WAYNE’S STUFF 29
THE SPIRIT OF FIREMEN
LOOK AT WAYNE, SITTING IN SOLITUDE, WITH A CUP OF HOT COFFEE CRADLED IN HIS HANDS. HE SITS BY THE GAS PUMP JUST THINKING OVER ALL HE HAS SEEN DURING HIS MANY, MANY YEARS ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. HIS MIND IS PROBABLY VISUALIZING ALL THE MANY FIRES, ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES THROUGH OUT HIS YEARS ON THE JOB. FIREMEN HAVE SAT BY THE “OLE GAS PUMP” FOR GENERATIONS TAKING BREAKS FROM ALL THE FIRES AND OTHER INCIDENTS
ONE COULD ONLY IMAGINE ALL THE FIRE RELATED SCENES THAT ARE GOING THROUGH HIS MIND
THE SPIRIT OF FIREMEN
I GUESSED WRONG…………………. OH WELL…
DO YOU KNOW:
THAT SOME COMMUNITIES EXEMPTED THE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE "POLL TAX" (USED FOR THEIR ELECTIONS)
THAT IN ONE ARTICLE, IT LISTED ONE PUMPER SO LARGE AND HEAVY THAT IT TOOK
42 MEN TO PULL IT
SINCE SOME EARLY HAND PUMPERS WERE ONLY ABOUT 3 ' WIDE THEY COULD
PULL IT INSIDE SOME BUILDINGS TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE.
IN 1688, IN MASSACHUSETTS THERE IS ON RECORD OF THE VOLUNTEERS EXTINGUISHING A FIRE IN A WIGWAM ON THE MUDDY RIVER
BACK IN THE OLD DAYS (BEFORE I CAME ON) YOU HAD TO BUY YOUR OWN UNIFORM. THE CHIEF, UPON INSPECTION, COULD TELL YOU TO GET A NEW ONE, AS IT FAILED HIS INSPECTION. THIS WAS REALLY A HARDSHIP ON THOSE THAT COULDN'T AFFORD IT.
SOME OF THE GUYS SUSPECTED SOME CHIEFS ABUSED THIS AUTHORITY. TO THE GUYS HE DIDN'T LIKE
IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE "OFU" CHIEFS AS OUR UNITS CHIEFS WERE REALLY GENTLEMEN.............."YEAH RIGHT"
THE RULE WAS:
"WHOEVER SPITS IN THE SPITTOON HAS TO CLEAN IT UP".
BUT FROM THE OLDTIMERS I TALKED TO, THE TRIALMAN OR OTHER YOUNG "WHIPPER SNAPPERS CLEANED THE SPITTOONS, ALONG WITH THE FLOOR AND WALLS AROUND IT.
THEY SAID, SOME OLD CHEWERS JUST SPIT IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE SPITTOON, AFTER ALL THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN IT, A YOUNG "WHIPPER SNAPPER WAS ON DUTY
IN THE UNION PAPER FROM 1951 TO 1967 A FIREMAN WROTE A HUMOROUS DEPICTION OF LIFE AT THE FIRE HOUSE
QUESTIONS:
(1) WHO DID HE WRITE TO?
(2) HOW DID HE SIGN OFF?
(3) WHAT DID HE CALL A FIREMAN?
(1) LETTER TO UNCLE LOUIE
(2) FROM YOUR NEPHEW, JUAN MIXTUPFALLO
(3) FIREFELLER
BELOW ARE THE CHARACTERS FROM UNCLE LOUIE
AL QUETTA, OUR TRIALMAN
AUGUST / ADOLPH BLATTENBELCHER ( OUR INJUNEER)
CHIEF ITCHYEAS
CHIEFY MOOSTAPOOCHER
CLARENCE KLUTCHKLASHER OUR TRAKTER DRIVER
GAWUMPKIE JOE
GRANDMA YOUKINHOLLER
JOE POSCOODNIE (HIM WITH THE LONG NOSE)
HARRY ADCHASER
HONGRY BROWN
LOUIE VONBLOOIE
LOVAIRE BOYNIK
MIKE / JOE SLOPKEVITCH OUR COOK
SARJINT GUS PAYSHUNTFELLER
SIR LUNCHALOT
STEVE NOWATCHSKI THE CHIEFY DRIVER
THE SARJINT (WITH THE HOLE IN HIS HEAD)
UNCLE JAKE
YOUR NEPHEW JUAN MIXTUPFALLO
SINCE THE EARLY FIREBOOTS DIDN'T HAVE
STEEL SOLES, YOU WERE ISSUED LEATHER INSOLES . THE ORDER WAS, YOU HAD TO HAVE THEM IN YOUR BOOTS TO PREVENT NAILS FROM GOING THROUGH.
NOTE: NAILS DID GO THROUGH THEM, THEN WE WENT TO "OLD RECEIVING HOSPITAL" FOR A TETNUS SHOT.
DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW ZERO AND YOU HAD BEEN OUTSIDE AT A FIRE FOR HOURS. THE NEXT DAY WHEN YOU TOLD THE STORY YOU SAID “IT WAS SO COLD OUT,
I ALMOST FROZE MY _ _ _ _ OFF”
WHAT DO OUR SISTER FIREFIGHTERS SAY, OR DO THEY HAVE MORE CLASS THEN US GUYS? JUST WONDERING.
DO YOU KNOW:
AFTER THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON IN 1666 , THEY SET UP FIRE BRIGADES RIGHT NEXT TO THE INSURANCE COMPANIES
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES SET UP THEIR OWN FIRE BRIGADES AS WITH THE HIGH FIRE LOSSES THEY FELT THAT THEY COULD INCREASE THEIR PROFIT IF THEY CONTROLLED THE FIREMEN, RATHER THAN THE COMMUNITY.
THE PRIMARY CONCERN OF THOSE FIRE BRIGADES WERE THE SAVING OF PROPERTY
IN THE EARLY TIMES IN LONDON,
FIREMEN CARRIED PORTABLE STANDPIPES .
THESE WERE USED WHEN REMOVING THE WOODEN PLUG FROM THE WOODEN MAINS.
THEY THEN INSERTED THE STANDPIPE INTO THE UNPLUGGED HOLE.
PRIOR TO THIS THE FIREMEN DUG DOWN TO THE MAIN, IF THERE WAS A PLUG, THEY REMOVED IT, IF NOT THEY DRILLED A HOLE.
THE WATER FILLED THE DUG HOLE IN THE STREET. FROM THIS THEY EITHER FILLED THEIR BUCKETS, PUMPED THE WATER INTO THEIR ENGINE OR DRAFTED INTO THEIR ENGINE.
DO YOU KNOW
IN LONDON, PRIOR TO AERIAL LADDERS ON TRUCKS, THEY HAD WHEELED ESCAPE LADDERS.
THESE WERE AERIAL LADDERS THAT WERE ATTACHED TO CARTS AND WERE ON VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT TOWN.
SOME OF THESE ESCAPE LADDERS HAD AN ATTACHED CANVAS CHUTE ON THE UNDERSIDE ENABLING PEOPLE TO SLIDE DOWN.
IN EARLY LONDON THEIR RIGS DIDN'T HAVE ANY BELLS OR OTHER ALERTING DEVICES SO THE FIREMEN WOULD "SHOUT" TO THE PEOPLE TO CLEAR THE WAY.
FIRE CALLS THEN BECAME KNOWN AS "SHOUTS"
WHILE OURS WERE KNOWN AS "RUNS"
IN ONE COMMUNITY THEY ONLY HAD ONE PAID FIREMAN. HIS JOB, UPON AN ALARM OF FIRE , WAS TO RUN TO THE FIREHOUSE, HITCH UP THE HORSES TO THE PUMPER AND RESPOND TO THE FIRE.
THE REST OF THE VOLUNTEERS RESPONDED TO THE FIRE AND NOT TO THE FIREHOUSE.
BACK IN THE 50s THE DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT
SPONSORED A BEAUTY CONTEST TO REPRESENT THEM
WHAT WAS HER TITLE?
"MISS FLAME"
DO YOU KNOW
THE FIRST FOAM COMPOUNDS WERE MADE FROM
"ANIMAL BLOOD"
DO YOU KNOW
IN ONE COMMUNITY THE FIRE ALARM WAS THE BLOWING OF A HUNTING HORN,
LATER THEY BEAT A LARGE DRUM.
DO YOU KNOW
BESIDES THE EARLY WOODEN HYDRANTS BEING FILLED WITH MANURE SOME WERE FILLED WITH SAWDUST TO GUARD AGAINST FREEZING
DO YOU KNOW
ALL HYDRANTS IN THE U.S. AREN'T LIKE OURS HERE IN MICHIGAN.
WE HAVE "DRY BARREL HYDRANTS" WITH THE WATER VALVE BELOW THE FROST LINE.
IN WARMER CLIMATES THEY HAVE "WET BARREL HYDRANTS"
WHERE THE WATER VALVE IS AT THE OPENING
DO YOU KNOW
SOME EARLY ENGINE HOUSES ALSO HAD CELLS FOR POLICE LOCKUPS (WE COULD HAVE USED THEM TO KEEP THE “OFU” FROM TAKING OUR STAPLES)
DO YOU KNOW
FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THEY USED THE SECOND FLOOR OF ONE COMMUNITIES FIRE HOUSE AS A SCHOOL ROOM.
THEY HAD TO DISCONTINUE THIS PRACTICE DUE TO THE HORSE SMELL.
DO YOU KNOW
THE OLD FIRE COAT HAD A REMOVABLE INNER LINING THAT SOME GUYS REMOVED IN THE HOT SUMMER.
THEY FIGURED SINCE IT WAS MADE JUST TO KEEP THE MEN OUT OF THE ELEMENTS AND NOT FOR FIRE PROTECTION IT WOULDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.
AT LEAST IT WOULD BE COOLER IN THE SUMMER
DO YOU KNOW
WHAT DID THEY CALL, IN A HUMOROUS TONE, THE TRAINING SCHOOL ( NOW THE TRAINING ACADEMY)
IN THE OLD DAYS.
THE STRAININ SCHOOL.
DO YOU KNOW
IN THE 50s
FRIDAY WAS "WINDOW DAY".....WASHING THEM
DURING THE 60s
FRIDAYS WAS
FISH DAY
SATURDAY WAS
STEAK DAY
&
BRASS DAY .....POLISHING
&
FLUSH OUT DAY..... THE APPARATUS ROOM AND AT TIMES THE ENTIRE FIRST FLOOR
SUNDAY WAS
RULES AND REGULATIONS DAY.....FROM 9 AM TO 10 AM (NOW 0900 TO 1000) TO LEARN WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO BEFORE YOU DID IT ANYWAY.
THERE WAS ALSO,
GREASE DAY.....GREASE YOUR RIG
INSPECTION DAY.....SEMI ANNUAL OR ANNUAL INSPECTION DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU CAME ON THE JOB.
MONTH END DAY.... TABULATE THE RUNS FOR THE MONTH
YEAR END DAY... TABULATE THE RUNS FOR THE YEAR
BOSSES CHANGING UNIT DAY...IN THE 60s AND BEFORE, THE BOSSES CHANGED UNITS EVERY 6 MONTHS
HOSE CHANGE DAY.....CHANGE ALL THE LINE IN THE BED AS THE OLD COTTON LINE HAD A TENDENCY TO ROT.
SUMMER UNIFORM TO WINTER UNIFORM DAY.... CHANGING OF UNIFORMS WITH THE SEASON
WINTER UNIFORM TO SUMMER UNIFORM DAY.... CHANGING OF UNIFORMS WITH THE SEASON
PAYROLL DAY......$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
REFRIGERATOR DAY......CLEAN THE "OFU" FOOD OUT BEFORE IT TURNED GREEN
REFRIGERATOR DEFROST DAY.....GET RID OF WHAT THE "OFU" SAVED FOR SOUP AND NEVER USED
STOVE DRIP PAN DAY....WHICH WAS EVERY DAY FOR THE TRIALMAN
TRASH DAY.....IN THE EARLY DAYS YOU JUST DUMPED YOUR TRASH IN CANS IN THE ALLEY AND THE TRASH MEN PICKED IT UP.
LATER ON YOU, ONCE A WEEK, BROUGHT YOUR TRASH RECEPTACLE
OUT TO THE FRONT CURB ON "TRASH DAY"
LAUNDRY DAY.....WHEN THE DETROIT HOUSE OF CORRECTION PRISONERS CAME WITH THE ONE GUARD TO PICK UP OUR SHEETS, PILLOWCASE AND TOWELS IN THE 60s
SCHOOL CHILDREN DAY..... WHEN THEY SCHEDULED A VISIT
HYDRANT DAY.....INSPECTED, FLUSHED & PUMPED
WEED DAY.....WHEN WE HAD TO CUT ALL WEEDS AROUND THE HYDRANT WHEN THE PEOPLE DIDN'T DO IT.
BUG DAY........SPRAYING BY THE BUG MAN WITH BUG JUICE
DO YOU REMEMBER
"MAKEUP DAY"
THAT WAS THE DAY THE COOK TOLD YOU HE OVERSPENT HIS LAST DAY AND TODAY HE HAD TO MAKE IT UP.
SO YOU MAY BE EATING HOT DOGS AND MEAT LOAF THAT DAY.
SOME COOKS TRIED TO CLAIM EVERYDAY A MAKEUP DAY.