 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:16.840 I know. Well that's why I'm mentioning it that he 633 00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:19.320 had a nice he had a nice gig. I think 634 00:37:19.360 --> 00:37:23.320 he was like the PC detail or whatever. You know, 635 00:37:23.719 --> 00:37:24.599 he had tit job. 636 00:37:25.800 --> 00:37:27.840 So when you were in when you were in probably school, 637 00:37:27.840 --> 00:37:30.360 were you putting in the cult of a fixer or. 638 00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:36.599 Didn't know anybody? I honestly tried my best. I mean, 639 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:39.960 there was a guy, Bill Done. He was a lieutenant 640 00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:44.239 in one fourteen, and he was there. I'm trying to 641 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:47.760 think of the chief of department at the time. Was 642 00:37:47.800 --> 00:37:51.199 I think the captain of one fourteen. Really good guy. 643 00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:58.039 I don't remember his name, but Bill Done. Let its 644 00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:01.079 rest his soul, but he took a liking to me 645 00:38:01.159 --> 00:38:04.400 for whatever reason. He was there on a punishment and 646 00:38:06.079 --> 00:38:07.800 he had to do that. I had to do one 647 00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:13.039 class as a punishment. So he says, Bobby, you know, 648 00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:16.199 after the six weeks, he says, Bobby, I'm gonna you know, 649 00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:18.000 I'm going to put you in for a truck company. 650 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:22.000 He says, lou all due respect, I really appreciate that, 651 00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:26.039 and I know, you know, but because I know they 652 00:38:26.079 --> 00:38:28.719 were going to slow trucks, he says, I'd rather go 653 00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:31.719 to a busy engine. And I have a little bit 654 00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:37.199 of an inn So Bobby, I understand, you know, I 655 00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:41.440 understand you're one hundred percent right. But through my whole career, 656 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:45.119 after he died, and I would see him, have you know, 657 00:38:45.880 --> 00:38:49.119 his kids got one the job, got promoted, I would 658 00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:51.639 get promoted. He would be there. I go up to him, 659 00:38:51.719 --> 00:38:57.480 hey don't know, you know, But so I had guy 660 00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:03.599 Kevin from two seventeen Powers helped me at the time. 661 00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:08.199 Jimmy Boyle was I think the Brooklyn Trustee and he 662 00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:11.760 was a fireman in two seventeen. So Kevin went to 663 00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:13.519 Jimmy Boyle and said, yeah, I got a friend of 664 00:39:13.559 --> 00:39:16.039 mine getting on. Well can you put him in the neighborhood. 665 00:39:16.960 --> 00:39:23.320 So you know, that's all I had, and which was 666 00:39:23.480 --> 00:39:25.400 you know, it ended up being enough perfect. 667 00:39:25.559 --> 00:39:27.159 Yeah, it was a great spot. 668 00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:28.320 It was a great spot. 669 00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:31.639 We hear cheap over and over and over again around 670 00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:34.960 that time. It's the same right with the engines that 671 00:39:35.079 --> 00:39:38.199 circle one to eleven, right, it's like two thirty two 672 00:39:38.320 --> 00:39:43.199 seventeen to twenty seven, two eighty three two yeah, right, 673 00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:46.079 two twenty two right, So it was all those engines 674 00:39:46.119 --> 00:39:49.400 that were by themselves that happened in a small first 675 00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:52.719 do area. But do at that time, we're doing so 676 00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:55.559 much work for a first to area that was like 677 00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:57.639 ten by ten or some ridiculous thing. 678 00:39:57.760 --> 00:40:00.320 Right, Well, I mean I got the eye, would say 679 00:40:00.440 --> 00:40:05.639 towards the end obviously of the warriors. But I just 680 00:40:05.760 --> 00:40:08.719 wanted to mention because I did, right, So my first 681 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:16.039 captain was John Bamberry, he just died. Gentleman George Grossman 682 00:40:16.199 --> 00:40:18.039 was one of the lieutenants. He was a fireman, a 683 00:40:18.119 --> 00:40:22.360 one O three, great, great guy. Jerry Ercalino was I 684 00:40:22.519 --> 00:40:24.719 was in his groups. As a matter of fact, my 685 00:40:24.800 --> 00:40:29.360 first night, he gave me the nozzle. Joe Russo was 686 00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:32.719 a senior man. Woman Samuels. I looked up to him 687 00:40:32.760 --> 00:40:39.800 like a father. Frank Truccio, Carmon Grenada, Bobby Lawrence, Greg Simonara, 688 00:40:40.400 --> 00:40:46.880 Richie Crochy, Bonnie Riley, Richie Razuwitz, Jimmy Gasparino, who I 689 00:40:46.920 --> 00:40:49.000 think was backing me up the first night we had 690 00:40:49.039 --> 00:40:55.880 a job. Mike Thompson, Steve Mondohlia, Tommy Swannick Walter Searing, 691 00:40:56.079 --> 00:41:00.920 Tommy Auer, Brenda McSweeney, and Jim Jacket. I mean, these were, 692 00:41:01.039 --> 00:41:04.840 you know, great guys that I enjoyed working with. And 693 00:41:05.719 --> 00:41:07.960 you know it was only there after three years, but 694 00:41:08.119 --> 00:41:09.519 I loved every minute of it. 695 00:41:10.440 --> 00:41:13.880 You caught a job your first night too, it so, yeah, 696 00:41:15.280 --> 00:41:20.519 he gave me the first night to ten first boxes. 697 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:26.760 Well we were second, we weren't first, still, uh, I know, 698 00:41:26.840 --> 00:41:31.199 I wrote it down somewhere. Oh so the first night 699 00:41:32.559 --> 00:41:35.599 and the guys, you know, knew that this one guy, 700 00:41:35.719 --> 00:41:39.159 Jerry or Galino, gave the proby the nozzle because you know, 701 00:41:39.320 --> 00:41:42.639 and I thought it was a little weird, but I 702 00:41:42.880 --> 00:41:45.559 kind of understood it later on in my career that 703 00:41:46.360 --> 00:41:49.360 if he's going to get spooked, let him get spooked 704 00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:51.960 on the first night. And now we know who we can, 705 00:41:52.239 --> 00:41:56.440 you know, count on, you know. So he said, they Bobby, 706 00:41:56.440 --> 00:41:58.360 you got the nozzle, Jimmy, you're backing them up, and 707 00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:01.360 blah blah blah. It wasn't the first run, but we 708 00:42:01.559 --> 00:42:06.280 had a job second due with two sixteen and forty 709 00:42:06.320 --> 00:42:09.599 eight Humboldt Street on a corner of De deble Boys 710 00:42:09.639 --> 00:42:14.440 Street and the second do and vacant, and you know, 711 00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:18.239 back then, everybody stretched their own lines. We went to 712 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:22.440 the floor above and I remember no flooring. We had 713 00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:26.360 to crawl along the beams nice and uh now the 714 00:42:26.440 --> 00:42:29.800 fire is coming up and beca Bobby opened it up, 715 00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:33.599 and you know, so I think I didn't fuck up. 716 00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:35.079 I mean, I don't know how I did, but I 717 00:42:35.159 --> 00:42:39.559 think I did. Again, tell you that I was putting 718 00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:41.800 on the rotation like that everybody else then, you know, 719 00:42:41.960 --> 00:42:46.840 after that, but it was it was tremendous, tremendous guys. 720 00:42:50.119 --> 00:42:53.159 I just was. I was blessed, and two seventeen and 721 00:42:53.199 --> 00:42:56.760 two thirty were like brother sister companies, you know, and 722 00:42:56.840 --> 00:42:59.079 we did everything together. We did our dinner, dance, we 723 00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.039 did our picnic, we did we were able to swap 724 00:43:02.159 --> 00:43:07.679 out vacation mutuals and uh two single engines. And you know, 725 00:43:07.840 --> 00:43:12.119 back then you only worked within your battalion. So there 726 00:43:12.239 --> 00:43:16.920 was two thirty five, two fourteen, two seventeen, two thirty 727 00:43:17.920 --> 00:43:20.480 and one eleven, so there was four or five engines 728 00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:22.679 and that was it. So you only, you know, you 729 00:43:22.760 --> 00:43:25.239 only worked within your battalion, so you get to know everybody. 730 00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:29.719 It was great because you knew you knew everybody. Now, yeah, 731 00:43:30.480 --> 00:43:31.320 we worked. 732 00:43:31.400 --> 00:43:34.199 We were with Eric Allen was from two seventeen. He 733 00:43:34.280 --> 00:43:37.840 came over to the squad lady. Yes, obviously. 734 00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:40.039 Good guy. 735 00:43:41.119 --> 00:43:44.320 So what did you do like a thirty day? 736 00:43:45.519 --> 00:43:47.079 So I don't want to get too far ahead. I 737 00:43:47.079 --> 00:43:47.920 want to sleep it in here. 738 00:43:48.039 --> 00:43:52.239 Yeah, that's probably school. That's my wife girlfriend at the time. 739 00:43:53.119 --> 00:43:54.159 Make sure we get that in here. 740 00:43:55.480 --> 00:43:56.159 No more curls. 741 00:43:56.239 --> 00:43:59.599 Cool, Yeah happen. Curls probably school happened? 742 00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:01.360 Was exactly. 743 00:44:04.199 --> 00:44:07.320 So nice Italian young lady. You married a nice Italian 744 00:44:07.360 --> 00:44:07.840 young lady. 745 00:44:08.239 --> 00:44:13.039 Well, it's we met on a cruise in nineteen eighty one. 746 00:44:15.199 --> 00:44:15.960 On the cruise ships. 747 00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:28.400 Sorry, my friend Eddie Gatty was he went oh two 748 00:44:29.199 --> 00:44:34.519 and he put together this cruise and it was it 749 00:44:34.760 --> 00:44:39.039 was I think two or three other five. So my 750 00:44:39.159 --> 00:44:43.840 friend Kevin Eddie's brother, Steve Eddie. I wasn't on the 751 00:44:43.960 --> 00:44:48.280 job yet, but nobody knew everybody. There was eight of us, 752 00:44:49.239 --> 00:44:54.480 so two rooms of four. And uh, I was going 753 00:44:54.519 --> 00:44:56.840 out with a girl for like four years at the time. 754 00:44:57.519 --> 00:45:00.679 I was old. It must have been like, I don't know, 755 00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:06.960 twenty three years old, and YadA, YadA, YadA. And she 756 00:45:07.159 --> 00:45:10.000 was from Bensonhurst, so she was on with her sister. 757 00:45:10.760 --> 00:45:12.679 You knew about a girl, Cubs, you knew about a girl. 758 00:45:15.079 --> 00:45:16.559 You didn't go to the World Series, you know, we 759 00:45:16.639 --> 00:45:18.119 had to go check out a girl. 760 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:18.840 That's what happened. 761 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:21.480 Yep, how many years later now. 762 00:45:23.079 --> 00:45:25.679 We met in eighty one. We got married forty years ago. 763 00:45:26.159 --> 00:45:26.400 Nice. 764 00:45:26.679 --> 00:45:31.800 She just celebrated our fortieth anniversary. Never had very nice 765 00:45:32.599 --> 00:45:33.480 I'm sorry, what'd you say? 766 00:45:33.559 --> 00:45:38.880 Lott never had a fight, right, Oh that that he won? 767 00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:39.360 Anyway? 768 00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:44.159 Yeah, yeah, exactly. She's playing marge On tonight. That's really 769 00:45:44.239 --> 00:45:47.960 was crazy. I'm using my two hours with you guys. 770 00:45:48.199 --> 00:45:50.480 I could be having my piece of qualityet my. 771 00:45:50.559 --> 00:45:52.920 Wife, my wife. I've been playing golf. 772 00:45:52.920 --> 00:45:54.960 So my wife plays march On with the girls at 773 00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:57.039 the at the golf course over there, and you know, 774 00:45:57.159 --> 00:45:58.840 we're playing for twenty dollars a whole. 775 00:45:58.920 --> 00:45:59.800 Whatever the heck we're playing. 776 00:45:59.840 --> 00:46:01.480 She comes at you like, how'd you do you win? 777 00:46:01.559 --> 00:46:02.239 Show? Yeah? I won? 778 00:46:02.639 --> 00:46:04.039 How many games you went? I want three games? 779 00:46:04.079 --> 00:46:07.039 Oh good? How much money do you win? Yeah? 780 00:46:09.039 --> 00:46:12.400 Yeah, cheap though a dollar fifty. I say at least 781 00:46:12.440 --> 00:46:13.840 two five out was a game or something. 782 00:46:14.039 --> 00:46:14.840 Hell are you guys doing? 783 00:46:15.079 --> 00:46:16.039 They're freaking crazy. 784 00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:18.039 They're talking about their husbands, that's what. 785 00:46:21.559 --> 00:46:21.880 About them? 786 00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:24.800 Yeah, so you get a hanker when you go to 787 00:46:24.880 --> 00:46:26.519 the truck enough for the engine. 788 00:46:27.280 --> 00:46:31.719 There's a picture number four. 789 00:46:33.199 --> 00:46:35.199 Number four was actually you and your wife. So is 790 00:46:35.360 --> 00:46:37.679 it be five this one? 791 00:46:37.760 --> 00:46:42.119 Yes? Yeah, So that's a pretty you know somebody took 792 00:46:42.159 --> 00:46:45.000 the picture. Obviously it wasn't posing for it. But that's 793 00:46:45.079 --> 00:46:47.320 Chris Gleanna. He was a lieutenant one to eleven. I 794 00:46:47.480 --> 00:46:50.960 was still a probe. That's a dinger. I don't remember 795 00:46:51.039 --> 00:46:57.400 his his real name, but he was home. Yeah, you 796 00:46:57.559 --> 00:47:00.800 telling them that, I'm not telling them respect My friend 797 00:47:02.000 --> 00:47:07.559 and Kenny Connolly is behind Dinger, so, uh, Lieutenant Gleanna 798 00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:11.360 and Kenny Connolly are sharing a cigarette. But you know, 799 00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:15.840 I worked any chance I could get in in uh 800 00:47:16.159 --> 00:47:19.559 one to eleven. And then a short time after I 801 00:47:19.719 --> 00:47:27.840 was there, Rescue two moved to the Pacific's berg, so 802 00:47:27.960 --> 00:47:29.719 they were in the five to seven. So I would 803 00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:31.480 try to work over there as much as I could. 804 00:47:32.360 --> 00:47:35.679 But that was a picture. Very few pictures of me 805 00:47:35.800 --> 00:47:40.920 at a fire after somebody just wrote Chief, Oh, there 806 00:47:40.920 --> 00:47:41.119 you go. 807 00:47:41.360 --> 00:47:43.679 I took your picture when you were in probably detailed 808 00:47:43.760 --> 00:47:46.719 to one eleven with Chris Yah. 809 00:47:47.320 --> 00:47:47.719 There you go. 810 00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:51.519 Yeah, Jeff was He sent us a lot of pictures 811 00:47:52.199 --> 00:47:53.159 at that time. 812 00:47:53.320 --> 00:47:55.920 Now I know who took it. Thank you, Jeff. 813 00:47:56.280 --> 00:47:57.920 All these years you had no idea. 814 00:47:58.599 --> 00:48:01.440 I only to tell you the truth that I just got. 815 00:48:01.719 --> 00:48:04.800 Even knew it was, uh something that only a couple 816 00:48:04.840 --> 00:48:07.679 of years ago somebody jumping to me. So I didn't 817 00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:09.760 know it, you know, for the first thirty years of my. 818 00:48:11.559 --> 00:48:13.800 Anyway, So how come me to go to one eleven? 819 00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:16.480 I was just gonna ask that right there. 820 00:48:17.719 --> 00:48:22.239 I yeah, I put in for six companies for first 821 00:48:23.840 --> 00:48:27.639 I started studying when I was a proby. And how 822 00:48:27.719 --> 00:48:33.239 that happened was a good friend of mine, Billy Youngston, 823 00:48:33.679 --> 00:48:38.079 was in one eleven and he knew that I had 824 00:48:38.159 --> 00:48:42.119 some cop time and he guessed when the lieutenant's test 825 00:48:42.280 --> 00:48:44.760 was going to be. He knew I was studying to 826 00:48:44.880 --> 00:48:47.840 sgeant for the police department when I when I switched 827 00:48:47.880 --> 00:48:50.480 over to the fire and he said, oh, Bob, you 828 00:48:50.559 --> 00:48:52.559 know you're starting the study group. You want to get in. 829 00:48:53.280 --> 00:48:55.960 I said, Billy, I'm fucking proby, you know. He said, 830 00:48:56.239 --> 00:48:58.639 you've got three years. You'll you're you're gonna be you know, 831 00:48:59.039 --> 00:49:03.119 You're you're gonna be all. So I was eligible only 832 00:49:03.239 --> 00:49:06.360 because of the police time, but I was in a 833 00:49:06.559 --> 00:49:11.280 great study group with Bill Youngston started it. Tommy Damore 834 00:49:11.400 --> 00:49:16.440 from forty four truck, Kevin Powers from two seventeen, Pete 835 00:49:16.480 --> 00:49:19.039 Hart from he was in the Bronx and he transferred 836 00:49:19.039 --> 00:49:23.960 to one fifty five. Jimmy Kane was from forty four truck. Uh. 837 00:49:24.480 --> 00:49:27.480 We just had a great study group, and you know, 838 00:49:27.719 --> 00:49:32.079 we all got promoted. And that started in the fall 839 00:49:32.199 --> 00:49:35.400 of eighty three. So I was on for like, I 840 00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:40.840 don't know, a couple of months, six months, and I 841 00:49:40.960 --> 00:49:45.599 started studying and the test was spring of eighty six. 842 00:49:46.719 --> 00:49:53.000 And uh but one story I wanted the truck one. Yeah, 843 00:49:53.039 --> 00:49:57.599 well one story I wanted to share was pretty funny story. 844 00:49:57.760 --> 00:50:01.920 So the Chris Eve of nineteen eighty four, I was 845 00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:04.760 in on the job about a year, a couple more 846 00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:09.119 months in the year, and uh so years ago. You know, 847 00:50:09.719 --> 00:50:13.199 I'm assuming they still do it. The senior guy, you know, 848 00:50:13.639 --> 00:50:16.039 the junior guy works for the senior guy on Christmas Eve, 849 00:50:16.719 --> 00:50:18.639 and the senior guy works for the junior guy on 850 00:50:18.760 --> 00:50:22.599 New Year's Eve. So Joe Russo was one of the 851 00:50:22.679 --> 00:50:25.719 senior guys. See the chauffeur. So he says, you know, Joe, 852 00:50:25.800 --> 00:50:27.639 you know you're working Christmas Eve? You know, will you 853 00:50:27.719 --> 00:50:29.159 work for me in New Year's Eve? And I work 854 00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:31.760 for you Christmas Eve? Yeah? Okay, Bobby Great, he had kids, 855 00:50:32.599 --> 00:50:34.440 so agreed. I'm not. I don't have any kids. Okay. 856 00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:39.400 So I come in Christmas Eve and nobody wants to 857 00:50:39.480 --> 00:50:42.480 drive on Christmas Eve, you know what I mean? I know, so, 858 00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:47.760 so they're all bitching. Oh fuck, I don't want to 859 00:50:47.800 --> 00:50:51.079 fucking draw you fucking draw. No, you drives who's working 860 00:50:51.119 --> 00:50:53.800 for Russo boys? Let him fucking dry? 861 00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:58.480 Who who's working for the chauffeur for Guy's Yeah, let 862 00:50:58.559 --> 00:50:59.400 him so. 863 00:51:00.039 --> 00:51:04.360 George Grossman was the officer. He says, Bob, you drove 864 00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:07.679 these things in the volleys. He says yeah. He says, 865 00:51:08.039 --> 00:51:09.840 jump in, Come on, we're gonna go around the corner. 866 00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:12.159 I get in the rig, we go around the corner. 867 00:51:12.480 --> 00:51:14.360 I put it in pumps, I hook up to the hydrant. 868 00:51:14.400 --> 00:51:17.039 Blah blah blah. He says, all right, go back in 869 00:51:17.239 --> 00:51:20.079 back again. He says, your company qualified. 870 00:51:22.480 --> 00:51:22.960 You're good. 871 00:51:23.159 --> 00:51:25.159 You're driving tonight driving. 872 00:51:26.320 --> 00:51:29.519 I said, all right. Never spoke on a radio, never 873 00:51:29.639 --> 00:51:34.360 do nothing right. So I'm probably I'm sitting at the 874 00:51:34.400 --> 00:51:38.000 house watch where I belong. They're roll in the back cooking, 875 00:51:39.079 --> 00:51:42.280 and I guess it's around I don't know, nine or 876 00:51:42.360 --> 00:51:48.840 ten o'clock at night. Bee boop, first doo, uh, you know, 877 00:51:49.000 --> 00:51:52.400 phone along, blah blah blah. First let's go, you know. 878 00:51:53.079 --> 00:51:55.239 So I get in the show for seat I started up, 879 00:51:56.280 --> 00:51:59.320 so it's I forget the I thought I wrote the 880 00:51:59.360 --> 00:52:04.280 address down, but it was underneath the l on Broadway 881 00:52:05.320 --> 00:52:08.840 Beaver Street somewhere down there. So the lieutenant says to me, 882 00:52:08.840 --> 00:52:12.239 he says, he says, you know where this street is? 883 00:52:12.280 --> 00:52:14.559 I said no, but I know where Broadway is, So 884 00:52:14.679 --> 00:52:17.599 I go ahead. They so we go underneath the l 885 00:52:17.840 --> 00:52:20.679 and they're like this. They're like this, you know, they're 886 00:52:20.719 --> 00:52:23.800 waving a sin. So I make the left. It's blown 887 00:52:23.840 --> 00:52:26.320 out two windows on the first floor. Oh my god, 888 00:52:26.559 --> 00:52:31.079 it's an old tenement. And they had to drag a woman, 889 00:52:31.360 --> 00:52:33.079 a burnt woman, out of the street so I can 890 00:52:33.119 --> 00:52:36.039 go to the hydrant. So the locals dragged are out 891 00:52:36.079 --> 00:52:38.559 of the street. I go to the hydrant. I pumped 892 00:52:38.599 --> 00:52:39.199 three lines. 893 00:52:39.920 --> 00:52:44.519 Oh my god, dude, two thirty two. 894 00:52:44.480 --> 00:52:46.880 Seventeen and Squad one they had three line stretch. I 895 00:52:46.960 --> 00:52:51.039 fucking pumped three lines. So so does drop the tank. 896 00:52:51.119 --> 00:52:55.960 But yeah, okay, but it was my first run, first 897 00:52:56.079 --> 00:53:00.719 runners the show. Well I was off, but I was 898 00:53:00.840 --> 00:53:01.199 just off. 899 00:53:06.360 --> 00:53:08.559 You get an out of boy from the lieutenant after that. 900 00:53:09.239 --> 00:53:11.480 Oh, I just you know, I guess I did what 901 00:53:11.599 --> 00:53:14.079 I had to do, you know, just impressed. I didn't 902 00:53:14.119 --> 00:53:17.079 suck it up, and you know, yeah we got got water. 903 00:53:17.280 --> 00:53:20.679 So oh that was kind of like a comic thing. 904 00:53:20.719 --> 00:53:23.960 I would imagine, like, you know, new guy in there. 905 00:53:24.119 --> 00:53:24.519 I don't know. 906 00:53:26.119 --> 00:53:28.920 Too many guys. I guess their first run gets a no. 907 00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:32.920 Not like that either where the car people at. 908 00:53:33.440 --> 00:53:36.960 But usually if there's a as we should say, partaking, 909 00:53:37.800 --> 00:53:39.360 then it's always that new guys. 910 00:53:39.519 --> 00:53:41.239 You know, stick that kid up there. What could happen? 911 00:53:41.400 --> 00:53:41.559 You know? 912 00:53:42.440 --> 00:53:44.360 Actually, you know they hang it out the windows, and I. 913 00:53:44.360 --> 00:53:46.199 Don't know exactly what you're talking about. 914 00:53:46.480 --> 00:53:49.880 The dragging a burnt lady out of the way. 915 00:53:51.880 --> 00:53:54.679 I couldn't believe because I go like this, you know, 916 00:53:54.719 --> 00:53:56.559 I point to the hydrant. They dragged it right of 917 00:53:56.599 --> 00:54:02.079 the way, so I know the hydrant and they its fun. 918 00:54:03.039 --> 00:54:05.000 Yeah, fun stuff, good shit. 919 00:54:05.159 --> 00:54:06.719 So look, you asked the question why did you go 920 00:54:06.760 --> 00:54:08.920 to one eleven? Why did you you put in for 921 00:54:09.000 --> 00:54:09.280 a bunch? 922 00:54:09.360 --> 00:54:09.440 Right? 923 00:54:09.760 --> 00:54:12.719 So let me talk about the test. So the test 924 00:54:12.920 --> 00:54:16.199 was in eighty two. So I took the test in 925 00:54:16.320 --> 00:54:20.159 May of eighty six. It was cheating by somebody, a 926 00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:24.880 member of a fraternal organization. And uh, I'm not going 927 00:54:24.920 --> 00:54:28.679 to steer you towards the newspaper article naming a guy. 928 00:54:28.800 --> 00:54:37.559 But there was rumbling about throwing the test out. So 929 00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:40.880 I knew I wanted to go to a truck. You 930 00:54:40.960 --> 00:54:43.440 know as soon as I could, I put in for 931 00:54:43.639 --> 00:54:49.159 six trucks. At the time, there were spots for six companies, 932 00:54:49.880 --> 00:54:52.960 and it was right after the lieutenant's test, and we 933 00:54:53.039 --> 00:54:57.800 had a we had a covering new captain. So I 934 00:54:57.920 --> 00:55:01.280 go in. One eleven was first, one O two, one 935 00:55:01.320 --> 00:55:03.920 oh wait, one twenty three, one thirty two, and one 936 00:55:04.039 --> 00:55:07.760 seventy six. So I had three years on the job. 937 00:55:08.519 --> 00:55:11.320 So I go up to the captain. I says, cap, 938 00:55:11.400 --> 00:55:12.880 you know how you doing. I'm you know, I'm looking 939 00:55:12.920 --> 00:55:16.360 to go to these companies. So we left. He says, Bob, 940 00:55:16.400 --> 00:55:19.199 you're not going to at these fucking companies. I says, well, 941 00:55:19.639 --> 00:55:22.559 I appreciate that. I understand that, but can you do 942 00:55:22.639 --> 00:55:25.360 me a favor and sign it? So yeah, okay, here 943 00:55:25.440 --> 00:55:28.639 I go, here you go. So he signs it. And 944 00:55:29.119 --> 00:55:35.599 that was the summer of eighty six. So all summer 945 00:55:35.679 --> 00:55:37.800 they're saying, oh, they're gonna throw the fucking lieutenants tests out. 946 00:55:37.800 --> 00:55:40.559 They're gonna throw it. So I, you know, like I 947 00:55:40.719 --> 00:55:43.840 was friends with, you know, all the study of the students, 948 00:55:44.679 --> 00:55:47.360 and uh, I says, look, if they throw the test out, 949 00:55:47.400 --> 00:55:52.039 I'm gonna pull my paper. So Eddie Garretty, good friend, 950 00:55:52.079 --> 00:55:54.239 of mine. He was in one O two and they 951 00:55:54.280 --> 00:55:58.639 were in the three four battalion. So, uh, he calls 952 00:55:58.719 --> 00:56:01.039 me up. I don't remember, but which first. 953 00:56:03.519 --> 00:56:03.760 I think. 954 00:56:03.880 --> 00:56:06.000 I think he called me about they threw the test out, 955 00:56:07.239 --> 00:56:09.239 so I said, all right, well, I'm gonna pull my paper. 956 00:56:09.760 --> 00:56:12.280 Like an hour later he called me, oh, and by 957 00:56:12.320 --> 00:56:15.000 the way, you got transferred to one oh two. So 958 00:56:15.480 --> 00:56:21.039 September sixth of eighty sixth I got transferred. And the 959 00:56:21.119 --> 00:56:24.800 only reason why I didn't feel bad was that that 960 00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:28.360 was a study in house. You know, it was real 961 00:56:28.440 --> 00:56:31.639 study in house. I was the I was the seventeenth 962 00:56:31.719 --> 00:56:35.599 guy to get promoted out of the house, sixteen out 963 00:56:35.599 --> 00:56:38.320 of the truck, and one out of the engine from 964 00:56:38.400 --> 00:56:41.760 that list. So there was a lot of students, and 965 00:56:42.280 --> 00:56:44.559 I kind of just you know, everybody's in the same boat. 966 00:56:44.760 --> 00:56:47.599 Everybody's got to study again. So it was for three 967 00:56:47.679 --> 00:56:51.400 months September October November December that the test was again 968 00:56:51.559 --> 00:56:57.519 given again September December that year. But they were all welcoming, and. 969 00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:02.760 Are you a junior guy there? When you got there 970 00:57:02.840 --> 00:57:04.400 with those other guys with less time. 971 00:57:05.079 --> 00:57:08.400 I doubt there was anybody there with less time. But 972 00:57:09.159 --> 00:57:11.159 my first captain was Dennis Cross. 973 00:57:11.880 --> 00:57:14.719 I was gonna ask you for yeah, I mean he was. 974 00:57:14.760 --> 00:57:17.400 My first captain. I got this funny story about my 975 00:57:17.480 --> 00:57:21.199 first day there. But John Doggerty was a lieutenant. Frank 976 00:57:21.480 --> 00:57:25.719 Gletto was a lieutenant. Joe Dirks, who was a Gordon 977 00:57:25.760 --> 00:57:29.440 Bennett winner from one O three was one of my lieutenants. 978 00:57:30.480 --> 00:57:35.719 Jay Tavoalaro who was my mentor because we were in 979 00:57:35.760 --> 00:57:37.679 the same groups. He was one of the chauffeurs and 980 00:57:37.760 --> 00:57:41.320 we ended up getting promoted the same day. On lieutenant 981 00:57:41.559 --> 00:57:44.840 was I was seven sixty three, he was seven sixty 982 00:57:44.920 --> 00:57:49.360 two on the list. Hanka Mellon, who ended up retiring 983 00:57:49.360 --> 00:57:54.400 as a lieutenant one seventy five, Pete Hassler, John kenn 984 00:57:54.519 --> 00:57:58.199 and Mike Dally, Eddie McGrath, Eddie Travis. 985 00:57:57.880 --> 00:58:02.800 Who was Pete Travis Chief. 986 00:58:03.519 --> 00:58:07.320 Eddie Garrity transferred out of one O two and went 987 00:58:07.400 --> 00:58:10.440 to rescue one because he didn't do as well as 988 00:58:10.480 --> 00:58:12.000 he thought he that it was going to do on 989 00:58:12.039 --> 00:58:19.880 lieutenant's tests. John O'Connell, Tommy Richardson, Mark Farran, George Bell, Navis, Billy. 990 00:58:21.440 --> 00:58:23.960 I'm sorry, except Bran was there too. 991 00:58:24.519 --> 00:58:27.920 Man live well, hopefully he hears this that he was 992 00:58:28.000 --> 00:58:30.639 on an onion skin when I got transferred there, and 993 00:58:30.760 --> 00:58:32.760 he said, what the fuck is this guy comes here 994 00:58:32.800 --> 00:58:35.199 with three years on the job and he goes before me. 995 00:58:36.639 --> 00:58:37.679 I wasn't going to bring it up. 996 00:58:38.719 --> 00:58:41.320 Was the richies man? Yet I guess they came after you. 997 00:58:42.360 --> 00:58:48.639 They both Rass and Croach, he transferred before me before 998 00:58:48.880 --> 00:58:53.159 a year or two. But Billy McGovern who was a 999 00:58:53.519 --> 00:58:57.360 battalion chief in in the second Battalion dart On nine 1000 00:58:57.360 --> 00:59:01.199 to eleven. Mike Banker, who I think retired as the 1001 00:59:01.440 --> 00:59:05.840 captain Squad sixty one six one yea Ray Coyle, Bobby 1002 00:59:05.880 --> 00:59:08.920 ol Or, Donny Boyle, and then I know we were 1003 00:59:09.000 --> 00:59:13.360 talking about Louell about the four guys. So that was Croachy, Rasuwiz, 1004 00:59:13.760 --> 00:59:16.440 Dennis Pace and Billy o'fanos. That was the guy. You 1005 00:59:16.480 --> 00:59:19.199 couldn't think, yes, yes, yes they were. There were four 1006 00:59:19.320 --> 00:59:22.599 guys from two thirty the transferred to one O two 1007 00:59:22.679 --> 00:59:23.760 that had seats together. 1008 00:59:25.840 --> 00:59:27.480 The kid the guy told me when I got in there, 1009 00:59:27.480 --> 00:59:30.119 who was my first my first tourus as a lieutenant. 1010 00:59:30.519 --> 00:59:30.679 Right. 1011 00:59:31.880 --> 00:59:34.960 I turned the MDT around, you know, to me, and 1012 00:59:35.519 --> 00:59:39.679 we're flying like we're going towards one eleven's area, and 1013 00:59:40.079 --> 00:59:42.079 we would pull up and as I'm going to hit 1014 00:59:42.119 --> 00:59:46.119 the eighty four, he turns the MDT around and he says, yeah, Lude, 1015 00:59:46.119 --> 00:59:46.880 I'll touch the MDT. 1016 00:59:46.960 --> 00:59:48.119 I'll take care of everything. 1017 00:59:49.719 --> 00:59:50.079 Went like this. 1018 00:59:50.400 --> 00:59:51.480 Oh yeah, okay, okay. 1019 00:59:52.639 --> 00:59:56.199 One in Rome, Bro and Cat Murphy, Dennis Murphy. He 1020 00:59:56.280 --> 00:59:58.480 said to me when I was getting promoted at two 1021 00:59:58.519 --> 01:00:00.239 eighty eight, he was my captain. He said to me, 1022 01:00:00.320 --> 01:00:03.039 when you get there, go upstairs, you know. 1023 01:00:03.519 --> 01:00:04.079 Relieve the guy. 1024 01:00:04.119 --> 01:00:07.079 Obviously put your get get ready, go upstairs. 1025 01:00:07.119 --> 01:00:08.800 When you make the BF four out, you know, just 1026 01:00:08.840 --> 01:00:10.800 take a look and see how much time the guys got. 1027 01:00:10.920 --> 01:00:14.559 You know, Bro, it was I had. I was just 1028 01:00:14.639 --> 01:00:15.599 coming up on ten years. 1029 01:00:16.480 --> 01:00:19.119 All those guys, Richie, I think it was Grimaldi. 1030 01:00:19.559 --> 01:00:24.800 I mean it was uh Pollid, Ray Pollard. All those guys. 1031 01:00:24.599 --> 01:00:27.920 Had like twenty five years or more, all of them 1032 01:00:27.920 --> 01:00:30.199 are you know. I didn't even go downstairs. I went downstairs. 1033 01:00:30.239 --> 01:00:32.639 I gave him the BF ran away, and then I 1034 01:00:32.719 --> 01:00:33.360 went upstairs. 1035 01:00:34.800 --> 01:00:37.280 No, they did. They did the roll call, and they 1036 01:00:37.400 --> 01:00:40.639 used to do anyway. No I didn't, No, they didn't. 1037 01:00:41.639 --> 01:00:45.719 I remember covering as a captain there years later and 1038 01:00:45.880 --> 01:00:47.800 I said, come on, you know, we'll do it all. No, no, no, 1039 01:00:48.159 --> 01:00:50.519 let's go fucking roll call. Have you had a roll call? 1040 01:00:51.559 --> 01:00:53.239 So I tell her. 1041 01:00:54.960 --> 01:00:58.599 With the Chief Travis when again, I think this was 1042 01:00:58.679 --> 01:01:01.960 that first night we go to we Go. I think 1043 01:01:02.000 --> 01:01:04.760 it was like a valve al m and the water 1044 01:01:04.920 --> 01:01:08.440 was leaking out underneath the rolldown. So I was going 1045 01:01:08.480 --> 01:01:10.239 around the side to see what was going on, and 1046 01:01:10.320 --> 01:01:13.360 I hit a sauce start up and they cut the 1047 01:01:13.519 --> 01:01:15.880 roll down gate for the water leaking out, right, So 1048 01:01:15.960 --> 01:01:18.199 I come around and Chief Travis is that it's like 1049 01:01:18.639 --> 01:01:20.719 it was July one hundred degrees. All the guys got 1050 01:01:20.760 --> 01:01:23.880 their jackets off and they all have cut sleeves. I 1051 01:01:23.920 --> 01:01:26.320 think I told this story. They all had cut sleeves. 1052 01:01:27.000 --> 01:01:29.480 T shirts would cut sleeves, and Chief is that, and 1053 01:01:29.519 --> 01:01:31.760 I go over them to introduce myself for the first time. 1054 01:01:31.840 --> 01:01:34.039 I'm like, oh my, and I never was dressed properly 1055 01:01:34.119 --> 01:01:36.000 coobs though. I go over to shake his hand. I 1056 01:01:36.039 --> 01:01:38.920 got the shirt on, buttoned up, everything right, and I'm 1057 01:01:38.920 --> 01:01:41.000 thinking to myself, he's gonna like rip into me like 1058 01:01:41.280 --> 01:01:43.199 with these guys. Next thing I know, he's talking to 1059 01:01:43.239 --> 01:01:46.280 them everything, and I get to the firehouse, and I said, wow, man, 1060 01:01:46.280 --> 01:01:48.800 I thought the chief was gonna read me out because 1061 01:01:49.440 --> 01:01:52.559 everybody was out of uniform. He's like, look, Chief, he 1062 01:01:52.639 --> 01:01:54.039 was a one o two guy. I said, oh, he's 1063 01:01:54.079 --> 01:01:55.599 one of two guys. I went upstairs. 1064 01:01:55.639 --> 01:01:59.639 I cut my shirt. I said, hey, when that. 1065 01:01:59.679 --> 01:02:01.559 When Mike Travis's father. 1066 01:02:02.840 --> 01:02:08.119 No, I don't think so. No, No, I'm sorry, Chief, 1067 01:02:08.159 --> 01:02:09.400 I just was thinking about one or two. 1068 01:02:09.800 --> 01:02:12.559 No, it's a good, great spot. I loved it working there. 1069 01:02:14.159 --> 01:02:18.480 Put it easily stayed the canman for thirty five years. 1070 01:02:19.320 --> 01:02:20.199 You know, no problem. 1071 01:02:20.639 --> 01:02:21.960 Yeah, did you ever give you can up? 1072 01:02:24.159 --> 01:02:29.039 No, Let's see the let's see the ice picture. Now, 1073 01:02:29.079 --> 01:02:31.400 let's I want to I've been looking at this picture 1074 01:02:31.559 --> 01:02:32.480 for like thirty. 1075 01:02:33.000 --> 01:02:35.760 Show the one with the building first. 1076 01:02:36.079 --> 01:02:38.639 Sure. Absolutely, So that was. 1077 01:02:38.639 --> 01:02:40.920 A story that was the you know, I almost bought 1078 01:02:40.960 --> 01:02:45.880 the farm that that night. So it was a little background. 1079 01:02:46.719 --> 01:02:51.480 I worked Tuesday, January twelfth, nineteen eighty eight, six by 1080 01:02:51.599 --> 01:02:55.320 nine tour, so I was working the two for some reason, 1081 01:02:55.360 --> 01:02:59.760 I was working two straight toward night tours, January twelfth 1082 01:02:59.800 --> 01:03:05.760 and January thirteenth. So January twelfth, I went to a 1083 01:03:05.880 --> 01:03:09.519 fire and it was cold out, very cold out, and 1084 01:03:10.079 --> 01:03:12.840 I had a scarf around my neck underneath my coat, 1085 01:03:13.599 --> 01:03:16.280 and I went to a fire and the scarf melted 1086 01:03:16.320 --> 01:03:19.559 around my neck. So it was you know, I guess 1087 01:03:19.599 --> 01:03:22.480 it was polyester or whatever. But yeah, I said, oh, 1088 01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:26.639 this ain't good. So I went in between tours the 1089 01:03:26.719 --> 01:03:31.360 next The next day, in between tours, I went to 1090 01:03:31.440 --> 01:03:35.119 this place called Accurate Fire Equipment and bought a hood. 1091 01:03:36.159 --> 01:03:39.400 So hoods weren't a thing then, you know, they weren't 1092 01:03:39.440 --> 01:03:41.360 a thing. But I said, well, you know, if i'm 1093 01:03:41.360 --> 01:03:43.199 gonna it's a fucking cold night, I'm gonna, you know, 1094 01:03:43.440 --> 01:03:49.440 buy a hood. Which so now it's I'm working Wednesday 1095 01:03:49.599 --> 01:03:56.519 the thirteenth, and early on the January fourteenth, there was 1096 01:03:56.559 --> 01:03:58.960 a fire with that putting up a new building there. 1097 01:03:59.639 --> 01:04:02.639 It was an old building and that was five eighty 1098 01:04:02.679 --> 01:04:09.400 three Franklin Avenue. So we get assigned, and this is 1099 01:04:09.719 --> 01:04:14.000 between Atlantic and Pacific Street and Brooklyn. We very rarely 1100 01:04:14.400 --> 01:04:19.360 ran south of Fulton Street, but we get it was 1101 01:04:19.519 --> 01:04:21.840 it was a busy night and companies were all out 1102 01:04:21.880 --> 01:04:24.880 of out of sorts. It was early in the morning, 1103 01:04:25.880 --> 01:04:30.480 it was just starting to get light out, and we're 1104 01:04:30.519 --> 01:04:34.039 going down on on what Street, down down south, So 1105 01:04:34.199 --> 01:04:36.599 I remember Richie Crochey was hey, he had the iions 1106 01:04:36.639 --> 01:04:39.599 I had the OV. So I remember saying to him. 1107 01:04:39.639 --> 01:04:41.760 He says, rich oh, boy, I hope the fireing out 1108 01:04:41.800 --> 01:04:44.679 by the time we get there. He says, oh, don't 1109 01:04:44.760 --> 01:04:48.480 say that. Oh I said that one time, and I 1110 01:04:48.559 --> 01:04:51.400 got the shit beat out of me. So sure enough 1111 01:04:51.440 --> 01:04:56.599 we get there. Al Petrocelli was a covering captain before 1112 01:04:56.599 --> 01:04:59.519 we got the spot in one O two and we 1113 01:04:59.639 --> 01:05:03.679 get a sign to the exposure, which was where that 1114 01:05:04.280 --> 01:05:10.159 where that arrow is? That was five eighty five, I 1115 01:05:10.280 --> 01:05:16.920 believe Franklin. So we get a signed okay, search exposure four. 1116 01:05:17.760 --> 01:05:21.400 So we go into exposure four. I note the front 1117 01:05:21.440 --> 01:05:25.920 fire escapes. I got the OV and we all go 1118 01:05:26.079 --> 01:05:30.880 up together to the top floor and the captain says 1119 01:05:30.920 --> 01:05:33.719 to me, Bobby, go the rear. We'll start in the 1120 01:05:33.800 --> 01:05:36.280 front and we'll meet in the middle and keep going. 1121 01:05:37.159 --> 01:05:38.519 I said, all right, I go all the way to 1122 01:05:38.559 --> 01:05:42.960 the rear. I note that there's no rear fire escapes. 1123 01:05:44.079 --> 01:05:46.599 So now I'm searching from the rear towards the front, 1124 01:05:46.760 --> 01:05:50.599 and they're searching from the front towards the rear. Now 1125 01:05:50.679 --> 01:05:54.840 it starts getting shitty, so they decide to go down 1126 01:05:56.360 --> 01:06:02.119 unbeknownst to me. So I'm search towards the front. I'm 1127 01:06:02.159 --> 01:06:06.360 getting towards the front room and Greg Siminara in one 1128 01:06:06.440 --> 01:06:10.400 eleventh bucket is coming in in that window off the 1129 01:06:10.480 --> 01:06:14.079 fire escaped there. So I says Greg, it's getting shitty 1130 01:06:14.199 --> 01:06:16.559 up here. Now you know we were fireming together in 1131 01:06:16.639 --> 01:06:23.159 two thirty. I knew his capabilities. Great fireman. I says Greg, 1132 01:06:23.199 --> 01:06:26.000 it's getting shitty up here. I'm going to just search 1133 01:06:26.119 --> 01:06:29.960 this room and I'm going to go down. So he 1134 01:06:30.000 --> 01:06:32.440 pulls the bucket. He says, okay, Bobby pulls the bucket away. 1135 01:06:33.159 --> 01:06:37.000 Two fourteen was stretching a line to the top floor, 1136 01:06:37.960 --> 01:06:42.519 a dry line to the top floor, and that's when 1137 01:06:42.559 --> 01:06:45.519 the shit hit the fan. The whole third floor lit up. 1138 01:06:46.679 --> 01:06:50.440 So now we're I mean two fourteen's on the landing 1139 01:06:51.079 --> 01:06:54.440 and I'm in the front room. So they all dive 1140 01:06:54.599 --> 01:06:57.760 through the fire down below the fire and I'm stuck 1141 01:06:57.840 --> 01:07:02.599 in that room there. So I my My first thing 1142 01:07:02.719 --> 01:07:05.599 that I'm fearing is I'm going to die up here 1143 01:07:05.639 --> 01:07:08.599 with my my my cheeter, my cheaer. I didn't have 1144 01:07:08.639 --> 01:07:11.440 a face piece, that was my That was the thing 1145 01:07:11.519 --> 01:07:14.199 I was thinking of so I give like a half face. 1146 01:07:15.480 --> 01:07:19.000 I give like a half fasce urgent. Yeah, one or 1147 01:07:19.000 --> 01:07:21.760 two ov. I'm up on the top floor. So now 1148 01:07:21.880 --> 01:07:24.599 there's fire about those three windows on the third floor there. 1149 01:07:25.840 --> 01:07:29.960 So the chief says, go to the rear, go to 1150 01:07:30.079 --> 01:07:32.679 the rear. I know, I go to the rear. I'm 1151 01:07:32.719 --> 01:07:36.760 a dead man. So I yell out to Greg in 1152 01:07:36.840 --> 01:07:38.920 the bucket. I says, Greg, Man, come and get me. 1153 01:07:40.159 --> 01:07:43.800 So they kept the fire in the window from a 1154 01:07:43.920 --> 01:07:47.559 line in the street. So I was in that the 1155 01:07:47.639 --> 01:07:51.159 window where the arrow is. So he says, what window, 1156 01:07:51.280 --> 01:07:54.440 what window? Yet I says, off the fire escape. So 1157 01:07:54.639 --> 01:07:57.320 he drove. He drove the bucket through the fire, through 1158 01:07:57.400 --> 01:08:02.159 the smoke. I dove in and I got out. So 1159 01:08:03.519 --> 01:08:07.199 now they call for water. They're gonna, you know, we're 1160 01:08:07.199 --> 01:08:10.000 gonna go to a next steary operation. And that's how 1161 01:08:10.039 --> 01:08:12.639 I got coated with the ice. Greg and I were 1162 01:08:12.679 --> 01:08:15.599 in the bucket. We knocked the fire, went up to 1163 01:08:15.639 --> 01:08:18.560 the fourth floor. So we knock too far. Two floors 1164 01:08:18.560 --> 01:08:23.079 of fire down, and you know, it was cold morning, 1165 01:08:23.199 --> 01:08:27.159 and YadA, YadA YadA. So now we're over, we're done, 1166 01:08:28.039 --> 01:08:33.159 and hey, come get me. Well, no one O two 1167 01:08:33.319 --> 01:08:35.920 was leaving. They were leaving because they got you know, 1168 01:08:36.039 --> 01:08:38.560 take up, but I said, hey, don't leave without me. 1169 01:08:40.159 --> 01:08:42.239 So you hood looks good. 1170 01:08:42.439 --> 01:08:45.319 See yeah, I mean it was only a couple hours old. 1171 01:08:46.079 --> 01:08:50.880 But that's uh Richie Deeper Dover he was a chief 1172 01:08:50.920 --> 01:08:54.560 in the five seven. Uh that that's like you can 1173 01:08:54.640 --> 01:08:57.760 cut off there, but uh that clicked. Sure. 1174 01:08:58.079 --> 01:09:02.840 I went to probably school of his son deep Andy. Yeah, and. 1175 01:09:05.239 --> 01:09:06.279 I was in the. 1176 01:09:08.000 --> 01:09:10.520 That was in the magazine the what the fuck is 1177 01:09:10.520 --> 01:09:13.199 the name of that magazine? What was the magazine we 1178 01:09:13.279 --> 01:09:14.840 had in the fire house all the time. I can't 1179 01:09:14.840 --> 01:09:16.359 think of w n y F magazine. 1180 01:09:17.039 --> 01:09:17.279 Thank you. 1181 01:09:17.600 --> 01:09:21.600 Yeah, I don't think that picture was in the w M. 1182 01:09:21.840 --> 01:09:23.680 It was in the back. Yes, I remember seeing it. 1183 01:09:24.960 --> 01:09:25.880 What episode I have a. 1184 01:09:25.880 --> 01:09:29.720 Bunch here and go look the next uh the next day, 1185 01:09:30.359 --> 01:09:36.680 after that incident of my ship in my pants, I 1186 01:09:36.800 --> 01:09:38.840 get over time because it's the end of my you know, 1187 01:09:38.920 --> 01:09:43.920 it's my second tour, right, So I'm in the fire 1188 01:09:43.960 --> 01:09:45.960 house and bed for the avenue and the three four 1189 01:09:46.039 --> 01:09:49.880 Battalion was still in existence, and uh, well you want 1190 01:09:49.920 --> 01:09:54.039 to work overtime? Said yeah, okay, all right, Oh you 1191 01:09:54.119 --> 01:09:56.359 got to drive the chief. So I never drove the 1192 01:09:56.439 --> 01:09:59.079 chief before. I was all right, well, what the you know, 1193 01:09:59.159 --> 01:10:02.199 what could it be? So we get we get a 1194 01:10:02.560 --> 01:10:05.760 I'm working chief stayed in the three four battalion first 1195 01:10:05.800 --> 01:10:09.399 time ever. We get a box in with one O 1196 01:10:09.520 --> 01:10:16.520 eight and uh to sixteen on Graham Avenue manhole for you, 1197 01:10:17.399 --> 01:10:21.479 and I'm just like, you know, I'm standing there with 1198 01:10:21.560 --> 01:10:24.119 a fucking clipboard. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. 1199 01:10:25.720 --> 01:10:30.279 So all of a sudden, boom, the fucking manhole goes flying. 1200 01:10:31.199 --> 01:10:34.520 So I was a student, and I know it said don't. 1201 01:10:34.399 --> 01:10:37.640 Run, don't don't run, always look up and look up. 1202 01:10:37.880 --> 01:10:39.720 If it's going to land on your head, then you move, 1203 01:10:39.800 --> 01:10:43.560 then you run. So the fucking things coming right towards 1204 01:10:43.640 --> 01:10:47.439 me and I run. What the fuck? 1205 01:10:47.880 --> 01:10:53.479 They never got towards anybody really, So, you know, this 1206 01:10:53.640 --> 01:10:54.359 morning and then. 1207 01:10:54.319 --> 01:10:57.199 Later on the afternoon, the fucking manhole almost lists. So 1208 01:10:57.399 --> 01:11:03.119 now the next day, which was Friday to fifteen, I 1209 01:11:03.159 --> 01:11:05.600 didn't have any kids. My wife was like six months 1210 01:11:05.640 --> 01:11:08.439 pregnant at the time at the first one, and she 1211 01:11:08.680 --> 01:11:10.960 was working at the time, and I go to the 1212 01:11:11.039 --> 01:11:13.520 new I go to the candy store to buy the newspaper, 1213 01:11:14.239 --> 01:11:16.159 and the fucking front page of the news of the 1214 01:11:16.680 --> 01:11:19.359 daily news. I think I have a picture there there 1215 01:11:19.920 --> 01:11:23.880 Daily News, this one. So I go to the candy 1216 01:11:24.000 --> 01:11:27.399 store and that's what I see. So I start laughing. 1217 01:11:28.479 --> 01:11:30.920 So the young girl behind the counter, she's on the phone, 1218 01:11:30.960 --> 01:11:33.159 she says, Oh, what are you laughing at? I says, 1219 01:11:33.199 --> 01:11:36.560 that's me. She says, Oh, I was just just talking 1220 01:11:36.560 --> 01:11:38.520 to my friend. What a fucking picture that is? You know? 1221 01:11:39.399 --> 01:11:43.399 I says, yeah, it's a long story. But that picture 1222 01:11:43.920 --> 01:11:48.439 was on the WNYF which I'm sorry. It was on 1223 01:11:48.520 --> 01:11:52.600 the department orders, which they had a thing it started 1224 01:11:52.680 --> 01:11:58.600 in January nine of eighty eight, you know that they 1225 01:11:58.640 --> 01:12:00.920 would put pictures and whatever. I don't know what they 1226 01:12:01.000 --> 01:12:03.399 called it, but that was the first picture. 1227 01:12:04.720 --> 01:12:08.119 I like how they tied it into the Jennifer's Final 1228 01:12:08.199 --> 01:12:10.279 hours last week and talk of sex and there you are. 1229 01:12:10.680 --> 01:12:14.319 So you're familiar with that story that the whole did 1230 01:12:14.359 --> 01:12:15.399 you do you remember that story? 1231 01:12:15.479 --> 01:12:17.640 But no, is that the one of the central plot? 1232 01:12:19.359 --> 01:12:21.239 It was They called it a. 1233 01:12:23.239 --> 01:12:26.119 Not yuppie yuppie rape or whatever it was. 1234 01:12:26.319 --> 01:12:30.119 Yeah, yeah, that was it. I don't remember the guy's name, 1235 01:12:30.199 --> 01:12:36.600 but but that picture. Also, I'm good friends with Paul Pharaoh, 1236 01:12:36.640 --> 01:12:40.680 and he told me that that picture six foot tall 1237 01:12:41.479 --> 01:12:44.319 in the I A F F headquarters in Washington, d C. 1238 01:12:45.199 --> 01:12:47.520 I never seen it, but that he told me that 1239 01:12:47.720 --> 01:12:50.199 that's one of the pictures in their headquarters lobby. 1240 01:12:52.840 --> 01:12:54.359 Now I know why he had a hood on, because 1241 01:12:54.359 --> 01:12:55.760 you always wonder like, how did that guy have a 1242 01:12:55.800 --> 01:12:58.279 hood on? If he was like back then nobody we 1243 01:12:58.319 --> 01:13:01.319 didn't have buds then interesting. 1244 01:13:01.399 --> 01:13:04.039 As you guys, and well how can they left jump there? 1245 01:13:04.119 --> 01:13:05.359 They didn't tell you they were going down? 1246 01:13:06.079 --> 01:13:09.560 I never really uh, after you run for your life, 1247 01:13:09.600 --> 01:13:12.840 you never really yeah, yeah, I. 1248 01:13:12.840 --> 01:13:15.159 Did never really approached that. Why did you leave me 1249 01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:21.439 up there? But anyway, where are we? We are? 1250 01:13:23.039 --> 01:13:23.880 Uh Chancellor? 1251 01:13:24.199 --> 01:13:24.920 We were in one of two. 1252 01:13:25.039 --> 01:13:29.079 Yeah, we got promotenant. We got to move a little 1253 01:13:29.119 --> 01:13:31.520 quicker because we got an hour and fifteen in oh 1254 01:13:32.399 --> 01:13:32.960 to Uh. 1255 01:13:33.680 --> 01:13:36.880 Promoted to the gott. I got promoted jury. 1256 01:13:37.600 --> 01:13:41.159 Yeah, I'm sorry, Uh to division three and assigned to 1257 01:13:41.159 --> 01:13:42.039 a lot of twelve. 1258 01:13:42.960 --> 01:13:48.359 Well I covered Jerry Tracy I called up. I didn't 1259 01:13:48.359 --> 01:13:50.439 know I got assigned to the third division. I didn't 1260 01:13:50.479 --> 01:13:55.399 know anybody Jerry Tracy. I knew from one O eight 1261 01:13:55.479 --> 01:13:58.039 I was in one O two. He was in four truck. 1262 01:13:58.600 --> 01:14:01.000 I called up Jerry. I said, said, Jerry, how you doing? 1263 01:14:01.439 --> 01:14:03.640 You know I just got a sign. Oh you know, 1264 01:14:03.960 --> 01:14:07.199 he says, Bobby, you know I'm going on vacation. Nobody's 1265 01:14:07.239 --> 01:14:10.239 covering my vacation. You're covering my vacation. I sais ah 1266 01:14:10.439 --> 01:14:11.239 four truck? You know? 1267 01:14:11.840 --> 01:14:12.000 You know? 1268 01:14:12.479 --> 01:14:15.159 He said, No, nobody's covering it. You know I'll call 1269 01:14:15.239 --> 01:14:17.560 it up. You know, they'll call you what you're doing. 1270 01:14:18.159 --> 01:14:21.720 So I was My twenty four partner was Tom Galvin. 1271 01:14:21.760 --> 01:14:25.840 He was a captain of Ford Truck. The first tour 1272 01:14:26.000 --> 01:14:27.920 I was an up and down twenty four in the 1273 01:14:27.960 --> 01:14:31.560 middle of July of nineteen ninety and it was the 1274 01:14:31.600 --> 01:14:35.800 Empire State Building fire. So I'm driving in from Valley 1275 01:14:35.880 --> 01:14:39.520 Stream and I'm listening to ten ten Wins and they're 1276 01:14:39.640 --> 01:14:43.279 terror telling these howering stories about a big fire, the 1277 01:14:43.319 --> 01:14:47.840 Empire State Building fire, fucking fires wrapping around the core 1278 01:14:48.000 --> 01:14:50.880 and blah blah blah, and guys are getting burnt. I'm saying, 1279 01:14:50.960 --> 01:14:53.760 what the fuck am I getting myself into? I says, 1280 01:14:53.800 --> 01:14:55.840 I was only I was never more than ten feet 1281 01:14:55.840 --> 01:14:57.920 away from a window. And now I'm going this fuck 1282 01:14:57.960 --> 01:15:02.079 in Manhattan John Bill Navis, who I worked with his 1283 01:15:02.279 --> 01:15:07.880 brother George, and went out to telling me, you know, Howering, 1284 01:15:08.359 --> 01:15:10.800 it's amazing that we lose didn't lose a dozen guys 1285 01:15:11.880 --> 01:15:15.119 that fire. I'm going to move it along. There was 1286 01:15:15.159 --> 01:15:19.680 another story while I was doing that vacation. So there 1287 01:15:19.800 --> 01:15:23.119 was old lower tenements under demolition right in the harder 1288 01:15:23.199 --> 01:15:26.439 Times Square where they sell the tickets for the shows. 1289 01:15:27.600 --> 01:15:30.680 I don't know what it's called ticket whatever. There was 1290 01:15:30.680 --> 01:15:33.239 a bunch of old law tenements that they were under demolition. 1291 01:15:34.159 --> 01:15:37.920 So when they were doing the cutting or whatever, the 1292 01:15:38.000 --> 01:15:41.279 corners went on fire. So I got seven years on 1293 01:15:41.359 --> 01:15:45.640 the job, first time lieutenant and Ford Truck and Times Square. 1294 01:15:46.399 --> 01:15:49.000 So we go to you know a little for the microscope. 1295 01:15:49.920 --> 01:15:54.279 So I says, to the show for I says, why 1296 01:15:54.279 --> 01:15:56.880 don't you hit it with the aeriel knock it down 1297 01:15:57.039 --> 01:16:01.920 and we'll hit it with the booster. You guys. He goes, yeah, Love, 1298 01:16:02.199 --> 01:16:05.319 we don't do that around here. So I look on 1299 01:16:05.399 --> 01:16:07.880 the on the on the curb and everybody's got a 1300 01:16:07.920 --> 01:16:11.840 fucking cap. I says, bro, do whatever you do. So 1301 01:16:13.199 --> 01:16:15.880 they got the fucking ball cutters. They're going. They went 1302 01:16:15.920 --> 01:16:17.920 the booster, they're going to knock it down. They take it. 1303 01:16:18.239 --> 01:16:21.920 They gift wrapped each pace. They're coming down. You never 1304 01:16:24.520 --> 01:16:28.159 twelve I get a sign right. O'Connor was a Fineman 1305 01:16:28.199 --> 01:16:31.920 and four truck lieutenant in two thirty five Captain twelve truck. 1306 01:16:33.039 --> 01:16:37.840 Uh knows me knows I'm covering. At that time, seventh 1307 01:16:37.880 --> 01:16:41.840 Battalion went from the third Division to the first division. Bobby, 1308 01:16:42.000 --> 01:16:44.319 you know we need a guy lieutenant. Blah blah blah. 1309 01:16:44.840 --> 01:16:48.359 I was studying for captain. You know, I like twelve truck. 1310 01:16:48.439 --> 01:16:50.880 The response there he was decent. They didn't do a 1311 01:16:50.920 --> 01:16:53.039 lot of the high rise stuff that they didn't like. 1312 01:16:54.520 --> 01:16:58.560 They did old tenements and and H types and brownstones. 1313 01:16:59.359 --> 01:17:05.199 So I he asked me. I went and was in 1314 01:17:05.279 --> 01:17:09.680 twelve truck for a bunch of years. Guys there was 1315 01:17:09.760 --> 01:17:13.399 Rod O'Connor, Jack Gibbons was a very senior guy when 1316 01:17:13.439 --> 01:17:17.079 I was there. Clarence Singleton, which he retired as a 1317 01:17:17.399 --> 01:17:23.840 lieutenant to eighteen Big Angel RIVERA, Wayne Petretti, Mark Fredrickson, 1318 01:17:24.079 --> 01:17:29.920 great guy, Larry Cohen, Mike Matt Cassidy, Tommy Lane, and 1319 01:17:30.079 --> 01:17:35.279 Heinz Cothy and Paul Farrow was a lieutenant in Engine 1320 01:17:35.319 --> 01:17:38.640 three while I was there, so I got a quick 1321 01:17:38.680 --> 01:17:43.439 story about Heinz Coty. So after I get promoted, there 1322 01:17:43.520 --> 01:17:46.720 was a guy in twelve truck that had a construction business, 1323 01:17:47.680 --> 01:17:53.239 so I'm already gone, and he hired some of the 1324 01:17:53.279 --> 01:17:56.520 guys in the firehouse to help him, you know, work 1325 01:17:56.600 --> 01:18:02.119 on construction in the Manhattan. So I wish I could 1326 01:18:02.119 --> 01:18:04.319 think of his name, but I don't remember his name. 1327 01:18:04.840 --> 01:18:08.039 So Heines is working for this guy and they're walking 1328 01:18:08.119 --> 01:18:09.880 up to the building with it and they smell smoke. 1329 01:18:11.039 --> 01:18:15.319 So they said, oh, the fucking son's barning. You know 1330 01:18:15.439 --> 01:18:19.039 something's barning. Oh fucking building over there's on fire. So 1331 01:18:19.199 --> 01:18:21.119 one of the guys there was three guys. One of 1332 01:18:21.159 --> 01:18:25.159 them was lieutenant I think it was, I can't think 1333 01:18:25.199 --> 01:18:29.800 of his name, Larry Bleeker, Larry Bleeker who ended up 1334 01:18:29.840 --> 01:18:32.279 being a captain of two thirty. Heinz Kthy and this 1335 01:18:32.439 --> 01:18:35.079 other guy. They go into the fire into the building. 1336 01:18:35.960 --> 01:18:40.119 Heinz goes up to the roof. So sixteen truck was 1337 01:18:40.199 --> 01:18:44.640 first due, so I guess they got The other two 1338 01:18:44.680 --> 01:18:47.000 guys go to the fire floor. They're doing whatever they're doing, 1339 01:18:47.520 --> 01:18:50.880 but there's somebody at the window. At the window, so 1340 01:18:51.600 --> 01:18:56.640 Heines is in Doungarees construction close you know. So a 1341 01:18:56.720 --> 01:18:59.800 guy that I grew up with is his father was 1342 01:18:59.840 --> 01:19:02.760 this guy, Bobby mcglock on. My father's best friend was 1343 01:19:02.840 --> 01:19:07.239 the roof man in sixteen truck. So heine says, come on, 1344 01:19:07.359 --> 01:19:08.920 I'm a fire him in a twelve truck. I'll lower 1345 01:19:08.960 --> 01:19:11.000 you down to get the guy out of the fucking window. 1346 01:19:11.680 --> 01:19:15.039 They do a roof robe rescue. I swear to god 1347 01:19:15.680 --> 01:19:18.279 he ended up Dale mclough and got a medal for 1348 01:19:18.600 --> 01:19:21.479 roof rope rescue getting lowered by some guy that claims 1349 01:19:21.520 --> 01:19:22.359 he knows what he's doing. 1350 01:19:22.439 --> 01:19:26.359 From that's worked. 1351 01:19:27.000 --> 01:19:29.039 I worked with Dale when I was in sixteen truck. 1352 01:19:29.119 --> 01:19:29.720 He's a good guy. 1353 01:19:30.840 --> 01:19:32.000 Circle the trust right there. 1354 01:19:32.680 --> 01:19:36.000 Yeah, it's like I suck that so moving along left. 1355 01:19:36.119 --> 01:19:41.079 Like ninety five, I got promoted to captain. I did 1356 01:19:41.199 --> 01:19:47.039 six months in the captain's management program, which was torture tough. 1357 01:19:47.239 --> 01:19:47.760 Yeah tough. 1358 01:19:48.760 --> 01:19:49.079 I think. 1359 01:19:49.159 --> 01:19:53.119 I think there was thirty guys in the class. Fifteen 1360 01:19:53.239 --> 01:19:56.520 did six months and fifteen did a year, so I 1361 01:19:56.560 --> 01:19:58.199 would have had to turn it down if I was 1362 01:19:58.239 --> 01:20:00.199 in the year group, but I was in the six 1363 01:20:00.279 --> 01:20:06.000 month group. Fortunately, my job this was the old headquarters 1364 01:20:06.199 --> 01:20:12.720 on I think Livingston Street, and my job was to 1365 01:20:12.840 --> 01:20:17.079 put the forms online like now, I guess that's a 1366 01:20:17.119 --> 01:20:21.359 common thing like but everything was by paper and carbon 1367 01:20:21.479 --> 01:20:25.359 paper and back, you know. So there was a pile 1368 01:20:26.600 --> 01:20:28.680 somebody else had you know, started it, So there was 1369 01:20:28.680 --> 01:20:31.119 a pile of papers. So it took me six months 1370 01:20:31.159 --> 01:20:32.840 to move the pilot papers from the otherft side of 1371 01:20:32.840 --> 01:20:33.920 the desk of the rights of the. 1372 01:20:35.399 --> 01:20:40.760 And that was my good god, crucial, crucial, right, like, 1373 01:20:40.880 --> 01:20:41.920 we can't use this guy. 1374 01:20:41.800 --> 01:20:42.880 Anywhere else on the job. 1375 01:20:42.960 --> 01:20:44.840 This is really what we need to do. 1376 01:20:45.199 --> 01:20:47.520 It was, you know, I don't I don't say he's 1377 01:20:47.920 --> 01:20:53.199 completely useless. While I was there was when Vanessa became commissioner, 1378 01:20:54.039 --> 01:20:57.520 and I remember who was before him, But what the 1379 01:20:57.640 --> 01:21:00.319 six months I was there, which I guess was the 1380 01:21:00.439 --> 01:21:04.680 beginning of ninety six, I don't remember. But you know, 1381 01:21:05.279 --> 01:21:07.600 he he brought it like a lot of good ideas. 1382 01:21:07.800 --> 01:21:15.640 You know, guys felt questionable. But I remember the Fireman's rotation, 1383 01:21:15.920 --> 01:21:19.399 you know, so he had all these new captains, fifteen 1384 01:21:19.439 --> 01:21:22.520 new captains, and he said, I'm going to have this idea. 1385 01:21:22.600 --> 01:21:27.520 I'm going to do approb the rotation. Ask me any 1386 01:21:27.600 --> 01:21:31.439 questions you want. Somebody says, why do we got to 1387 01:21:31.520 --> 01:21:35.000 do this? And he had a great answer. He says, well, 1388 01:21:35.399 --> 01:21:39.520 you know, ten percent of the companies are doing ninety 1389 01:21:39.520 --> 01:21:42.600 percent of the jobs. He says, I'd rather have a 1390 01:21:42.680 --> 01:21:45.359 guy go to a busy company for a year than 1391 01:21:45.640 --> 01:21:48.479 never go to a busy company, right, you know, it 1392 01:21:48.600 --> 01:21:51.800 kind of made sense that And you learn things in 1393 01:21:51.880 --> 01:21:54.000 a good house that you maybe want to take back 1394 01:21:54.079 --> 01:21:54.720 to the house that. 1395 01:21:54.800 --> 01:21:58.159 You were in, and I just a chance to go 1396 01:21:58.439 --> 01:22:00.760 somewhere else with the decent Maybe they want to go 1397 01:22:00.800 --> 01:22:03.000 to a busy house to stuck in a slow house 1398 01:22:03.039 --> 01:22:04.800 to get complace it and then never want to move. 1399 01:22:04.960 --> 01:22:07.239 Well, that's and I've seen that in three engine and 1400 01:22:07.319 --> 01:22:09.600 twelve truck. You know, I said, guys wanted to go 1401 01:22:09.680 --> 01:22:12.119 to busier houses, Guys who wanted to go to slower houses, 1402 01:22:12.199 --> 01:22:16.720 Guys that got closer home, right, you know. But so 1403 01:22:17.039 --> 01:22:21.399 that's that I get a signed to the seventh division. 1404 01:22:21.439 --> 01:22:23.680 But then you know it turned they turned it back 1405 01:22:23.720 --> 01:22:29.680 to the fifteenth, and so now it's ninety seven. I 1406 01:22:29.880 --> 01:22:34.079 hear rumblings about these new squads. I'm a covering captain. 1407 01:22:35.640 --> 01:22:38.640 I loved two fifty two engine. It was a Great House, 1408 01:22:38.760 --> 01:22:43.279 single engine. I think the rumors were that that was 1409 01:22:43.359 --> 01:22:51.159 going to be one of the squads, and I put 1410 01:22:51.199 --> 01:22:56.239 in for two fifty two, so I think it was 1411 01:22:56.279 --> 01:22:57.960 a lead ahead. Did I have the lead ahead? 1412 01:22:58.800 --> 01:23:00.439 You had one of the but not? 1413 01:23:00.560 --> 01:23:01.640 Oh yeah, it was with squad. 1414 01:23:02.680 --> 01:23:05.880 So that's what they asked for. They asked for divisions 1415 01:23:06.000 --> 01:23:09.720 to you know, poll your captains who wants So I 1416 01:23:09.760 --> 01:23:13.560 put him for two fifty two. Steve Raswella was the 1417 01:23:13.680 --> 01:23:17.960 captain and I found out later on that he was 1418 01:23:18.039 --> 01:23:25.319 putting in for it. But a guy I knew was 1419 01:23:25.720 --> 01:23:29.279 the executive officer of I guess it was man Essen 1420 01:23:29.319 --> 01:23:32.640 at the time. And uh, he says two fifty two, 1421 01:23:33.199 --> 01:23:36.640 you know, Steve aswell is staying. Eighteen's open. What do 1422 01:23:36.680 --> 01:23:39.880 you do you want that? So I says, it's a 1423 01:23:39.960 --> 01:23:43.359 tremendous opportunity. I ran in with engine eighteen when I 1424 01:23:43.439 --> 01:23:44.319 was in twelve. 1425 01:23:46.159 --> 01:23:48.159 Right, I wasn't a second do there? 1426 01:23:48.239 --> 01:23:48.359 Right? 1427 01:23:48.520 --> 01:23:48.760 Yeah? 1428 01:23:48.800 --> 01:23:52.880 Right? Yeah, I wasn't you know, I wasn't in the system. 1429 01:23:52.960 --> 01:23:58.800 I never was in a rescue battalion company. But it 1430 01:23:59.239 --> 01:24:01.960 sounded like a tremend this opportunity to make I was 1431 01:24:02.039 --> 01:24:06.800 already studying for battalion chief at the time. My wife says, 1432 01:24:07.920 --> 01:24:12.199 at the time, Uh, what the you hated work in Manhattan? 1433 01:24:12.199 --> 01:24:14.720 What do you want to go back? You know? And 1434 01:24:15.640 --> 01:24:19.560 one of the things was to their credit was all 1435 01:24:19.640 --> 01:24:22.560 the guys from the engine says, you take all of us, 1436 01:24:22.800 --> 01:24:25.239 or you take none of us, which I kind of 1437 01:24:25.279 --> 01:24:31.760 admire it, you know, but I think I think they 1438 01:24:31.840 --> 01:24:35.560 all left, And so I would have had twenty five 1439 01:24:35.640 --> 01:24:39.800 new guys, some guys that had rescue experience, some guys, 1440 01:24:39.840 --> 01:24:42.800 most guys didn't, So I would have been you know, 1441 01:24:44.159 --> 01:24:48.359 mentoring or not mentoring. That's you know, training with these guys. 1442 01:24:48.520 --> 01:24:53.039 Even so, it just so Jerry Tracy, I believe was 1443 01:24:53.119 --> 01:24:58.359 the first captain. He was in eighteen. So that was, uh, 1444 01:24:59.439 --> 01:25:04.720 I guess eight ninety eight. So now December eighteenth, nineteen 1445 01:25:04.800 --> 01:25:10.800 ninety eight, I was I was UFO in I'm getting 1446 01:25:10.800 --> 01:25:15.359 but that was like a busy time ninety eight, ninety nine, 1447 01:25:16.640 --> 01:25:21.119 two thirty six. Yeah, I don't think I was UFO 1448 01:25:21.279 --> 01:25:24.920 there yet, but I was covering and I was doing 1449 01:25:25.039 --> 01:25:29.159 Jack Mooney's vacation or tour or whatever. He was a 1450 01:25:29.239 --> 01:25:35.920 captain one, and it was the night of December seventeenth, 1451 01:25:36.000 --> 01:25:39.279 I think the fire was on the eighteenth, so rest 1452 01:25:39.359 --> 01:25:44.439 in peace. Joe Cavalieri, Chris Bop and James Bohan so 1453 01:25:46.600 --> 01:25:49.800 Mike Mike Donovan was the officer in two ninety. 1454 01:25:50.000 --> 01:25:50.199 I was. 1455 01:25:50.720 --> 01:25:53.720 You know, we knew each other from the five seven battalion. 1456 01:25:54.359 --> 01:26:00.159 Great guy, friendly. We were friends and work and I 1457 01:26:00.279 --> 01:26:03.800 loved working on Sheffield Avenue. I tried to work there 1458 01:26:03.840 --> 01:26:07.600 as much as I could. You know, they went to fires, 1459 01:26:07.760 --> 01:26:10.159 they wanted to drill. I mean, I just love working there, 1460 01:26:10.520 --> 01:26:13.239 so I worked as much as I could. I was 1461 01:26:13.319 --> 01:26:15.399 one of the first of my two night tours. I 1462 01:26:15.479 --> 01:26:18.399 was working the seventeenth and the eighteenth. So I'm working 1463 01:26:18.439 --> 01:26:25.720 at one O three. There was Ruderick Bauer was driving. 1464 01:26:26.600 --> 01:26:30.720 Vic s Fedaro was the OV. Bobby Higgins was the 1465 01:26:31.119 --> 01:26:34.439 roof man. Dan the Bretty who rest in peace. He 1466 01:26:35.159 --> 01:26:38.000 got in September eleventh and Rescue two had the irons 1467 01:26:38.640 --> 01:26:41.359 and Jim Schweckey was a detail across the floor. He 1468 01:26:41.399 --> 01:26:45.119 had the cam. So we get a run. The Corps 1469 01:26:45.159 --> 01:26:48.319 came in at four point fifty two am. We got 1470 01:26:48.359 --> 01:26:54.319 assigned at four fifty four AM. I know where Vandalia 1471 01:26:54.359 --> 01:26:56.640 Avenue is, I just didn't know which building it was, 1472 01:26:56.800 --> 01:27:01.520 but we're following ninety down Penn and Mike Donovan sees 1473 01:27:01.840 --> 01:27:05.279 the fire on the top floor, so he gives a 1474 01:27:05.319 --> 01:27:07.640 ten seventy five. We're still driving and said, what the fuck, 1475 01:27:07.840 --> 01:27:10.520 you know, where's it? Ten seventy five, So we make 1476 01:27:10.560 --> 01:27:14.600 the right on Vandalia. Earlier in the evening, we had 1477 01:27:14.640 --> 01:27:17.600 a food on the stove in a building right across 1478 01:27:17.640 --> 01:27:23.199 the street from seventeen Vandalia Avenue, so it was a 1479 01:27:23.239 --> 01:27:28.039 food on the stove one seventy and two fifty seven 1480 01:27:28.199 --> 01:27:31.039 or first do we were second due food in the stove. 1481 01:27:31.159 --> 01:27:33.960 They go up, they do their thing. Bobby Higgins goes 1482 01:27:34.039 --> 01:27:36.800 up to the roof and he comes down later on. 1483 01:27:37.000 --> 01:27:40.800 He says, it's very windy up there, be careful for 1484 01:27:40.920 --> 01:27:43.840 a top floor fire. This is earlier in the night, 1485 01:27:45.479 --> 01:27:50.039 so okay, now fist forward. We got a top floor 1486 01:27:50.119 --> 01:27:58.119 fire at A two ninety gives a ten seventy five 1487 01:27:58.199 --> 01:28:01.319 at four point fifty eight. At the same time, the 1488 01:28:01.399 --> 01:28:04.279 dispatcher calls me on the radio one O three we 1489 01:28:04.399 --> 01:28:06.279 have a report of a woman trapped in an apartment 1490 01:28:06.439 --> 01:28:11.439 ten e. That was also at four fifty eight. So 1491 01:28:11.640 --> 01:28:16.319 we go walking up. I'm not sure if two ninety 1492 01:28:16.359 --> 01:28:20.199 went up first in the in the elevator or fifty seven. 1493 01:28:20.880 --> 01:28:23.800 But I said to Joe Cavalleery, I says, you're first. 1494 01:28:23.880 --> 01:28:26.439 Do you take the elevator. We're waiting in the lobby. 1495 01:28:27.399 --> 01:28:31.800 Vic Spadaro gives a fantastic size up, goes to the rear. 1496 01:28:31.920 --> 01:28:35.399 He says, cap the fires on the top floor, exposure 1497 01:28:35.479 --> 01:28:41.560 floor blowing in so great great, So I says to 1498 01:28:41.640 --> 01:28:45.479 the Dan the Bretty and Schweky, I says, come on, 1499 01:28:45.600 --> 01:28:50.039 we'll take the stairs. So we go to exposure four stairs. 1500 01:28:50.439 --> 01:28:56.159 And what happened was the SIDS information was reversed because 1501 01:28:57.760 --> 01:28:59.760 the building that we went to earlier in the night, 1502 01:29:00.439 --> 01:29:04.760 the stamp pipe was in exposure too. But whoever wrote 1503 01:29:04.800 --> 01:29:06.840 up the CIDs card just wrote the same thing for 1504 01:29:06.880 --> 01:29:10.000 the building across the street, so everything was reversed on 1505 01:29:10.119 --> 01:29:14.880 the SIDS. So we walk up and I'm not carrying nothing, 1506 01:29:15.000 --> 01:29:19.199 so I go up, you know first, And I never 1507 01:29:19.279 --> 01:29:21.920 had to do this before, but I put my face 1508 01:29:22.039 --> 01:29:25.840 piece on on the half landing between nine and ten, 1509 01:29:27.159 --> 01:29:29.239 and I had stopped into nine to see where the 1510 01:29:29.359 --> 01:29:34.960 eline was, So I'm heading for tenny I went, I 1511 01:29:35.039 --> 01:29:37.640 stopped ninety, so I said, okay, it's the first door 1512 01:29:38.199 --> 01:29:40.800 on your right when you go in. So but I 1513 01:29:40.920 --> 01:29:43.239 never had to put my face piece on. When the 1514 01:29:43.399 --> 01:29:47.000 fucking door is closed to the hallway. Holy shit. So 1515 01:29:47.039 --> 01:29:48.079 I put the face piece on. 1516 01:29:48.720 --> 01:29:51.239 I go into the hallway and tent flights. 1517 01:29:52.920 --> 01:29:57.560 So I did. In the hallway, it's it's hot. I 1518 01:29:57.680 --> 01:30:00.479 bang bang on the door. The woman open the door. 1519 01:30:00.560 --> 01:30:05.439 She's in a wheelchair, so I push her in, I 1520 01:30:05.520 --> 01:30:07.760 turn her around, I pull her out into the hallway. 1521 01:30:08.680 --> 01:30:12.239 I go towards the door to the stairway, and then 1522 01:30:12.319 --> 01:30:14.119 the bready comes up. He says, you know, grab the feet, 1523 01:30:14.199 --> 01:30:17.079 let's go. We carry her down to the ninth floor, 1524 01:30:17.640 --> 01:30:21.039 and at the same time to fifty seven's bringing the 1525 01:30:21.119 --> 01:30:24.960 line up to ninety I believe was stretching at this. 1526 01:30:25.119 --> 01:30:27.399 At the same time we get her down to the 1527 01:30:27.520 --> 01:30:30.560 ninth floor, I get back up to the to the 1528 01:30:31.239 --> 01:30:36.199 door of the hall hallway, and fifty seven is getting burnt. 1529 01:30:37.000 --> 01:30:38.960 At the time you were allowed to hook up on 1530 01:30:39.000 --> 01:30:42.720 the fire floor, they're getting burnt with the fucking door closed, 1531 01:30:43.880 --> 01:30:46.800 trying to hook up the line, you know, in the stampede, 1532 01:30:47.920 --> 01:30:51.960 So ninety stretch the second line. They come up fifty 1533 01:30:52.000 --> 01:30:56.199 seven didn't get their line hooked up. I says, okay, 1534 01:30:56.199 --> 01:30:59.720 are you ready, you know, we'll open up the line. Oh, 1535 01:31:00.079 --> 01:31:02.960 we're getting burned at one line. We tried once, we 1536 01:31:03.039 --> 01:31:06.399 tried twice. We called for two eighty three. I believe 1537 01:31:06.640 --> 01:31:10.039 I had the second line from the eighth floor. Now 1538 01:31:10.079 --> 01:31:14.000 we have the engine. Two lines, two lines open up 1539 01:31:14.000 --> 01:31:17.319 at the same time. Open okay, ready, go open up 1540 01:31:17.359 --> 01:31:18.760 the door. We were able to get in the hallway, 1541 01:31:18.840 --> 01:31:21.079 and that only with the two lines opened up. That's 1542 01:31:21.079 --> 01:31:23.840 how we got in the fucking hallway. So it was uh. 1543 01:31:24.520 --> 01:31:27.439 I think dom Carino had the nozzle too there and 1544 01:31:27.520 --> 01:31:30.279 he's like, I talk about him all the time, like 1545 01:31:31.159 --> 01:31:33.279 he's burning his ears are going to burn off him 1546 01:31:33.319 --> 01:31:35.640 before he's And all those guys went to the birth center. 1547 01:31:36.760 --> 01:31:41.119 Yeah, I mean eighty three, I believe was on the 1548 01:31:41.199 --> 01:31:43.720 left side of the hallway and ninety was on the 1549 01:31:43.840 --> 01:31:46.399 right side. I'm kind of like in the middle pushing 1550 01:31:46.520 --> 01:31:50.239 down the may days had already occurred, and we're, you know, 1551 01:31:50.760 --> 01:31:51.359 we're trying to. 1552 01:31:52.119 --> 01:31:53.920 Those guys are on the floor from the other side. 1553 01:31:53.920 --> 01:31:57.079 I think they went up the other Yeah, exposure too, 1554 01:31:58.079 --> 01:32:00.640 and years ago they used to called it a wrong 1555 01:32:00.680 --> 01:32:03.760 way fire when the when the wind was blowing into 1556 01:32:03.840 --> 01:32:07.560 the into the so I think the minute or two 1557 01:32:07.720 --> 01:32:11.279 that I was in that hallway, the fire wasn't blowing 1558 01:32:11.359 --> 01:32:14.439 out or wasn't blowing in. It was blowing out, and 1559 01:32:14.600 --> 01:32:17.039 then the gusts would come in it would blow back in. 1560 01:32:17.960 --> 01:32:22.960 So I just I read the safety report in preparation 1561 01:32:23.159 --> 01:32:26.439 for this and he said that which was true. The 1562 01:32:26.600 --> 01:32:29.319 fire was from the floor to the to the top 1563 01:32:29.399 --> 01:32:31.760 of the door coming out hitting the wall on the 1564 01:32:31.800 --> 01:32:38.760 other side of the hallway. That's so it's very, very 1565 01:32:38.800 --> 01:32:43.079 bad night. I remember John O'Connor was the division commander. 1566 01:32:43.199 --> 01:32:47.119 He had that fire, and I remember him saying, he says, Bobbie, 1567 01:32:47.159 --> 01:32:50.640 I work one night too many. Wow. You know, he 1568 01:32:50.720 --> 01:32:54.560 had a he had a career and he retired after that. 1569 01:32:54.760 --> 01:32:58.840 But you know, it's it's a cheap's worst fear. 1570 01:32:58.760 --> 01:33:02.079 Is watch yep. 1571 01:33:02.960 --> 01:33:04.880 I to have three guys, I mean three guys. 1572 01:33:05.119 --> 01:33:11.560 Yeah, it's terrible, terrible night. Yeah, there you go. 1573 01:33:12.159 --> 01:33:13.239 It's still disgusting. 1574 01:33:14.039 --> 01:33:14.239 Yeah. 1575 01:33:15.199 --> 01:33:18.640 So I had another funny story. You know, Tony Verrially 1576 01:33:18.800 --> 01:33:24.960 was on here, so I don't think kill mommy telling 1577 01:33:25.000 --> 01:33:27.920 this story. So I was UF I w and two 1578 01:33:28.000 --> 01:33:32.039 thirty six. I'm very happy there. I think I was, 1579 01:33:32.199 --> 01:33:39.119 you know, pretty safe getting that spot. But how it 1580 01:33:39.359 --> 01:33:42.079 was was if you didn't put in for any transfer 1581 01:33:42.640 --> 01:33:45.920 order coming down, if you didn't put in, they would 1582 01:33:45.920 --> 01:33:50.119 fucking assign your places. So you know, I'm not going 1583 01:33:50.199 --> 01:33:52.319 to say a slow company in the fifteenth, but I 1584 01:33:52.520 --> 01:33:54.760 don't want to go there, so I put in for 1585 01:33:55.079 --> 01:33:56.960 every time there was an opening, I would put in 1586 01:33:57.079 --> 01:33:59.560 even though I'm where I want to be. So it 1587 01:33:59.680 --> 01:34:03.159 was one twenty, two eighty three, one twenty six, and 1588 01:34:03.239 --> 01:34:06.079 two seventy five. Those are the four companies I put 1589 01:34:06.159 --> 01:34:11.279 in for. So I knew Harry Harry Werner was going 1590 01:34:11.319 --> 01:34:13.560 to one to twenty, rock O Ronaldi was going to 1591 01:34:13.640 --> 01:34:16.600 two eighty three, and I didn't know who was going 1592 01:34:16.640 --> 01:34:20.520 to the two companies in Queens. But so I'm happy 1593 01:34:20.560 --> 01:34:22.960 where I am. And I get a phone call a 1594 01:34:23.079 --> 01:34:27.720 couple of weeks later from the from the fire Commissioner's office. Yeah, Bobby, 1595 01:34:27.760 --> 01:34:31.760 did you put in for two seventy five engine? I says, yeah, boy, 1596 01:34:32.560 --> 01:34:35.680 he says yeah, the fire commissioner wants to interview you 1597 01:34:35.840 --> 01:34:40.159 for two seventy five, I says, for a fucking engine company. 1598 01:34:40.199 --> 01:34:43.720 In Jamaica. What's the fire commissioner getting involved with? So 1599 01:34:44.720 --> 01:34:48.680 it was me, Tony Barryali, this guy Bob Bell, who 1600 01:34:49.199 --> 01:34:53.399 I knew's father was a valley in my company of 1601 01:34:53.439 --> 01:34:59.680 Ally Stream, and and uh Tommy Yawer who we were 1602 01:34:59.800 --> 01:35:02.880 pro he's together in two thirty. Those are the four 1603 01:35:02.960 --> 01:35:06.520 people that were interviewing. So we go to headquarters. They're 1604 01:35:06.560 --> 01:35:09.520 all in regular you know, dress uniform. I got my 1605 01:35:10.079 --> 01:35:13.560 work shirt on my don't I think I had a hat. 1606 01:35:13.600 --> 01:35:18.279 They had hats on. So they called us one at 1607 01:35:18.319 --> 01:35:23.640 a time into the conference room. Commissioner, the executive officer, 1608 01:35:23.760 --> 01:35:27.119 the chiefer, department guaranty at the time, everybody's in there. 1609 01:35:27.920 --> 01:35:35.279 So Tony Barriali's like he had a run in with fian, 1610 01:35:36.199 --> 01:35:40.239 chief fian. So Tony's funny, you know, he's just the 1611 01:35:40.319 --> 01:35:42.039 fian's in there. Because the fian's in there, I might 1612 01:35:42.039 --> 01:35:43.680 as well go home because I'm he's holding me. I'm 1613 01:35:43.720 --> 01:35:50.520 never never getting anything in there. So the first guy is, whoever, no, no, 1614 01:35:50.680 --> 01:35:53.680 no feeing in in there. So he comes back out 1615 01:35:53.760 --> 01:35:58.680 to the lobby. Second guy goes in those this fifteen 1616 01:35:58.760 --> 01:36:02.520 minutes interview comes out. Tony's like, is feeling in there 1617 01:36:02.520 --> 01:36:04.439 because the Fians in there. I must want to leave. 1618 01:36:04.600 --> 01:36:07.199 The Fian's in there. No, no, no feend in in there. 1619 01:36:07.239 --> 01:36:09.359 He was. He was first Deputy commission at the time. 1620 01:36:10.279 --> 01:36:14.520 It's okay, boys, you go, So I go. So I'm 1621 01:36:14.600 --> 01:36:19.319 here for essence to the right gyancy feeing three or 1622 01:36:19.319 --> 01:36:23.760 four other pieces. Wow, Bobby, you know, what do you 1623 01:36:23.800 --> 01:36:26.279 want to do seventy five? I says. It's an active company. 1624 01:36:27.039 --> 01:36:30.039 He says, yeah, we have a some kind of politician, 1625 01:36:30.479 --> 01:36:34.800 very influential, wanted a strong captain for two seventy five. 1626 01:36:35.840 --> 01:36:37.920 So I says, yeah, I'd love to work there. It's 1627 01:36:37.920 --> 01:36:40.119 a good company, good house, you know. Blah blah blah. 1628 01:36:40.960 --> 01:36:41.840 So I go. 1629 01:36:42.000 --> 01:36:45.439 He says, okay, bringing Tony. So I go back to 1630 01:36:45.520 --> 01:36:47.640 the lobby. I says, Tony, you must well fucking go 1631 01:36:47.680 --> 01:36:50.600 home because fucking Fians and oh he's full of shit. 1632 01:36:50.680 --> 01:36:53.039 He's full of shit. I walk him back. I opened 1633 01:36:53.039 --> 01:36:56.079 the door. He looks in, he sees feeling. He looks 1634 01:36:56.119 --> 01:36:59.880 at me. I says, I told you, he didn't get it. 1635 01:37:00.319 --> 01:37:03.079 He didn't get it. He got two later on. But 1636 01:37:03.720 --> 01:37:08.119 it was a funny how things work in the fire department, 1637 01:37:08.199 --> 01:37:13.000 you know, so I get booted out of two thirty six. 1638 01:37:13.880 --> 01:37:15.279 How much time we got? Five minutes? 1639 01:37:15.720 --> 01:37:16.600 No, no, you got time. 1640 01:37:19.520 --> 01:37:22.760 I get booted out of two thirty six because at 1641 01:37:22.800 --> 01:37:25.960 that interview, von Essen says to me, so, Bobby, where 1642 01:37:25.960 --> 01:37:28.279 are you working now? I says, I'm UFO with two 1643 01:37:28.319 --> 01:37:31.520 thirty six? Because like this, he looks away from me. 1644 01:37:32.159 --> 01:37:34.520 I said, wow, that was weird. What's that all about? 1645 01:37:35.159 --> 01:37:36.840 Like a week later, I get booted out of two 1646 01:37:36.880 --> 01:37:43.239 thirty six. So I'm not gonna mention the name. Some 1647 01:37:43.439 --> 01:37:46.920 guy that headed end with van Essen was lieutenant there. 1648 01:37:47.039 --> 01:37:49.720 He wanted to go back as captain. I get booted out. 1649 01:37:50.119 --> 01:37:53.359 So I get a call from the division. Yeah, a 1650 01:37:53.439 --> 01:37:56.880 cop you're working in you know three twenty one? Next week? 1651 01:37:57.560 --> 01:38:01.800 I said, no, I'm UFO in two thirty six. Not more. So, 1652 01:38:03.119 --> 01:38:05.439 I says, can I talk to the chief. So I 1653 01:38:05.479 --> 01:38:09.640 don't remember the chief's name. But he says to me, 1654 01:38:09.680 --> 01:38:12.359 all right, you know you got you're not in there anymore. 1655 01:38:13.239 --> 01:38:18.199 Charlie McGrath, Captain one fifty seven, just broke his back. 1656 01:38:18.520 --> 01:38:21.359 He says, I'm going to put you there, UFO. I said, 1657 01:38:21.359 --> 01:38:25.399 all right, funny, great, Yeah. So it was like one 1658 01:38:25.479 --> 01:38:28.000 tour before I went to one fifty seven. So I 1659 01:38:28.119 --> 01:38:30.159 was in one O seven one night. It's a Friday 1660 01:38:30.279 --> 01:38:35.560 night before I started in one fifty seven. And uh yeah, 1661 01:38:35.640 --> 01:38:40.920 captain apartment phone, Captain Boyce, Yeah, Bobby, how you doing? 1662 01:38:40.960 --> 01:38:44.000 This is peak Nancy? How you doing? I'm like, who 1663 01:38:44.079 --> 01:38:49.680 what the hell is going on? He says, Bobby, I 1664 01:38:49.800 --> 01:38:53.960 heard you know two thirty six. I think it was 1665 01:38:54.760 --> 01:38:57.359 John O'Connor. He says, he told me he's putting you 1666 01:38:57.439 --> 01:38:59.319 one fifty seven. He said, I'm going to give you 1667 01:38:59.359 --> 01:39:02.319 one eleven. Is that okay? I says, yeah, Chief, whatever 1668 01:39:02.359 --> 01:39:04.039 you tell you know, whatever you tell me, you know, 1669 01:39:04.399 --> 01:39:07.199 whatever you say, I'll work wherever you tell me. He says, 1670 01:39:07.640 --> 01:39:14.800 hang up, he's gonna call act surprised. So like five 1671 01:39:14.840 --> 01:39:19.960 minutes later, five minutes later, captain boys apart my phone. Okay, 1672 01:39:19.960 --> 01:39:22.680 how you doing? Yeah, Bobby, how you doing? Uh yeah, 1673 01:39:22.960 --> 01:39:25.920 I rethought I'm not gonna put you in one fifty seven. 1674 01:39:25.920 --> 01:39:28.000 I'm gonna put you in one eleven. UFO. Is that okay? 1675 01:39:28.720 --> 01:39:30.680 I says, yeah, Chief, whatever you tell me, you know whatever, 1676 01:39:30.680 --> 01:39:31.560 I'll work wherever you tell me. 1677 01:39:31.640 --> 01:39:32.960 The wor so. 1678 01:39:34.600 --> 01:39:38.239 That's how I you know. So for whatever reason. Gancy 1679 01:39:41.199 --> 01:39:43.159 he was he was a chief in A five seven 1680 01:39:43.920 --> 01:39:48.079 when I was in one O two and he interviewed 1681 01:39:49.359 --> 01:39:54.560 uh Greg Seminara from getting me out with the bucket. 1682 01:39:55.359 --> 01:40:00.439 So I don't know why. I think maybe he had 1683 01:40:00.560 --> 01:40:06.119 heard for van dalea revenue. This was right after the 1684 01:40:06.199 --> 01:40:10.640 Vandalia Avenue fire. I got back to quarters that morning 1685 01:40:10.920 --> 01:40:14.279 after the fire, and I got everybody together, the five guys, 1686 01:40:14.840 --> 01:40:17.840 I says, I says, guys, you guys did a fantastic 1687 01:40:18.079 --> 01:40:22.520 job tonight. This morning, I says, three guys die trying 1688 01:40:22.520 --> 01:40:24.760 to get that woman out. We got out. I says, 1689 01:40:24.800 --> 01:40:27.359 we're not putting it for nothing. No, no, no, cap, 1690 01:40:27.399 --> 01:40:29.359 you're right, you're right. You know, we know what we did. 1691 01:40:29.439 --> 01:40:33.359 That's fine. So I can't help think and somehow that 1692 01:40:33.520 --> 01:40:38.239 got back there that we just did our job, you know, 1693 01:40:38.319 --> 01:40:40.399 and we're not I'm not going to put in a 1694 01:40:40.520 --> 01:40:44.960 unicitation or something for uh for something that guys, So 1695 01:40:45.159 --> 01:40:48.960 that ain't happening. And they all agreed and everybody was 1696 01:40:49.039 --> 01:40:54.319 good with it. And so I went to one eleven 1697 01:40:55.079 --> 01:41:00.760 and which was like fucking dream come true. Uh, it 1698 01:41:00.880 --> 01:41:02.640 was way out of my league. I'll be the first 1699 01:41:02.680 --> 01:41:06.359 one to admit it. I remember I was UFO there. 1700 01:41:06.520 --> 01:41:11.359 It was annual inspection. You know, you line up, you 1701 01:41:11.439 --> 01:41:14.439 did the inspection. Everybody's got the hats on. So some 1702 01:41:14.600 --> 01:41:17.760 deputy comes by, you know, roll call, We do the 1703 01:41:17.880 --> 01:41:21.720 roll call salute. The deputy says, all right, the cap Bobby, 1704 01:41:21.760 --> 01:41:26.920 have somebody get you know, the left handed uh standadventure whatever. 1705 01:41:26.960 --> 01:41:29.720 He asked for the smoke Ben, he says, had the 1706 01:41:29.840 --> 01:41:34.039 junior guy get the I like this. I said that 1707 01:41:34.079 --> 01:41:42.520 would beat me. Sir, who was who was? 1708 01:41:42.720 --> 01:41:42.840 Uh? 1709 01:41:43.279 --> 01:41:45.000 You had all the old guys there, right, I mean 1710 01:41:45.079 --> 01:41:46.119 you had I mean. 1711 01:41:48.479 --> 01:41:48.520 So. 1712 01:41:51.319 --> 01:41:53.920 Chris Sullivan was one of the lieutenants. He was he 1713 01:41:54.119 --> 01:41:56.840 was UFO there when I got a sign there. Uh. 1714 01:41:56.920 --> 01:41:59.680 He died on September eleventh. He was working in the engine. 1715 01:42:00.600 --> 01:42:06.159 Tony Tony Cruz was one of lieutenants. Steve Luisi was 1716 01:42:06.159 --> 01:42:10.479 one of the lieutenants. Charlie Williams who I loved. Uh. 1717 01:42:10.600 --> 01:42:14.600 He lived in the neighborhood. Kenny Connolly was a senior guy. 1718 01:42:14.720 --> 01:42:18.319 He got the Gordon Bennett and Archer medals. He was 1719 01:42:18.359 --> 01:42:24.239 one of the chauffers. Richie spatafora great, great guy. Greg 1720 01:42:24.399 --> 01:42:27.159 Simonara who got me out with the bucket A couple 1721 01:42:27.199 --> 01:42:30.920 of years earlier. Richie Spatafora was one of the guys 1722 01:42:30.960 --> 01:42:32.880 that wrote the bucket down when the when the building 1723 01:42:32.960 --> 01:42:34.880 came down and shid the bucket off of one eleven 1724 01:42:35.520 --> 01:42:39.640 and in Brown and Brooks, Bushwick, Joe Valente, Mike Tresa, 1725 01:42:39.880 --> 01:42:45.119 Billy Reid, Richie McCabe, Eric Wiener, Nick Cicero, Ray Strong, 1726 01:42:45.800 --> 01:42:53.479 Jimmy Elson, French Saparrito, Chris Isa and I would be 1727 01:42:53.560 --> 01:42:55.680 remiss if I didn't mention the five guys from the 1728 01:42:55.960 --> 01:43:00.600 from the house had died, Chris Sullivan, Carpodesian, John Florio, 1729 01:43:00.760 --> 01:43:05.359 Kenny Watson, and Mike Roberts. Going on September. 1730 01:43:05.000 --> 01:43:10.680 Eleventh, doing good, Chief, You're doing good. How was b A? 1731 01:43:11.079 --> 01:43:11.800 What was he like that? 1732 01:43:13.159 --> 01:43:14.680 I thought you said b I for a second, I'm 1733 01:43:14.720 --> 01:43:21.000 like what, Oh no, no, No, He's. 1734 01:43:20.840 --> 01:43:25.079 A character and I loved him and he was good. Fineman, 1735 01:43:25.760 --> 01:43:27.920 That's all you can ask for. He took a detail. 1736 01:43:28.920 --> 01:43:31.399 I don't know if he was on the detail driving 1737 01:43:31.439 --> 01:43:35.479 in the three seven when I got there or soon after, 1738 01:43:35.800 --> 01:43:41.439 but while while I was there, he his year came 1739 01:43:41.560 --> 01:43:44.119 up for the for the detail to drive in the 1740 01:43:44.199 --> 01:43:50.159 eighth so he says, Cap, you know, uh, my years 1741 01:43:50.239 --> 01:43:51.920 up in the three seven. I'm going to put the 1742 01:43:51.960 --> 01:43:55.600 paper in. But I says, Bobby, nobody's pressuring you. I says, 1743 01:43:55.680 --> 01:43:58.479 you stay there. This is your company. You stay there, 1744 01:43:58.840 --> 01:44:00.720 don't you have to put your pay and you stay 1745 01:44:00.760 --> 01:44:02.279 there and when you want to leave, you come back. 1746 01:44:03.399 --> 01:44:07.319 So it's another story, but I don't want to tell 1747 01:44:07.439 --> 01:44:10.680 that's out of school. But he came back when he 1748 01:44:10.800 --> 01:44:14.439 wanted to come back, and uh, it's fine. 1749 01:44:16.159 --> 01:44:16.479 Crazy. 1750 01:44:16.560 --> 01:44:18.359 Would you like most about that house? Cap? 1751 01:44:19.600 --> 01:44:25.399 Well, you know when I was there doing my details 1752 01:44:25.800 --> 01:44:30.239 from two thirty, it was the nuthouse and that was, 1753 01:44:30.479 --> 01:44:34.039 you know, the early eighties, and now it's the late nineties, 1754 01:44:34.720 --> 01:44:38.479 so a lot transformed. And I, honestly, I'm going to 1755 01:44:38.840 --> 01:44:44.279 credit Bob Turner was a captain two fourteen. With the 1756 01:44:44.399 --> 01:44:49.520 priorities were, you know, follow your duty back then, but 1757 01:44:50.199 --> 01:44:53.800 that wasn't the only priority. And when Bob Turner was 1758 01:44:53.840 --> 01:44:58.119 the captain, you know, he put the lid on and 1759 01:44:58.399 --> 01:45:03.239 it was just fires and drilling, fires and drilling, and 1760 01:45:04.079 --> 01:45:07.000 that was the priorities. So when I went back there 1761 01:45:07.279 --> 01:45:11.600 in the nineties, that was a priority. So you know, 1762 01:45:11.960 --> 01:45:15.479 I wanted to mention earlier on. There's two types of firehouses. 1763 01:45:16.399 --> 01:45:18.960 One type of firehouse where it's easy to be a 1764 01:45:19.159 --> 01:45:22.359 fireman and hard to be a boss. The other type 1765 01:45:22.399 --> 01:45:24.720 of firehouse is where it's easy to be a boss 1766 01:45:25.000 --> 01:45:27.079 and hard to be a fireman. I want to be 1767 01:45:27.159 --> 01:45:29.920 in a firehouse where it's hard to be a fireman 1768 01:45:29.960 --> 01:45:32.079 and easy to be a boss. I don't want to 1769 01:45:32.119 --> 01:45:33.640 be working in a place where I got to be 1770 01:45:34.119 --> 01:45:36.239 let the senior guys run the house. That's where I 1771 01:45:36.359 --> 01:45:40.399 look at it, and that's how I aspired to work 1772 01:45:40.439 --> 01:45:43.439 in a place that ran itself, and the senior guys 1773 01:45:43.520 --> 01:45:46.920 ran the house. And I'm just, you know, shuffling paper and. 1774 01:45:48.960 --> 01:45:50.600 Showing up at the job and helping everything. 1775 01:45:50.640 --> 01:45:55.079 And he drilled, and I certainly wasn't the most knowledgeable 1776 01:45:55.199 --> 01:45:58.720 experienced guy there. And I made sure that Eric Wiener 1777 01:45:59.159 --> 01:46:02.960 or Race Straw or somebody else has given good drills. 1778 01:46:03.119 --> 01:46:06.439 And you know, I said, in beginning of toice, you know, 1779 01:46:06.479 --> 01:46:08.119 I said, what do you want to do today? Oh 1780 01:46:08.199 --> 01:46:10.239 there was this vacant there last week. Let's go over there. 1781 01:46:10.279 --> 01:46:12.920 We go over there, we're cutting fucking holes. We had 1782 01:46:13.039 --> 01:46:15.840 rotation guys drilling. It was it was great. 1783 01:46:17.840 --> 01:46:18.960 It's a lot of good work there, of. 1784 01:46:19.000 --> 01:46:26.520 Course, yeah, I mean one one funny funny. But so 1785 01:46:26.640 --> 01:46:29.520 one night there was a guy running around in Bushwick 1786 01:46:29.640 --> 01:46:31.920 setting stairwells on stairways on fire. 1787 01:46:33.119 --> 01:46:33.479 I remember. 1788 01:46:33.560 --> 01:46:35.880 So we had you know, one twelve down that way. 1789 01:46:36.680 --> 01:46:41.399 So Charlie Williams was my chauffeur. And you look like 1790 01:46:41.520 --> 01:46:45.319 eating I'm in big round face all you see his eyes, 1791 01:46:45.479 --> 01:46:50.960 great Vietnam Vet, senior, senior guy. So he's driving me 1792 01:46:51.039 --> 01:46:54.279 one night and we are running into Bushwick. We go 1793 01:46:54.399 --> 01:46:59.960 to a second alarm, good fire. So this was the rundown. 1794 01:47:00.199 --> 01:47:03.880 So the can man was from two twenty two, the 1795 01:47:04.000 --> 01:47:07.960 irons man was from two fourteen, the roof man was 1796 01:47:08.000 --> 01:47:12.680 from one to twelve. Chauffeur Ov and me were from 1797 01:47:12.760 --> 01:47:18.000 the company. So we had a good fire. The irons 1798 01:47:18.079 --> 01:47:23.760 man got burnt from two fourteen Corran I think it 1799 01:47:23.880 --> 01:47:26.920 was Jimmy Curran. I'm not sure the first name. But 1800 01:47:27.399 --> 01:47:29.159 so he got burnt. He goes to the burn center. 1801 01:47:29.239 --> 01:47:33.880 So now we're riding short. So we take up from 1802 01:47:33.920 --> 01:47:37.560 that second alarm and we're going back to quarters. The 1803 01:47:37.640 --> 01:47:39.479 guy from one twelve says, oh, can you stop by you? 1804 01:47:39.520 --> 01:47:41.119 I want to get a change of clothes. Yeah, okay, 1805 01:47:41.159 --> 01:47:43.439 we stopped. We get a change of clothes. We're driving. 1806 01:47:44.239 --> 01:47:47.279 I think it's Gates Avenue, going back to the firehouse 1807 01:47:47.520 --> 01:47:51.359 and a box comes in. Blah blah blah blah, phone 1808 01:47:51.439 --> 01:47:57.560 lamber so between Gates and something else. So Charlie Williams. 1809 01:47:58.439 --> 01:48:01.960 He says, cut, that's right around the corner. I says, yeah, no, 1810 01:48:02.119 --> 01:48:05.520 I know, Charlie. So I turn around. I see Nicki 1811 01:48:05.600 --> 01:48:08.359 Cicero has the OV. I says, Nikki, what do you say? 1812 01:48:08.640 --> 01:48:09.159 What do you think? 1813 01:48:09.760 --> 01:48:12.239 Because he does, I says, all. 1814 01:48:12.199 --> 01:48:13.880 Right, let's let's we're not going to go in the air. 1815 01:48:14.000 --> 01:48:15.279 We're just going to drive pass and. 1816 01:48:15.279 --> 01:48:18.119 See we check it out, check it out, stealth mode. 1817 01:48:18.439 --> 01:48:20.520 We make a right, We make a right. We're you know, 1818 01:48:21.039 --> 01:48:24.039 we're still assigned to the other box. We make another 1819 01:48:24.159 --> 01:48:27.760 right through the through the bulkhead in the middle of 1820 01:48:27.800 --> 01:48:30.319 the block. I says, want to live in Brooklyn. That 1821 01:48:30.520 --> 01:48:32.439 job on bullet of the street, ten seventy five. 1822 01:48:33.399 --> 01:48:34.600 So we go to work. 1823 01:48:34.640 --> 01:48:38.319 We no first one, there no no ions. 1824 01:48:38.359 --> 01:48:38.520 Man. 1825 01:48:38.720 --> 01:48:42.039 I grabbed the ions. The kid hit the can. It's 1826 01:48:42.119 --> 01:48:45.680 going from top to bottom and the OV goes. He's 1827 01:48:45.720 --> 01:48:48.960 getting people off the fire escape. We just did what 1828 01:48:49.079 --> 01:48:53.840 we had to do. So while we're doing this and 1829 01:48:54.239 --> 01:48:57.119 a company comes in, Shorthanded engine company because they were 1830 01:48:57.119 --> 01:49:03.439 at the other job. Somebody goes to Bobby Gleeson I 1831 01:49:03.479 --> 01:49:08.119 think is the chief, and the cops says, a chief, 1832 01:49:08.199 --> 01:49:11.800 you know, the building down the blocks on fire. So 1833 01:49:12.079 --> 01:49:14.039 he's no, no, no, it's probably the smoke, you know. 1834 01:49:15.760 --> 01:49:21.680 So the cogo A couple of minutes later, cop comes back. 1835 01:49:21.720 --> 01:49:23.760 He says, Chief, I'm not telling you how to do 1836 01:49:23.840 --> 01:49:26.199 your job. The fucking building down the blocks on fire. 1837 01:49:27.479 --> 01:49:31.840 So he says to Bobby Austin, he says, Bobby, be 1838 01:49:31.960 --> 01:49:34.399 a go. You know see what the guys cops talking about. 1839 01:49:35.520 --> 01:49:40.239 Yeah about six houses down, you know, three, seven, ten, 1840 01:49:40.279 --> 01:49:45.840 seventy five. So the address that came in that we 1841 01:49:46.000 --> 01:49:49.359 went to was for that fire when we seeing the 1842 01:49:49.439 --> 01:49:53.039 one that we seen, because the fire was through the ballpaper. 1843 01:49:53.520 --> 01:49:56.880 I had a gasoline and that's why that wasn't wasn't 1844 01:49:56.960 --> 01:49:59.399 going as good because he man had a gasoline. So 1845 01:49:59.520 --> 01:50:01.880 you've had to fucking buildings on the same block. 1846 01:50:03.520 --> 01:50:05.399 Saying, man, I remember that guy. Wow. 1847 01:50:05.560 --> 01:50:08.079 They finally caught him, though they got him to do 1848 01:50:08.199 --> 01:50:11.359 a lot of work yeah, oh yeah, two fifty two is. 1849 01:50:11.399 --> 01:50:13.199 Going to do a lot of work. Then that all sense. 1850 01:50:13.960 --> 01:50:17.720 So in two thousand, I my wife got laid off 1851 01:50:17.720 --> 01:50:21.560 from her job, and I know the job was always 1852 01:50:21.680 --> 01:50:23.720 you know, like looking for guys to come off line, 1853 01:50:24.640 --> 01:50:28.479 and Guancy owed me. I owed Guancy big time. So 1854 01:50:28.960 --> 01:50:33.079 I he was Chief of opera cheap of the Chief 1855 01:50:33.119 --> 01:50:36.359 of Operations, I think at the time. And I says, Chief, 1856 01:50:36.439 --> 01:50:40.680 I'm very appreciative if you, you know, taking care of me, 1857 01:50:41.159 --> 01:50:43.680 giving me a great company, I says, if you need 1858 01:50:43.800 --> 01:50:46.960 somebody offline when I get pumoted, I was number six 1859 01:50:47.039 --> 01:50:50.159 on the battalion chiefs list. When I get promoted, you know, 1860 01:50:50.960 --> 01:50:53.359 I'll help you whatever I can do, he says, Bobby, 1861 01:50:53.439 --> 01:50:56.159 we'll have something for you when you get promoted. So 1862 01:50:57.720 --> 01:51:02.119 September eleventh happens. You know, you know that whole story. 1863 01:51:02.279 --> 01:51:09.479 But you know, I felt obligated to Chief Guancy to 1864 01:51:09.640 --> 01:51:14.760 live up to my right offer to come offline. So 1865 01:51:14.960 --> 01:51:19.000 Cassano was Chief of Operations, so I told him, I says, Chief, 1866 01:51:20.359 --> 01:51:23.079 I made this pack with Chief Guancy. If you I'm 1867 01:51:23.119 --> 01:51:27.720 a new battalion chief, now you know, if you need somebody, 1868 01:51:28.119 --> 01:51:30.159 I'll do whatever needs to be done. You know, my 1869 01:51:30.279 --> 01:51:34.319 wife got laid off. I don't have to be with 1870 01:51:34.439 --> 01:51:37.239 the twenty fours. So he says, okay, Bobby, you know, 1871 01:51:37.319 --> 01:51:39.920 we'll have something for you. So they made me the 1872 01:51:41.039 --> 01:51:47.239 liaison to the police department. And I, you know, I 1873 01:51:47.359 --> 01:51:50.439 worked in one PP and they made a captain from 1874 01:51:50.439 --> 01:51:54.119 the police department as the fire guy. So I just 1875 01:51:54.199 --> 01:51:57.880 happened to know them. We were volunteers together and we 1876 01:51:58.039 --> 01:52:02.239 ended up commuting together and blah blah blah. But mum hm. 1877 01:52:03.800 --> 01:52:11.880 I did that for six months and then well I'm 1878 01:52:11.920 --> 01:52:15.319 walking around and a fireman is, you know, pajamas, and 1879 01:52:15.680 --> 01:52:17.720 I thought that they would be but they treated me 1880 01:52:17.880 --> 01:52:23.720 like gold. Oh and then I went to oe EM 1881 01:52:23.880 --> 01:52:27.039 for six months. They made me a deputy commission of 1882 01:52:27.119 --> 01:52:31.359 a homeland security which the fund does that mean? Look, 1883 01:52:31.439 --> 01:52:34.880 the building's on fire. What do you need me for? Uh? 1884 01:52:35.560 --> 01:52:37.279 Everybody need it's a good gig. 1885 01:52:37.439 --> 01:52:41.039 Maybe it's a gig people could have made that. I mean, 1886 01:52:41.119 --> 01:52:44.439 people made that job, you know, do something on the side, 1887 01:52:44.560 --> 01:52:49.119 retire sphema, you know, but that wasn't me. Yeah. I 1888 01:52:49.199 --> 01:52:52.000 did a year offline and I had to go back. 1889 01:52:52.119 --> 01:52:58.079 So we go back where back to the field. 1890 01:52:58.199 --> 01:53:04.159 To the thirteenth Division. U. I was UFO and covering 1891 01:53:04.640 --> 01:53:11.199 in the thirteenth Division and five four battalion, and I 1892 01:53:11.279 --> 01:53:15.960 got promoted to battalion a deputy chief in May of seven. 1893 01:53:17.000 --> 01:53:19.399 Everything was happening as fast after nine to eleven, right, 1894 01:53:19.520 --> 01:53:20.279 it was just happening. 1895 01:53:20.359 --> 01:53:23.000 Yeah, I mean I was only I was I think 1896 01:53:23.079 --> 01:53:27.239 lieutenant captain of battalion chief for exactly five years and 1897 01:53:27.279 --> 01:53:27.800 eight months. 1898 01:53:28.239 --> 01:53:30.840 Oh my god, oh five years each. Okay, that's good 1899 01:53:31.039 --> 01:53:34.439 five years. But I know people who did that. 1900 01:53:34.600 --> 01:53:38.680 Gonstan went from fireman to chief in like some ridiculous 1901 01:53:38.720 --> 01:53:43.199 amount of time. Like I don't know if he did 1902 01:53:43.239 --> 01:53:44.920 it that quick, but there were guys I know who. 1903 01:53:44.840 --> 01:53:46.600 Did it fast. Wow. 1904 01:53:48.359 --> 01:53:51.760 So I got promoted deputy and h how much. 1905 01:53:51.720 --> 01:53:53.359 Time we got time? Chief? 1906 01:53:53.439 --> 01:53:57.760 Don't? Right? There was you know, just two other stories. 1907 01:53:57.880 --> 01:54:04.039 One was this steam explosion. So I'm covering, covering deputy 1908 01:54:04.159 --> 01:54:08.319 and the third division, and you know, you get in 1909 01:54:08.439 --> 01:54:11.800 at five fifteen, five thirty. I relieved the guy. I 1910 01:54:11.880 --> 01:54:13.800 don't even think I'm I don't even think I was 1911 01:54:14.239 --> 01:54:21.520 dressed yet. So about a quarter two quarter to six, 1912 01:54:22.560 --> 01:54:27.840 this this box comes in. There was a second alarm 1913 01:54:27.920 --> 01:54:34.840 and arrival, and I think a bunch of times down, 1914 01:54:34.920 --> 01:54:40.560 but very very quick succession. The captain in twenty one 1915 01:54:40.800 --> 01:54:45.239 engine got it as a verbal they were going to 1916 01:54:45.399 --> 01:54:47.960 I think an EMS run, and he calls it in. 1917 01:54:48.199 --> 01:54:51.119 He says, you know, he called it the mother of 1918 01:54:51.319 --> 01:54:56.399 all transformer fires over the radio. This is the mother 1919 01:54:56.520 --> 01:54:58.159 of all transformer fires. 1920 01:54:58.479 --> 01:55:00.680 I could see that, though it wouldn't look like that. 1921 01:55:00.840 --> 01:55:01.880 Maybe I don't know it was. 1922 01:55:02.479 --> 01:55:04.640 Well, some of these pictures. I'm trying to find something. 1923 01:55:04.840 --> 01:55:09.279 Engine twenty one, Engine eight, Engine sixteen initially on the 1924 01:55:09.520 --> 01:55:14.079 on that mother of all transformers that was at seventeen 1925 01:55:14.199 --> 01:55:17.840 fifty seven. At seventeen fifty eight, he gets on the scene, 1926 01:55:17.880 --> 01:55:20.960 he transmits a second alarm, So now you got you know, 1927 01:55:21.319 --> 01:55:25.600 the whole second alarm assignment. And that's when I got assigned, 1928 01:55:25.640 --> 01:55:29.680 which was two minutes to six o'clock. So the aid, 1929 01:55:30.039 --> 01:55:32.439 I don't remember where they are up in Manhattan, but 1930 01:55:32.479 --> 01:55:36.720 he takes me through the Central Park here in progress report. 1931 01:55:37.000 --> 01:55:39.399 I think he transmitted the third alarm before we got there. 1932 01:55:42.039 --> 01:55:45.159 Jack Joyce was in the ninth Battalion. We get to 1933 01:55:45.960 --> 01:55:49.079 he says, the command post is at Lexington and forty 1934 01:55:49.159 --> 01:55:53.039 second Street. The steam explosion was at lex and forty one. 1935 01:55:55.079 --> 01:55:59.079 So I get there and I meet the battalion chief. 1936 01:55:59.560 --> 01:56:02.119 I go to open the backup to start getting dressed, 1937 01:56:02.439 --> 01:56:06.119 and a rock slams through the glass and goes all 1938 01:56:06.199 --> 01:56:09.039 over me like the back of the car. You know 1939 01:56:09.079 --> 01:56:13.199 what I'm saying, mother fucker, what's going on here? So 1940 01:56:13.399 --> 01:56:17.840 it looked like coming to the and the noise sounded 1941 01:56:17.920 --> 01:56:18.079 like a. 1942 01:56:18.159 --> 01:56:20.319 Jet engine, jet engine. I think I remember that. 1943 01:56:20.680 --> 01:56:25.640 So I wrote a WNAF article. I think I don't 1944 01:56:25.640 --> 01:56:26.640 remember when it was, but. 1945 01:56:28.560 --> 01:56:30.239 The mother of old steam explosions. 1946 01:56:30.920 --> 01:56:31.199 It was. 1947 01:56:32.920 --> 01:56:36.640 Well, you know, And what I tried to delineate in 1948 01:56:36.800 --> 01:56:42.680 the in the article was we had we had seven buildings, 1949 01:56:43.720 --> 01:56:48.039 you know, So I broke I broke up the intersection 1950 01:56:48.319 --> 01:56:51.560 in four quarters, and I gave a battalion chief each quarter, 1951 01:56:52.279 --> 01:56:56.760 but each each quarter like this was the northwest corner 1952 01:56:56.920 --> 01:57:01.880 sector three seventy four and three eight Lexington. One is 1953 01:57:01.880 --> 01:57:04.680 a fifty two story and one's a twenty eight story building. 1954 01:57:05.479 --> 01:57:09.279 And also one twenty two East forty second Street that 1955 01:57:09.439 --> 01:57:12.319 was a fifty six story building. So that's one hundred 1956 01:57:12.319 --> 01:57:15.600 and thirty six floors that just he had to be 1957 01:57:15.760 --> 01:57:21.159 responsible for crazy then northeast corner was Kevin Woods, who's 1958 01:57:21.319 --> 01:57:24.920 the chief of operations now. He had one twenty eight 1959 01:57:25.039 --> 01:57:28.479 and one fifty forty second Street. One's a forty five 1960 01:57:28.560 --> 01:57:31.560 story building and one's a forty two story building that's 1961 01:57:31.640 --> 01:57:33.039 eighty seven floors. 1962 01:57:34.720 --> 01:57:36.479 And the other two sectors. 1963 01:57:37.239 --> 01:57:43.239 I'm sorry, unbelievable. And there was shit. The ship was 1964 01:57:43.279 --> 01:57:45.920 going on. Cops were coming up to us. Oh, there's 1965 01:57:45.960 --> 01:57:49.840 an explosion in the subway. I have three three train 1966 01:57:50.000 --> 01:57:53.640 cars with thousands of people and people were getting burned. 1967 01:57:54.600 --> 01:58:00.960 There was two articulating buses right at the explosion. They 1968 01:58:01.039 --> 01:58:03.960 had like ninety people in them each and they couldn't 1969 01:58:03.960 --> 01:58:07.520 get out because the fucking steam is now turning to 1970 01:58:07.640 --> 01:58:09.960 water and the water's boiling in the street. 1971 01:58:10.720 --> 01:58:11.319 They're the buses. 1972 01:58:11.439 --> 01:58:15.720 Yeah, they're two buses. That's how close it that the 1973 01:58:16.399 --> 01:58:20.279 one person that died. There was one person that died. 1974 01:58:20.319 --> 01:58:22.079 I don't think that people in the in the in 1975 01:58:22.159 --> 01:58:26.000 the pickup truck, truck, tow truck died. But these there 1976 01:58:26.079 --> 01:58:29.359 was ninety people each of these buses, and rescue one 1977 01:58:29.399 --> 01:58:33.520 and latter four ended up carrying them all off one 1978 01:58:33.600 --> 01:58:36.039 at a time. You know. I tried to get them 1979 01:58:36.119 --> 01:58:38.319 to back up the buses. But because of the debris 1980 01:58:38.399 --> 01:58:41.680 in the street, that didn't work. But the ship was on. 1981 01:58:42.479 --> 01:58:46.640 There was a woman in the water. I mean, obviously 1982 01:58:46.920 --> 01:58:49.960 you know this is I don't know the next day 1983 01:58:50.079 --> 01:58:55.159 or whatever. But it was dark, it was noisy, the mud, 1984 01:58:55.319 --> 01:58:59.840 the asbestos, the rocks that were falling, it was unbelievable. 1985 01:59:02.039 --> 01:59:05.960 So that was quite the operation. I was the deputy 1986 01:59:06.039 --> 01:59:09.279 for a while, and then it ended up being a 1987 01:59:09.439 --> 01:59:12.720 I think a fifth alarm. I transmitted ten sixty because 1988 01:59:13.319 --> 01:59:15.159 the ship was falling from the buildings. I didn't know 1989 01:59:15.199 --> 01:59:17.760 what was falling. And then the whole soon as you 1990 01:59:17.840 --> 01:59:27.239 mentioned the a word asbestos. Ye, everybody, preserve your whole. Mother. 1991 01:59:27.800 --> 01:59:30.000 See, how did you get How did you like becoming 1992 01:59:30.319 --> 01:59:32.600 a deputy? How'd you like doing that? Did you enjoy it? 1993 01:59:34.039 --> 01:59:36.479 It was never a goal, but once you get in that, 1994 01:59:38.000 --> 01:59:41.159 once you get in the swing of things, uh, I was. 1995 01:59:41.640 --> 01:59:43.680 I waited for the five to four battalion for five 1996 01:59:43.760 --> 01:59:47.680 years because that was the closest battalion and they did 1997 01:59:47.800 --> 01:59:51.239 work and I loved working there. And I waited five 1998 01:59:51.359 --> 01:59:54.399 years because I turned the five four or five O 1999 01:59:54.560 --> 01:59:57.840 town three times because they did they had five O nights. 2000 01:59:57.880 --> 02:00:00.319 I called them five O nights for they a lot 2001 02:00:00.399 --> 02:00:04.000 of running, and he did work, but the ratio for 2002 02:00:04.319 --> 02:00:08.359 work runs was the five fours the ratio roof. So I, 2003 02:00:08.920 --> 02:00:12.800 you know, I waited for that, and I studied after 2004 02:00:12.880 --> 02:00:18.039 September eleventh. I studied for deputy by myself, and I 2005 02:00:18.119 --> 02:00:20.840 didn't do well, but I did, like towards the end 2006 02:00:20.880 --> 02:00:23.880 of the list. And then I guess a couple of 2007 02:00:24.000 --> 02:00:27.720 years later, I was in a good study group with 2008 02:00:28.239 --> 02:00:32.680 you know, so now I needed college. The other test, 2009 02:00:32.760 --> 02:00:35.119 I didn't need college. I kind of like skated through, 2010 02:00:35.920 --> 02:00:39.399 but I didn't ever have college. So the other deputy 2011 02:00:39.439 --> 02:00:41.319 tests that I was studying for, I think that was 2012 02:00:42.640 --> 02:00:47.560 twenty I don't know when it was, but twenty five 2013 02:00:47.840 --> 02:00:51.479 maybe I don't remember when it was. But Jimmy Kane 2014 02:00:52.560 --> 02:00:57.600 was in the study group, Joe Cunningham, Jerry Migliore, Steve 2015 02:00:57.720 --> 02:01:01.359 Raynis and Ed Ferrier and me, and we were studying 2016 02:01:01.399 --> 02:01:03.720 for deputy. And you know, I said, all right, well 2017 02:01:03.720 --> 02:01:05.359 it depends on how I do on the test, then 2018 02:01:05.800 --> 02:01:09.960 I'll go to college. But I ended up getting promoted 2019 02:01:10.399 --> 02:01:13.880 off the old list and I didn't have to get 2020 02:01:13.920 --> 02:01:18.680 to college. All those guys. You know, they got promoted, 2021 02:01:20.239 --> 02:01:23.000 so I don't know. People say that's a hard job. 2022 02:01:24.680 --> 02:01:26.640 I loved battalion chief. Let's put it that way. 2023 02:01:28.439 --> 02:01:30.760 Yeah, that's that's the one you would stay if you 2024 02:01:30.800 --> 02:01:32.359 had to go back, that's the one you would pick. 2025 02:01:32.439 --> 02:01:37.039 You think. Well, so now yeah, yeah, yeah. Well now 2026 02:01:37.079 --> 02:01:42.560 I'm deputy and I get a phone call about a 2027 02:01:42.720 --> 02:01:48.159 deputy chief that's in five prevention, Jack Hodgens, and he 2028 02:01:48.279 --> 02:01:52.880 did a year and they whatever he was doing there 2029 02:01:53.000 --> 02:01:55.560 there was there was a three star chief and a 2030 02:01:55.640 --> 02:01:58.920 two star chief in five prevention and he was a deputy. 2031 02:01:59.800 --> 02:02:03.800 So I get a phone call that, oh, Bobby, would 2032 02:02:03.800 --> 02:02:05.560 you consider coming here? You know, and then you can 2033 02:02:05.720 --> 02:02:09.359 you can go to any division you want. So I said, ah, 2034 02:02:10.239 --> 02:02:12.199 I said, let me, I'm in the eleventh division. Let 2035 02:02:12.239 --> 02:02:13.600 me or walk over and I'll talk to you. 2036 02:02:14.520 --> 02:02:15.079 So was. 2037 02:02:17.199 --> 02:02:22.279 Richie Tobin and uh, I can't think of his name, 2038 02:02:22.800 --> 02:02:24.960 but he was the chief of fire prevention. So he 2039 02:02:25.079 --> 02:02:26.680 lay it out on line. He says, look, you do 2040 02:02:26.840 --> 02:02:28.800 give us a year and you can put him for 2041 02:02:28.840 --> 02:02:32.199 any division you want. I says, look, I never really 2042 02:02:32.359 --> 02:02:35.720 was a fan of that. You know, do for me, 2043 02:02:35.880 --> 02:02:38.119 and I'll do for you. I never was a fan 2044 02:02:38.199 --> 02:02:41.199 of that. I understood it, but I went, I went, 2045 02:02:41.279 --> 02:02:44.600 I never did it, and I didn't like it. I says, look, 2046 02:02:45.239 --> 02:02:49.399 there's there's about twelve other covering deputies. You ask all 2047 02:02:49.479 --> 02:02:52.760 of them. I'm not saying no, you ask all of them. 2048 02:02:53.000 --> 02:02:55.439 If they say no, i'll do I'll do it. But 2049 02:02:55.520 --> 02:03:00.720 I want the fifteenth Division, Okay. So they asked the 2050 02:03:00.800 --> 02:03:04.800 guy that his wife was sick and he needed to 2051 02:03:04.840 --> 02:03:07.640 be home for the nights and everything. So it worked 2052 02:03:07.640 --> 02:03:10.079 for him, and I was very happy that he got that. 2053 02:03:11.119 --> 02:03:14.960 So I said, I. 2054 02:03:17.960 --> 02:03:22.119 Did the right thing. I said. So now it's like 2055 02:03:22.239 --> 02:03:26.840 six months later and I hear rumblings that Ray go 2056 02:03:27.039 --> 02:03:29.800 Back is retiring. Now it's like, I think it's the 2057 02:03:30.560 --> 02:03:33.840 end of a wait. Ray go Back is retiring and 2058 02:03:35.399 --> 02:03:38.439 wait on seven old wait, I don't remember. I think 2059 02:03:38.439 --> 02:03:42.840 it was so wait and uh, I says, I'm not volunteering. 2060 02:03:42.880 --> 02:03:46.039 They're looking for a guy. I said, I am volunteering, 2061 02:03:46.119 --> 02:03:50.479 but if they ask, I'll take that job. Nobody wants 2062 02:03:50.520 --> 02:03:53.600 these fucking jobs. You know, they're tough to film. 2063 02:03:54.399 --> 02:03:57.119 God, nobody nobody wants. 2064 02:03:59.319 --> 02:04:07.439 I really really respected Cassano, and I looked up to him. 2065 02:04:07.720 --> 02:04:12.000 And I think he appreciated me. So he's a hard 2066 02:04:12.039 --> 02:04:15.279 guy to say no to. So I get a phone 2067 02:04:15.319 --> 02:04:20.479 call about going to cheaper personnel, and I go and 2068 02:04:20.640 --> 02:04:27.880 talk to Cassano and Galvin and Ray go back. So 2069 02:04:28.840 --> 02:04:32.079 he says, I'm retiring January first. This was like the 2070 02:04:32.159 --> 02:04:36.159 beginning of December. He said, I'm retiring, like December thirty first, 2071 02:04:36.279 --> 02:04:38.479 you know, would you do it? I said, all right, 2072 02:04:38.600 --> 02:04:43.119 I'll do it, you know. So I mentor mentored with 2073 02:04:43.239 --> 02:04:45.840 him for a month and he leaves, and now I'm 2074 02:04:45.840 --> 02:04:48.479 the cheaper personnel, which I don't know personnel. I'm nothing. 2075 02:04:51.840 --> 02:04:59.119 I got a secretary, I got a call. I and 2076 02:04:59.279 --> 02:05:03.960 some of my great quite a good time, because you know, 2077 02:05:04.119 --> 02:05:07.560 like it's all the tests, fireman's tests and tennis tests, 2078 02:05:07.640 --> 02:05:11.520 captain tests, battalion chiefs deputies, fire marshals, all the tests, 2079 02:05:11.720 --> 02:05:14.319 and it's work. There's work that has to be done. 2080 02:05:14.720 --> 02:05:16.439 And he left right in the beginning of it, you know. 2081 02:05:16.920 --> 02:05:18.560 So now I'm going to do all this, and you've 2082 02:05:18.560 --> 02:05:21.399 got to put together these what they call them, groups 2083 02:05:22.239 --> 02:05:25.279 of you know, onside guys and come offline and make 2084 02:05:25.399 --> 02:05:29.680 up questions. And I got to work with dcasts, you know, civilians. 2085 02:05:29.720 --> 02:05:31.439 I don't. They don't like me. I don't like them. 2086 02:05:32.359 --> 02:05:36.439 So I did it for a year. So every other 2087 02:05:36.640 --> 02:05:39.800 week I cheapiss Sanah was the cheaper department. I would 2088 02:05:39.800 --> 02:05:41.840 have to meet with him every week or every other week. 2089 02:05:42.760 --> 02:05:45.880 And you know what's going on. We're making promotions. We 2090 02:05:46.479 --> 02:05:48.840 you know, we're putting a class on blah blah blah, 2091 02:05:49.199 --> 02:05:53.640 giving him a rundown openings. Over time, I'm giving them reports. 2092 02:05:54.800 --> 02:05:58.880 So he's towards the end, like he says. He says, Bobbie, 2093 02:05:58.920 --> 02:06:01.319 I fucked up. I should to put you in communications. 2094 02:06:02.520 --> 02:06:05.560 I said, what are you gonna do next week? Next? 2095 02:06:05.600 --> 02:06:07.960 Two weeks later, this is Bobby, I fucked up. I 2096 02:06:08.000 --> 02:06:13.399 should have put you in communications. Two weeks later, this 2097 02:06:13.600 --> 02:06:15.319 is Bobby, I fucked up. I should have put I 2098 02:06:15.399 --> 02:06:17.680 says chief. I can only fuck up one place at 2099 02:06:17.680 --> 02:06:20.680 a time. Put wherever you want. I'll go. I'll work. 2100 02:06:20.840 --> 02:06:22.640 Tell me what to do, I'll work whatever you tell 2101 02:06:22.680 --> 02:06:26.279 me to work. So he says, yeah, I'm gonna put 2102 02:06:26.279 --> 02:06:30.359 you in communications. So he runs a pair of skipeta. Yes, okay, 2103 02:06:30.479 --> 02:06:35.119 so go to communications. So that was say the end 2104 02:06:35.199 --> 02:06:38.279 of the eight beginning of nine. I don't oh nine ten. 2105 02:06:38.319 --> 02:06:43.600 I don't remember the year. Oh it was, yeah, oh nine, 2106 02:06:43.640 --> 02:06:48.279 I started personnel. Ten I started in communications, so that 2107 02:06:48.439 --> 02:06:51.199 was a whole nother thing that what the hell do 2108 02:06:51.279 --> 02:06:57.760 I know? I mean, I I talked to the dispatchers 2109 02:06:57.880 --> 02:07:01.159 on the radio, you know about a twelve Manhattan, But 2110 02:07:01.720 --> 02:07:03.960 that's all I knew about communications. I know that they 2111 02:07:04.319 --> 02:07:06.680 dispatch the boxes, they take the phone calls, but what 2112 02:07:06.760 --> 02:07:10.840 do I shit? And they're all good guys. And the 2113 02:07:10.960 --> 02:07:15.760 Bureau Communications. When I was there, it was five units FDOC, 2114 02:07:16.039 --> 02:07:20.199 which is the Fire Department Operations Center. That's you know, firefighters, 2115 02:07:20.239 --> 02:07:24.359 lieutenant's captains, mostly light duty, long term, light duty. Then 2116 02:07:24.399 --> 02:07:27.359 you had the outside plant, which those are the guys 2117 02:07:27.439 --> 02:07:29.960 that take care of the alarm boxes, the voice alarms, 2118 02:07:30.359 --> 02:07:34.680 the electricians, the locally three electricians that take There was 2119 02:07:34.720 --> 02:07:37.960 about fifty sixty of those guys. And then the cell 2120 02:07:38.000 --> 02:07:41.680 phone unit that was under communications. And then you had 2121 02:07:41.720 --> 02:07:45.760 the Emergency Medical Dispatch which was the EMS call takers 2122 02:07:45.800 --> 02:07:48.520 and dispatches that was under me, and then the fire 2123 02:07:48.560 --> 02:07:52.800 alarm dispatches. You know, you had different unions involved, and 2124 02:07:52.920 --> 02:07:57.920 everybody's got you know, agendas, and I have an agenda 2125 02:07:58.000 --> 02:08:00.000 and I wanted to you know, do the best liked. 2126 02:08:00.680 --> 02:08:03.840 But it was a big learning curve. And you probably 2127 02:08:04.000 --> 02:08:06.600 remember about OTC or. 2128 02:08:07.640 --> 02:08:11.199 Uh oh TV, like the official track bending back in 2129 02:08:11.239 --> 02:08:11.479 the day. 2130 02:08:11.479 --> 02:08:15.000 And I'm just kidding, No, I forget what it was, 2131 02:08:15.079 --> 02:08:19.800 some kind of call taking outside call taking. I'm really 2132 02:08:19.920 --> 02:08:21.359 so happy that I don't remember that. 2133 02:08:23.760 --> 02:08:24.520 It was very riveting. 2134 02:08:24.520 --> 02:08:26.239 I could tell probably like how I feel about b 2135 02:08:26.399 --> 02:08:26.640 I G. 2136 02:08:27.640 --> 02:08:32.359 You probably remember this big deal that they were transforming 2137 02:08:32.680 --> 02:08:35.520 about how they took calls in from nine to one one. 2138 02:08:36.640 --> 02:08:40.079 Remember, yes, I remember that. Remember whatever they were going 2139 02:08:40.119 --> 02:08:41.079 through p D first. 2140 02:08:41.199 --> 02:08:43.359 I think if I remember, we'd go through p D first, 2141 02:08:43.399 --> 02:08:46.119 we wouldn't get the pin boxes for a while, something 2142 02:08:46.239 --> 02:08:46.439 like that. 2143 02:08:47.239 --> 02:08:51.319 And it was a cluster fuck. And but you know, 2144 02:08:51.880 --> 02:08:55.079 John Colo was the chief of communications before I was there, 2145 02:08:55.520 --> 02:08:57.239 and I guess he's seen the writing on the wall 2146 02:08:57.640 --> 02:09:02.600 about closing the individual and going to these p sacks 2147 02:09:02.720 --> 02:09:05.560 p SEC one in Brooklyn and p SEC two, And 2148 02:09:05.680 --> 02:09:07.920 I was fucking spending a lot of money like that 2149 02:09:08.079 --> 02:09:11.159 p SEC two building was six hundred million dollars. Oh 2150 02:09:11.279 --> 02:09:12.239 my god. Wow. 2151 02:09:12.920 --> 02:09:14.119 And you were in charge of it. 2152 02:09:14.560 --> 02:09:18.800 No, No, I was the fire department rep. But obviously 2153 02:09:18.880 --> 02:09:21.600 it was a police facility because they owned nine one one. 2154 02:09:22.439 --> 02:09:26.520 But then we were you know, call takers and dispatches 2155 02:09:26.640 --> 02:09:29.239 were in the one in Brooklyn and the one in 2156 02:09:29.279 --> 02:09:34.079 the Bronx, and we had you know, empts and paramedics 2157 02:09:34.119 --> 02:09:39.000 that were call takers and dispatches and dispatches and what 2158 02:09:39.239 --> 02:09:43.800 was closing ces wasn't a big popular thing. And then 2159 02:09:43.880 --> 02:09:47.520 the last thing that I was very involved with was 2160 02:09:48.359 --> 02:09:52.920 the new Kid. So we had star Fire, which was 2161 02:09:53.000 --> 02:10:01.000 from the early seventies, which was a computer program for airlines. 2162 02:10:02.079 --> 02:10:05.800 So EMS had one, Police had one and fire had one. 2163 02:10:06.119 --> 02:10:12.279 They were all forty plus years old and PD was 2164 02:10:12.880 --> 02:10:16.359 doing a new one and it could easily dispatch a 2165 02:10:16.439 --> 02:10:20.039 fire truck, an ambulance and a police car easily spend 2166 02:10:20.560 --> 02:10:24.560 one time. But PD didn't want us to have access 2167 02:10:24.640 --> 02:10:28.319 to their you know dispatch, who's where the cars are 2168 02:10:28.439 --> 02:10:30.560 and when they're going to get there, and who's available 2169 02:10:30.640 --> 02:10:33.720 and all of that. So they paid for a couple 2170 02:10:33.800 --> 02:10:37.399 of millions of dollars to their CAD, and now we're 2171 02:10:37.479 --> 02:10:42.239 designing one for us for fire ems together the same CAD. 2172 02:10:42.960 --> 02:10:46.600 So they talked to each other millions of dollars. We 2173 02:10:46.720 --> 02:10:51.319 spent over time up the ying yang get professionals that 2174 02:10:51.439 --> 02:10:54.880 knew what they were talking about, the designers thing, and 2175 02:10:56.399 --> 02:11:02.000 when the Blasio came in out the window. So I 2176 02:11:02.159 --> 02:11:05.960 had to leave Communications, and I tried to go to 2177 02:11:06.039 --> 02:11:10.119 a burrow. And at the time, Brooklyn was open and 2178 02:11:11.319 --> 02:11:16.399 Manhattan was open. So I said to I said that Nigro. 2179 02:11:17.039 --> 02:11:19.199 I said, Chief, you've got to get me out of Communications, 2180 02:11:19.560 --> 02:11:22.119 you know, please give me a burrow. Otherwise I'm going 2181 02:11:22.199 --> 02:11:25.960 to retire. Okay, Bobby, yeah, okay, yeah, don't worry. I'm 2182 02:11:25.960 --> 02:11:28.079 going to put you in operations for the time being. 2183 02:11:28.199 --> 02:11:35.840 And then so the reshuffle happens and Voice is still 2184 02:11:35.880 --> 02:11:38.560 at operations and they didn't get a borrow. So I said, 2185 02:11:38.560 --> 02:11:41.680 all right, I'm going to retire. So can I use 2186 02:11:41.760 --> 02:11:45.079 my comp time? Oh yeah, absolutely use your comp time. 2187 02:11:45.720 --> 02:11:50.960 So when Nigro, you know, was retired, and I guess 2188 02:11:51.000 --> 02:11:53.960 so too. Around there, if they had a one hundred hours, 2189 02:11:53.960 --> 02:11:56.399 they had a lot because they would earn it and 2190 02:11:56.600 --> 02:11:58.439 use it. You'n't earn it and lose it. I had 2191 02:11:58.479 --> 02:12:01.680 thirty eight hundred hours. It's crazy, it's a year and 2192 02:12:01.720 --> 02:12:04.319 a half. So he, you know, I guess he didn't 2193 02:12:04.319 --> 02:12:07.960 realize that. So I worked for nine months one day 2194 02:12:08.000 --> 02:12:12.079 a week, and I used some time, but I didn't 2195 02:12:12.159 --> 02:12:14.319 use a lot of time. And I tried to work 2196 02:12:14.399 --> 02:12:18.279 the twenty fours. The staff chiefs worked twenty fours one 2197 02:12:18.359 --> 02:12:21.199 time every thirteen days, and he does a city wide 2198 02:12:21.239 --> 02:12:27.079 I love doing that and anyway, so then he says, Bobby, 2199 02:12:27.079 --> 02:12:30.840 you gotta get off the pot. You know that ain't 2200 02:12:30.840 --> 02:12:35.239 working out one day a week. So I said I'll retire. 2201 02:12:36.159 --> 02:12:40.880 So it took a year to get out. Yeah it sucked, 2202 02:12:41.039 --> 02:12:43.479 but I didn't leave when I wanted to leave, but 2203 02:12:45.199 --> 02:12:47.520 the new chief of department had a different plan for me. 2204 02:12:47.640 --> 02:12:49.560 But it's not on your own terms. It sucks. 2205 02:12:50.279 --> 02:12:51.880 Yeah, well, especially that way. 2206 02:12:52.079 --> 02:12:54.680 I mean, I didn't understand what you were talking about 2207 02:12:54.720 --> 02:12:58.239 when we talked cheap about that earlier, and now it's 2208 02:12:58.319 --> 02:12:59.680 crystal clear, you know what I mean. 2209 02:13:00.359 --> 02:13:03.960 Yeah, I'm not going to mention the name, but uh, 2210 02:13:04.560 --> 02:13:06.039 you can sneeze it if you want. 2211 02:13:07.800 --> 02:13:10.600 You sneeze them all the time, can you do it? 2212 02:13:10.680 --> 02:13:13.479 It sounds like he ended up getting a fall in 2213 02:13:13.600 --> 02:13:15.279 so he uh mm hmm. 2214 02:13:15.720 --> 02:13:20.159 Oh, I know what you're talking about. I remember that guy. 2215 02:13:20.439 --> 02:13:24.479 Not too shabby your career chief, No great stories. 2216 02:13:25.199 --> 02:13:30.039 Oh, yeah. Well, I know there was something else I 2217 02:13:30.119 --> 02:13:33.359 wanted to bring up, but I don't remember. Oh, okay, 2218 02:13:33.479 --> 02:13:34.840 well that's the closing. 2219 02:13:35.199 --> 02:13:36.239 Yeah, we're going to do that now. 2220 02:13:36.720 --> 02:13:38.039 Yeah, is it is it that time? 2221 02:13:38.119 --> 02:13:41.920 First? First, Yes, my wife knows that I'm not a 2222 02:13:41.960 --> 02:13:46.840 big conversation, so she says, how long is this thing? 2223 02:13:47.560 --> 02:13:49.800 This is two hours? Two hours. You're gonna talk for 2224 02:13:49.880 --> 02:13:50.359 two hours? 2225 02:13:51.039 --> 02:13:52.159 Job, tell. 2226 02:13:54.399 --> 02:13:56.159 I'm talking about me in the fire department. I can talk. 2227 02:13:58.079 --> 02:13:59.199 I told you fast. 2228 02:13:59.760 --> 02:14:01.520 That's like to pass over a meal. We're gonna sit 2229 02:14:01.560 --> 02:14:03.000 and read for two hours, two hours. 2230 02:14:03.079 --> 02:14:05.880 All right, I need some bread. 2231 02:14:06.000 --> 02:14:08.960 I needed something to do with my right hand. 2232 02:14:10.079 --> 02:14:13.000 I appreciate that guy. It is very pleasant. 2233 02:14:13.000 --> 02:14:16.640 Alright, Chief, it's time for sorry cruises at that time? 2234 02:14:16.840 --> 02:14:17.520 Oh, I think it is. 2235 02:14:17.800 --> 02:14:18.439 It is that time. 2236 02:14:18.840 --> 02:14:28.279 It is time for the Oh school of the day, Chief, 2237 02:14:28.600 --> 02:14:29.359 take it away, buddy. 2238 02:14:29.640 --> 02:14:34.199 Well, I'm not going to talk about something firefighter relating related. 2239 02:14:34.279 --> 02:14:37.159 I'm going to talk about career relate related. You know, 2240 02:14:37.199 --> 02:14:39.319 I could easily say, oh, take your glove off and 2241 02:14:39.359 --> 02:14:40.800 put it over your hand. That's how you know when 2242 02:14:40.800 --> 02:14:45.039 it's starting to get hot. But uh, I have two uh, 2243 02:14:45.279 --> 02:14:49.520 and I live by these and some people said, I 2244 02:14:49.800 --> 02:14:53.680 did well. I did successful, but I just I trudged through. 2245 02:14:54.640 --> 02:14:59.319 And one of the things I wanted to talk about 2246 02:14:59.520 --> 02:15:03.159 was I don't remember what it was, but I wrote 2247 02:15:03.159 --> 02:15:06.840 it down somewhere. And I always put the fire apartment 2248 02:15:06.960 --> 02:15:12.439 before me. There was a saying in the Marines, put 2249 02:15:12.560 --> 02:15:15.520 the service before yourself or something like that, and I 2250 02:15:16.039 --> 02:15:18.760 live by that in the fire apartment. So my first 2251 02:15:19.479 --> 02:15:24.159 act closing advice is act like something's always watching you, 2252 02:15:24.600 --> 02:15:27.479 because someone is. And I, you know, it's kind of 2253 02:15:27.520 --> 02:15:30.239 a shitty way to go about life that somebody's always 2254 02:15:30.319 --> 02:15:34.880 watching you. But I have the story of Lieutenant Gordon 2255 02:15:34.960 --> 02:15:38.800 Simon in two thirty. I was in his groups for 2256 02:15:38.920 --> 02:15:44.439 a while and I was a proby and there was 2257 02:15:44.840 --> 02:15:47.920 a brass plate on the bottom of the office door. 2258 02:15:48.439 --> 02:15:51.640 It was about maybe a foot high by two or 2259 02:15:51.680 --> 02:15:55.880 three feet wide, kickplate going for the door. He said, Bobby, 2260 02:15:55.920 --> 02:15:58.079 I want you to I want you to wax this. 2261 02:15:58.199 --> 02:16:01.880 I want you to clean it. I spent hours with 2262 02:16:02.000 --> 02:16:05.600 a little piece of brain cell on my finger, going 2263 02:16:05.720 --> 02:16:09.039 over over over over over over over. I took two 2264 02:16:09.159 --> 02:16:12.520 or three hours to do that little thing. But the 2265 02:16:12.640 --> 02:16:16.960 point was he was breaking my balls, which I understood 2266 02:16:17.479 --> 02:16:19.920 but I ain't gonna let him get to me. And 2267 02:16:20.560 --> 02:16:22.840 I tried to do the right thing. I tried to, 2268 02:16:22.920 --> 02:16:26.800 you know, tried to do a good job. And I 2269 02:16:27.159 --> 02:16:30.199 cleaned that thing. And I went over two or three times, 2270 02:16:31.079 --> 02:16:35.200 every little inch cleaning that brass kickwait because the lieutenant 2271 02:16:35.319 --> 02:16:39.120 wanted the new proby to do that. And I would always, 2272 02:16:39.920 --> 02:16:42.360 when I was in two thirty, take a compartment out. 2273 02:16:42.879 --> 02:16:45.680 I would paint the inside of the compartment, paint the tools, 2274 02:16:46.000 --> 02:16:49.479 put all the tools back. I made a tool list 2275 02:16:49.600 --> 02:16:55.360 from compartment you know, one, three, five. Just I always 2276 02:16:55.440 --> 02:16:59.280 wanted to be doing something and doing something productive, go 2277 02:16:59.440 --> 02:17:03.680 on over the asks and what have you. The second 2278 02:17:04.399 --> 02:17:09.879 bit of advices is have aspirations and work towards them. 2279 02:17:11.040 --> 02:17:13.719 I always had aspirations. I wanted to work in the 2280 02:17:13.799 --> 02:17:20.200 busiest fire company that I could get into shortly in 2281 02:17:20.440 --> 02:17:26.079 my career, less than a year. A good friend, Billy Youngston, 2282 02:17:26.479 --> 02:17:31.239 asked me to go into a study group, and you know, 2283 02:17:31.639 --> 02:17:36.319 I didn't want to, but he's way explained it. Three years. 2284 02:17:36.399 --> 02:17:38.360 You know, you'll have three years on you'll take the test. 2285 02:17:38.760 --> 02:17:40.680 It'll take it two or three years, four years to 2286 02:17:40.719 --> 02:17:45.719 get promoted. Blah blah, blah. So I had aspirations of 2287 02:17:45.840 --> 02:17:51.000 a busy company and to study, and I did. And 2288 02:17:51.360 --> 02:17:56.040 I'll tell a story about Ormond Samuels, a gentleman to 2289 02:17:56.120 --> 02:17:58.799 the highest honor. He was one of the senior guys. 2290 02:17:58.879 --> 02:18:02.399 In two thirty I got about a year ron and 2291 02:18:02.760 --> 02:18:06.879 I'm studying, you know, in a closet somewhere, and he 2292 02:18:06.959 --> 02:18:09.719 comes up to me and he says, he says, Bobby, 2293 02:18:09.799 --> 02:18:13.520 I see you studying for chief. So he says, what's 2294 02:18:13.559 --> 02:18:15.319 the matter with this old coup. Doesn't he know that 2295 02:18:15.360 --> 02:18:17.719 you got to go study for lieutenant and captain first? 2296 02:18:18.399 --> 02:18:22.120 So his point was that you know, you're not studying 2297 02:18:22.159 --> 02:18:24.959 for lieutenant captain, you're studying for chief, which is a 2298 02:18:25.360 --> 02:18:28.200 great job on a great job on a job. So 2299 02:18:31.120 --> 02:18:36.040 and I think that's about it. Thank you, guys, Thank you. 2300 02:18:36.079 --> 02:18:40.879 For each stuff, great care, your chief, great stories. Appreciate 2301 02:18:40.920 --> 02:18:43.120 you open up about those other stories. And it was tough, 2302 02:18:44.079 --> 02:18:48.159 but we certainly do appreciate it. Here, guys, we have 2303 02:18:48.200 --> 02:18:48.760 a couple. 2304 02:18:48.600 --> 02:18:51.959 Of shout correct yah that too, And we also have 2305 02:18:52.440 --> 02:18:53.239 health and safety tip. 2306 02:18:55.280 --> 02:18:57.719 I don't have one on hand. Put up the what 2307 02:18:57.760 --> 02:18:58.520 do you call it? First? 2308 02:18:58.959 --> 02:18:59.719 Okay, here we go. 2309 02:19:00.840 --> 02:19:03.200 The first Responder Center for Excellence is a not for 2310 02:19:03.280 --> 02:19:06.799 profit organization dedicated to protecting their lives and livelihoods of 2311 02:19:06.959 --> 02:19:10.479 first responders. Their education and research initiatives aim to bring 2312 02:19:10.600 --> 02:19:14.680 greater awareness and understanding the challenges to the health, safety, 2313 02:19:14.799 --> 02:19:18.000 and well being of firefighters, EMS personnel, and other first 2314 02:19:18.040 --> 02:19:21.159 responders too. They are an affiliate of the National Fallen 2315 02:19:21.319 --> 02:19:22.639 Firefighter Foundation. 2316 02:19:24.120 --> 02:19:27.079 I found the paper all right Tonight's old school health 2317 02:19:27.120 --> 02:19:30.159 and safety tip number thirty one, Never stole your bunking 2318 02:19:30.520 --> 02:19:33.479 inside of your car or home. When bunking gear must 2319 02:19:33.479 --> 02:19:37.760 be transported, use a gearbag or clean plastic bag, and 2320 02:19:37.840 --> 02:19:41.440 don't put the you know, the bunk gear inside your 2321 02:19:41.520 --> 02:19:42.239 kids couty. 2322 02:19:42.440 --> 02:19:44.639 You know, a smart idea. 2323 02:19:45.440 --> 02:19:47.760 Now, let's do the shot, all right, So we have 2324 02:19:47.840 --> 02:19:50.399 a couple of we have a firefighter death on our 2325 02:19:51.120 --> 02:19:55.280 YPD death or a firefighter death here. Unfortunately, this is 2326 02:19:55.479 --> 02:19:57.840 a strange story from what I was reading. A piece 2327 02:19:57.879 --> 02:20:01.479 of the apparatus broke and actually just some trauma to 2328 02:20:01.559 --> 02:20:03.799 his legs, but unfortunately he died during surgery. 2329 02:20:04.040 --> 02:20:08.920 Uh, firefighter Raymond Muro. 2330 02:20:08.239 --> 02:20:08.760 How you say that? 2331 02:20:08.799 --> 02:20:14.399 I'm saying that, yeah, yeah, And our other shout out 2332 02:20:14.639 --> 02:20:20.040 is NYPD officer who was fortunately murdered. 2333 02:20:21.440 --> 02:20:24.159 Did a rule Islam. This was a line of duty 2334 02:20:24.200 --> 02:20:25.200 death for NYPD. 2335 02:20:26.440 --> 02:20:29.239 And also, I want to say tonight also we're going 2336 02:20:29.319 --> 02:20:33.440 to give the five bells to Chief Boyce's friend Mike, 2337 02:20:33.639 --> 02:20:35.680 who died in the line of duty so many years ago. 2338 02:20:35.799 --> 02:20:39.440 But he definitely deserves the five Mike, Mike Moran. 2339 02:20:40.600 --> 02:20:41.280 I ended up. 2340 02:20:51.639 --> 02:20:52.559 Rest in peace, brothers. 2341 02:20:52.959 --> 02:20:55.639 I ended up naming my first son after Mike. 2342 02:20:57.479 --> 02:21:00.360 Very cool, stand up guy. 2343 02:21:00.559 --> 02:21:00.799 Chief. 2344 02:21:01.120 --> 02:21:02.520 Thanks for coming on the show. 2345 02:21:03.120 --> 02:21:05.879 Lou just Saturday. I'm gonna say no unless you hear 2346 02:21:05.920 --> 02:21:08.040 from me, right, Okay, thank. 2347 02:21:07.600 --> 02:21:09.799 You for the essence coming. You might want to change 2348 02:21:09.799 --> 02:21:10.120 your mind. 2349 02:21:11.000 --> 02:21:11.559 He is coming. 2350 02:21:11.639 --> 02:21:14.959 Actually I know you know he's not coming. Gone god, 2351 02:21:15.559 --> 02:21:22.159 Oh yeah. You can't hang up on me now though, anytime. 2352 02:21:22.239 --> 02:21:24.440 All right, guys, we'll see you. We'll see some of 2353 02:21:24.520 --> 02:21:27.559 you on the boat cruise on Saturday, and I'll see 2354 02:21:27.639 --> 02:21:30.360 the rest of you on next Thursday. 2355 02:21:30.799 --> 02:21:32.239 Until then, stay low and go. 2356 02:21:32.639 --> 02:21:35.600 Thank you everybody. We'll see it the big one. Alright, guys, 2357 02:21:36.079 --> 02:21:37.920 have a good night. We'll rolling heavy in South Florida. 2358 02:21:38.000 --> 02:21:40.920 Stay salty, and I'll see you guys next Thursday. 2359 02:21:41.799 --> 02:21:42.479 Good night, everyone,