Reader: This is What the FDNY is For?

By on February 21, 2011 8:06 am in News

No doubt the FDNY is full of brave men who rush into situations where most of us mere mortals fear to tread.  So this BHB reader’s account of an incident Sunday night on Montague Street speaks to their humility and their ability to deal with any and all circumstances:

So I was walking on Montague Street this evening, a few minutes before 6 PM, and a big fire engine ladder truck with lights and siren on pulled up and parked just past Henry Street, by the Corcoran real estate office. Then firemen jumped out.

There must have been a big fire, you say? No, turns out a slim metal bar in one of the canvas Corcoran awnings had slipped loose, and apparently the salespeople inside don’t own a ladder, so they called the fire department to come and lend them a hand! The firemen slid the loose bar back into the awning and then departed, hopefully on to more important matters!

Here’s a couple of shots I took with my iPhone, so they are not super-sharp.

Ahhh, our tax dollars at work!

Share this Story:
  • Tony

    They just started charging accident victims for FDNY support. They should send Corcorran a bill.

  • lori

    Since there was only one fire truck that responded, they probably did not call 911 for this problem but contacted the police station or fire truck directly to fix the problem. The fire department responds to situations that pose a danger (they once came to a building on Columbia Hts to remove a beach umbrella that had been left on the roof during dangerous winds) (they came to Montague Street within 15 minutes of a tree being knocked over by a truck and had it sawed up within minutes). BUT – I do agree that there are certain situations that should be handled by people themselves, not by the fire department.

  • Gerry

    Barbara Corcoran would be furious is she knew that her name was connected to such bullshit her husband is an esteemed FBI Agent who respects the FDNY, NYPD, etc. does this building not have a landlord to call?

  • bornhere

    I actually think it was a “good call” for what is considered a “dangerous condition.” If someone had been clocked by a falling metal bar, it would have been a really unhappy event. It’s also hard to tell which awning was involved — but even if it were one of the lower ones, I’m not sure this was a real estate agent’s DIY project.

  • http://Bhb Chris FDNY

    I am a NYC fireman. Doing this sort of thing is part of the job. It’s not a big deal, we helped someone out, and believe me, had there been a call for a fire, we’d have finished it later. People get locked out of their cars, minor stuff, its good community relations. We are paid to help. Yes, it can be abused, but for the most part, the city is a better place because we do these things if we can.

  • T.K. Small

    If a member of the fire department is comfortable with this, that’s good enough for me. I have the utmost respect for the FDNY. They have helped me on quite a few occasions. One time I was stuck on the top floor of The Court St., Cinema and, after waiting more than four hours for the elevator repair company to not arrive, they carried me and my wheelchair downstairs. Another time I was locked in my car in Manhattan and they came by within 2 min. and quickly rescued me.