The Heart and Soul of Squad 18 by: F.F. John Ceriello (Squad 18), for: Fire Engineering Days after September 11th, I was having a conversation with Bob Stude, a past 20+ year member of Engine 18 (now squad 18.) He was overwhelmed with grief for what had just happened. He was reliving some of the events he experienced on October 17, 1966, which up until now, was the worst day for the FDNY: twelve men caught in a collapse on 23rd St. He thought that there would never be a day like that again. We now know, this was not meant to be. When I think of what Squad 18 lost, I am reminded of the vast differences in the men who came together in early 1998 to transform Engine 18 to Squad 18. Leading the way was Lt. Billy McGinn, the heart and soul of the company. He always put his men first, was eager to work, and often found himself and his company in the thick of things. He knew our procedures well and would often school us on them and show guidance when needed. His aggressiveness was tempered with intelligence?a great combination for a leader. When I heard we had what looked like the biggest fire FDNY would ever face, we all knew Billy would have to be on duty. Andrew Fredericks. What can I say? Countless firefighters knew him well, either personally or through his writings and lecture series. He came to us from Engine 48 in The Bronx, but I think he never totally left there. He often would tell us fire stories from "Da Bronx" and our sarcastic reply would be "Why don't you go back there?" (Of course we did not mean it.) Andy raised our bar at Squad 18. His extensive knowledge transcended to a plane where many of us did not go. For me, Andy was the source of the fringe elements of the Fire Service. When I needed information on subjects such as Fire Protection or response patterns, I called Andy. He was a wealth of information. His insight into the psychological aspect of firefighters was something he was just starting to reveal in his writings.

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