There was a time on the NFD when inter-company rivalries were serious. This rivalry reached its apex on New Year’s Eve. Which company would have the most runs in that particular year? The title moved among the engine companies in the center of the city. (Salvage units were not part of the competition. Salvage One & Two divided the city in half & ran on every box transmitted, so they were running over 6,000 runs per year.)

To give an idea of how seriously the guys took it, here’s a story told by Deputy Chief Grehl (he was a good story teller):

Grehl: I don't know the exact time.  Six Engine was running about six hundred or seven or eight somewhere in there at that same time because they were still the busiest company. Twenty was running very close & Twelve, all of them.  I can remember one New Year’s Eve we were working.  It was 1954, somewhere in there.  We had 999 runs at eleven o’clock.  We were saying, “We have to get one more.  We have to get one more.”  The first company to ever hit a thousand in the city.  Around ten minutes to twelve we got the one more.  Of course, we always complained about it because we went out at ten minutes to twelve & we didn’t come back until eight o’clock in the morning.  We got relieved at the fire.  We’ll always remember that thousandth run.  Bernie Havic said, “You hollered for another fire.  What’s the matter with you?”

Another funny story.  We had an old, old, I think it was either a Ward LaFrance or something as a spare.  The thing wouldn’t go up Springfield Avenue faster than the buses.  One day, again we were in the end of the year & we were talking about we need another run to beat Twenty Engine & Havic is driving.  He pulled it in front of the apron.  He’s backing in & the apparatus catches fire.  The Captain is hollering, “Put the pumps in.  We’ll put it out.  We’ll put it out.”  Havic’s hollering, “No, call Twenty Engine.  Give them another run.” “No, we can’t give Twenty Engine a run.”  They’re out in the middle of the street & the engine’s on fire.

Happy New Year!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, productive, & prosperous 2023.


https://fb.watch/hMk9TKSeFt/?mibextid=5hxk5e