Tales of the 7th Battalion 19
Motorcycle Maniac
There are days when a fire company will be short of manpower. In Detroit the department will detail a man in from another company to fill necessary manpower needs. Sometimes the detail may come from the far side of the city. We once had an east side Firefighter detailed into the 7th Battalion. He was a boisterous fellow. He bragged about his firefighting abilities and about all the things he was knowledgeable about. He decided to help one of our guys.
The senior Firefighter at Ladder 8, John Lisuk, was just finishing a project he had been working on for months. He was building a motorcycle from parts he acquired at local junk yards. It was an odd looking thing. The frame was from a world war I dispatch bike. It had long handle bars and a huge light on the front fender. It looked like an iron racing dog with wheels. The detail man said he knew all about motorcycles. He bragged that he was a great motocross racer. “If you finish it today I will give it a test run ,“he told John.
John agreed to give him a chance to show his stuff. The engine was roaring when he popped the clutch. He took off, like a rocket, heading for the alley between the buildings next to the firehouse. He let up on the gas and applied the brakes. Nothing happened. John had mistakenly installed the throttle and brakes in reverse. The detail man must have been doing 40mph when he dropped his feet to the ground. There were two gravel rooster tails following his heels as he accelerated to 60 mph and started to do a wheelie. The more he tried to let up on the gas the faster he went. He never touched the alley. He was screaming when he hurtled into the air from the parking lot and hit Mrs. Swartz's chain link fence. The barrier acted like the dog catching net at a dog track. I am sure it saved his life. The fences around the yards for the entire block absorbed the shock and squeaked and shook. I saw two of the neighbor's cats claw their way to the top of a tree in a matter of seconds. The sky was full of squawking birds that had just settled in to roost for the night. There must have been 50 dogs barking and howling by the time we got to the detail man. He was scratched and bruised but was O.K. He was mad as hell at John. John was mad as hell at him, for wrecking the bike, and Mrs. Swartz was pissed off about the big motorcycle shaped bow in her fence. It was another typical day in the 7th Battalion.
"Fire Talk" Archives
- Benny the Hook
- Got To Love Texas
- The Fog of Retirement
- Two Tough Kids
- On Leaving the Department
- Cop Talk 3, Ceremony
- Putting it on the Line
- A Bond of Love
- God Will Protect Us
- Stealing Fires
- Poo Poo Pants
- Decoy Carver
- Firefighter's Road Trip
- Day Twenty-seven. Road Trip
- Down Mexico Way
- Zoo in the 7th
- A Gentle Landing
- Always a Firefighter
- Christmas at the Firehouse
- Harem Sacrum
- The Crow Who Spoke Polish
- Once a Firefighter always a Firefighter
- A Brotherhood
- Retiring a Hall of Fame Firefighter
- Anatomy of Forcible Entry
- 911
- Old Horses
- The Milk Wagon
- The Howling
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 26, Destructo
- Memories of the 7th Battalion
- Running Mates
- Engine 32
- Last Alarm
- Tiger Stadium Fire
- To Moosenee and Back
- Memorial Day 2009
- Anatomy of a Fire at a Dangerous Building
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 25, A Typical 7th Battalion Fire
- Boris the Talking Dog
- Wear and Tear
- Tales of the Seventh Battalion 24, Legends
- Axemen
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 23, Ankie
- Anatomy of a Dwelling Fire
- A Firefighter's Spring
- Input
- My Running Mate
- The Singing Fireman
- The Right Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 22, A Desperate Rescue
- 300 Spartans
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 21, Men Who Fight Bears
- At the End of His Rope
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 20, Wolf Warriors
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 19, Motorcycle Maniac
- Career Ending Injuries
- Detroit Loses One of Its Finest
- On Duty Injuries
- Unpractical Jokes
- Dedication in the Fire Service
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 18, Spare Parts
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 17, Passage to Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 16, Gallant Warrior
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 15, Big Ones
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 14, Chicago Lil
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 13, Bridge Fires
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 12, Hot Stuff
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 11, Taco Wars
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 10, Day in Hell
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 9, Engine House Cat
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 8, Finding a Pen
- The Polish Squad
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 7, Wayne Soap
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 6, Junk Yard Goat
- The 1967 Riot in Detroit 3
- Department Legends
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 5, The Fonz
- The 1967 Riot (an entry from Tom Hart)
- The 1967 Detroit Riot
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 4, Howard
- The Buhl Building Fire
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 3, Engine 27
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 2, Roof Rescue
- Tales of the 7th Battalion 1, Explosion
- The worst 7th Battalion Fire
- Fire Incidents
- Beeler's Fog Monster
- Thoughts of a Retired Firefighter
- Dogs of the Realm
- Going to the Dogs
- Firefighter/Lawyer ?
- Moe Tales
- The Legend of Moe
- A POEM: When Brave Men Cry