FDNY Tales - Size Matters

FDNY Tales - Size Matters (Vic Vitale)

During the time that I was a fireman in Engine 236 department regulations said that 1 1/2" hose was only to be used consistent with fire conditions in residence buildings for fires above the 1st floor and when ordered by the officer in command of the fire.

Since the engine first to arrive was in command until relieved, it was okay to "order the use of the 1 1/2" consistent with fire conditions" in residence buildings for fires above the first floor. Regulations also stated that the first line from a standpipe must be 2 1/2" This meant that the engine had no choice of hose size or nozzle if the building had a standpipe. The ghetto companies had few, if any, buildings with standpipes and were mainly residence buildings so, 1 1/2" was the order of the day for them.

By 1966, or so, the companies sort of forgot about the above-the-first-floor-rule on many fires, and it was almost universally said that if you did not lose the block then it was consistent with fire conditions.

It must be remembered that back then, the ghetto companies could not do very much wrong because of the running and work load and the chiefs were used to this type of operation, and the firemen were very good at what they did - putting fires out quickly.

This is not say that a good unit did not go to 2 1/2" right away for a good store fire in a residence building, but many were handled by a quick knock-down with 1 1/2" with 2 1/2" stretched as a back up or just in case it got away.

We stretched 1 1/2" filled out by the 2 1/2" up seven flights of stairs in the city housing projects without a standpipe. The engine was at the entrance to the building, several hundred feet from the hydrant, with 2 1/2" laid from the hydrant, waiting for the second engine to set up the relay. We did this without masks and were usually beat by the time the line was on the upper floors. The second or third due engine might actually have to come up the elevator with masks and relieve us for final knock down and overhaul.

The two engines we usually ran with were 225 and 290. Engine 290 was always in a class by themselves in runs and workers, almost, if not always in the top 10, and many times number one. Engines 225 and 236 were usually in the top 25 for the war years. (Vic Vitale)

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Thanks, Ira Hoffman

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