CaptainGonzo
05-31-2002, 02:19 PM
My son had to take a placement test today at UMass-Dartmouth, where he will be going to college in the fall. Since Dartmouth is just outside of the City of New Bedford, I sent an Email to Mike Gentili, the Captain of NBFD Engine 1 about a week ago and asked him if he would be working the day tour. He told me he was on vacation, but that he would meet me at Station 2 (NBFD HQ) for the 50 cent tour.
The tour was priceless! The NBFD reeks of "tradition"! When I arrived, New Bedford Fire Alarm tapping out a box alarm for a possible hoouse fire. The sound of the house gong was like a symphony to my ears! I got to see the second oldest fire alarm office in the country in operation. The equipment dates back to the late 1890's and 1900's, but the brass bells of the fire alarm circuit tappers still gleam as if they were new. No computer aided dispatch there, they do things the old fashioned way with run cards for the street and master boxes. The signals are retransmitted from the NBFAO to the stations. They also tone out over the radio..the one concession to modern dispatching!
After that, I got the tour of the Station and the apparatus there. Mike then took me around the city and its firehouses. All of them go back to the 1890's! We stopped by a few and then we drove by some recent fire scenes. New Bedford is an old whaling port and fishing city with a lot of conflagration potential. Seeing some of the fires that the NBFD stopped cold is a testament to their dedication, honor and tradition.
Captain Mike Gentili is a well qualified to be a "Crusty Old Jake" and the NBFD also qualifies!
The tour was priceless! The NBFD reeks of "tradition"! When I arrived, New Bedford Fire Alarm tapping out a box alarm for a possible hoouse fire. The sound of the house gong was like a symphony to my ears! I got to see the second oldest fire alarm office in the country in operation. The equipment dates back to the late 1890's and 1900's, but the brass bells of the fire alarm circuit tappers still gleam as if they were new. No computer aided dispatch there, they do things the old fashioned way with run cards for the street and master boxes. The signals are retransmitted from the NBFAO to the stations. They also tone out over the radio..the one concession to modern dispatching!
After that, I got the tour of the Station and the apparatus there. Mike then took me around the city and its firehouses. All of them go back to the 1890's! We stopped by a few and then we drove by some recent fire scenes. New Bedford is an old whaling port and fishing city with a lot of conflagration potential. Seeing some of the fires that the NBFD stopped cold is a testament to their dedication, honor and tradition.
Captain Mike Gentili is a well qualified to be a "Crusty Old Jake" and the NBFD also qualifies!