FIRE STATION 64, WATTS, CALIFORNIA

Here I am, sometime around 1983 or so, when I was a fireman at Fire Station 64 in Watts, California. I was the tillerman – the fireman responsible for steering the rear wheels on the long ladder truck. (We were leaning on the ladder truck when the photo was taken.) Besides keeping the rear of the fire truck from clipping corners during an emergency run, the tillerman had several other jobs he is responsible for cutting the electrical wires going into the burning structure, positioning a ladder at the structure's corner then climbing onto the roof with an axe & helping the autofireman (AO) cut a hole over the fire to let the heat & smoke escape so that the firemen waiting with the hose could enter the building safely.

I am the fireman pictured directly below the one wearing the blond wig. (Oh, yeah, we were jokers all right.)

— victor maldonado