This section is exclusively dedicated to coverage of the New York City Fire Department PUBLISHING SINCE 1993
FDNY NEWS
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OCTOBER, 2014
BRONX BARGE FIRE - Page 3
JOHN HOPPER
- Page 4
At approximately 6:00 p.m. on August 27, 2014, the Bronx Central Office started receiving calls for a barge fire and smoke in the area around Boston Road near the Bronx/Mount Vernon border. - See full story on page 2
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PAGE 2
October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
Bronx all hands barge fire At approximately 6:00 p.m. on August 27, 2014, the Bronx Central Office started receiving calls for a barge fire and smoke in the area around Boston Road near the Bronx/Mount Vernon border. Battalion 15, already on another box, advised Bronx dispatchers that there was a large column of smoke toward the area of Boston Post Road. The 15 became available and replaced the 27. Moments later, the 15 arrived on scene and transmitted a 10-75 for a barge filled with scrap metal and crushed cars on fire, and also advised that 51 truck was gaining entry to the area by cutting the gate. Shortly after entry was gained to the area, Battalion 15 put "all hands" to work and requested an additional tower ladder besides Ladder 51 to be put into operation. Marine Company 4 and 6 and the Marine Battalion were added to the box due to the barge being in the water. Just on the opposite side of the creek, operating was the Mount Vernon Fire Department, hitting the barge with a ladder pipe from one of their rigs. Shortly after Marine 6 arrived on scene, they were put right to
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work,hitting the fire with water, foam and "Purple K". Division 7 requested a Purple K unit to respond, Engine 84 from Washington Heights in Manhattan. Shortly after that, a "foam task force" was assigned, which consisted of Engine 96 transporting Foam 96, Squad Company 61 as the Hazmat Tech Unit, Hazardous Materials Company 1, Hazmat Battalion and Battalion 19 as the foam coordinator. Due to the fact that the water from the barge was nearly overflowing into the water, units stopped attacking the fire and awaited permission from the Coast Guard to overload the materials in the water, which was eventually granted. The fire was finally knocked down with the help of Marine Company 6 and Purple K from Engine 84. The incident was placed under control by Division 7 at approximately 11:00 p.m.
JOHN HOPPER
- JOHN HOPPER
JOHN HOPPER
JEFF CRIANZA
Two alarm fire in Manhattan Manhattan, NY. At a little before 11 a.m. on August 1, 2014, the FDNY was alerted to a fire at 251 E. 35th Street in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan. Crews arrived to find flames and smoke coming from Ginza Sushi with the flames quickly spreading to a bodega on the corner. A collapse zone has been set up because of the danger of a wall collapse from the restaurant. JOHN HOPPER
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
October, 2014
PAgE 3
FRED BACCHI
School bus fire FDNY units in Queens responded to a ten passenger school bus fire at the intersection of Elliot Avenue and Woodhaven Blvd in the Rego Park section. No passengers were on the bus except for the driver, who pulled the bus over to the side of the road and called the fire department.
APPARATUS IN ACTION If you have photos you would like to see in our Apparatus in Action feature please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
WWW.ALLHANDSFIRE.COM
Rope rescue training for the NYC Stage Hands Local 1, with All Hands Fire guest instructor Robert Morris Sr.
New York city stage workers receive rope rescue training The stage hand workers from Local 1 received a rope rescue training class at the Lyric Theater on 43rd Street in Manhattan. The two day class was held on July 17 and 18 at the same theater where the broadway show "The Amazing Spider-Man" ran. Students attended a classroom session, which covered various OSHA regulations, as well as equipment familiarization, use and a discussion of specific equipment applications. Following the classroom session, students participated in skill stations, which included use of spe-
JUMP TO FILE #081314126
cific devices, rigging, ascending, descending,and more. Then students were presented with scenarios that the Local 1 workers can (and do) encounter, including pickoff's from conscious and unconscious workers suspended in their class-3 harnesses, as well as rescues from compromised suspended catwalks and truss walks. The students in attendance were from various theaters, including the Foxwood Theater, Madison
Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon, Saint James and more. And the students were already very proficient, enthusiastic and overall very good at what they do. The training was provided by All Hands Fire Equipment & Training, who featured instructor Robert Morris, Sr as the lead instructor for this project. All Hands Fire offers a variety of training programs across the nation. For additional information, please contact Training@AllHandsFire.com. - DONALD COLARUSSO
EMERGENCY WATERCRAFT If you have photos you would like to see in our Emergency Watercraft feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
RICHARD YORK
Engine 39 turning out for a run on East 67 street in Manhattan.
RICHARD YORK
Squad 252 taking up after the probably will hold on August 10th at the Lincoln Tower
STEVE WHITE
FDNY Marine 8 in the waters off Staten Island.
PAGE 4
October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
Five Minute ABS FIREFIGHTER FITNESS Lori Ann Hodgkinson
STEVE SOLOMONSON
The civilian auto remained in the intersection after the collision
FDNY highway truck rammed by civilian auto in Midwood On Thursday August 7th, 2014 at approximately 12:00 Hours The FDNY Highway Truck was assigned to Box 3040 for a reported electrical fire in the basement of a building located at Ave L & Nostrand Ave in the Midwood section of Brooklyn New York. While responding to box 3040 and entering the intersection of Bedford Ave & Ave M Ladder-156
JUMP TO FILE #080814117
was struck by a civilian auto. FDNY Ladder 156 sustained little damage to their apparatus however the late model silver Honda wasn't so lucky. The civilian auto sustained heavy front end damage injuring the two occupants
inside. The FDNY Firefighters on the rig were shaken but not injured and were looked at by EMS as a precaution. The two civilian injuries were transported by EMS to local hospitals and all injuries were non life threatening - STEVE SOLOMONSON
FLASHBACK If you have photos you would like to see in our Flashback feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
Looking for a quickie ‘AB’ routine you can do everyday? Of course you are! Crunches still work great, yet busting that same old routine from time to time is always a good idea. Grab a beach ball, a playground ball or a Swiss ball and give this a try. For those of you Pilates enthusiasts, these movements may be familiar. They target the abdominal muscles. They’re simple, quick and different. Go for it! Reverse Crunch – Lie on your back, knees bent feet flat and shoulder width apart. Hold the ball in both hands - arms fully extended upward at chest level. Head is flat on floor. Keeping the lower back in contact with the floor flex at the hips and draw knees toward your mid section. Stop when hip flexion reaches 90 degrees, pause two seconds then return to starting position. Shoulders remain fixed and ball is still throughout entire movement. Complete 10-15 reps. Pullover – This movement is the opposite of the reverse crunch. Lower back again is in contact with the floor. The knees are bent and held at 90 degrees of flexion with feet raised off the floor. The ball is held overhead (at floor level) in both hands with arms extended. The hips remain fixed and still and the feet remain off the floor. Raise the ball off the floor until it is extended directly over the chest. Pause for two seconds then return to starting position.
Complete 10-15 reps. Combo – Now put both movements together. Begin with feet flat on the floor, knees bent. Ball is held overhead (floor level). The head and lower back remain in contact with the floor. Raise the ball to chest level as you simultaneously draw the knees toward mid section (90 degrees of hip flexion). Pause two seconds then return the arms/ball and the feet to the original starting position. Complete 10-15 reps Full crunch – Add a head/shoulder lift to the combo. Everything comes up together (the arms/ball, the head/shoulders and the hips/feet. Pause at the top for two seconds then return to the starting position. Complete 10-15 reps. Ball transfer – To further challenge yourself try this. Begin as you do in the full crunch (ball overhead at floor level, knees bent feet flat. Lift head/shoulders, arms/ball, feet/hips) and pause at the top. During the pause place the ball between the legs (just below the knees) squeeze it tight to keep it there as you return to the starting position (the ball is now between the knees/legs and the hands are empty – but the movement remains the same). Now repeat the movement. When you get to the pause at the top reach and retrieve the ball and return to start with the ball back in your hands. This is one rep. Continue your set, each time alternating placing the ball between the knees on one lift and then retrieving it on the next. Complete 8- 10 reps. (Remember, - one rep is really like two - count one each time you retrieve the ball with your hands.) Remember to receive clearance from your physician before beginning any exercise program. Not all movements are suitable for all individuals.
EMERGENCY WATERCRAFT If you have photos you would like to see in our Emergency Watercraft feature please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
STEVE WHITE RUSSELL CURLEY
FDNY Engine 5 in Downtown Manhattan. It is a 1947 Mack "L" model. This photo was taken responding to an alarm on April 8, 1956.
FDNY Fireboat Governor Alfred E. Smith in New York Harbor preparing for a water display for the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten island.
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
October, 2014
Page 5
PAGE 6
October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
50 Engine and 30 Truck FDNY HOUSES FDNY HOUSES by Larry Woodcock
When one thinks of Harlem, New York, many images come to mind. 125th Street is the main thoroughfare with its crowds of people and stores that line both sides. The Apollo Theater is the renowned venue that has played host to some of this century’s most famous entertainers. When I think of Harlem, I think of the zoo, and none other than the zoo. Not the Bronx Zoo, but the Harlem Zoo. What zoo is in Harlem? It has been around for over one hundred years through thick and thin, 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year. Never a day off. No animals reside in this zoo, well not the ones we would associate with the Discovery Channel or children’s toys. 59-Engine and 30-Truck at 111 West 133rd Street just off the corner of Lenox Avenue is really Harlem’s one and only zoo. Residing at this location since November of 1962, this glazed brick firehouse is the only one of its kind in the city and adds to the unusual when it comes to this
ON THE BOOK SHELF by John Malecky
A Photographic Journey through The Firehouses of the City of New York Fire Department Photography by Larry Woodcock Written and Edited by Paul Hashagen Available from: M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. 1-888-263-4702 www.mtpublishing.com Price: $42.50 This is a hard cover coffeetable book measuring 9 inches by 12 inches and has 192 pages. The photographer is the son of a retired New Jersey firefighter and was an EMT in a large city for 10 years. Presently he works in the private sector, but since a child has had an interest in the New York City Fire Department. His journey to expand on his interest which resulted in the desire to photograph every firehouse can be found on Page 23. The writer is retired from the
area. The tradition and reputation that this firehouse holds is well documented among former and current firefighters. In a neighborhood that was once considered to be the beginnings of our country, this area was a farming village, a battlefield during the Revolutionary War, an industrial suburb, a stronghold for the Italian mafia, an American ghetto with its tumultuous and dangerous streets of the 70’s and 80’s, and a renowned center of African-American culture. Today, it is comprised of a mix of ethnic groups and million dollar brownstones along tree lined streets. Simply put, Harlem is summed up as quintessential New York City. Historic, legendary, and ever changing; no one including myself would ever think that Harlem would morph into what it is today. And with the present day Columbia University expanding almost yearly, who knows what Harlem will look like in the next 50 years. The history of 30 Truck started out as a single company on February 1, 1907 on 135 Street and Lenox Avenue. Fourteen firemen and one assistant foreman were on the entire roster. In the late 1950’s, plans to build a new school next door to the firehouse prompted city planners to build a new firehouse that incorporated 30-Truck and 59-Engine, who at the time were sharing their firehouse along with Squad
LARRY WOODCOCK
Company-1 on 137th Street. And in 1962, the two moved into their new quarters along with Squad Company-1 on 133rd Street. Squad Company 1 was relocated to the firehouse of Ladder58 in November of 1972, leaving 30 and 59 the lone occupants since. Several theories surround the company’s slogan “The Harlem Zoo�. One is that back in the 60’s members had nicknames like bull and snake and tiger. And they decided to call it the zoo. After al, the animals were all represented. But the most plausible and most widely accepted reason is that in the early 1970’s a softball
league was started by a few remembers of the house and as the games got more and more competitive other companies in Harlem joined the league and also come up with slogans and designs for company patches. Hence, the zoo was born and so were intense rivalries and bonding among neighboring companies. Another Harlem institution is Firefight3er Keith Nicoliello of 30 Truck, who I have known for many years and has spent 31 years in this firehouse and counting. I am starting to believe that he was cracking the whip when they still had horses, and he has no intention of leaving. His dedication
and love of this job is second to none. And he embodies the pride and loyalty to one of the city’s premier truck companies. 30 Truck was established in February of 1907 and 59-Engine in April of 1894. Keith has told me before that they, like many companies across the city, are not going to work like they used to. Times have changed as well as technology and fire prevention. But, when the time comes, they will be ready and I have the utmost confidence that they will. - LARRY WOODCOCK
Photographic Journey Through the Firehouses of the Fire Department of the City of New York New York Fire Department after serving 25 years most of which were with Rescue 1. He specializes in the FD’s history and his book, A Distant Fire was reviewed in this column back in 1996. Together the two men have produced great book that no buff or firefighter or anyone for that matter with an interest in this fire department should be without. Each boro is covered in alphabetical order and each page is loaded with one and sometimes two photos of a firehouse with information as to the company number (s), location, when it was organized, when the station was built, the neighborhood, the nickname (if any) and a list of line of duty deaths. Stations of companies that have been closed or disbanded are not in this book. In the back of the book is an index of the line of duty deaths and what page they can be found on as well as a page listing for each fire company. But I should back up a little bit. The beginning of the book has a history about the Firemen’s Memorial with pictures followed by chapters with a dedication, a brief History
of the New York City Fire Department done by Paul Hashagen (which is 12 pages) and side stories about three memorable men, Chief Edward Croker, “Smoky Joe� Joseph B. Martin and Doctor Harry Archer which are all enjoyable. The next section is called “FDNY Basics� in which the
makeup of the stations, assignments and working fires is explained. After the reader gets through the various texts, he or she can relax and enjoy each page of the fire stations with added treats of apparatus from various vintages, company patches, station interiors, fireboats and in some cases two
stations from different years that a company used. As I said earlier I believe this book is a must for anyone who has an interest in the New York Fire Department or for that matter anyone who has an interest in architecture!
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1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
October, 2014
WWW.ALLHANDSFIRE.COM
ALLEN EPSTEIN
FDNY plays NYPD in baseball game The FDNY and NYPD played a competitive basebale game on August 16th at MCU Park in Brooklyn. The game ended with an NYPD victory of 9 to 4.
PAgE 7
Members of the Richmond Engine Company from Staten Island attended training on the Petzl EXO Personal Escape System.
Staten Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Richmond Engine Co. now equipped with firefighter escape systems Volunteer firefighters on Staten Island are now equipped with the Petzl EXO Personal Escape System. Members of the Richmond Engine Company received the systems and were trained on June 21 at the Middletown Fire Academy in New Jersey. The students attended a fullday Basic End User EXO training
JUMP TO FILE #081314114
class which covered basic use, deployment and operation of the escape system. Each student also performed nine bailout jumps at varied levels of difficulty. The equipment and training was provided by All Hands Fire
Equipment & Training, located in Neptune City, NJ. All Hands Fire is an authorized Petzl EXO dealer and trainer, and travels nationwide delivering their training programs. For more information, please visit www.AllHandsFire.com - DONALD COLARUSSO
JEFF CRIANZA
Female struck on Lower East Side Just before 8 a.m. on August 28th, an auto driven by an off duty MTA worker struck a female pedestrian while she was crossing the street. EMS removed the female to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition. The driver stayed on the scene and was not injured.
RICHARD YORK
West Hamilton Beach responds to car versus pole On Saturday, August 2nd, WHBVFD members responded to an accident a few blocks away from quarters on 104th Street and 163rd Road. However, when they got there, the driver and passengers had fled the scene. A bystander reported that the vehicle was racing another car down the strip when it struck the utility pole and sent the vehicle sideways down the street. The occupants jumped out of the vehicle and fled, possibly getting into the other vehicle involved in the race. Police later arrived to investigate and impound the vehicle.
PAGE 8
October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
FDNY saves woman, dog on way to another call
RICHARD YORK
All hands “10-77” fire in the Lincoln Tower E225 and L107 made first due to a fire in a 17 story high rise multiple dwelling located at 735 Lincoln Ave off Blake Ave, just down the block from their quarters. Battalion 39 transmitted the 10-77 on the report of fire in Apt 9-R and smoke visible from the exterior. He transmitted the all hands around 4:09 p.m.; however, companies made a quick knock down confining the fire to the single apartment.
Queens, NY. Firefighters from FDNY Ladder 138 and Engine 289 rescued a woman and her dog on August 22nd while responding to another call in Queens. According to JUMP TO FILE# firefighters, the crew 082614113 of Ladder 138 was responding to a water main break when they turned onto 43nd Avenue. Passersby flagged down the ladder truck to help a woman and her dog, who had just been hit by a truck while riding on a bicycle. Once the woman was given emergency care and placed in an ambulance, members from Ladder 138 took the five-month-old Pomeranian puppy named Charlie to BluePearl Veterinary Partners specialty and emergency hospital in Queens. BluePearl doctors stabilized Charlie and are providing supportive care and pain management. Xrays identified multiple fractures
BLUE PEARL
Dr. Adam Eatroff, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist, examines Charlie at BluePearl in Queens.
and plans are underway to raise funds for lifesaving surgery through the local pet charity, Frankie’s
Friends. - JAMES JUDGE
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
October, 2014
PAgE 9
PATCHES If you have photos you would like to see in our Patches feature please upload them on our website, www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
FRED BACCHI
Tree falls on house in Astoria ROBERT PAV (FDNY RETIRED)
A tree came crashing down on the front of a house in Astoria Queens on August 12th, briefly trapping two residents in the basement. TL117 and E312 arrived and removed the victims from the building. No injuries were reported. FDNY called for the NYC Parks Department for removal of the tree.
WTC Honor the Finest and Bravest
ROBERT PAV (FDNY RETIRED)
WTC - Never Forget
FRED BACCHI
All hands in Briarwood At 2:25 p.m. on August 18th, Queens units responded to a private dwelling fire at 79 Avenue and 160 Street. E315 transmitted the 10-75 for fire in the basement. Dispatch advised there may be a person trapped. Battalion 50 transmitted the All Hands and indicated a primary and secondary search of the basement and first floor were negative. Fire was placed under control at 2:50 p.m.
ROBERT PAV (FDNY RETIRED)
FDNY Engine 305 Ladder 151 9-11 patch
PAGE 10
October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
IN SERVICE If you have photos you would like to see in our In Service feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
LUKE PATTERSON
RICHARD YORK
FDNY Engine 40 operates this 2008 Seagrave pumper. (2000gpm/500).
LUKE PATTERSON
FDNY Ladder 9 operates this Seagrave aerial scope ladder truck. RICHARD YORK
Truck wedges beneath a flat bed Battalion 51, Engine 308, Ladder 173 and Squad 270 operated at an accident where a Dodge Ram pick up truck slammed into the rear of a flat bed tow truck on the Nassau Expressway between Crossbay Blvd and Lefferts Blvd in Queens. Ladder 173 and Squad 270 worked together on the patient, who was trapped in the vehicle semi-conscious.
IN SERVICE LUKE PATTERSON
The FDNY Engine 8 operates this 2008 seagrave pumper. (2000gpm/50)
If you have photos you would like to see in our In Service feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
RICHARD YORK
FDNY CTDP Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness Vehicle outside the quarters of Engine 39, Ladder 16 and High Rise Unit 2 on the Upper East Side, Manhattan.
RUSSELL CURLEY
Engine 293, a 2011 Seagrave pumper with 1500 gpm pumper is a single engine company in the Woodhaven section of Queens.
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY
Personal Safety Is Your Responsibility Who is responsible for the safety of firefighters at the scene of a fire or other emergency? Is it the incident commander, the company officer, the safety officer, the individual firefighter? The fact is they all share a responsibility for overall safety. Often times, with all the activity, adrenaline rush, and excitement at the scene of an emergency we focus on accomplishing the task assigned as expeditiously as possible and somehow we begin to disregard our personal safety, focusing in on our objective while losing sight of the big picture. That is when there will be a fellow firefighter, company officer, safety officer, or incident commander covering your back, bringing you back to reality, and insuring your safety. With today’s reduced staffing levels, on occasion you may find yourself operating alone, and it need not be in an IDLH atmosphere, but performing an exterior type operation or task. Then, you may be the only one looking out for your immediate personal safety! How responsible and dependable are you when operating on your own? Are you concerned about your personal safety on a regular basis? Do you run when you can walk? Do you have all your gear on and use it properly? Do you view the big picture? Do you think about what you are preparing to do before doing it and ask yourself is the task at hand really required? Do you review the worst possible scenarios in your mind and what the outcome might be if you do not succeed or if something goes wrong? Will you be following your departments SOG’s and training procedures and not be taking a shortcut? Can the task wait until additional assistance is available? Being responsible for you own personal safety requires you to do all the aforementioned as a minimum. Responsibility as defined in the dictionary “the quality or state of being responsible: as moral, legal, or mental accountability”; and Responsible is defined as “1 a : liable to be called on to answer b (1) : liable to be called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agent (2) : being the cause or explanation for the accident c : liable to legal review or in case of fault to penalties 2 a : able to answer for one's conduct and obligations”. A responsible firefighter is one who is able to act, at times, without guidance or supervision, because he or she is accountable and answer-
October, 2014
PAGe 11
Faces To see your Faces in the newspaper upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.
STAYING SAFE Chief Henry Campbell
able for his or her behavior. It requires one to accept responsibility for their actions and for the result of their actions. It is important that we have safety officers, company officers, and fellow firefighters looking after us, keeping us out of harm’s way, a shared responsibility. We must also be looking out for ourselves and accepting that as a major responsibility we owe our family and department. When one fails to act with individual responsibility relative to their personal safety some form of reprimand should be dispensed. Reprimanding individual firefighters for their unsafe actions or inactions delivers two messages; the first is to the individual who failed to comply with department safety policy, and the second message is delivered to all members of the department. The second message indicates that the department takes safety seriously and will reprimand those members who fail to comply with established training and safety regulations. Most times a formal reprimand is not necessary, just a brief “word to the wise” usually results in compliance. If this fails, the department should not fear disciplining and reprimanding individuals who fail to comply with department safety policy. These individuals are exhibiting poor habits and initiative relative to their own personal safety while setting poor examples for others and disregard for department policy. Strict discipline must be enforced relative to firefighter safety issues as we strive to reduce the annual death and injury rates. As difficult as it may be to swallow, human error is the root cause for most of our accidental injuries and deaths, and in order to correct the problem we must first own up to that fact. Individual firefighter responsibility begins when you leave home and family for the fire station or the emergency scene, and it doesn’t end until you have once again safely returned to home and family. They always expect you back, don’t let them down! Till next time, Stay Safe and God Bless!
Visit our website at www.1rbn.com to view additional columns
RON JEFFERS
Honorary F.D.N.Y. Deputy Chief Gary Urbanowicz proudly shows off his beautiful replica of the 33rd Battalion's 1962 Dodge Dart chief's car, equipped with chief and aide helmets inside. Urbanowicz is author of "Badges of the Bravest" and co-author of "The Last Alarm." He participated in the Fairchester Hose Haulers of the Hudson Valley's annual muster in Circleville, and, yes, he took home another well deserved trophy.
ALLEN EPSTEIN
ALLEN EPSTEIN
Brick facade collapses in Ridgewood On August 14, 2014, the FDNY was alerted to a collapse at Greene and Woodward Avenues in Ridgewood, Queens. Crews arrived to find the brick facade of a two story building partially collapsed. Firefighters did a search and found no victims. The wall was secured and crews were soon back in service.
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October, 2014
1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY