At the Quackenbush Warehouse Fire on March 12, 1938, Paterson, New Jersey, lost five of its bravest. Deputy Chief James P. Sweeney, Captain John Davenport, Fireman Louis Rodeski, Fireman Matthew O’Neill, and Fireman William Lynch died fighting the four-alarm blaze.
This two-part podcast features Fire Chief Brian McDermott of today’s Paterson Fire Department. The interview revealed several interesting points, including Paterson’s unique approach to the rehabilitation of vacant and abandoned buildings.
Chief McDermott discusses the fire's historical context as well as how the fire continues to impact the department.
Now we're learning. That's the key — we respect what they did and the hard work that they did...because of them we learned something.
