GETTIN' SALTY EXPERIENCE PODCAST Ep.248: LT. SALVATORE MIRRA Jr.

Disclaimer.

We'd like to know before the start of this interview that the opinions about to be expressed by the guest of Tonight's Getting Salty Experience Podcast are that of the guest and do not directly or necessarily reflect the views of the host of the Getting Salty Experience Podcast.

You're listening to the Getting Salty Experience Podcast.

A Hello, indeed, we are back. I haven't got a light show in a while. Right there it is Jose. I haven't seen that guy?

Is it duck?

It's the chicken.

He's kind of wearing his shirt for too. It's kind of fitting.

He knew back.

If you get told these space pockets the only one, even if the lady steals it that brings the fire house kitchen table to you got a funny guy out tonight places.

My face hurts already. We weren't even out of the pre show yet. I can't even film my face. I can't feel my face.

That's for all the well wishes for the surgery. I'm feeling good not to stand up in a little while.

It's getting If you guys haven't noticed, he's even taller in the chair.

That's a little taller wish it was.

A little bit.

Wish it was a ball.

Yeah.

Man, he's definitely sitting on a pad or something.

I'm not sitting on nothing.

He's sitting on the ship ring.

You know.

He's got the hemorrhoid ring going. He's like I see you in Harrisbury, like holy ship.

His legs is straight now, no more horse legs.

More walking over hyd you like.

It's gonna be a little weird. That's a long time with them crooked fuckings. You've got that.

Yeah, indeed, Yeah, I saw in the chat. There's somebody's birthday today. Did you see that?

No, whose birthday is it?

Oh?

You know there's Procacini's birth Happy birthday, husband, yeah, husband, Yeah, that's I hope he gets a nice present tonight.

I'll get something.

John Albanize was asking for prayers too. We had a pretty big heart attack.

Is it true that he was out? Like they brought him back to life?

The little ones to.

Me, you send uh sense prayers for John Albanize. He had he said it had a big heart attack.

And man, Johnny, I see I'll put you on the rosey tonight. Johnny, stay away from the light, little buddy.

Stay away from the light, but if you are on him and everything, so the light. I got compressions, Yeah, they don't.

Do you still have to do. You have to do two of them depending on what you're doing. But I'm I don't want to do to anymore. I'm just kidding. Just give me a vapor barrier. We're good.

Pok her up there, Koobie.

I got a haircut, No, no, just's I'm letting the girls. It's growing a little differently. I got a little a little too much, I think today.

But you know what, my girl, Cindy Drake, she's in there also also also, So let's get some prayers out the Hank senior dude Moley, he just had a heart surgery. He's on the man. He's doing well. He walked a mile today. So the senior man wishes all the leatherhead nation. Well let's say some prayers for Hank.

Absolutely again.

I found the heart on him.

I told him it was like the grinches on middleriches. One was a tiny little one.

That it grows. He had he had something with his heart. We made a big banner when he came back.

And yeah, I found the cheesy. We put out a sheet I think I helped he made it actually.

Get well soon.

We're glad tiger and was a wizard of Oz if I had a heart, was it wow?

Speaking of tigers on tonight on let me practice that.

I don't have a damn cats sound effect. I need to get one. Don't work on one of the roads. Tiger ones and I talked.

To him, you gotta get the cops the woo woo.

You gotta ask South. He had the on his helmet.

He he's laughing back there. Yes, yes, no, tell me, yes, he's yelling us like I could hear him not kidding.

I would whooh woo, I would woo you. That was the honeymoons woo woo.

Yes, I got commercials really quick.

Yeah, all right, here we go.

Mister Armour, need a new floor for your fire station. Choose an Armor Tough interlocking flooring system to cover your aging, stained, crack, concrete or POxy floor. Around for nearly twenty years and proven to be the best choice in renovating your station floors, covering nearly six hundred floors across the country. Armour Tough is proudly made in America and comes with a lifetime warranty with floors that are usually installed in one or two days, depending on the size of your station, and

And you know, going to be a new representative out in the Upper East Coast here right in Long Island for this guy.

Am a tough bro like you are?

Not no way, Yes, I am will be Vincent's repped in Long Island as soon as I'm up and about walking again, So I will put all the information out there.

Hello, how might you pay for the for the new guy? Too much? Too much.

To fi?

I to tell you all about auto? Well that look at who I was just asking about this guy the other day, Wasn't I rough?

Mike Kelly.

Too?

Mike Kelly, look at that guy.

Gonna have him back on All right, Let's get to the next one quickly.

Here we go.

Established in nineteen thirty and under the current ownership since nineteen eighty seven, the New Jersey Fire Equipment Company handles a complete line of fire departman equipment and supplies.

Headquartered in green Brook.

The company operates full three M Scott service facilities in Ridgefield Park and Tom's River staff by ten fully authorized Scott's certified technicians with a fleet of six fully equipped service vans. All New Jersey Fire technicians and sales representatives are active or retired firefighters, officers or chief officers, career and volunteer. They understand the business and the importance of

That's www.

Dot nj f E dot com.

Wonderful. Nonetheless, but not least.

We'll do these that when we have nothing left.

Let's just do the.

The uh you know we're talking about.

Yeah, yes, here we go.

The First Responders Center for Excellence is a not for profit organization dedicated to protecting their lives and livelihoods of first responders. Their education and research initiatives aim to bring greater awareness and understanding the challenges to the health, safety, and well being of firefighters, EMS personnel, and other first responders too. They are an affiliate of the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation.

I just went from MIA annual check up with Rob Brown Soup the nuts, bro, get the cardiac c T skin, get it all, learn about it early. You want time, Yeah, you want to collect that pension for a while. You don't want to be like my own man, right, your father died like three four years later, retired and then he died with my brother.

Get out to gre yourself checked out all right, Roff ready.

Yeah, coming to the stage, Lieutenant Salmrra.

Going on, guys, welcome to the show. Brother, Thank you very much, Thank you for having me.

Yeah, well, we used to run into each other all the time. We're just uh shooting. We're reminiscent about the time that he was at I.

Wish I had a cat.

I'm gonna find him.

Have No, I don't have a damn cat. I got a goat.

I got forget about it. That's not really that's pretty Uh, that's pretty good for him. Yeah, let's do that. Let's do the pledge first. Come on, Yeah, I got you, And then we're here we go.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

This is not a tiger, is it, Casey?

He says. Legend has it that his shadow once killed the dog?

Is that true?

Not a movie?

I don't know. All right, are you ready? All we got.

To Lieutenant saw Mara and remembers a lot of one twenty Good afternoon.

My name is Lieutenant salvatoremier alat of one twenty. We we were at the firehouse when the alarm came in. We received a report of a fire in UH in the building behind me and UH. On arrival, we had multiple people advising us before we even got in the building that they were still a document trapped an apartment four Bravo. So we knew that we had somebody in there that definitely needed to get attended to. So myself and my inside team immediately ascended to the fourth floor

I dude, I have to ask you before we even get started, like, how nerve wracking is that to do? Like with all of that stuff going on now, it were you like freaking.

If you focus on the microphone, that's look at anybody else. We actually went back to the firehouse and the press desk gold and they said, you got to go back to the scene right away. Uh, national television media is there and they got to interview you and find out no.

Way, so you have to think about it too.

So I'm like, oh boy, what are they going to ask exactly? Oh? I have no idea, but are you ready to good? Did it look at you? I mean, you know, like I said, I'm like thinking to myself. I'm like, I just hope they're not. Like, you know, are you a hero? And what was the first question I asked? Do you consider yourself heroes? I'm like, how do you answer?

That without being you say, here's nothing but a sandwich's.

Yeah, heroes, what I put on my what do you mean like? So I tried to give appropriate answer, so, you know, to make it sound uh, you.

Know it was even there. It was scary. Was that guy's helmet standing next to him?

Holy shit? Man? I have another little clip here too, of totally twenty eight seconds here watch it. Yeah, yeah, what do you respond to being a hero? This is what we signed up to do. We do it every day. We do with pride, we do it with joy. We're here help the community, and we're happy to do it. It's another day in the office for us here, it's uh, it's it's our job, it's our life. So are we heroes? Some might say so, but to us, it's a job

Ah.

That's question.

That was See he didn't have to think about that. That bubbled right out.

Yeah. Yeah, you see the chief behind time to time till this day. Hey, just another day in the office, you know, see the.

Chief n there ain't nut you're gonna say that you ain't gonna hear for the rest of your life.

Oh my god, how many phone calls you get on that one?

Oh?

I forgot, I can't. I went back to the fires. I had like fifty four messages, twelve phone calls, and like I said, I still get you know, you know, thats just another day in the office. I guess, Uh did the did the chief behind us say anything? Yeah? Say behind He was smirking when you said another day in the office. He kind of was holding back a chuckle.

I thought that was perfect.

That's yeah. When you said, like I said, I didn't know what they were asking me. So this is what I threw back at them.

You know where you said that you guys packaging? Did that mean you grabbed them biting ankles and banged his head the whole way down the stairs? Is that that could have happened? Maybe it happened.

Maybe what did you guys get for that? Anybody get a unit or you put in for a unit? Yeah?

Yeah, so yeah about the whole unit. You know what I'm saying, roofie, collective effort.

Collect collective collective. There's no eyes, no iron team, does it?

He and me? Though?

You know, is iron unit, though.

We gotta get before that man.

Give us a little bit where Salvat grew up, where you grew up, why you became a fine man, what the childhood was like, your mom and dad, you brought us whatever?

I originally uh, I was born and raised in Brooklyn for the no ship said by Brooklyn come on.

That.

Yeah, I was. I was born in my Mamadi's hospital in Brooklyn. I was there in Brooklyn Ships at Bank till about nineteen eighty eight, and then we moved out to Long Island to Old Westbury and I basically lived there until I found my future wife at the time, who's down my wife obviously, and we moved to Roslyn and I've been here ever since. Now. I've never had any family on the job. I was first, first generation

Oh is that way you got the itch? Like did you want to go to one thirty eight like to eighty.

Nine eight Olive or not? When I was an EMT, I had a scanner in the rig and uh, anytime there was a job in the area, heading that way and hilly balls again, and uh, what what's going on? I knew that was a hot area, so I figured when I worked there as a flyman, it was it was. It was rocking and rolling.

He figured, He figured, So, who how do you figure that? You just say, I'm gonna take a look at the draw or maybe Sally Box called somebody over there.

You hang out, You hang out, you meet the guys over there at the park over there, the bach, you guys over there, and then you.

Know what he saw on thirty eight he pulled over. He bought hup to Corona.

Ice is the lemon Ice King of Corona, went to the spaghetti park over there, played a little bochi and they said, this is the time guy, you following the rig around?

I don't know.

Yeah, so, uh I wound up going there, and uh I love it.

Wait you didn't wind up going there? How you keep missing it?

He's going around, not even in the engine, in the engine right to the right to the truck.

I was in the engine first, the engine, all right. Yeah, I was in the engine for four years and then I went to the try four years into it, and I did six years in the truck.

Well, how did you get to again, he's he's bypassing you.

Listen, how did you get to the end? I h through a family friend.

That's that's what I'm saying.

You don't right out when you know, shout him right out when you know. I I I reached out to a couple of people to try to get me there, and uh, thankfully it all worked out. And uh I got a sign there and UH.

Called you called the fixer, that is what you did. I called so infinitely, he called the fixer. You go over to eighty nine, you bring the cake. Who is the captain there at the time.

The captain of two eighty nine was Mike Delina, remember vaguely Mike Mike Delina character great, great guy, and uh he was Uh he was there for a while because he got promoted the chief. And then after Mike Delina, Dean Castor was the captain. Yeah he was the captain and uh, yeah he was there. And then after him was I believe Jimmy Gelss that's my commission. And then uh, like I said, four years later, I wanted to go to the truck.

Slow down, slow, let's talk about the engine. Turn the page right on the engine.

Right right, I was right, don't he gives the engine credit he turned the pig.

I was.

Root, but then I went to the truck and then, uh, it doesn't really count.

So what did you catch your first job? How long your first tour did you catch? How many runs did you go on your first tour? For godsakes? Over there?

I think, uh, one weekend. I caught my first job there. Yeah, it was about it was about you know, first week. Uh, and then I caught a job. The way it worked in the engine over there is the senior guy in the groups got the nozzle. So I usually have backup or door. We were a five man company, so uh.

You know, it always got to work your group though, right, If you worked your groups, did you get the nozzle?

It was always a senior You had to be in your groups here at the nozzle.

Yeah, right, exactly.

Well, you know, obviously if everyone was on a mutual or the senior guy wanted to give it to you, that worked, But it was always senior guy in groups got the nozzle.

Yeah, was the same way.

Yeah, you wants to know if Rick Bruno was there Toy nine when you were there, Rick Bruno was definitely that he was a legend there there. Bro fixed yet he was a great, great boss. Nothing phased that guy. She could be hitting the fan and that guy was calm, cool and collective like nothing was going on. That's what you want, you know that, That's exactly what you wanted,

Who does you say that?

Yeah, guy, he kind of told me that no problem, the only solutions. Yeah, it's a great saying.

Bro.

That's a good house.

So guys, for people you know who are in New York, Uh, it's it's a more of a ghetto house, you know, more of a Clinton type house. A lot of guys run the run and there were sponts areas huge, huge it is. Yeah, So did you were you the only program that went there when you went?

No, I went there with uh with one other guy in the engine and one guy of the truck. So three of us from that class went to that house. So the other guy went to the truck. She had a bigger hook than you. What you said, right initially?

Did the engine I asked you a question? Though he probably won't say did you put the trunk or the engine down first? When you asked your hook?

No, I actually I asked to go to the engine. Yeah, yeah, I wanted to start. Everyone told me start off in the engine. You'll you'll thank me later. And that's exactly what I did. I learned the engine and I did that, you know, for you know, a couple of years, and then before I went to the truck.

Uh huh you get they get a lot of work over it. The heavily occupied over there, crazy, the amount of people living.

Every type of every type of building too. They got h's, they got commercials.

It was a very diverse uh makeup of buildings, which was very nice to uh to learn the job there and.

You got there what two thousand and three? Yeah, yeah, you learn the who teaches you that? I'm trying to a you gotta teach me.

The Uh they have a little scratch pad in the house. Wash. Yeah.

What about uh Tarantini over there.

He was the best he was Uh work, Yeah.

He's still working. He says he's getting ready to pack and putting a plan together.

I talked to him today.

Tiger one, Tiger, he's Tiger one, right, I remember you know was a tiger one when you got there.

It was Mike, wasn't it.

Uh?

He called himself Taron Tiger.

No but uhant.

But what's his day?

Was a senior man there in the truck, Mike Mike Bryor, Mike Pryor.

Mike Pryor was senior guy when I was there.

Yeah, right, who was the senior man the engine?

Uh, senior guy in the engine was when I got there was Greg Benomi. They called him Babo and yeah, he was a senior guy. And Mike Mike Pryor was a senior guy in the truck who had the raspy voice. Who was the yeah we do was like this?

He was?

He was the union two for two eighty nine.

Oh, Johnny Debo DeVoe deebo. I think of the movie Friday.

Yeah, my grandmama gave me that change.

Tell us about a good job that he caught in two eighty nine before we turned a page to the truck again, bro, give us a good job that he had in to eighty nine.

Uh, good job in two eighty nine. Uh, probably one of my uh first nozzle jobs actually in two eighty nine.

Uh.

And like I said that wasn't right away because like I said, you had to be in your groups in uh, in your groups working to get the nozzle and and be senior and being approbate. I didn't have any seniority, so uh, probably, I don't know, a month or two in and we had a rock and basement job and uh we were first due. Truck was first due, and uh it was like I said, it was probably one of my first, you know, first nozzle jobs, and it

Did you just stay just another day at the office.

Yeah, I was still learning the office at that.

Ship. That's good.

Yeah, so that was your first nozzle jub what they do with they see your man give you the nozzle.

Or uh no, I actually had the nozzle somehow. I don't remember. I was in groups, but I had the nozzle at that ah and you get your jump Yeah, yeah, it was. It was rocking and like, you know, like you get out of that, you know, and you're adrenaline is pumping and you're like that it was fucking awesome. Let's do it again.

Yeah, and you're like, you know, get a chance over there because they go they go to decent amount.

Uh hey sound Did the guys know that you were a volunteer when you got there or no?

Uh initially, but I think a couple of months in the word got out, you know nothing U I uh, you know, I told him They're like, are you a volley? I'm like I am, and they're like, all right, that's cool. I Meanwhile, there's a lot of bollegys in that house, which was cool, you know, and uh probably no bullshit. A third of the house was Rally's Wow and Jimmy Gills was Yeah. It was. It was like and you try to like secretly find out who are the volleys? And be like yo, you know, I me and you

Yeah, who's chief?

I think he's referencing to sal Chief over there. I was, Oh Jesus, he's leaving.

Come I don't see that on here.

It's not on it. Come on, come on, take it easy.

Now, mirror.

Did you cook over there?

Oh?

Did he hook?

I did? I? I actually uh made a signature meal there called sal zones. Uh yeah, I made them in Walking Street too, related to seal zone. So uh basically it's a cow zone. But some of the guys alleged up my sweat from when I was sweating for a fusely dripped into the cow zones, which is what made them cow zones sell zones. But uh yeah, basically I made a cow zone and we made all kinds. We made sausage and peppers. We made ham pepperona d a

Still, you know, mm hmm. So you get the inst to go over to the truck. I did you made the movie?

Would you just go to see the captain? I knew you wanted to go? Well, how long did you wait?

Well? I actually, I'll be honest you. I was nervous to tell Jim Gills at the time, who was the captain, that I wanted to go to the truck because I feel like I'd let him down. But I called him at home one day and I said, hey, cap at Sally. He's like, what's up? Everything all right? I'm like, yeah, everything's all right, and I said I'm thinking about going to the truck. He's like, well, when you're thinking about doing it. I'm like now, he's like, oh right, okay.

Bro.

I have no idea.

But you were UFO. You went UFO. Obviously you were in UFO.

No, no, I got I was assigned.

Oh you were signed?

Yeah, I was.

I gotta signed. So now I have five double groups and I had six people in the engine pissed off of.

Me because I just said, the guy's probably hat now right.

They did. But you know, they said, if you have a hook, don't don't waste it. You don't call him, use them, So we did.

I did.

And this is the retiring theme in South Korea.

That's a tough because you still got to live with those guys.

It's kind of a tough, but but I get they're like, here, sal this is your dinner.

No no, no, no, the engines and mails, oh, Sally's working today.

And the guys who were waiting to go, they were great. They gave me my own plate, like this is.

Yours, this is your m uh so yeah, so night they're asked force in your pillow in the bunk room.

But uh yeah it was Uh it was like I said, you know, I wanted to do it. I had to get to go to the truck and uh I did it.

You know, did you have to go see Tiger one to get his blessing?

I got.

I had his blessing.

Yeah, Tiger One's blessing.

So yeah, I spoke to the union guys in both companies just to make sure it was okay with them, and like I said, nobody had any objection. Afterwards, a couple of people weren't crazy about jumping, you know, certain guys, but like I said, you know, you don't know who has a hook who doesn't.

Have a hook, and you know you gotta use it.

Bro I wanted to do. You know, it's only it's your career, you know, so you're only uh hurt yourself if you don't use it exactly. Now, how how'd you like going from me?

Because two eighty nine got a relatively small first to area to one thirty eight that you feel like you could be driving on the rate for like fifteen minutes to get to the box.

It's crazy. I remember we had covering officers in one thirty eight from Brooklyn, and you know areas where they were so populated with engine companies and he's like, where are we going? And I'm like, second to box. He's like, we've been on the rink for eleven minutes. Yeah, and that's how it is over there. You had a lot of single engines over there. But the area for one thirty eight was tremendous. It was huge all the way out the flushing Yeah. Yeah, and then you got a

Oh, I was just going to say, when when you had this is Queen Street to fall?

Was he?

Oh?

Yeah, god, he you can any one time. Yeah. Yeah.

He came to the firehouse all the time. And his famous thing he would be like, there'll be movement today. Miro like, w there are we going. He's like, I'm not sure yet, but they'll be movement. I'm like okay. But yeah. He came by literally every single day pretty much. And uh, you know, he was great to have as a friend because you know when he was on the radio, he took care of it.

Yeah.

Oh my god. Corona House of Fire.

Corona House of Fire, take in phone alarm for two four six. Correction, this is Queen's too far, This is Queen Street to four.

So tell us about some scary jobs in one thirty eight.

Bro, come on already, you know what.

God, let's go, come on through some of the old pictures. We're into the truck and throw some engine pictures.

Yeah, he don't have any engine pictures.

He didn't send an illion my god.

Boy.

Sorry, well sorry was all over him. Yeah, but you got the other he got the early pictures though Proby No.

No, he had no Proby pictures.

No.

The only thing we have of him early, we have some early stuff. The one we have early is one of these. Oh boy, I know it was only a matter of times.

Where was that? That was one thirty eight?

No, so that was it made its way to one thirty eight that That was a bachelor party that I was at and we were actually in Las Vegas, and uh, somebody dared me to wear that, and I said, if you buy it, I'll wear it. So that's the story behind that. And guess what, the motherfucker came through and they bought it for me. So then I had to actually put it on and wear it for six hours

From that, stay away from beefcakes.

Becakes there and uh yeah that that picture that made its way around and uh they actually gotta there you go. They got a life size with those fat heads right then a life side version of being made up and hung in the in the firehouse kitchen in in Corona.

And they hung it on the on the wall there have got it of these today, bro.

The best. But yeah, and then when I went to Flips, that giant figure made it there and made it to Brooklyn. I had the commissioner tell me one day at at an event, He's like, you look much better with your clothes on. And I'm like, commissioner, wait, did you see the picture on the eighth floor. I'm like, oh, boy, boy, I feel like used. But it was definitely comical.

Listen.

I mean, the funniest thing about the whole Speedot thing is like I didn't give a ship like it was. I call it very European. Ye nah no, she she got a kick out of it. But the funniest thing is is every pictic guess what the guy's requested they want me to wear that thing, and I said, it's too slutty to wear that with the families around, right, you know, the kids can't be seeing that kind of shit.

I got a shave or anything armful life, you know, yeah, shaved the boys up, the the whole thing.

You had the whole look going on there.

Bro Oh yeah, yeah it was. It was funny, man. And I guess that you only live once, so you gotta do silly shit like that one.

So when you're in one thirty eight, how do they roll? You don't get the roof for the ov right away, right.

What do you give you?

Honestly one thirty eight depending on the bosses. You know, we had one boss who he made the waiting list and you had zero involvement with what you wanted to work, uh, position wise for the tour. And then you had certain bosses who you know, senior guy in groups or you know, uh. Basically, once you got assigned the roof for the first time, you were on the roof for quite some time. Really, yeah, you were like the uh, the seated roofman, if you

He still had his speed although yeah, still wear the speed up on occasion at home. Special treats special exactly. So I called eye candy for the ladies, you know.

Nice.

So, So who was who was some of the guys in in the truck that you kind of you know, gravitated to, like as far as the job was concerned.

Yeah, uh, you know a couple of senior guys like I really, I really clicked well with them there. You know, I had Mike Pyre was a senior guy. Got along great with him. You know, he was around forever, pleasure to deal with, absolute gentlemen, and you know, UH loved work with him. He was in my groups. Uh, Steve Core hardcore remember him, Koobs, Yeah, Ri Founder, you guys remember him. He was great man. He called me Buffy

So we got always good when the rough around the edges guys like you, whatever reason it is.

Yeah. So he didn't like to me and I ran with it.

Man.

And uh, he was definitely a good mentor to have. Chris Miller, who went up, uh get promoted and working next house over in Brooklyn. He was one of the other senior guys in my groups. He was seated chauffeur. He was great to work with and uh taught me a lot. And uh and and Joe Tarren Tiger, Joe Tarran Tager. We're gonna get him on the show.

He's he's been there a long time, right, I mean how long he has.

He's the senior guy then now and Uh, Jimmie and Joe. I still talked to him all time. He was he was a pleasure to work with man. And and he's like I said, he's a close friend of mine until this day. And I still talk to him and uh always, you know, not only about firefighting, but just life in general. And and uh he was an absolute pleasure to work with. Taught me a tremendous amount. I remember when I became a chauffeur in one thirty eight. He helped me with that.

If the senior guy is in on it, like, if he's into it, it trickles down to everybody, you know what I mean.

He does he sets the mood and and and he's still got that going there man. And you know a lot of people as Tom goes on, you know, he kind of like, I don't want to say, fiddles out, but they don't have that passion anymore. Yeah, he still does.

How is it with the former members of the Retired Guys? They have a good basic guys who still turn out all the time.

Yeah, we still go to some events. They actually do something which Kenny Gunter. You remember Kenny Gunter?

I remember that, Yeah, I remember that.

He put together like it's called the Tiger Luncheon. And the last day of every month, which essentially for retired Guys's payday, we go out to Millerselle House in Deer Park every month. Anyone who's retired, promoted, are no longer basically working in Coronto is invited and it's it's a blast. We get to see each other. It's like being in the Flyhouse kitchen right out. You know, it's great.

You know, what about what about one of your old Chief Steve was a former member one hundred and thirty eight. Always loved that place, Chief Steve Man. He would come back around there a lot to you guys.

Yeah, he would come by. I remember, like you know, they'd be like Cooper's working, He's on his way and everyone's fucking running around to get black socks on it. He was gonna check the socks and.

Was coming He's gonna check.

Oh my god, everyone's grabbing shirts. Guys are wearing shirts that don't even have the right name on it.

It's like he used to. He used to stop by off myre house too. And of course I wouldn't be I'd have look like you right now, right like us. I was just like, just like, when are you gonna shave a Frand I said, I shaved this afternoon. Chief. It's uh, I'm Italian, you know.

Now I'm gonna have to say away right to the Chief Steve song.

Yes, for the listeners who have.

Not yet ever seen the Earth, this is early vintage.

Yeah, this is the fourth and we don't have the first version.

We only have the fourth one level track down the other one.

We do, we do have the one we all track down, the one with the socks.

But you know, here we go, here we go.

I'm Chief Steve back with another damn. I got a new ankle, so you could say, hot.

Damn, it's my job.

Maybe over I put it in forty plus. Now I think I'll go and try the yellow plus. Not just saying the bus, but a special one. Indeed, my little brother and he has special leads. I'll drive that yellow bus and buckle in his ass and tighten his helmet as he licks the freaking class.

When I'm gone, don't be overtime looters.

I'll hunt you.

All down on my fucking scooter.

You have not seen the last of me.

Be sure I'll be hanging with these bigheads on the get Insulting tour cuz I'm cheap Steve.

Classic, Classic, Classic.

I gotta find the first one. We mentioned the socks because obviously that was a big thing.

The socks was huge.

Man.

Oh sorry, it was one thirty eight guy too, right, Yeah, yeah, yep.

The captain of the truck.

When you did you ever work with the guy who was the guy who was in the big Irish guy who was in a band or whatever.

He was in the band. Wasn't he a big.

John Maloney? Yes?

Was he there when you were there?

Yeah? He was, he was. He was a captain when I was in the engine originally, but when I when I went across the floor, he was already gone.

Ah.

He wasn't a fan of the squad.

No, no, no, I know that. Anybody feel How did they feel.

Over there one thirty eighth. You weren't there yet. He became a squad, right, you got there later?

Yeah, you guys were already squad, yeah, right, right, right right? But I know, I know before me, I know a couple of guys didn't stay in two eighty eight when they became a squad and they went to one thirty eight, right, Oh did they? I didn't know that. Yeah.

Maybe they'd be great because they gave him wherever they wanted to go, so that would be a great.

Move, right, Yeah.

I think you guys had tryouts or something, right, Yeah, we did which ship and a couple of people were told that there will be no tryout for them. So I guess that's a nice way of saying, you're not staying here no matter what.

I don't know, but I don't know, like he didn't know who was you know, I don't know anything about.

That was uh Danny Schweiger. There was schwager Man.

Now, yes, yeah, Danny Schweiger was uh one thirty eight when I was in the truck. Yeah, great guy. Love work with him. He uh he actually let me ride the front a couple of times when he was working when out right before I got promoted. So he was absolute gentleman. Is that what is from the rescue to Yeah, that's his brothers. Brothers, they're all big.

Oh my god.

The other brother wasn't one O three, I believe yeah with me, Yeah, big dudes.

When did you uh when did you start studying? Like when did you start getting the uh?

Uh I started studying. I want to say, oh, seven eight I started studying, and I believe the test was in nine. Yeah, the test was in two thousand and nine. So I started studying like two years to uh, you know, maybe eighteen months right around that to uh to take the test. And you know, I actually did pretty good. I got I went up writing a ninety on the test.

That's a good time to get promoted ten years.

Yeah, everyone's funny, and everyone said ten years is perfect time.

And I literally to the you were in a great house and who kids.

Yeah, as I said, I wasn't in a rush, but you know, when it came, it came, and it wound up coming, and.

As soon as that came, it was a dis Yeah fix it.

Yeah, yeah, you know you know where I'm going.

Well, he could have been. I think he was already in the uh that that crew already, you know what I mean. So that doesn't hurt either when you're in the tree, president, president or whatever he was.

But how do you get You get, of course with the name, you know, Salva Colombians.

So he joined the Colombians and all of a sudden and now all of a sudden, he's the President of the Colombians.

You know.

Yes, so I was. I started out, uh in two thousand and five in the Columbia Association. I was a Queen's trustee because I was working in queens and there was an opening, so I started doing that. I got very involved with them and uh, next thing, you know, I'm beating Goppa Ghoul having red Wine and Walls good Man.

Mikey Smithwick was was part of that, right, he was a big was he the president, Big.

Joe Joe Smithwick. He's half Italian even though he's got an Irish last name. He was there. Craig Sloveno.

Had yeah, awesome, Keitho was uh, I forget about it.

Yeah he was there, so uh yes, I got on the board as a Queen's trustee and I really loved it, and I said, this is great. It's like a like a little other club within the fire department.

And uh, Frankie Demonto was big with the with that to the fish from and I wound up moving up and I wound up being president for the last couple of years that I was working, and uh uh.

Had a great time. Met a lot of great people, got friendly with a lot of the staff chiefs and stuff like that. So I definitely was beneficial to don't hurt no bosses. And you know, I called a networking that don't working.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

That's it.

It's all part of the game. You gotta spend time, make time right the.

Average day on the job, bro, you know what I mean?

Just every day the job another day office. Yes, I had to run us through the phone call to how you get to one twenty.

It's like, uh, Nope, don't want Nope, now, yes, I'll think four four battalion.

Nice said there was an opening in one twenty and they asked me if I wanted and I said, sure, I'll go there. N It took me. It took me four years to get the spot finally.

So you went to the fifteenth.

Yeah. So so I got a sign to the I did flips. Uh, and then I got a signed to the fifteenth Division. You know, they asked you to pick six battalions you want to go to. When I picked every battalion in the fifteenth division. So I got it and was like a happy as a pig and ship man. And uh because the fifteenth Division as.

A whole, there's almost you can't get a bed spot.

No, no matter where you go, you're you're you're going to fires. The fifteenth Division is great.

Bott three kind of peets out down there a little bit, is that true? What we all three? It peedees out a little.

Bit down there, blows down over there.

Yeah, we'll quiet over that way.

Yeah. So so I got I got assigned in. Uh my first tour out in the field was in October and uh my first uh, my first vacation was actually one forty seven.

That's christ so awesome.

Not a great commute, but the guys were phenomenal. There was fire duty and uh, I got into my first accident, which was pretty cool. Oh awesome. Yeah, So I didn't even you know, we it was actually Thanksgiving, it was November Thanksgiving and uh, we we we might have clipped the car with uh with with the with the tiller rig. I never worked in a tiller rig my entire career. So like down in charge of one and like it's literally a fucking eighteen wheeler that's flying through traffic, and

Oh hey, uh oh do oh, so what happened?

He didn't plug it in?

I told some of them of them to plug it in. We'll just say we'll just about anyway.

We'll just uh some pictures.

Yeah, don sal Lane's is he? Oh he's back? But where is he?

Dark? He's dark? Sal? Where are you are you there?

Stay away from light loads, Stay away.

From your light, little buddy three times on the ceiling.

Well we have that's a big thing. Advice ice cream.

Tell the CoA.

I don't say ice.

Yeah, Italian ice. That's the big Italian ice called. Give him a hollow.

See what he said.

I'm gonna boot, give him a boot, tell him to come back. But anyway, get some more pictures up there. We got so he's got a he he sent a lot of twenty pictures. I have a good of a few amounts of twenty pictures. I'll show some of the ones we didn't get to because he didn't have he did what I showed you.

It was the only one was that one picture with the muscle shirt of him at one thirty eight. What yeah, he said, this one here with the triple duce.

It was only uh.

That one.

You got a little story behind that. You've got another one with the the.

Now you this was the him ordering in one day. Oh now you are all right? So yeah, So so I was saying, So we wound up going to a job I was in one forty seven and like I said, we we definitely flipped the car going to this fire and the reports of kids trapped and I'm like, you know whatever, I didn't see it. We're going fires out. There was no kids trap. Rocking job. We wound up getting in there right away, fires out, and I hear

Pretty quick. That's pretty I could have used that one a few times probably.

Yeah.

So, like I said, it was my first accent. I had no idea how to do the whole paperwork report and all that. The cops get there, they're like, what's the driver's name? I said, there's two drivers. He's like, what the fuck are you talking about it. He's like, I was there two drivers. I'm like, there's one in the front, r on the back. I said, uh. He's like, bro, I don't know how to put this in the in the paperwork. I said, just put one driver. I don't care.

Division, right, Hang on for dear life, that's what you're doing.

But yeah, but I had a great tour. The guys were great there. They made me feel really welcome and uh, like I said, I quest and work there, and I'm like, happiness can be. I'm like, this is this is like a blessing with fifteenth Division. He went five all the time and I'm like, what's in your room? Man? This is the home right there?

No, you found it.

So yeah. So then next vacation, the division calls me up and they're like, you're go into one twenty. I'm like one twenty. I'm like, that's like major leagues and the calling calling the upro Yeah, so I go. I called I go over there. I called the captain who was Chris iSER at the time. I says, hey, don't sell mirror. I'm I'm actually covering a vacation there. He's like I know. I'm like, all right, I took a

To the show pushed a Teddy four button.

That's it, that's it, and pay the guys and the rest is is on them.

Man, did you feel a little bit intimidated in a place like that at Allso I'm not gonna lie.

I mean, uh, you know, my first tour there, I'm driving in and I'm like, should I have grown a mustache? I don't know, you know, look a little older something, Yeah, I should, I should I make myself look older or whatever. But I said, you know, I'm coming from a good shop. You know, I got promoted at Tude eight nine one thirty eight, like you know, a very respected house. And I'm like, you know, I'm just gonna go with the flow, get the feeling of the house, and and just like

I mean, they got great alumni. I say it all the time.

Man, A lot of heavy hitters came out of that house.

Yeah, I mean we always competed with them obviously, you know, like to get the jobs and to work. But if I had a pick a company if somebody asked me, like a company that has a long history of you know, the guy the alumni staying together, doing the right thing all the time, I would I would definitely pick those guys. I would definitely seek.

And uh, like I said, we were catching a lot of work, and you know, the captains always wanted to ask the guys, you know, how's he doing, how to do his job as a boss, and you know, the feedback was great and he kept me which was awesome. So you know, I have think I have to thank Chris Easer for forgetting me to get my foot in the door there and keeping me there. And uh, you know, he went up getting promoted before the spot actually physically opened up. So I'm like, shit, new captain's gonna come

Who's next to him on the left, I can never Hickey? Is that Hickey?

That's Will Hickey? Yeah, Will. I've seen the guys and that's the famous chief Dean Martino, Danny de Martino eight guy too, do you know? Yeah? Yeah he was.

Yeah, I think I had an argument with him.

The spot.

He was so for a little while.

Dad, he was a captain at soccer, I believe, Yeah, yep, so yeah he was. He was a character to work with. Oh he was so. Yeah. Once Billy got promoted, the spot opened up finally I put in four. It I got it, and uh, you know I had a cool people again. Ah and uh just to put a good word in and uh it was a done deal. It was a done deal. I think.

Yeah.

The only guy more weight than you might have been the captain there might have been Isaac Isaac, Yeah, got there.

Probably.

Oh wait he I think when do you go won twenty four as lieutenant.

Uh he was six, He's been everywhere.

Was lieutenant one twenty four yep, yeah, fireman in one eleven, one eleven, yeah, and then uh, captain of one twenty and now he's a chief in the five. Oh yeah he might. He might have had a little better fixing than you, bro. I think him those spots so so yeah, so uh yeah that was uh, what's another job we had? What's the story with the horns and the Superman thing? So the the Horns was actually, uh, I want to say, in the seventies around they they actually got permission, official permission.

Really, but is it you had any meaning or they just like a charge type of thing.

Yeah, it's like, uh just's it's like a symbolic thing.

And what about the Superman thing?

Super that's I think that's from like they called super truck, okay, and uh they have the Superman logo and nobody but you will, you will, nobody were nobody, Nobody does it better. The mechanic used that line.

Yeah, that's right.

He had a you know, this was before I was there, but I know one flipped the rig and then uh, Mike Thompson who was a captain at the time, had a major accident with uh with the rig and they took out about thirty cars and it was a real, real bad accident. And I remember the mechanic came by and he's like, I remember when you guys flipped your rig. He's like, now and you got this major wreck. He's like, you guys really live by that mottol Nobody does it

Oh, the guy's name was Will, the next to who was in one twenty at the time. Does that ring your bell? Will not Will Hickey? Will Hickey?

Yeah, okay, Byell's brother, a sister in law, brother in law something. He's married Byelo, Skinny by chubby Bison.

Nobody likes the skinny Bizel right, nobody.

Likes a skinny Bison.

Can't get him on the show either, that's son of a bitch.

No too Meig knows nobody likes a skin anybody else he's in there, and.

Uh yeah, so, uh, like I said, I hit it off with the guys from day one, and uh I just waited it out. You know, I'm sure you guys know, to get a truck in the fifteenth division is not something that you could get in the in the year. You gotta kind of wait it out. This guy's already waiting for spots, so you kind of just gotta wait your turn, and you know, it is what it is. And uh, four years later it all paid off though. You know, I finally got the spot even though I

Now, you know, right, and you have like twelve bawl guys that hate you because you took the spot from them.

Yeah.

Yeah, you get that nice new phrase piece or front piece.

That wow.

That I remember. I brought that to the quartermaster and he's like, are you kidding me with this? I'm like, that's why I came to get a new one. Brother. So that was that was night before and after.

Talk about I remember, like even the chiefs in the fourth four. Uh, all those guys were freaking I remember awesome. For the most part, I think, who is that? Who is the guy from Long Beach Coubs I used to play volleyball with that. Can never remember his name. He was there a long time in the fourth four.

He was a chief too, right, Yeah, he was a chief in the four four from Long Beach.

Yeah, he's from Long Beach somebody else, somebody will put it in there. And Scanlon was there, I remember Chief Scanning. Yes, he was the captain of one thirty six. Somebody will put it in the freaking I can't remember.

Uh, well, the one of the chiefs in the fourth for Jimmy McNally was there.

For long mcnowally.

Yeah, yeah, yeah he was. He was the fourth to fourth commander when I was there. He gave me the endorsement.

He was, he was the commander. Huh oh yeah, Max, Yeah McNally was him.

And then another he was a captain of one thirty six and it was who else long Beach so.

Well, no, that was it was mcmallly, It was mcmally. It was jim mcnollill, okay, yeah, Jimmy mcnoll. Yeah.

He was great twenty man for a long time.

Mcbrian.

Was he on one twenty or twenty three? Bobby was fireman a one twenty before I was there, but yeah, he was at one twenty.

Yeah, yeah, we gotta get him on.

He loved it. He loved one twenty. He always talked about that.

Oh he he loved talking about one twenty.

I had, Yeah, that could have been.

No, I was good, yeah, I uh, it was funny right around. I don't know the end of the year beginning of fourteen, I was in between sequences and uh I just finished up at one thirty eight. I just finished up at one twenty I'm sorry. In like, there's like a couple of sets where your essay before the next sequence kicks in. So I actually on New Year's Day, I uh, I called the division to find out where I was working for the day, and they actually, and

I think I go back to that picture, go back to that picture.

I think I was that.

I'm looking at the at the buildings. There was that kid. Two kids died at that building.

That's exactly right. I worked. I was, we were we went went to that job that it was it was like street than Boulevard.

Yep. We were to squad there. I remember we went into the top floor through.

It was exactly right. The kids died, Yeah, the kid, the kids Like nine o'clock, I'm happiest gonna be to work in one thirty eight where I got promoted out of a nine oh four. Were, you know, pulling two dead kids out of a fire and I remember that more than I wanted.

But they were there. We found out they were there with their I think it was three kids. They were there with their aunt or their grandmother or something. Yep, and the kids lit a fire in a fake fireplace, correct, in a fake fireplace, and the kids one of the kids got past the fire in the living room and the other two kids got call like right at the base of the stair.

Absolutely horrible. One of the kids we found it. The We found them at the base of the stairs, and uh, you know, unfortunately they both passed. But when we pulled up, there was fire blowing out of every opening in that dolley. Yeah, you felt that he'd getting off the rig. I'm like, this is fucking we.

Actually when we got there, we same thing. So because they get they gave the report of kids trapped and all that we got that. We turned out fast and that was pretty close. We actually shut up a ladder and went in because there was so much fire on the first floor, out the door and out the at the thing. Yeah, we actually went into the top and uh and then we heard the guys say that they had they had the kids at the base of the stair.

Yeah, like I said, it was a terrible situation. And then uh, you know, we're packing up. You know, it was uh, it was it was nice to be back in one thirty eight for the day, even though it was just once four. But so fast forward a little at that job, you guys remember Chief spatafora Yeah, of course. Yeah. He's like, where's one thirty eighth us? And I'm like, oh boy, I said, Chief right here. He's like, are you assigned to one thirty eight? I said, Chief, I'm

What?

That's what he's got?

Tales the kids.

Just died, and he's worried about a tiger tail. But he's like, why are they have tiger tails on their helmets? I said, Chief, I'm in the fifteenth division. I'm just here for the day. But I'm going to get to the bottom of this and find out what this. Meanwhile, I had too much before that. He's like, this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. He's like, it's a hazard on their helmets. I said, Chief, No, no worries. I'm going to get to the bottom of it right now.

You get on, get on the rig. Yeah, get them get on the rig.

So so he he's actually, I said, you know, you gotta cut them off if you want you to cut them off, and like fuck that, we're not cutting them off. They're like, fuck you, soap. And then he's watching the guys to see if they cut him off, and he's like, here's me, lieutenant, cut them off now, and I'm like, oh boy, so listen. I'm like, I said, Chief, you got it. I said, guy, just cut him off. We'll put him back at the firehouse. When we get back,

Jaws and I'm not wearing those things forever.

I mean that that wasn't like but the ironic part about it, he says, asking me, He's like, what the fuck's going on with these tigertails? And I'm like, I played it off. I don't know what I'll find out what's going on here. I'm gonna get to the bottom of it.

I don't even know what what thirty eight is. When the hell?

Yeah, I said, like there're the silly little things they have hanging on their helmets. I don't know. I'll find out, though, God, go back to that picture.

Oh, hold on a second, fucking it, that's funny.

Oh here, who was a big kid next to Tarantini?

South Sarami? Sarami, that's what it is. Yeah, he's a signed to one thirty two.

Now he got promoted.

Yeah, he got promoted to lieutenant and he's a signed to one thirty two. Yeah, it was Uh, it was awesome. He was the baseball coach in myrack. His grandfather was my baseball coach.

Really yeah, familiar that kid.

He lived on the next block over from my house from sixtieth Drive.

Oh that's all that's how Yeah?

Yeah yeah nice. And then yeah, so, like I said, uh, it was definitely cool to be back in one thirty eight for the day, even if it was at least of one tour. And it was great to you know, be back at home, like you know, and get that feeling again.

Like that's great, that's awesome, and uh yeah it Tarantini. Tarantini was working yeah, it doesn't get better than that, right, No, he was right. Unless you made sal zones, that would be the cherry on it the time. I don't remember what we got, I'll be honest with you, but uh, I tell you probably went to Malmooks.

Don't much the leish. But yeah, so that that was. That was my tour one thirty eight when I was a Boston Like I said, it was definitely uh cool to go back for the day.

Everybody's got a story where they almost shipped the bed. They almost by the big one. You have a story where you almost when you almost bought it.

Uh, well, you know it's funny.

I uh.

Back to go. You know, I was back in one twenty ufo and uh we we were actually calling back from a job and uh we were heading back. We were taking a couple of minutes time. Guys wanted to wash up once in a while.

We had to do that.

But another rock and job, like uh you know, by two eighty three comes in and we we look in that direction and the whole sky is black, and I'm like, that looks like a fucking good job. I says, you guys, ready, I'm gonna jump on this and They're like, uh, okay, you know it's you know, I know you want to wash up, but maybe this is a little bit better right now. So they're uh, they're getting people trapped reports and people trapped and they're asking them for a towel

Get into an accident.

We got into a major fucking action. Well he does it better, but the senior guy one twenty al Getz was driving me and we literally wrapped a fucking car around a telephone pole, and I'm like, oh my god. The worst part about it, I'm not even thinking if this lady's a larv or not right now. But thankfully she had minor injuries. So that's the only reason I could joke around about this now. But I had to tell Brooklyn where I was.

That wasn't around the corner.

It was around the.

Corner, just not the corner. I told him.

I'm get.

So I'm like, ah shit, and I don't even have my phone on me, Otherwise I would have called them. So I get on the radio. I said one twenty to Brooklyn. They're like one twenty, go ahead, I says, we're involved in a major accident at the location of East New York Avenue and Tomas Boiling.

Do it?

So I hope that that's it, and you know where I am and leave it alone, right Brooklyn to one twenty, where are you? Oh my god? Deep down, I'm like, Brooklyn, you know where I am? I just told you, don't you know?

You know what's going on here? You know what everybody does? We all lie, We all lie, we all lie.

So I'm like one twenty we're on East New York Avenue and Thomas Boiling, and I'm trying not to be so loud. So it's like if that was gonna help, But they're like one twenty, all right, we're gonna put you out of service, and uh, well, we'll have a we'll have an engine see a far and the truck come to your scene. So now we're out of service. We got to this accident. We're checking on this, lady, I hit one seventy six, jumping on this. They're like one seventy six. You want to send us to the fire.

I'm like, oh my god, dude.

Well that wasn't it.

That was that?

No, No, that wasn't mine. That was the other accident though that The mechanic was breaking my tops about He's like, you got it, I got it, I got it ship. Let me see if I can find it. Then then I thought that was it. I'm like, man, I got look in the first show. No, no, no, that wasn't a that was another action. But so now one seventy six, who wanted to go to this fire, Now they're coming to us. I'm like, oh my god, this just can't keep it getting worse and worse. Thankfully, the ladies okay,

Can possibly the scenario that could happen, you know, like.

You know, you're trying to be proactive and telling me around.

The corner, and everybody does it. Everybody does it.

I listen to the old all the time. I can't one O three does it all the time.

We're on the corner. That send it's a dickt. Yeah, so you know, you jump on the box. You're just like, all right, all we need to do is get from point A to be nothing in between and then boom shit And I'm like this is this is bad.

But listen, thank God, like you said, thank nobody got uh nobody got service enough.

Uh it did because they're the windshield cracked. But they fixed that in the firehouse and uh and we were all good.

There's not a worse I'm thinking about it now, like you're so hyped up to go your you responded to a job, Like there's no worse feeling than having to get on the radio and say you or just the fact that you can't respond anymore, you know, and you know, the job's going on, and then people are jumping on the box and they're going to the job and you're gonna get left out.

I mean, sitting on your birthday cake.

Oh my god, it's so bad. Especially then you got like sal was saying, like to have to do paperwork and comfort bid somebody got hurt, really hurt or something like that. I mean, you don't want that shit to happen, but it has.

And like you know, you feel horrible, but like I said, what the luck of God, don't really got seriously hurt. And we were able to, uh to you know, continue on after the RG got windshield fixed and you know, lesson learned the mark is still on the bumper till this day. And you know, yeah, you know, snappy quick one for that one though, huh all words of this.

One, bro, Like you said, you got to do uh, you got to keep your cell phone. Well, now I think all the rigs have cell phones. Now I don't even know I think they do.

Yeah, well, every every officer actually has a phone. Now they want you to carry while you're on the rig. The event of God forbid, you need to call someone, you know, whether it's a b I matter or some other you know, you got to call the chief speak to some you know, privately, not on the radio. Every officer has a phone now, which is pretty cool, which they did, which was one of the you know, positive things that they did for the officers going forward. So yeah,

We're right around that.

They're way back sin that was Sweens and Brooklyn.

Did you have to adapt to the I mean, I'm sure what thirty eight had a good turnout, but not what you know. It's funny like a couple of guys who were actually in Brooklyn at one time and worked in one thirty eight they told me, and I have to agree with him, being in both now, is that nine thirty eight is almost like a Brooklyn firehouse.

I really a lot of guys have said that on the show.

Yeah, I mean, you know, you go to certain parts of the fourteenth Division, I can tell you it's not like Brooklyn. Yeah, but to eighty nine, one thirty eight as a whole has that Brooklyn vibe and it's there, you know, hard chargers into the job and the fire duties there. It really is.

Yeah, always has been. Man, it's always a busy place.

Yeah.

But I will say the nice thing about like one thirty eight is the other truck is not on top of you like it is. And no, and you know one twenty one oh three, one twenty one, seventy six we're pulling up at the same time, where one thirty eight was like you know you were going.

Six drive backwards. Yeah, you could drive backwards and get there first, you know what I mean, what's seventeen fifty four thirty six? They all had huge areas, right and no, definitely one.

I mean thirty eight goes all the way down Queens Boulevarts.

You run over with one fifty one, don't They said, Yeah, yeah, one fifty one, you know, one thirty six, one fifty four, one twenty nine going towards Flushing huge. They had the first two.

Boxes and Maspiths around the back of Maspith one thirty eight would be yeah crazy.

So uh yeah, it was just uh, you know, but like I said that the whole fifteenth divisions, you know, like that, and that's the the you know, I don't have to tell you we're f you know, to ninety one on three. I remember I worked in two ninety a couple of times being those guys are on fucking two wheels flying it, you know. I remember it was funny. Uh one of my first tours essay in two ninety, I was like so nervous about, you know, turning out

That's That's it.

I got the stanmdpipe bag in the apartment with me, I'm.

Like, oh, that's uh, that's a lot of times. That's really the key is, especially when you're even though you had ten years on the job as a new lieutenant, right especially in the covering companies, and you know, you're not one hundred percent sure where you're going to be, but you want to make a good impression if you have a job all at so you're constantly it's in the back of your mind and you can make it,

And by the way, that STAMPI bag in two ninety, I don't know what the fuck is in there?

Well, there was definitely probably a couple of five They used to put extra you know, five pound plates in there, just because they had so much shit in there for every listen, they had, for every scenario that could happen. If you get up there and it doesn't have the wheel, it doesn't have the stem, it doesn't have this, doesn't have that. They had a wrench for this, a wrench for that, a wheel for this, grip, you know whatever it was. But the guys would suck und.

Don put that together.

Yeah A Dominic Carrino Carina, right.

Yeah, they used to put like if a guy ever complained or said anything, they would put five pound plates in.

There, just you know, not in a bad way. But I asked the guy, he said, what's in this that it's so heavy? He's like, we got two of everything. I'm like, he also need two hands to carry it, and like, you know, guy, he told me, he's like, you gotta you gotta be on the rigs super quick.

Here.

I remember the tones went off that door. You guys had red fucking guy. So not only am I bleeding like the dog, it's all you guys told me to get on the rigs super quick. I did that, and the dog just.

Now he's dead.

Yeah, unavailable for all the time.

So yeah, I did not.

Read that.

Was there when I was there. That was Duke my dad. My dad owns a butcher shop, So they said, you got any bones for Duke? So I found this fucking dinosaur bone and he carried that thing everywhere. The thing was tremendous, but he loved it. A lot of meat on that thing.

We talk about Sally before we forget talk about Captain Higgins in the engine there.

So he he was the assigned captain when I started covering in one twenty. He was that guy is like a warrior, you know, school old school lieutenant there. Captain there, awesome man, you know, And and he was a lot of times always a smile on his face, you know. I remember I remember one of my first rough nights in Walking Street. We probably did about twelve thirteen runs. After midnight, I'm fucking shot and I'm like drinking coffee in the kitchen and you know, guys started to come in.

Not bad?

I didn't say a word. I kept it to myself. I'm like and what the fuck is a good night?

Yeah, that's one of those things you don't want to speak out loud.

No, he would that guy would never complain. I know I worked, but I worked in the truck and I felt bad a few times him running out the door for im. I mean, one after the other, you know what I mean.

He was an older guy's you know, yeah he was, but but like like a warrior, like nothing faced him, like, he kept going and running and running and running. He loved it.

And you said he was a lieutenant there he came back for more punishment as a captain, right, he loved it. Yeah.

A lot of times, you know, guys get promoted, they're like, all right, now I can slow it down. He wanted, he wanted to come right back into that you know, uh ruling uh running around again. And like I said, he wasn't a young guy who was an older guy but cut from a different cloth man like.

Old never complained.

Never, Yeah, and I still see him. He still turns out to everything. What an absolute gentleman, that guy.

Yeah, he said he was a sweetheart. I remember he stuck out to me like uh and then his he played hockey because I used to play hockey in other Uh.

Nobody. His son was a Ranger, I believe was.

A Canadian, a montre Canadian, and he played for the Rangers for a short time. And I don't know where if he's still on, if he's still in the NHL now, but yeah, you know.

But yeah, he still comes to all the events and stuff like that. I see him with an absolute gentleman. He really is.

What about the squid?

He still comes around Calamary. He's pure entertainment to talk to. Man. I didn't get to work with him because, like I said, Chris Isigen was the captain when I started covering in Walkin Street. But he still turns out to all the events and he is entertainment one, you know. Dealing with people in the project, My god, have me in tears the stories that I hear about how we talked to people and and the.

Calamary and uh oh my god, we had a list when he had him. I think he did three hours when we had.

Ye.

Where do you think he enjoyed it better as a fireman or as a as an officer?

Uh?

I mean I got as a fireman, I I uh, I felt more as like uh like a kid like like a kid, like being a kid in a family, like almost like you know, you can kind of do what you want and have fun and goof around and stuff like that. But then when you become a lieutenant, you're almost like a parent. Now you know, we're like you could have that fun, but you also got to have that little fine line between you and the guys. I love hanging out in the kitchen. Like you can

Yants.

Louis doesn't know about we mentioned it, but listen, I I uh I'd love you know, like I said, I love being a fireman. Being a boss was great because you know, I was able to instill a little knowledge into the younger guys and give them some you know, training tips and little tactical tips at jobs. Walking Street was a very young house. Guys didn't really stay there

And how did they get along with the soccer units? One twenty uh for the most part not bad.

I mean Rescue two really wasn't on top of us till you know, the last couple of years when they moved on to uh Bergen uhlie go for Bergen onto uh Stirling. So when they moved they were kind of right on top of us, you know, similar to like what one twenty three had to deal with for years now one twenty had to deal with and you know they you know, for the most part, we got along,

Got to beat them in that's it.

Yeah, no, we we But like I said that, you know, it was tough when they were right around the corner. You know, we had our certain ways of going to certain boxes. And now they're they're new to the game, you know, not new to the game where they're on a box now, but they're much closer than they were, so they're gonna get there that much sooner. So you know, it kind of.

From to whiche which way they coming, you know, another accident.

Yeah, a lot oft even more accident may yeah, but yeah, no, like I said, it all worked out. They had their means sorro affairs that they usually try to stick on and stay with, and so we kind of knew on certain boxes where where they'd be popping at them, so we knew that they were coming and stuff like that, and uh, like I said, it all worked out. You know, we got the job done.

And so talking about pick Avenue like that fucking like, have you got fire on that block?

Right?

It's just always some ship going on all the time on there, right.

Yeah. Those uh not that I was there for a tremendous amount of time, but when I first started covering in one twenty to towards the end, that Pickin Avenue became so ridiculously congested. If if you got a fire run at three in the afternoon, it was unbearable to get through traffic.

It was horrible.

It was like it was it was just no one moved, no one could even go anywhere, like you were literally at gridlock. And it was so frustrating because you know, you get multiple calls loading up the box and you're like, we can't fucking move, we can't go anywhere, and it was it was very frustrating. But you know, Pickin Avenue you gotta fire and Picking Avenue those buildings were fucking death traps, man, dude.

I had a few jobs on Picking. It was always, you know, some shit going on, like this door was locked or that door. You know, everywhere you went like it was just always just yeah, took off everywhere. It was just always some situation.

All the time we had they had they had a you know, unwritten rule, you know, no more than ten minutes if we're not making headway, we're out. We're getting out of the building. The modifications that were done on some of these buildings feel plating. I mean talk about overloaded.

Always something, always something, And.

A lot of these windows have still placed behind them, exits are welded shot like it's just it's a death trap, it really is. And you know, like I said, we had a thing. If ten minutes we weren't making headway, we were getting the fuck out because we were gonna be a fucking problem there, getting fucking ourselves in a bad situation. And that was the last thing we wanted

Wow.

So he wants to do like thirty one years in one day in in Wakin Street to have that that championship belt, you know. Wow. Oh yeah, And like I said, you know, ten years is a lot walking Street. He wants to do thirty one.

Oh my god, dude.

Yeah. So that kid, that kid, Pardicure, was his father on the job.

I No, I don't think so. No, No, Chris product, No, I don't believe so. But yeah, So that was Sally out on the palle Man and whatever were working. They used to h think it was very cute. They're like Sally out on the pallet.

Yeah.

Uh, we we definitely had a lot of laughs.

Great, great guys, man, I'm trying to remember who I was calling from one to try and get him on Larry Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's oh that was Uh.

One of the schools pulled up. They're like, we're having an event at the school. We want to know if you can bring the fire truck. I'm like sure, I'm like what time. They're like now, So we go up that's on Sutter Avenue. I remember we were going down, uh mother guess and we went down Souder and we see animals fucking running around the street. What is going on? I'm like these animals are like no, can you get that? Like a little fucking horse running around. I'm like, what

It wasn't very well, I'll tell you what. Thing even in the fire department nothing you know, any way you work in the fight apartment, I would say, nothing surprises here, right, but even over there, like it's it just amped up a little bit more that nothing would surprise you. Like it's just like when you're in the Get. It's just crazy.

What the wild West?

Yes, a wild West. It's just absolutely insanity.

But I'm like, I'm like, I'm telling the lady. I says, just like animals walking in the streets, Like now we got that for the kids. I'm like, I understand that, but I think they're supposed to be like something, they gotta get hit by a car.

Yeah, Christ it was.

It was. It was pretty funny.

It's like bizarro world out there.

Bro, it really is, right, this is yeah, okay, it really is. To make sure you got the group shots.

And what makes you want to pack it in then?

So honestly, I was. My plan was to probably do close to twenty five years. And I went to go see Al Connolly just for you know, curiosity, and I had a lot of overtime, like my overtimes through the roof because they were down in the lieutenant Frank and I had over twelve hundred hours. Wow, wow, you know. He went over my numbers and they were talking about mass promoting lieutenants, which are actually doing right now. They're

You didn't earn it. Did think about how many run if you if you got paid by the run with that money. I think you're losing money.

But but that's just it, you know. And uh and and I kept telling myself that, I says, I'm gonna be Like, as much as it sucks to have to cut the cord now and leave the fire department, that feeling is always going to be there. Yeah, it's not gonna ever not be there in five years. If I waited, all I did is I pushed the envelope further down.

And you might only have two hundred hours.

Then that's exactly why. And and Al said that. He's like, if if they start getting rid of the overtime, you might wind up giving money back. And I'm like, whoa, what are you giving money back back? He's like, if you're if you're if you have two hundred hours now and next year you have four hundred, and the year after that you have three hundred, your average just went down astronomical, you might be giving back thirty to forty grand I'm like, whoa, I'm not doing that. I says,

I missed the guys.

I popped in there a couple of times just to say hello. But the reality is is there's always something going on that brings you back to that feeling of being part of that crew again. You know, whether it's the show yeah, whether it's like the show sorry me to cut you off, I'm trying to work in the show here a little bit. It's what we're doing. You catch your table, you know. Sorry, whether it's whether it's promotions where I'm gonna hang out with the guys, whether

Listen, say that all the time, So think about how that until you retire, right, you never think about how long you're going to live. You know, when you're on the job, you know, you know, you never think about that. You had all your bunk of gear on all the time, nobody gave a shit about you know, none of that stuff. As soon as you retire now you're like, oh shit, you know, like you know, if you wait until you was sixty three or whatever, it's it's it's a little late,

I was I'm super close to Bobby Sarno.

Never heard of it.

He was on your show, and like, yeah, that guy's he's a fucking legend too. That guy's a warrior. And I remember he really me one day in two eighty three in the morning, He's like, how was the night? I said, fucking horrible? I said, we ran all night long. I'm like, I don't know how you do this shit, and like we did CEPR three times in the middle of the night, three times an hour clip. I said, bom, this this is like a torture chamber here, And like, I gotta give him a credit. Man, that guy stayed

That guy loves it. You love it, I love it, Coops loves it, Gonza loves it. That guy loved it.

He did. But the funniest thing about Sarnos, I remember, I'm like, what do you got plans for retirement? He's like, I'm finally gonna get my hip done. I'm like, say that what you look to the requirement? I can't wait to get my hip replay? Like you should have done that while you were working, man. But like that's what I say, is like I wasn't a medical leave guy. And actually, as a matter of fact, I never tapped

And it's a.

Crazy concept, but everybody has to pull that court eventually. Everybody, whether it's because of a medical injury, you voluntarily retire, everybody has to cut that court sooner or later. How you justin it's good, Listen. I have two young kids. I have an eleven year old and a thirteen year old. I'm literally going to every single event that they have, whether it's a track need or lacrosse game or flag football.

It really does, has all the value exactly, it really does.

And like you know, they're gonna be eighteen, they're gonna go off to college and go their own way, and then they're not gonna want to know me. But at least for the next five to seven years, you know, with the eleven and thirteen year old twenty four to seven, a part of their childhood, part of their you know, extracurricular activity, sports or you know, I haven't missed a single thing since every time for them. I went to my son's art show the other day. My daughters tracked me.

And don't get that.

If you right, if you stay to sixty three right before they kick you out, you miss everything, that's right. They wrote the song about that, The Cats and the Cradle and the Silver Spoon, right, you know you missed. My boy was just like me. You know, you miss everything. So what's what's worth that money? Nothing?

Know what I appreciate it is the everyday stuff, getting up in the morning and having breakfast with my g my boys, you know, every being home when they come home from school, the simple stuff. Not only the track me eats and and all that other ship, but the every day ship that you didn't have.

I just I just hit a year out now. I retired March one of twenty four and I just hit a year this past a little while.

It's a little bit more to get used to it, you know.

Yeah, I have dreams once in a while that I miss it. Time time, bring ahead time. Ask the question single guy.

I was gonna ask you, do you have the dream when you miss a.

Run all the time? And I'm like, I asked my wife and can't finde your boots that I missed the run. They left without me. I'm like, fluck, and I just go back to bed. But you know it's funny. I just I went for a physical not too long ago with my doctor and I lost twenty pounds since last physical last year. I lost twenty pounds since I've been retired. And like, I didn't change anything with my eating habits. I'll be honest, I just don't go to the firehouse

The Fruze ice cream freezer.

Bro.

So I'd go help myself to that. And then they got Lemon, They got a tough from Lemon ice Can and and that was my thing. I loved Isis loved them, so you know, so you basically when I retired, I took all of that out of the mix. Now and whatever my wife makes for dinner now is what I'm eating.

And Speedos again, bro.

Yeah, they're coming out. That was my last tour. Man, what an unbelievable turnout. And I couldn't thank these guys enough. They literally all came out, you know, to uh to be part of my last tour. And uh it was.

Now.

There's a lot of legacy kids there because their father witnessed first tand how wonderful that place was. They wanted the kid to have part of that that that uh you know experience. Yeah, that was it, man. That was when I hung it up. And like I said, I couldn't have been you know, more thankful to have, you know, Chris iSER bring me in there from day one to try me out. You know, he's that he's a tough cookie man. You gotta really impress him to stick out.

You know, he was great.

He was a captain there for a few years. Then Danny Kudlack, he was my twenty four partner. I was opposite the captain, so I always worked my twenty fours around the captain, you know, me and him. So Danny Kudlack, he's a chieftain. He was a captain for a little bit. I had four captains while I was there, and Scott Coin Scotti Coyne was a lieutenant there. You guys probably remember him, and he went back there as a captain. Great guy, man, what a what a wealth of knowledge

Time you know you would get if you worked in those companies. You were getting a late run.

Whether it was a stuck elevator you're gonna get a late run on or a job. You know, that's what you really that was the golden goose if you if you got a job at five point thirty because you wrote it out, you know it was it was definitely a bonus cash baby belt to bell, belt to bell. Yeah, so uh it was, Uh, it was definitely good. And those yeah, those busy companies late runs were notoriously bigs. We finally got them.

Yeah, great career, great story.

Appreciate it a lot of runs too many.

Time.

Why you know why you ten? Because I was on the boat cruise, I went solo. I won't even ask, Yeah, yes it is that time. It is this time for ohuddy, take it away.

So yeah, So my old school tip of the day is, uh, you know. I I would advise every you know, firefighter who's uh you know on the job to uh never short change yourself. One thing I regret, you know, although it was a lieutenant, I I wanted to make it the captain eventually, and unfortunately I did pass the test, but not high enough where I was in promotable range. And I just want to from experience tell you that if you are ever thinking about going up through the ranks,

You know, you go to socc it's not you know, it's other people who you were going to work with are not going to benefit from your presence there because you have a wealth of knowledge that you bring with you wherever you go, you know, And that's what makes this job awesome, you know, is the the colleagues that we work with, the peers that we work with. Everyone brings something to the table. And when everyone brings something to the table, you have a table full of knowledge,

Amazing.

And the FD and Y has never been able to not get something accomplished, and that's because of everyone's dedication, everyone's hard work, everyone's commitment, everyone's desire and it pays off. And that's why this is the greatest fire department in the world is because of all this and it shows. And I'm glad that I could tell everyone that I ever meet who doesn't know that I was part of the fd and Y And you know, I hope I left an impact there was. It definitely left an impact

Guys like you is what makes this job perfect.

You.

Dennis Smith to his uh he said on the show with us, What did he say? Cool? He's like, I could do anything because I am f d n Y trained.

Yeah, there's never been a scenario that we couldn't overcome or get through. No ever. Yeah, we make shit happen.

Yeah, that's not doubt. That was a great, great line that he had.

Yeah, it's true, and that's it.

Any shout outs we got.

We have Harrisburg. And you're gonna do anything for friends of firefighters?

Yes, put that up for a friends of firefighters.

Yeah, sure, here we go.

We'll put the description in the link below having the chili cookoff. Thanks for the support, guys, it's helping them out a lot. But we still need to give more to keep those doors open. So save the date Friday, May sixteenth, six to nine night down. You left the chili cook off, we'll put the guns. We can put that in a link.

Below right in the It's ready in the chat now and here it is here.

Excellent give border, so yeah, excellent. They need to help, guys, definitely need to help. But it's well worth it. And of course Louis and I will be in Harrisburg. We will not have a show next week. We will be in the Harrisburg. Come down and see me and the rough Apotamus. Save the date the sixteenth and the seventeenth.

Down in the Armors country. Love.

They come with their pagers and their suspenders. Come and see me and Ruffie. We'll be down there. I'll be gimping around. ROUFFI be doing most of the work. So great, career man, glad you so much for having me.

It was a pleasure.

Guys excellent, gods you look great, tanned hands.

I'm trying really quick. Did we have a couple of l O. D. D's or somebody passed away? Was it the captain from Edge Company eight?

I don't know, or we did that. We did the fives for him we did yeah, I blink.

So if not, we'll get it together. We'll do it the next show. Yeah, all right, tans Aponamus so great job man, your.

Retirement, Yeah, enjoyed.

Just uh, let us know when you wake up and you can't find your gear. Okay, one thing missing a run, let us know about the gear.

Alright, guys until next next week, following week, stay long and go hi.

Everybody will see it the big one. Thank you again, sal.

Thank you all right, guys, thanks son, thanks for everybody tuning in, and we'll see you soon. Remember we're rolling heavy down here in South Florida, baby,