Report from engine company 82 question.

[stm4710]

Im re-reading the book again. Are there any pictures of the ACUTUAL Eng. 82,85 ladder 31 and tac unit 712 as they are in the book?


Just curious.

[CaptOldTimer]

You might try contact someone in the FDNY that has pictures of the fleet. They would probably have these.


Try this link http://www.fdnytrucks.com/

Good luck, Lets us know what you find out.

:)

[FFFRED]

Try here:

http://www.nyfd.com/bronx_ladders/ladder_31.html

[mcaldwell]

A timely topic. I am reading that one right now too.

It is a little unnerving envisioning the way they fought fires only 35 years ago.

A good read for sure.

[cfdeng3]

If you can get a copy of "The Bronx is Burning" it would be a great help. It was done by the BBC just after the book came out. It is incredible to see the neighborhoods and the way they worked. In the video, there are guys riding Ladder 31 in the jump seats, tiller, turntable and maybe running boards. There are three or four guys going to the hospital from every fire because they are taking such a beating. It will clear up any pictures you may have in your head.

[mcaldwell]

Originally posted by CaptOldTimer
You might try contact someone in the FDNY that has pictures of the fleet. They would probably have these.


Try this link http://www.fdnytrucks.com/

Good luck, Lets us know what you find out.

:)

Not to hijack here, but very cool site Cap. :)

I had seen many of those vehicles before, but there were a few that surprised me. Backhoes and Loaders?

I think the little tactical units with the RHIB's on top would be a hit out here with our technical team. :)

[Dave1983]

One of these days Ive GOT to read that book!

[FFFRED]

To get an idea of what it looked like go to http://www.peleast.org/images/RRF01-bronx.pdf

At the bottom of this link there is an image of children playing among the tenements and rubble strewn lots in the background...they all had many fires in each one and all are VACANT.

These were the types of buildings that were all to prevelant in the area covered by Engine Co. 82, 73, 85 Ladder 31, 42 and 59 (formerly TCU 712)

In fact the real reason that the fires stopped was all the buildings burned down and the ones that were left..were finally torn down by the city. This is part of the reason why Ladder Co. 59 was moved to Engine Co. 43 in the West Bronx and Engine Co. 85 was disbanded to form Ladder Co. 53...there was NOTHING left to burn. Piles of bricks and mortar don't catch fire.

The unsettling fact was this happened in only a matter of 10-15 years from a vibrant neighborhood to a ghetto described by two Presidents as reselmbling Bombed out Dresden or London during the Blitz.

Despite government attempts there was little they could do (or wanted to do) as many just hoped the problem would just go away. There was actually a proposal by one offical at the time to build up a wall around the burned out area and remove all the people and abandon that area of the South Bronx removing all city services (fire, police, sanitation.)

For other books look at Fort Apache, The Bronx. The book(movie based on the book) follows the officers of the 41st Precinct. And all the crazyness of the times.

I've also attached a photo below that is Bronx Box 2743 Charlotte St. at East 170th St. Suburban style houses with lawns...the only difference between this and where you probably live, the iron bars on every window...other than that small fact...this could be any street in any state. Is it a nice place to live...far from it. However it isn't anything close to what it was.

In 1977 everything you see was a vacant rubble filled lot. The brick builings in the distance was all one could see. The 6 story tenements that had stood there burnt down.

FTM-PTB

PS the Fire alarm box is now mounted on a telephone pole and not on its orginal base seen in the foreground.

[stm4710]

Thanks fred.

WOW.....is all I can say.

Capt. old timer. All they had on the FDNY truck site were the trucks from the 80's till today. :(

[FFFRED]

This is a photo of the same box I had inserted in the prior post.

Bronx Box 2743

This photo was taken in the late 70's when the Bronx was burning. Bronx Box 2743 located at Charlotte Avenue and 170th Street is all that stands for several blocks surrounds by vacant lots where buildings once stood. Photo courtesy from the Captain Majeski Collection.

Photos Courtesy Of Captain Majeski & Robert Mitts

FTM-PTB


Bronx Box 2743 in 1978

[CaptOldTimer]

Originally posted by stm4710
Thanks fred.

WOW.....is all I can say.

Capt. old timer. All they had on the FDNY truck site were the trucks from the 80's till today. :(





Try contacting Fire Apparatus Journal and send them an e mail, under "contact F.A.J." section. Head it up to either John Calderone and or Jack Lerch. They most likly would have all photos of Eight-Two Engine and Three-One Truck, since they have been in service.

Here is the link for you, http://www.fireapparatusjournal.com/


Good luck.

[jce51cfd]

The original paperback book, (you might find it in a library) had pictures.

[captstanm1]

Somewhere I have the original hardback copy and there were a few pics if I remember correctly.

In the early 90s (92 or 93) I went to NYC and ventured to the Bronx in search of E82 Station. I found it and at that time it was the oldest building on the street. Apparently everything else on the street had either burned down or fell down and newer housing replaced it. I stopped out front and took a few pics... There was a dog lying on the floor under the front of the engine.

My pics are packed away or I would scan em and post em.... sorry...not sure where they are.

[Resq14]

Great pics, Fred.

[fieldseng2]

I must have gotten ripped off. I have an orginal printing on paperback, but no pictures. Except for the one of Dennis on the back cover sitting on the tailboard.

I'd like to see those pics.

[WTFD10]

Thanks Fred, that's some very interesting info and pics. I'd like to see more pics from the time period Dennis Smith wrote about, really brings it home what it was like back then.

[MikeWard]

FDNY Battalion Chief John A. Calderone publishes Fire Apparatus Journal (http://fireapparatusjournal.com/) and various limited-run publications.

One out-of-print book Services Not Required describes the two and three section FDNY engines, aerials and chiefs that ran from the 1950's to the 1970's. Spends considerable time describing the Tactical Control Units that were deployed at the height of the "war years" in the late 1960's.

[CaptOldTimer]

Originally posted by fieldseng2
I must have gotten ripped off. I have an orginal printing on paperback, but no pictures. Except for the one of Dennis on the back cover sitting on the tailboard.

I'd like to see those pics.



Well, I got in the garage and dug out all my old fire books. I have a hard copy of Engine 82 from 1972. It does not have pictures! :(

I would guess that during this time of the life of Engine 82 that they operated a CF Mack of the 1970 vintage.

I will look at some of my other books and see if I come up with a photo.

[FFFRED]

I dug this old thread up for you Report from E82 Buffs.

Follow this link and watch NY1 do a story on the area I posted pics of. This was the most ravaged, desolate wasteland in the ENTIRE United States at one time about 30+ years ago.

Today you can see it has improved and in one shot you can see the pedestal of what was Bronx Box 2743...however much of that has to do with the low density not necessarily that the same problems don't still exist today...(listen to the last part where the lady describes how many houses have been broken into...and what else occurs on the block and you'll understand what I mean. :eek: )

Real Player video: Video segment (http://real.ny1.com:8080/ramgen/real3/00118F79_050616_161323hi.rm)

NY1 Story link (http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=51552)

FTM-PTB

[stillPSFB]

And the Bronx is still busy, even today. When I was back up there a few weeks ago the engine had 18 runs one night, another night was 5 runs just while trying to cook dinner.

The number of working fires might have dropped, but there are still enough runs coming in to keep the crews busy.

[Irons6789]

Sorry to bring up such an old topic here in the forums but I had been looking through some of my old WNYF magazines recently and was reading some of the run and worker totals during the late 1960's and early 1970's. Engines 82 and 85 did about 8,000-9,000 runs per year. Ladder 31 and TCU 712 did their fair share also.
The most shocking fact was that these companies did thousands and thousands of OSW's (occupied structural workers) per year. To my knowledge vacant buildings were not even included in these totals back then.
Even more amazing is that these units, housed in the same firehouse, rolled to different boxes to cover the number of alarms received. So all of these fires were within a 'normal' first due area. Literally, the area burned out by the end of the '70s and the work has since moved westward. I recently obtained a copy of the BBC Documentary "The Bronx is Burning" and it truly made Smith's book come to life.
I think there was one single building located at Fox and Tiffany Streets that hosted 7 Second Alarms over a period of about 10 years. The building no longer exists and is now a private drive but so much history remains. It was great to see the pctures you guys posted of Box 2743. At one time it was the most frequently transmitted box in NYC. In today's world we cant even begin to imagine going to the same street box up to 14 times a day! To say the least, those must have been exciting times for the members and were truly the heydays of the FDNY!

[gunnyv]

I recently obtained a copy of the BBC Documentary "The Bronx is Burning" and it truly made Smith's book come to life.

There have been a few people on other threads looking for that video. If you bought it, can you post where you got it from?

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=78334

[SteveDude]

Me too.
I'd love a copy and haven't been able to locate it. I Have walked those streets but as many who have visited the area know, there isn't a lot remaining from those days.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

I guess none of you guys remember an old book entitled simply "Firehouse". It was a photo essay that was published as a followup to Report. It is out of print. The authors were Dennis Smith and Jill Freedman. IBSN: 0-385-11585-7.

The photos captured the essence of that period of time in the South Bronx from the fire fighters perspective.

[SteveDude]

George, I am aware of the book, I never got to see it but hold out hope that one day I may stumble acorss a dusty copy in a Fire Station or friends house one day.

[gunnyv]

I guess none of you guys remember an old book entitled simply "Firehouse". It was a photo essay that was published as a followup to Report. It is out of print. The authors were Dennis Smith and Jill Freedman. IBSN: 0-385-11585-7.

Found it on Alibris.com-copies start at $35.00.

[fieldseng2]

I have an original printing of that book! Awsome photos!

[tribe9a]

Go to www.lowerswatarafire.com they have their Recue 59 listed as having been former FDNY Eng 82 and it is a 1975 Mack CF.

[SteveDude]

I managed to get hold of a copy of the Film...what a classic. Yes many of the characters in the book are in the film including Dennis Smith who gives some good narration. The film was made a year after the book was written so it is right up there with timimng and relevance.

I will try to pull of some screen captures of the trucks to answer the original question.

[SteveDude]

1. E82 & L31 turnout
2. E82 front
3. E82 'Backstep'

[SteveDude]

Two of Ladder 31, a tiller and one of TCU 712 a smaller rearmount ladder truck similar to what we have in the UK. Finally a shot of the side of E85...an identical truck to E82.

So there we go....mystery solved.

[tfpd109]

Great pics Steve! I've read the book a couple times. Amazing how busy they were all the time.

[RFRDxplorer]

I recently got a copy of the Bronx is Burning and LOVED IT.

Stevedude, How did you get those screen captures? I have a dvd-rom on the computer but dont have the faintest idea how to do it.

[BFDLT32]

I got a copy of The Bronx is Burning (thanks 33motor) but it stops during the interview with Smith at his home. Is anyone else having this same problem? Is there anyone willing to make me another copy? If so, let me know by PM.

Thanks

[fieldseng2]

Id love to get a copy of that too. Anyone know where I can get one?

[lieutleroy140]

Please add me to the list of people who would like to have a copy of this documentary. Leroy140@aol. I would much appreciate any assistance in this matter, as I am a pretty big buff of FDNY, and have wanted to find a copy of this for many years. For those that are interested, I think it's Advanced Print and Video, who has a title called "FDNY- The War Years" which has some spectacular footage. One of the jobs even has the Super Pumper and Tender at work, shooting a gigantic stream of water OVER an elevated highway and onto/into a Manhattan warehouse that is absolutely roaring.