In the course of a firefighter’s career, he or she may respond to hundreds of fires, but there is always one fire that stands out, which rises above the rest as being the most dangerous and most memorable. For the members of FDNY Ladder 138, the fire at Box 22-7889, which occurred at 37-52 89th […]
There may have been a few raised eyebrows, maybe even a few comments, when at 4:30 p.m. on May 18th, 2005, the box alarm came through to Ladder 10’s quarters for a building in Battery Park City that was the same address as where NYPD Commissioner Kelly lived. As it happened, as soon as a […]
Heroism doesn’t come on schedule; as a New York City firefighter, you can be called into service at any time…even when you’re away from the job. On February 21st of this year, Firefighters Christopher Viola of Engine 65, and Christopher LaRocca, formerly of Engine 65, were flying to Toronto, Canada, to participate in a hockey […]
Within the fire service, many fires traditionally begin very early in the morning, when most occupants are sound asleep. The morning of May 12th, 2005, was no exception, when the members of Ladder 110 in Brooklyn were called out at roughly 7 a.m. for a report of a structure fire in the Gowanus Houses on […]
On September 16th, 2004, Hurricane Ivan made landfall onto Florida’s panhandle, and many stories were told afterwards of the amazing job that was done by Florida’s fire and rescue services. That same day, a full one thousand miles away, an equally heroic rescue was made by one of New York’s Bravest. Although he is a […]
“We have a report of trapped occupants – number and location unknown.” These are the kinds of words heard over a radio that will cause any firefighter’s heart to race, and it was the radio transmission received by Ladder 170 on August 15th, 2004 as they responded at 7:01 a.m. to a report of fire […]
On November 22nd, 2003, the early morning quiet of the city was interrupted at 1:14 a.m. by a report of a working structure fire in a 3-story multiple dwelling at 144-63 35th Avenue. As Engine 273 and Ladder 129 arrived at the box, they were met in the street by a frantic man with burns […]
On April 15th, 2004, at 0848 Hours, the crew of Ladder 51 was turned out for a phone alarm reporting a fire in a private dwelling at 3615 Dereimer Avenue – only a few blocks away from the firehouse. As they made the turn onto Boston Road they could see a column of smoke rising […]
There are many ways one can excel in the fire service. Most often, attention is given to those firefighters who perform heroic rescues, or put themselves in harm’s way in order to perform their duties on the fireground. There are, however, firefighters who deserve to be recognized simply because they embody the true spirit of […]
On April 20th, 2004, and with only one year on the job, Firefighter Christopher Sweeney accomplished what is most certainly the most time-honored and respected task that firefighters are known and respected for: the rescue of a baby from a burning building. At 2237 hours, Engine 73 and Ladder 17 were turned out for a […]
