From the Vault:
Spectacular photo by John Lee Gill of the 10-alarm fire that destroyed the quarters of Rescue 1 on Jan. 23, 1985 on West 43rd Street in Manhattan.. This was a verbal alarm transmitted by off-duty members of Rescue 1. Box 798 was transmitted at 1926 hours. At the fire’s height flames were venting out more than 80 windows. This 2nd shot was taken by Harvey Eisner, (a great friend, writer & photographer- miss you!) It shows the flames leaping from every window of the former piano factory. The building was 90 X 125-feet eight-stories high. That night the neighborhood truly was “Hell’s Kitchen!”  Paul Hashagen
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From the Vault:
One Hundred Years Ago Today-
March 7, 1915 was a Sunday. The members of the FDNY’s newest unit Rescue Company 1 had the day off. They had just finished exhaustive training that started on January 19th. They mastered the use of the smoke helmets, cutting torches, pulmotors, block and tackle, bottle jacks and studied the operation and repair of large ammonia systems. The following day they would embark on a journey into uncharted waters. They would go where no other firemen had ever gone, and lived to talk about it.
They would crawl, or wade or walk into clouds of toxic smoke and gases. Pull unconscious firemen and civilians from water and carbon monoxide filled cellars and sub-cellars. They would plunge into the holds of ships with hose lines or swing on ropes to reach people trapped by flames.
The entire history of heavy & technical rescue, and hazardous materials operations can be directly traced back to one captain, a lieutenant and eight men that rolled out of a firehouse in lower Manhattan and started a branch of the fire service that is still growing today.
This new saga would begin tomorrow morning- 100 years ago.
Stay tuned!