Late in the afternoon, I think it was around 5 p.m., we had taken up from a multiple alarm on a bitter cold day and were out of service returning to quarters. The rig was a 1954 Ward LaFrance 750 GPM spare and all of the 2 1/2" hose was wet and frozen and looped over the hand rail on the back step.

On our way back to quarters we came upon a Public School with smoke billowing out the shop windows on the second floor. The Captain called it in and we stretched the only thing we had, the 4 lengths of rubber 1 1/2" hose and got a few wet, but not yet frozen 2 1/2" to fill it out.

A chief from a slow battalion in Queens was special called and when he arrived we had knocked the fire down and the truck was opening up. He did not have boots on, so on the fire floor he was walking on the 2 1/2" as he started down the hallway. When he hit the 1 1/2" his foot slipped off. He saw 1 1/2" in a school and went ballistic. He screamed at the captain, a 30 year vet; "don't you know that you do not use 1 1/2" in a school?" and threatened to hook him up.

We thought the Captain was about to deck the chief when the Deputy Chief arrived on the scene. He stopped the verbal assault, turned to the Captain and said: "great job Joe", then turned to the battalion chief and said he should have asked why the 1 1/2" hose was in the school and what were the reasons for using it.

Would he rather have the fire extend because we were not going to break the rule of the use of 1 1/2" hose, when we were actually out of service and had no other hose we could have stretched?

He said to BC: "next time get the facts before you go off half cocked" and that he better forget everything about the job, except that we had put the fire out.

I never forgot the fire or the advice of Charlie Drescher, Commander of the 15th Division in the war years.

Over my time running the show I put his advice to good use. (Vic Vitale)

Now it's your turn. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, or have an idea for a story please let us know. Send it to: fdnytales@Fire-Police-EMS.com

Thanks, Ira Hoffman