FDNY All Hands Fire - 1943

First of all, I think a brief lesson in fire service lingo is warranted. For those who might not be familiar, an "All Hands" fire means that units arrived and encountered fire conditions and that all personnel are being put to work. Secondly, if you're like me, you'll notice that the firefighters seem to be walking kind of fast or with an ackward gait . . .it's not them . . .it's an eccentricity of 1940's vintage celluloid film that has been re-mastered.

Now, back to the matter at hand, the video! Up until 2006, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) operated a unique unit known as the Fire Patrol. The thing that make it unique was the fact that, even though they were dressed in protective gear and looked like firefighters, they were actually civilian members of the Board of Insurance Underwriters . They served the fire department on what was known as the Fire Department Emergency Auxiliary and there primary duty was to prevent secondary damage to burning structures caused by the fire hoses. As shown in the video, this was accomplished by members of the Fire Patrol who would enter the burning structure and place salvage covers over furniture. Although this doesn't sound as dangerous as actually fighting the fire, there were members of the Fire Patrol who were injured and killed in the line of duty. As I mentioned above, they continued to serve the citizens of New York until four years ago when the last unit was disbanded.