FDNY Rescue 2 1991
john linden
90,054 views
Overview of Rescue 2 in Brooklyn New York around 1991. Features short interviews with the commanding officer Ray Downey who became the head of special operations in the department but sadly killed on 911.
15 Comments
@Annie0415 6 years ago
Rescue 2 Brooklyn - RIP Ray Downing, Peter Martin, Bill Lake along with 4 other heroes lost on 9/11. 💔
@jcrewjim 7 years ago
Ray Downey became chief of FDNY SOC. He died on September 11, 2001 trying to save lives. RIP
@jimheckert5383 6 years ago
The best fire fighters in the world. Thanks. FDNY a group of tremendous people!!
@james.zannino6917 5 years ago
Ray Downey had the nickname of God. And I don't think anybody could keep up with him at a fire without a face piece on. God Rest his soul on 9/11
@bohemoth1 6 years ago
During the FDNY WAR YEARS of the early 60s I was an Auxiliary Fire Captain with FDNY and was assigned to the Community Relations Bureau in Manhattan New York City at Pier A and North River with Marine One. Assistant Chief Augustus A. Beekman and Battalion Chief Clifford Long were the Chiefs of CRB. The Fire Commissioner was Robert O. Lowery and the Chief of The Department was John T. O'Hagan.
I wrote a protocol for The Community Relations Bureau entitled OPERATION COOL IT. Because it was the WAR YEARS and it seemed like the entire City of New York was burning down.
Since I wasn't assigned to a fire fighting Company the top brass gave me the option of riding with the various Special Units of the Department.
I went to Ladder Company 105 quarters and they had no room for me to ride with them so the Division took me to Rescue Two and I spent an entire weekend with them. Back then there weren't any TEN CODES. Radio chatter was based on military radio protocols. RODGER WILCO MESSAGE RECEIVED AND SAY AGAIN were the lingo of that time. There were no VOICE ALARMS in those days too. You really had to be very proficient in COUNTING AND DECIPHERING THE BELLS which were in a series of PRIMARY and SECONDARY bells.
If the dispatcher needed a Rescue Company to respond to a school in Williamsburg Brooklyn at Graham Avenue and Ten Eyck Walk he would bang out 10- 256 - 2 That's how it would be received in The Borough of Brooklyn. Everywhere else in New York City it would be received as 10-77-256-2 In the latter it is decoded as RESCUE TWO RESPOND TO BROOKLYN BOX 256 ON THE CORNER OF GRAHAM AVENUE AND TEN EYCK WALK. What you would hear is 10- 2-5-6 -2
The Rescue Company HOUSEWATCH would open up a small compartment in the bell Housing unit and tap out on the TELEGRAPH KEY 2-3 Which is the equivalent to 10-4 or MESSAGE RECEIVED.
In those days there was a lot of violence against the firemen ( it WAS the old days and the term FIREFIGHTER didn't exist 🤣😂🤣😂.
Also in every single Firehouse there was no such thing as AIR CONDITIONING so the Bay Doors stayed open until night fall or whenever they got a run. So the entire community heard all of those BELLS constantly ringing.
Whenever there was a SECOND ALARM OR GREATER the BELLS would go crazy with a series of SPECIAL CALLS AND COMPANIES THAT WERE COMMITTED TO A RELOCATION ASSIGNMENT.
For example if FIRST DUE Ladder Company 108 had been assigned to a Box that went to a FOURTH ALARM and the relocation company was engaged with another GREATER ALARM, since Ladder Company 108 was in a high fire zone the dispatcher would have to send another Ladder Company from another Borough or area. He would BANG out 17-81-108 The 17 is the bell code for Relocation of a Ladder Company 81 is the Ladder Company that is to relocate 108 is the Ladder Company that Ladder Company 81 is to relocate to. What you would hear is 17-8-1-1-0-8.
Now you want to know how do they tap out a zero
10 by itself is the code for a RESCUE Company that 10 proceeds all other numbers
Now for 108
The code is 1 plus banged out ten times and then 8 = 108.
Rescue and the Satellite Units with the Super Pumper And Tender were all enclosed cabs. Ladder Companies including the TILLER were all open tops. And the Firemen stood on the Back Steps hanging on to a straphanger like the ones in the Subway Trains.
On the Ladder Company the firemen would stand on the side holding on to the ladder. The TILLER and rear windshield was removable to raise the aerial ladder by stepping on the quick release and hand cranking the Ladder to further extend or rotate the platform. Cranking the Ladder down was an exercise within itself!
TECHNOLOGY ruined the Department.
Because it was a HELL of a lot more fun then. No one here remembers the FDNY WATER TOWERS?
I wrote a protocol for The Community Relations Bureau entitled OPERATION COOL IT. Because it was the WAR YEARS and it seemed like the entire City of New York was burning down.
Since I wasn't assigned to a fire fighting Company the top brass gave me the option of riding with the various Special Units of the Department.
I went to Ladder Company 105 quarters and they had no room for me to ride with them so the Division took me to Rescue Two and I spent an entire weekend with them. Back then there weren't any TEN CODES. Radio chatter was based on military radio protocols. RODGER WILCO MESSAGE RECEIVED AND SAY AGAIN were the lingo of that time. There were no VOICE ALARMS in those days too. You really had to be very proficient in COUNTING AND DECIPHERING THE BELLS which were in a series of PRIMARY and SECONDARY bells.
If the dispatcher needed a Rescue Company to respond to a school in Williamsburg Brooklyn at Graham Avenue and Ten Eyck Walk he would bang out 10- 256 - 2 That's how it would be received in The Borough of Brooklyn. Everywhere else in New York City it would be received as 10-77-256-2 In the latter it is decoded as RESCUE TWO RESPOND TO BROOKLYN BOX 256 ON THE CORNER OF GRAHAM AVENUE AND TEN EYCK WALK. What you would hear is 10- 2-5-6 -2
The Rescue Company HOUSEWATCH would open up a small compartment in the bell Housing unit and tap out on the TELEGRAPH KEY 2-3 Which is the equivalent to 10-4 or MESSAGE RECEIVED.
In those days there was a lot of violence against the firemen ( it WAS the old days and the term FIREFIGHTER didn't exist 🤣😂🤣😂.
Also in every single Firehouse there was no such thing as AIR CONDITIONING so the Bay Doors stayed open until night fall or whenever they got a run. So the entire community heard all of those BELLS constantly ringing.
Whenever there was a SECOND ALARM OR GREATER the BELLS would go crazy with a series of SPECIAL CALLS AND COMPANIES THAT WERE COMMITTED TO A RELOCATION ASSIGNMENT.
For example if FIRST DUE Ladder Company 108 had been assigned to a Box that went to a FOURTH ALARM and the relocation company was engaged with another GREATER ALARM, since Ladder Company 108 was in a high fire zone the dispatcher would have to send another Ladder Company from another Borough or area. He would BANG out 17-81-108 The 17 is the bell code for Relocation of a Ladder Company 81 is the Ladder Company that is to relocate 108 is the Ladder Company that Ladder Company 81 is to relocate to. What you would hear is 17-8-1-1-0-8.
Now you want to know how do they tap out a zero
10 by itself is the code for a RESCUE Company that 10 proceeds all other numbers
Now for 108
The code is 1 plus banged out ten times and then 8 = 108.
Rescue and the Satellite Units with the Super Pumper And Tender were all enclosed cabs. Ladder Companies including the TILLER were all open tops. And the Firemen stood on the Back Steps hanging on to a straphanger like the ones in the Subway Trains.
On the Ladder Company the firemen would stand on the side holding on to the ladder. The TILLER and rear windshield was removable to raise the aerial ladder by stepping on the quick release and hand cranking the Ladder to further extend or rotate the platform. Cranking the Ladder down was an exercise within itself!
TECHNOLOGY ruined the Department.
Because it was a HELL of a lot more fun then. No one here remembers the FDNY WATER TOWERS?
@firekillerjustice3548 1 year ago
Love the brotherhood these guys have and there department my hat goes off to them they got balls bigger than I ever seen as myself as a firefighter
@marklafreniere4016 5 years ago
Rescue does everything except squirt water. OK maybe borrow a ladder from time to time.😉 They are the elite rescuers.
FDNY Rescue 2 1991
john linden
90,054 views
Overview of Rescue 2 in Brooklyn New York around 1991. Features short interviews with the commanding officer Ray Downey who became the head of special operations in the department but sadly killed on 911.