EARLY LESSONS LEARNED

There were a lot of hoops you had to jump through to get onto the Fire Department in the ‘60s.   The city wanted the cream of the crop for their department. The ACLU hadn’t gotten involved in civil service jobs as yet so the city still had very strict hiring code.  You had to be over 5’10” tall; your height and weight had to be in proportion; your vision had to be 20-20 or better; hearing perfect; a mouth full of your own teeth; and then you had to pass a battery of mental evaluations, a strenuous agility test, and a full medical exam.   

  

If you met all these requirements, you were put on a list and they would call you when they had an opening -- all for $112 a week.  My friends and some family members thought I was crazy to quit an office job paying $120 a week to go on the Fire Department.  I told them that working in an office I had to buy white shirts, ties, shoes, socks, and get a haircut every 2 weeks.  I had to work 2 years to get 1 week vacation, 5 years to get 2 weeks’ vacation, 20 years to get 3 weeks’ vacation, and work until I was 65 to get a pension. 

In the Fire Department, I would get 6 weeks’ vacation every year, 4 personal days, 10 sick days – paid in cash if not used – a dental plan, vision plan, medical plan, Fire Department doctor on call 24 hours a day at no charge, a legal assistance plan, and a 20 year ½ pay retirement plan.  Plus, the city supplied winter uniforms, summer uniforms, work clothes, as well as all protective clothing and equipment.  The only thing I had to pay for was shoes and a haircut every 6 weeks. 

After 8 weeks of firefighter training, I was sent to firehouse #11.  All new recruits were on probation for 1 year.  The city could fire you for any reason during that time period.  Once your probation was up, it was almost impossible to lose your job. 

Another “proby” and I showed up early for our first night shift at station #11.  Just as we were coming into the firehouse, the alarm went off.  Two 14” bells rang – one on the apparatus floor and one in the dormitory.  The lights came on and a ticker tape started running across the watchman’s desk.  The tape punched out a 4 digit code so the driver would know what sector of the city the alarm was coming from.  The voice of a dispatcher gave the exact location of the emergency through a large overhead speaker.   Engine 11 and Truck 3 responded.  They told us to wait for the night crew to show up. 

At about 8PM, the day crew returned and they were all happy.  Seems they had performed CPR on a young girl and saved her life.  Thirty minutes later, the Fire Chief called and told us the girl had a contagious disease and the firemen who performed CPR were ordered to the hospital for a few days to be checked out.  The other “proby” and I looked at each other wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.  

We went out on several calls that night but nothing special or exciting.  Everything calmed down around midnight and, after watching the Johnny Carson show, everyone went to bed.  The Captain told us to get some rest because at any minute we could be called out for an all-nighter.  The two of us sat watching TV until 3AM.  We had to creep into the dormitory and feel around for our beds.  We were so nervous we both laid on the bed with all our clothes on.  I leaned over and said, “I can’t believe the city is paying us to sleep.”  We both got the giggles and it took over an hour to fall asleep.  

It wasn’t all fun and games – obviously.  Most people run OUT of a burning building, not INTO it.  Even the rats and roaches are leaving – now there’s a sight you really don’t want to see! 

The other “proby” didn’t like this firehouse.  He asked for a transfer to a busier house in a rough neighborhood.  He wanted more action.  He was transferred and was promoted to Lieutenant about 8 years later.  One night, he responded to a fire in an old wooden tenement building.  Some women were outside crying that there were children trapped on the third floor.  He ran in without putting on his air tank.  He never made it out.  He left behind a wife and 2 kids.  There were no trapped children on the third floor, or anywhere else in that building.  Unfortunately, there are so many stupid, irresponsible people who are more interested in stealing TVs, stereos, boom boxes, etc. from their neighbor’s apartment than saving their own kids.  After they had stolen whatever they wanted, then they screamed for the firefighters to save their kids.  This happened time and time again. 

I once saved 3 year old twin boys who had been left in their cribs with wet and dirty diapers while the building went up in flames.  I got them out of the tenement and told the Assistant Chief what had happened.  He was a smart old guy.  He asked a group of women standing nearby who the boys belonged to.  No one said anything, so the chief just put the boys down and they ran right to their mother.  She picked them up and ran away.  That was a lesson I never forgot.