1958 F.W.D.
11-14-2007, 07:35 PM
In July of 1998, I transferred down to the APGFD from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard FD. I reported to the Aberdeen area fire station, prepared to meet my new supervisors and co-workers. I was brought into the Assistant Fire Chief’s office, and as if dealing with Hoot Gibson and Bob Berry picking on the new guy first thing that early in the morning wasn’t enough; nothing could have prepared me for what Gibson told me: “You have to go down to personnel and sign some documents. Captain Hamilton will take you down there.”
Into the Assistant Chief’s Office, walks this big, furry, Cecil-County looking bear-like creature. Hoot tells him “Take Randy down to personnel to sign his………..” John nods his Bull-Nod, and says in that deep voice of his, laced with that Cecil County draw “Ohhhhh Kaaaaaayyyyy.”
Now, imagine a new guy, fresh from the big city, suddenly released to custody of Cecil County’s own “Bull.” The ride down to personnel was a quiet one. I think I commented one time “wow this is a big place.” The reply was a Bull-Nod and “Uhhhhhhh Huhhhhh.”
Within a few days I was assigned to the Bull’s work group. It was hard getting to know him at first. I have to admit that in the beginning I was apprehensive of him being a Firefighter- I was thinking, at the time, “Dinosaur. Probably throws water in windows from the outside.” I couldn’t have been more wrong! I kept thinking of the movie "Deliverance".
About a month into my APGFD career, Truck 1231 was dispatched on a 2-Box. It was the middle of the day, and apparently a working fire. As I grabbed my bunker pants and yanked them up, a bright blue blur came crashing through the doorway leading from the apparatus bay to the administrative hallway of the firehouse. The Bull was on the rampage! I had never seen him move so fast, or flair his nostrils so mightily! We jumped on the Truck, and off into Aberdeen we sped!
It was indeed a working fire in a 2-story SFD. Chief 2 had 1231 drop in a line. The hydrant was on the opposite side of the piece from my seat, so the other firefighter wrapped the plug. We made the front of the dwelling, and John ordered me to advance an inch and three-quarter to the front door. I grabbed the line and got to the door, and John disappeared around the back of the house with a hook. I shrugged my shoulders, and masked up, and started inside with the help of someone from Company 2 backing me up on the line. We made our way up the stairs, and knocked down a boatload of fire. I could hear the crashing of windows, and the intensity of the smoke lessened a bit. As we slowly made the second floor landing, I could hear a commotion behind me, someone chomping at the bit “C’mon! Get in there! We have to get back for dinner soon! This thing aint gonna go out by itself!” Then the party that was chomping at the bit gruffly shoved its way past me and down the hallway. He came back, and directed me to the room of origin which still had some fire. Imagine my surprise when the smoke let up, and it was none other than “The Bull.” Later on, outside, as we packed the hose, he nodded the Bull Nod, and said in that deep Cecil County drawl “Not bad, not bad at all…..We’ll have to quicken you up, though..........”
Appearing gruff and no-nonsense at first, John opens up as he gets to know you. And you get to know him- A great, big, cuddly teddy bear who has a heart the size of Cecil County. As the years went by, we came to know one another better and better. I can honestly say that John had a big part in helping me through a very dark time in my life. He made it a point to ask me every shift that I worked “How you holding out, Kid? You ok?” And if I showed any signs of stress, John would take me in the office and close the door, so that I could vent. And he listened. And offered the fatherly advice that I grew to appreciate and value.
That Fatherly concern was very apparent in his own showing of love of his children, which he talked of fondly. Quite often he spoke of Little John, and his adventures rebuilding cars in “My garage. That damn car is all over my garage! But he’s having fun, so I let him be!” He also spoke quite often of his daughters, and I don’t think John could have been any prouder the day he became a Grandfather!
As a Fire Captain (I never worked under him as an Asst Chief) John is top notch. He always stands by his men, whether they are right or wrong. More than once, he took some heat from the Boss for me. He took it, and later on dealt out his own heat to me. (Shit rolls downhill!) But after he chewed me out, he would grin that grin that he is so famous for. His dedication to his men is a quality that every fire officer should take note of. John would not ask any of his men to do anything that he would not do himself.
One of my most memorable moments with John was the time I made Pierogi as a side dish to dinner. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed his plate, looks at them and says “What’s that?” I said “Pierogi.” He says “Peer-what?” After learning he had never seen or heard of them before, I said “You really have eat more than meat and potatoes John.” And after that, John would ask for Pierogi once in a while.
Another memorable moment with him was one of the few times he manages to enrage me. Coming from Philly, the lads had me make cheese steaks on occasion. John took his plate, set it down on the table, went to the fridge, grabbed the mayo, and immediately spooned out mayo onto his roll. I couldn’t believe it! I started yelling at him “Who the hell destroys a perfectly good cheese steak by putting mayo on it? Do you know the mob in South Philly would have you shot for doing that?” I was livid. That’s ok. I got revenge. The next time I made them, I hid the mayo.
John, it is my pleasure to wish you farewell, and happy retirement. You have more than earned it. All my best to you in your endeavors, and know that I would pull a two and a half inch line through the gates of hell with you any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Just as long as you don’t leave your footprints on my back!
Into the Assistant Chief’s Office, walks this big, furry, Cecil-County looking bear-like creature. Hoot tells him “Take Randy down to personnel to sign his………..” John nods his Bull-Nod, and says in that deep voice of his, laced with that Cecil County draw “Ohhhhh Kaaaaaayyyyy.”
Now, imagine a new guy, fresh from the big city, suddenly released to custody of Cecil County’s own “Bull.” The ride down to personnel was a quiet one. I think I commented one time “wow this is a big place.” The reply was a Bull-Nod and “Uhhhhhhh Huhhhhh.”
Within a few days I was assigned to the Bull’s work group. It was hard getting to know him at first. I have to admit that in the beginning I was apprehensive of him being a Firefighter- I was thinking, at the time, “Dinosaur. Probably throws water in windows from the outside.” I couldn’t have been more wrong! I kept thinking of the movie "Deliverance".
About a month into my APGFD career, Truck 1231 was dispatched on a 2-Box. It was the middle of the day, and apparently a working fire. As I grabbed my bunker pants and yanked them up, a bright blue blur came crashing through the doorway leading from the apparatus bay to the administrative hallway of the firehouse. The Bull was on the rampage! I had never seen him move so fast, or flair his nostrils so mightily! We jumped on the Truck, and off into Aberdeen we sped!
It was indeed a working fire in a 2-story SFD. Chief 2 had 1231 drop in a line. The hydrant was on the opposite side of the piece from my seat, so the other firefighter wrapped the plug. We made the front of the dwelling, and John ordered me to advance an inch and three-quarter to the front door. I grabbed the line and got to the door, and John disappeared around the back of the house with a hook. I shrugged my shoulders, and masked up, and started inside with the help of someone from Company 2 backing me up on the line. We made our way up the stairs, and knocked down a boatload of fire. I could hear the crashing of windows, and the intensity of the smoke lessened a bit. As we slowly made the second floor landing, I could hear a commotion behind me, someone chomping at the bit “C’mon! Get in there! We have to get back for dinner soon! This thing aint gonna go out by itself!” Then the party that was chomping at the bit gruffly shoved its way past me and down the hallway. He came back, and directed me to the room of origin which still had some fire. Imagine my surprise when the smoke let up, and it was none other than “The Bull.” Later on, outside, as we packed the hose, he nodded the Bull Nod, and said in that deep Cecil County drawl “Not bad, not bad at all…..We’ll have to quicken you up, though..........”
Appearing gruff and no-nonsense at first, John opens up as he gets to know you. And you get to know him- A great, big, cuddly teddy bear who has a heart the size of Cecil County. As the years went by, we came to know one another better and better. I can honestly say that John had a big part in helping me through a very dark time in my life. He made it a point to ask me every shift that I worked “How you holding out, Kid? You ok?” And if I showed any signs of stress, John would take me in the office and close the door, so that I could vent. And he listened. And offered the fatherly advice that I grew to appreciate and value.
That Fatherly concern was very apparent in his own showing of love of his children, which he talked of fondly. Quite often he spoke of Little John, and his adventures rebuilding cars in “My garage. That damn car is all over my garage! But he’s having fun, so I let him be!” He also spoke quite often of his daughters, and I don’t think John could have been any prouder the day he became a Grandfather!
As a Fire Captain (I never worked under him as an Asst Chief) John is top notch. He always stands by his men, whether they are right or wrong. More than once, he took some heat from the Boss for me. He took it, and later on dealt out his own heat to me. (Shit rolls downhill!) But after he chewed me out, he would grin that grin that he is so famous for. His dedication to his men is a quality that every fire officer should take note of. John would not ask any of his men to do anything that he would not do himself.
One of my most memorable moments with John was the time I made Pierogi as a side dish to dinner. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed his plate, looks at them and says “What’s that?” I said “Pierogi.” He says “Peer-what?” After learning he had never seen or heard of them before, I said “You really have eat more than meat and potatoes John.” And after that, John would ask for Pierogi once in a while.
Another memorable moment with him was one of the few times he manages to enrage me. Coming from Philly, the lads had me make cheese steaks on occasion. John took his plate, set it down on the table, went to the fridge, grabbed the mayo, and immediately spooned out mayo onto his roll. I couldn’t believe it! I started yelling at him “Who the hell destroys a perfectly good cheese steak by putting mayo on it? Do you know the mob in South Philly would have you shot for doing that?” I was livid. That’s ok. I got revenge. The next time I made them, I hid the mayo.
John, it is my pleasure to wish you farewell, and happy retirement. You have more than earned it. All my best to you in your endeavors, and know that I would pull a two and a half inch line through the gates of hell with you any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Just as long as you don’t leave your footprints on my back!