Be sure and join us with our special guest, FDNY Veteran Captain Russell Vomero of Rescue Company 5. Appointed to the FDNY in August 1979, assigned to Engine 10 on Water Street.
Engine 10 and Ladder 15 were housed together. Spent my first year on Water Street before moving to Liberty Street across from WTC. In August 1981, I was transferred to Ladder 149 (Castle on the Hill) in Dyker Heights. It was one of the last companies I put on my transfer, and I knew nothing about it. Two of the officers in Engine 10 had been fireman there and said it was a great house. The job of being a firefighter started there. Did not do a lot of work but had a great lieutenant in Steve King. I cut my first roof in Ladder 149, made my first grab, and had my first Rescue sucks encounter. In 1984, it was announced that a new Rescue would be put into service on Staten Island. Rescue 5 had been in service previously on Staten Island but was disbanded. I saw this as an opportunity and put in my transfer. I got to Rescue 5 in August 1984, and was now amongst some great guys who still wanted to work. Steve Casani and Jack Pritchard were the officers I worked with most, and I learned so much. I was studying, and in May 1986, I took the lieutenants test and did terribly in relation to everyone else. A short time after the test, it was reported that there had been cheating. Sometime in the fall, a 2nd test was announced. In October 1987, I was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the 7th battalion in the 3rd division. The first vacation spot I covered was Ladder 21. Rescue 1’s quarters were being rebuilt, so they were being housed with Engine 34 and Ladder 21. It is where I started to meet some of the guys from 1. My first fire was in Ladder 21, and Captain Kennedy kicked me out of the elevator in Ladder 4. Vinny Dunn became my savior. In May 1988, I covered my first spot as a rescue officer in R-3, which was almost the beginning and end of my career as a rescue officer. I stayed covering in Rescue Services then SOC for the next six years. There was a lot of chatter on who would be the officers transferred into SOC.had the opportunity to work in every area of NYC. Then, after Tommy Williams died in 1992,
I was given R4 UFO. Going to SOC Captain when a lieutenant spot opened did not go well. I had no plan to study for Captain; however, six months before the Captains test I was told I would be doing a UFO spot in Marine 1. It was our penance-like Rescue school. It was a learning and studying experience working in Marine 1. The next few years, before being promoted to Captain, were great, and something happened in the last six months of covering that changed everything for me. I got promoted to Captain on the same department order Ray Downey was promoted to chief. I wanted to go back into SOC, so I went to see the two chiefs in charge of SOC within the first few weeks of getting promoted. I was assigned to Division 5 as a Captain. I could not ask for a better place. By now, Squad 41 was back in SOC, so there were 11 companies, including the marine units to cover. In May or June 97, Spillane got promoted out of Squad 41, and Banker was placed in the spot UFO. I was covering a vacation when the spot opened, so I continued to cover. In September 1997, I was assigned to Squad 41. The rest of my career went on from there. Retired Jan. 2003 We can't wait to hear the Captains stories as he has a lot to talk about!
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