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Comment by Blackie on March 6, 2008 at 10:14pm

Hey Dad is that You ... LOL
My Dad used to say " I never sat in a cab with a roof my whole career". A True Blue Truckie. I used to listen those stories when I was growing up. His last truck was a 1972 Maxim 100' with a tiller. No roof on either the front or the back. I know because it was still being used when I came on and I did many calls in the cold. Mostly on the tiller. But the worst was the freezing rain. Now that hurt. We're 12 miles west of Boston and get some real crappy weather.
Oh by the way, you never mentioned that you fought fires and did interior searches with out any SCBA.
And lived long enough to tell us all.

Comment by Firstwhip on November 29, 2007 at 10:42pm

Hey, when you wore your boots rolled down, did you leave about and 1"-2" folded up at the bottom or did you wear them ll the way down ala FDNY of the '70's.
Me, one pair of boots I had (Servus) looked money rolled all the way down. Another pair looked a little better "cuffed" up about 2"
Also I was the first one in my FD to buy a New Yorker, I think it cost me in the neighborhood of $65.00 with a name plate on the front and Bourke eye shields.
I'm afraid to ask what they cost now.

Comment by Firstwhip on November 20, 2007 at 4:44pm

Thanks, for reminding me about those other fun things we used to do.
We have another FD in our town that we run mutual aid with. I remember being a rookie in the early '70s and seeing their open cab ALF engine coming to our station or joing us at an event. There were wiper blades on the inside of the windshield also.
I rally could not believe they had an open cab in our central NY climate.
Thanks again for reading!!!
Stay safe.

Comment by Peter Lupkowski on November 20, 2007 at 1:25pm

I still have my tin Lt. helmet. May I add one more to your list: Riding to a second alarm in subzero weather in our OPEN CAB ladder. Is it any wonder we wanted to go inside...just to get warm.
Memory Lane is always a nice place to visit

Comment by Captain Rick McCurdy on November 20, 2007 at 9:46am

How about riding the tailboard and covering with the hose tarp to keep warm or, having to hang on to your partner on the tailboard as they get dressed, or riding the tailboard when the truck slides on ice around a corner. Great memories, wouldn't change them but shurly wouldn't do it again. Thanks for reminding me why my hair is white and alot thinner than 20 years ago.

Capt. Rick

Comment by Joe Campbell aka Cutty on November 20, 2007 at 8:28am

Ooooooooooo wwwwweeeeee
didn't you just knock all the cobwebs loose
Thanks for the memories
Stay Safe
Cutty

Comment by Allen Wahlstrom on November 19, 2007 at 11:43pm

Rubber turn out coats....yep...black with a yellow stripe at about mid thigh

Tin Helmets (Cairns Senator)....no we were on to Tupperware by then.

Thigh high rubber boots.....hell yeah...sucked when they got old and cracked at the folds...damn those would pinch right thru pants!

Riding the "back step"....strapped on and not.

Riding the back step to an alarm without any gear on....more then a few times

Folding the turn out coats over the side rails of the engine and then buckle them so they wouldn't fly off....LOL hadnt thought about that in years.

Placing your size boots in just the right place so you wouldn't get stuck with a size 13 or worse a size 6....nah we had issued gear...

The red "Fireball" gloves....not so much

Folding salvage covers.....F*ck yes, that sucked too!

Hose washers....yep...they worked Soooo well, right?

Hose towers....Up until about 1994

Your base station call letters....KKV 930

The Plectron....Waht a lovely sound those made too!

Thanks for the memories and oh yeah making me feel older then dirt!