By Diane Feldman
A very good, very funny retired apparatus supervisor from Northern New Jersey who is a good friend of the Yenta and Fire Engineering once faxed over an “ad” for “FDNY Cologne.” It was for “nonbusy departments who wanted to smell like they’d been to a fire.”
Ah, the aroma, Part 2!
From Stan Davis, Sweet Valley, PA: I had one female firefighter student in several of my training classes who gets excited by men who smell like a structure fire. I guess the cologne would work for some! I wonder if that’s why she’s married to the chief ….
Hear our message
From John Nickles, McKinney (TX) Fire Department: We once gave a tour to a four-year-old boy and his mother, with whom my wife works. The little guy’s name is Jared, and he is sure to be a future firefighter. His mother told me that the day before at church the minister invited all the children to listen to the story of the crucifixion and resurrection. After hearing all of the terrible things that were done to Christ, Jared stood up and said, “All they needed to do was call 9-1-1.” It was cute, and the audience loved it and him, but, more importantly, it shows that our message is getting across!
Cash to burn
Departments in New Jersey responded to a call for a truck fire. Apparently a tractor-trailer pulling millions of dollars in cash from the Federal Reserve was on fire. The tractor part burned clear down to the wheel hubs, but the trailer containing the money was unharmed. The firefighters experienced forcible entry problems into the cab because it was armor plated (little did they realize—it looked like a regular truck cab). One mutual-aid responder said he had never seen so many mutual-aid companies show up to a truck fire before! (Not since the Ba Da Bing club was on fire, anyway!)
Photo found on Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Dwight Burdette.
The Yenta
Diane Feldman, a 22-year veteran of PennWell Corp., is executive editor of Fire Engineering and conference director of FDIC. She has a B.A. in English communications. She has been a yenta (look it up) for most of her life. If you have a story for the Yenta, e-mail dianef@pennwell.com.
