When I began visiting Rescue 3, the crews consisted of older, veteran firefighters who had worked in busy outfits, going on 5,000 to 6,000 runs in the "war years." Each man had to have a trade such as a rigger, mechanic or welder just to get into the rescue. The rescues are the only fire companies in New York City where you must have an interview with the captain before being taken on an "onion skin," or a temporary, transfer to see how you work out. For years and years, there was little movement in the company. In my 32 years, there have been only five captains, soon to be a sixth when the current captain retires.
There were three line-of-duty deaths in the company from 1973 to 1991. I remember getting a phone call in the middle of the night from Contributing Editor Mickey Conboy, a member of Rescue 3, telling me that Firefighter Al Ronaldson had been killed in the line of duty. What a shock. Al and I kidded around every time we saw each other. He was a mentor to Mickey, so I knew it was tremendously painful for him to give me that terrible news.
In the past few years, members of Rescue 3 ran a boat ride from City Island, a quiet island located in the northeast Bronx, to New York Harbor. The last two years, we lucked out and happened on fireworks displays in the harbor. For our last trip, on Sept. 8, 2001, we had great weather and fun was had by all. When we reached the lower tip of Manhattan, a passing fireboat gave us a water display near the World Trade Center. The twin towers were all lit up and many onboard remarked at the sight. One family member even asked about fighting a high-rise fire. We all had a good time that night. Little did we know that four days later, four firefighters who were aboard the boat - including one I sat and had dinner with - were going to be killed on 9/11.
All of the members of the company and the department have gone through a hell of a year. As the current Rescue 3 Captain Ralph Tiso said, "We had all of our memorial services and funerals early on. I think that helped us." The new covering Captain Chris King said, "The people who volunteered to join the company and fill in for those who were lost took on a tough mission. What they may lack in experience, they are making up in dedication and the will to continue the great work that the previous members accomplished and were respected for."
The conversations and great times that I had with these people that I knew either briefly or for many years are now gone, but their memories remain. Each in his own right was special, just like the rest of the 344. I knew approximately 80 of the firefighters who died that day; those members of "Big Blue" I just knew a lot better.
A painting hangs in the office of Rescue 3. It depicts a chief playing cards, and in his hand is an ace with "Rescue 3" on it - his ace in the hole. The rescue had made a difference at a job for the chief, and he painted the picture as a thank-you to the company.
As this Sept. 11 approaches, I thank the present and former members for allowing me to be a part of their lives. I will miss all the members who made the supreme sacrifice to whom I cannot pay this tribute in person.
We will never forget the those who gave their lives in the line of duty on 9/11. We should never forget about all those who also gave their lives before and after 9/11 so that others could live. In the coming year, we remain committed to presenting valuable information for first responders on dealing with terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and the ideas and procedures that are needed today. This is a story that apparently never ends. You haven't seen the last of our coverage to keep the fire service abreast of the latest news, techniques and safety procedures.
