- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
- Messages
- 165
This is my best knife story about real world use. What's yours?
Many years ago, some firefighter friends of mine decided the Benchmade Mini Relex auto opener would be "our knife" and we all bought and carried them. The story is not about the knife.
Background:
In 1976 I was hired by Metro-Dade fire Rescue in Miami, FL. In 1985 I moved to NYC and was hired by the NYC Fire Department. In 2000, I moved back to Miami and returned to Metro-Dade, which since was renamed Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The point, I have been a firefighter for the past 37 years.
The story:
After 911, in 2001, I deployed to the World Trade Center with Miami-Dade's USAR team. I have deployed to places as far away as Izmit, Turkey, but here I was deploying to a place I worked as a FF and where friends of mine died. The trip was emotional to say the least. I ran into many friends at Ground Zero and it was a great experience.
On the last day we worked at Ground Zero, my 6 man Rescue Squad was assigned with FDNY Ladder 28 to free climb what was left of the Vista Hotel, which had been reduced to about 7 stories from the Tower 2 collapsing on it. I was the Squad Leader and it was the most dangerous assignment we worked during the mission. After a very difficult climb, we reached the top. After a false alarm about a potential recovery of a missing firefighter, we located a civilian body and a half. These were someone's family members and we vowed to get them back to ground level to be returned to their loved ones. Going up the slippery steel was difficult. Going down, while trying to maintain the integrity of the deceased, was infinitely more difficult.
My squad and the FDNY firefighters worked as a team. The FDNY Lieutenant and I were near the back, to be the last down, but not far from the members carrying the body bag. At some point, the bag began to leak body fluids. Body recovery is a difficult, and unpleasant, business. Someone cried out, "whose got a knife to cut this rope?". The FDNY probie, Anthony, fumbled to pull his knife out while we clung to the slippery steel on the face of the building about 4 stories off the ground. I calmly retrieved my BM, snapped it open, and cut the rope one handed so we could put the remains in a new bag. And that's when my Squad member Angel said, "you see Anthony, a tactical knife must always be able to be opened one handed". Anthony was absolutely crushed. Never mind we were hanging on to slippery steel trying our best not to fall. I almost fell off when he said that. The spontaneity of the statement, under the circumstances, was incredible.
When we got to the bottom, a stokes basket awaited for the remains we worked so hard to bring down. The FDNY Lt. said "Anthony, that don't go past you". What he meant was, my Squad members and his Ladder 28 firefighters would jointly carry down the human remains we worked so hard to return to their families. It was a great honor.
After we got down, I realized the BM was not in my pocket. I didn't secure it properly after making the cut, and it was lost in the rubble of Ground Zero. I actually looked at that as an honor as well.
If you've got a favorite story, post it here.
Many years ago, some firefighter friends of mine decided the Benchmade Mini Relex auto opener would be "our knife" and we all bought and carried them. The story is not about the knife.
Background:
In 1976 I was hired by Metro-Dade fire Rescue in Miami, FL. In 1985 I moved to NYC and was hired by the NYC Fire Department. In 2000, I moved back to Miami and returned to Metro-Dade, which since was renamed Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The point, I have been a firefighter for the past 37 years.
The story:
After 911, in 2001, I deployed to the World Trade Center with Miami-Dade's USAR team. I have deployed to places as far away as Izmit, Turkey, but here I was deploying to a place I worked as a FF and where friends of mine died. The trip was emotional to say the least. I ran into many friends at Ground Zero and it was a great experience.
On the last day we worked at Ground Zero, my 6 man Rescue Squad was assigned with FDNY Ladder 28 to free climb what was left of the Vista Hotel, which had been reduced to about 7 stories from the Tower 2 collapsing on it. I was the Squad Leader and it was the most dangerous assignment we worked during the mission. After a very difficult climb, we reached the top. After a false alarm about a potential recovery of a missing firefighter, we located a civilian body and a half. These were someone's family members and we vowed to get them back to ground level to be returned to their loved ones. Going up the slippery steel was difficult. Going down, while trying to maintain the integrity of the deceased, was infinitely more difficult.
My squad and the FDNY firefighters worked as a team. The FDNY Lieutenant and I were near the back, to be the last down, but not far from the members carrying the body bag. At some point, the bag began to leak body fluids. Body recovery is a difficult, and unpleasant, business. Someone cried out, "whose got a knife to cut this rope?". The FDNY probie, Anthony, fumbled to pull his knife out while we clung to the slippery steel on the face of the building about 4 stories off the ground. I calmly retrieved my BM, snapped it open, and cut the rope one handed so we could put the remains in a new bag. And that's when my Squad member Angel said, "you see Anthony, a tactical knife must always be able to be opened one handed". Anthony was absolutely crushed. Never mind we were hanging on to slippery steel trying our best not to fall. I almost fell off when he said that. The spontaneity of the statement, under the circumstances, was incredible.
When we got to the bottom, a stokes basket awaited for the remains we worked so hard to bring down. The FDNY Lt. said "Anthony, that don't go past you". What he meant was, my Squad members and his Ladder 28 firefighters would jointly carry down the human remains we worked so hard to return to their families. It was a great honor.
After we got down, I realized the BM was not in my pocket. I didn't secure it properly after making the cut, and it was lost in the rubble of Ground Zero. I actually looked at that as an honor as well.
If you've got a favorite story, post it here.
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