"would neither put on arms [armour] or buff coat the day of the battle"". Such buff leather was suitable for ""buffing"" or serving as a ""buffer"" between polished objects. It is not clear which bovine """"buffalo"""" referred to, but it may not have been any of the animals called ""buffalo"" today. The word ""buff"" meaning ""enthusiast"" or ""expert"" (US English) derives from the colour ""buff"", specifically from the buff-coloured uniform facings of 19th-century New York City volunteer firemen, who inspired partisan followers among particularly keen fire watchers. ""In the buff"", today meaning naked, originally applied to English soldiers wearing the"
"include instructions on first aid, fire safety, chemistry and other appropriate skills. Accidental ingestion of fuel or improper technique can lead to a serious condition known as fire eater's pneumonia. A famous fire eater from the 18th century was Robert Powell who allegedly not only swallowed fire but also red-hot coals, melted sealing wax and even brimstone. He performed, often in front of British and other European royalty and nobility, for nearly sixty years and, in 1751, was awarded a purse of gold and a large silver medal. Although not the earliest, the first to attract the attention of the"
"a tendency to flake off. This process and style of paint job was invented by Joe Bailon, a customizer from Northern California. Customizers also continued the habit of adding decorative paint after the main coat was finished, of flames extending rearward from the front wheels, scallops, and hand-painted pinstripes of a contrasting color. The base color, most often a single coat, would be expected to be of a simpler paint. Flame jobs later spread to the hood, encompassing the entire front end, and have progressed from traditional reds and yellows to blues and greens and body-color ""ghost"" flames. One particular"
"or more minutes. White, himself, would arrive at a fire, dressed in his turnout and equipment, before his company, coming from his home or a community function. He had realized the importance of early arrival in saving lives and property. That he recognized this imperative and used his firehouse as a training center for fire fighting technique and sciences resulted in his being characterized as the first ""gentleman fireman"" and the ""world's first professional firefighter"". Ironically, White died in 1899 fighting a downtown chemical fire - most probably from a heart attack induced by toxic fumes from burning chemicals stored"
"career department in 1865. Robert O. Lowery became the first African-American fire marshal in 1946. Lowery would ultimately rise to the top of the department, being appointed the city's fire commissioner in 1965. Fire marshals have conducted a number of significant investigations, including the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. They investigate insurance fraud involving arson, and more recently, potential terrorism. They also function as expert witnesses in arson cases. At times New York fire marshals work undercover and conduct surveillance operations. They also coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement because arsonists are frequently involved in other criminal"
"were electrostatic phenomena similar to St. Elmo's fire, electromagnetic phenomena, or simply reflections of light from ice crystals. The nonsense word ""foo"" emerged in popular culture during the early 1930s, first being used by cartoonist Bill Holman, who peppered his ""Smokey Stover"" fireman cartoon strips with ""foo"" signs and puns. The term ""foo"" was borrowed from Bill Holman's ""Smokey Stover"" by a radar operator in the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, Donald J. Meiers, who (it is agreed by most 415th members) gave the foo fighters their name. Meiers was from Chicago and was an avid reader of Bill Holman's strip,"
"fire protection inspectors are represented by the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors and EMS officers are represented by the Uniform EMS Officers Union, both of which are locals of District Council 37. The Fire Department of New York has appeared a number of times within literature. ""Report from Engine Co. 82"", ""20,000 Alarms"", and ""The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse"" are three of the most famous pieces of FDNY literature. In addition to memorials, the FDNY has produced a number of educational materials. One of these books is the 177 page ""Fire Department"
"Solomon, a New York optometrist, promoted the use of 'lime yellow' in the United States from the mid-1970s. Solomon conducted studies of the rate of vehicle accidents involving fire apparatus, concluding that the more conspicuously colored fire apparatus suffered a lower accident rate than the less conspicuous red used by the same fire department Further research supporting the use of yellow for all emergency vehicles was published in 1978 in Australia. Fire engine red Fire engine red is an informal name for an intense, bright red commonly used on emergency vehicles in some English-speaking countries on fire service vehicles. There"
"Stentorians The Stentorians are a fraternal organization of African American firefighters, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 1954. The Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles was an area of sprawling American Craftsmen style homes. Its residents had initially been mostly white, but by 1930 the neighborhood had changed to predominantly black. By 1950 it was home to two all-black, segregated fire stations (Fire Station No. 14 and Fire Station No. 30). The Fire Chief Engineer of Los Angeles, John Alderson, was regarded by black residents as a staunch segregationist who was preventing the integration of the LAFD. After"
"Fire engine red Fire engine red is an informal name for an intense, bright red commonly used on emergency vehicles in some English-speaking countries on fire service vehicles. There is no unique shade, although different fire services may have a required specification. The color has long been used, although not by all fire vehicles. Most traditional older fire departments in larger US central cities of major metropolitan areas use this color for their fire engines, but many suburbs and smaller cities now use the color lime or bright yellow for their fire engines because of its greater visibility at night."
"flame, impact and heat resistance standards that their larger counterparts do, and still offer mostly seamless compatibility with SCBAs. In some countries, most notably the United States and other Anglophone countries, the firefighter's helmet color often denotes the wearer's rank or position. In Britain, most firefighters wear yellow helmets; watch managers (two grades above a regular firefighter) and above wear white helmets. Rank is further indicated by black stripes around the helmets. In Canada, regular firefighters wear yellow or black; captains (two grades above regular) are in red and senior command officers in white. Likewise in the United States, red"
"on the afternoon of November 18, 1892. At the time of his death, his brother, four sisters and other relatives were present. His funeral was held at his home the following week, organized by the Volunteer and Exempt Fireman's Associations, and was buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery at New Springville. Decker was portrayed in the 2006 historical novel ""The Volunteers: A Historical Novel of New York City's Firemen, 1830-1865"" by Donald L. Collins. John Decker (fire chief) John Decker (May 15, 1823 – November 18, 1892) was an American businessman, politician and firefighter. He served as the last Chief Engineer"
"1969 conference in New York City, which led to the formation of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters in 1970. This group aimed to combat the racism which was endemic within American fire services, and increase minority recruitment efforts and hiring. Charles Hendricks, the Valiants' first treasurer, became the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters' treasurer. Valiant William Brogden was selected first recording secretary, and Valiant Ron Lewis served as regional head for of the Northeast. As of 2017, the Valiants are the largest group in the 8,000-strong International Association of Black Professional Firefighters. In 1973 a brief study"
"a few years, circa 1850–53, with the Italian patriot and inventor, Antonio Meucci, in a modest gothic frame house (now designated a New York City Landmark), on Staten Island, New York City, before sailing for Italy in 1853. There is a Garibaldi-Meucci museum on Staten Island. In New York, during the pre-Civil War era, rival companies of volunteer firemen were the great working-class heroes of the city. Their courage, their civic spirit, and the lively comradeship they demonstrated inspired fanatic followers throughout New York, the original ""fire buffs"". Volunteer fire companies varied in the completeness and details of their uniforms,"
"go back to the beginning of the 20th century, when early fire buffs attended emergencies during winter time wearing fur coats, thus coming to be called ""buffalos"". Fire buff A fire buff is a person with considerable interest (a fan) in fire fighting and emergency services, while not being an active member of these services. Fire buffs may collect or promote information about the local emergency services, raise money for them, or attend emergencies as bystanders. In the latter case, a fire buff may be considered a nuisance or even a danger to operations by active service members. Many fire"
"York Fire of 1776. The fire was later widely thought to have been started by American saboteurs to keep the city from falling into British hands, though Washington and the Congress had already denied this idea. It has also been speculated that the fire was the work of British soldiers acting without orders. In the fire's aftermath, more than 200 American partisans were rounded up by the British. An account of Nathan Hale's capture was written by Consider Tiffany, a Connecticut shopkeeper and Loyalist, and obtained by the Library of Congress. In Tiffany's account, Major Robert Rogers of the Queen's"
"Firematic Racing Firematic (or Drill Team) Racing carries on a tradition as old as firefighting itself. The sport is most popular in New York. Ever since the beginning of the fire service, when ladders, hoses - and even buckets - were invented as a way to extinguish fires, there was always a spirit of competition among firefighters as to who could be the first to extinguish the fire. In these early days, a monetary reward was paid to those who were able to extinguish a fire. Out of this spirit of competition grew a unique form of racing team, which"
"Hartsfield recounted in 1973, ""I had a degree in Law yet I went to work and cleaned toilets!."" When the call came in 1969 from NY that a national black firefighter organization was being formed, the Stentorians stepped up. In 1970, Capt's David Floyd and John L.Ruffins Jr. of the FDNY Vulcan Society founded the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, an international fraternal order that The Stentorians became a part of. Black firefighters across the country formed chapters and the gov't civil service firefighters in Barbados, BWI became a member making the organization international. The IABPFF is currently led"
"During the 19th century and early 20th century volunteer fire companies served not only as fire protection but as political machines. The most famous volunteer firefighter politician is Boss Tweed, head of the notorious Tammany Hall political machine, who got his start in politics as a member of the Americus Engine Company Number 6 (""The Big Six"") in New York City. Napoleon Bonaparte, drawing from the century-old experience of the ""gardes-pompes"", is generally attributed as creating the first ""professional"" firefighters, known as Sapeurs-Pompiers (""Sappers-Firefighters""), from the French Army. Created under the Commandant of Engineers in 1810, the company was organized"
"on October 1, 1899 and was again renumbered to its present designation Engine Company 206 on January 1, 1913, the year after Fireman Nicholson retired. According to retired Battalion Chief Wesley Augustus Williams, ""Nicholson did not work as a firefighter but was assigned to take care of the horses."" As the first black man appointed a member of this closed, blue-collar profession, two years after the Supreme Courts decision in the Plessy vs Ferguson case establishing the ""separate but equal"" doctrine, he was appointed during a period of transition and expansion by the Department and the consolidation of New York"
"the first recipient from his area to receive the USDA Superior Service Award. Gisborne died of a heart attack on November 9, 1949, while field-checking the site of the Mann Gulch Fire in April 1949: Norman Maclean called this the """"death of a scientist"""" in his book Young Men and Fire. Harry Gisborne Harry Thomas Gisborne (September 11, 1893 – November 9, 1949) was an American forester who pioneered the scientific study of wildfires. Harry Gisborne was born in Montpelier, Vermont. After graduating with a forestry degree from the University of Michigan, he joined the U.S. Forest Service, and after"
"Fire Engineering (magazine) Fire Engineering provides training, education, and management information for fire and emergency services personnel. Articles are written by experts in the fire service and focus on lessons-learned. November 1877: Introduced as ""The National Fireman’s Journal"" 1879: Renamed ""The Fireman’s Journal"" 1886: Renamed ""Fire and Water"" 1903: Renamed ""Fire and Water Engineering"" 1926: Renamed ""Fire Engineering"" (its name until today) ""Fire Engineering"" was originally introduced on November 17, 1877 as ""The National Fireman’s Journal"". Its editor was Clifford Thomson and was published in New York City. Its tagline was ""Devoted to the Interests of the Firemen of the"
"Firemen's Association of the State of New York The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, more commonly known as FASNY, is an organization whose mission is to educate, serve and support volunteer firefighters in New York State. FASNY was founded in 1872 and its main headquarters are in Albany, New York. FASNY currently has more than 40,000 members. The Firemen's Association also maintains the FASNY Firemen's Home and the adjacent FASNY Museum of Firefighting in Hudson NY. FASNY provides information, education and training for the volunteer fire and emergency medical services throughout New York State. FASNY strives to"
"helmets denote company officers (one or two grades above regular), while white helmets denote chief officers (three or more grades above regular). However the specific meaning of a helmet's color or style varies from region to region and department to department. One noteworthy example is the Los Angeles County Fire Department's use of MSA Safety ""Topgard"" Helmets depicted in the 1970s television series ""Emergency!"". Firefighters used all black with colored company numbers on the shield below the ""L.A. County"" in blue on the top half. Engine and squad companies used white numbers, with paramedics switching to green and a two-color"
"New York Fire Patrol The New York Fire Patrol (FPNY) was a salvage corps created by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters which operated from 1839 until October 15, 2006. Their original mission was two-fold: to discover fires and to prevent losses to insured properties. The Patrol responded primarily to fires at commercial structures, however they would respond to high loss residential fires at times. During the fire the Patrol would spread canvas salvage covers, remove water, operate elevators and secure utilities. The New York Fire Patrol was organized under the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) labor union"
"Ronald Spadafora Ronald Spadafora (July 8, 1954 – June 23, 2018) was an American firefighter and the fire chief in charge of fire prevention for the FDNY, notable for his service supervising the entire safety operation during the rescue and recovery efforts at ground zero following the September 11 attacks and for his writing on fire fighting gear. Spadafora was born, on July 8, 1954, in the neighborhood of Ozone Park in the borough of Queens in the City of New York. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and the received a bachelor's degree in Fire Science"
"firefighter's helmet was developed in 1830 by a luggage maker Henry Gratacap who was a volunteer firefighter in New York City. He saw a need for a better designed helmet that was both functional and provided protection to the wearer. This helmet is immediately recognizable today as the ""New Yorker"" style and little has changed in its general shape. The helmet had a high peaked front to retain a helmet shield which was usually adorned with a company name and number and it also featured eight rib sections on the dome (for added rigidity) and a long rear brim that"
"and back in reflective writing. Pictures of firefighters wearing newest uniforms: http://fire-brigade.asn.au/equipment/ppe/default.asp Fire fighters' helmets are white, (senior fire fighters have a red stripe), with the fire fighters surname on the back of the helmet in reflective, glow in the dark writing. Lieutenants and Captains have yellow helmets (the captain has a red stripe), and Deputy Group Officers and above have red helmets. Regional staff have a blue stripe on their helmet. In colonial times, the government attempted to control the outbreak of wildfires by legislating against the careless use of fire. This began with the 1847 ordinance against reckless"
"New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is a department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection, technical rescue, primary response to biological, chemical, and radioactive hazards, and emergency medical services to the five boroughs of New York City. The New York City Fire Department is the largest municipal fire department in the United States and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. The FDNY employs approximately 11,051 uniformed firefighters and 4,414 uniformed EMTs, paramedics, and fire"
"dominated by the Five Families, as well as in gangs, including the Black Spades. The Mafia and gang presence has declined in the city in the 21st century. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY), provides fire protection, technical rescue, primary response to biological, chemical, and radioactive hazards, and emergency medical services for the five boroughs of New York City. The New York City Fire Department is the largest municipal fire department in the United States and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. The FDNY employs approximately 11,080 uniformed firefighters and over 3,300 uniformed EMTs"
"it was found upon assembling that only a portion of this and other states were represented, ""Therefore, Be It Resolved: That this body be known as the Firemen's Association of the State of New York."" FASNY is also the acronym for the French-American School of New York, a bilingual school located in Westchester County Firemen's Association of the State of New York The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, more commonly known as FASNY, is an organization whose mission is to educate, serve and support volunteer firefighters in New York State. FASNY was founded in 1872 and its"
"in world history. You would be wrong. Instead, we have a series of unconnected and uncoordinated superficial inquiries. No comprehensive 'Presidential Blue Ribbon Commission'. No top-notch National Transportation Safety Board-like response. Ironically, we will probably gain more detailed information about the destruction of the planes than we will about the destruction of the towers. We are literally treating the steel removed from the site like garbage, not like crucial fire scene evidence."" Vincent Dunn Vincent Joseph Dunn, born May 12, 1935 in Queens, New York, was a firefighter in New York City for 42 years, rising in rank to Commander"
"of the original non-uniformed Fire Marshals. He died on February 10, 1979 in Edison, New Jersey. Martin Scott (FDNY Commissioner) Martin Richard Scott (January 9, 1898 – February 10, 1979) was appointed the 20th Fire Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Robert F. Wagner on August 6, 1964 and served in that position until the end of the Wagner Administration on December 31, 1965. The FDNY has named a medal for Outstanding Courage in his honor. Scott was appointed Fire Commissioner having served in all the Fire Marshal's ranks in the FDNY, rising to the top as"