The Life and Times of a New York City Firefighter/Fire Investigator [Paperback]

Frederick Mercilliott Ph.D (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2004

This book takes the reader inside the firehouse, fighting some of the worst fires in the history of New York City. From there, we move into the Fire Marshal's office where we investigate these same fires, arresting arsonists while working to acquire advance degrees in Fire Science and Criminal Justice.

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About the Author

Dr. Mercilliott grew up in Brooklyn, New York during the 50's. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served first on submarines and later on the amphibious ships, making three trips overseas. After his service in the Navy, he became a New York City firefighter, where he saw the city burning down around him. He became an investigator to help prevent these fires and completed his education, eventually becoming a college professor.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue

We pulled our truck to a stop at 23rd Street and Broadway, raised our ladder and put our ladder pipe to work. Our job was to try to prevent the fire from spreading to the buildings on Broadway, while some of the Manhattan men were attacking the main fire in the building on 23rd Street.

Suddenly, things did not look right: there were large numbers of firefighters being given oxygen. Others, too exhausted to go on, were sitting on the curb, spitting up or wiping soot and perspiration from their faces. Acting Chief Dove looked worried; Mayor Lindsay and Fire Commissioner Lowery arrived and appeared downcast.

Then we saw it; a body bag being carried around to 23rd Street. Another firefighter had been killed in the line of duty. A few minutes later two more bags passed by.

Lieutenant Hoyler told us to hold our positions and he would try to find out what happened. He returned in about ten minutes, a gloomy look on his face. He told us twelve men were missing and believed lost. Since we were relatively fresh, we volunteered to try to find out if they were still alive.

We put on our Scott Air Paks and followed him on a run. We presented ourselves to Acting Chief Dove. As we turned and headed for the flaming building, I saw exhausted fire-fighters all around. They were covered with dirt, sweat, and in some cases, vomit.

When we got to the opening, Hoyler led the way, crawling on hands and knees, we followed, one at a time. The smoke was so thick that, even with our flashlights, we could only see a few inches in front of us. The heat from the fire was so intense that our faces felt the heat even beneath our masks, and our canvas coats felt like they were on fire.

Suddenly, before us, we could see flames shooting out of the floor. It looked like a huge blow torch pointing skyward. If the lost men came this way, there was no hope for them and it would take some doing just to recover their bodies, but we had to make sure. As we started to move in closer, we heard a rumbling from above; one of our men yelled, "It's coming down; let's get out of here!" We took his advice and made a quick retreat just as the ceiling and parts of the wall collapsed.

While Lt. Hoyler reported to Dove, the rest of us prayed silently for the men for whom there was no hope.

Across the street a young woman was talking to Jerry Ryan, the President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and Jimmy Breslin, a reporter. I wondered who she was. Was she the wife of one of the missing men? I walked over to find out.

I heard Jerry Ryan ask her, "Mrs. Galanaugh, why don't you go somewhere and rest?" She shook her head no and answered, "Maybe he can still be alive. My father died on this job and now my husband; Please tell me it is not so."

Another Fire Company was digging a hole in the street in front of the building with the hope of breaching the wall in the basement. This was the only way left to get to the lost men. Lt. Hoyler returned and ordered us to help dig the hole. At about 4 a.m. we were relieved by a fresh company and ordered to stand by.

After so many hours of hot, dirty work, we were wet with perspiration and we began to feel the cold night air. There was no shelter available to us, so we sat on the curb, each man engrossed in his own thoughts. I began to wonder if those men died quickly or if they suffered. From the stories I had heard from men who had been trapped but were fortunate enough to have escaped, I knew that death did not come in one last complete motion.

About an hour later, the firefighters were crowding around the entrance of the building. I heard a murmur from the crowd as they started taking off their helmets. I moved in closer and removed my helmet also. All of us cried silently as the first of the bodies was lifted out of the freshly dug hole in the ground, and carried in a wire basket to a waiting ambulance. By 8 a.m., the last body was removed and we were ordered back to quarters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412001528
• ISBN-13: 978-1412001526
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,522,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)