Mike Colón Media

🔥 “We’re not going to say no.”

In Episode 418 of Mic’d In New Haven — The Best of The Bravest (Volume 88) — retired FDNY firefighter Ken Delaney reflects on one of the toughest fires of his career.

Operating at a heavy fire in Manhattan, crews regrouped on the floor below as tower ladders hit the fire from outside. Despite all five low-air alerts already sounding, orders came to make another push.

Delaney describes masks suctioning to faces, members running completely out of air, and firefighters essentially forming a “conga line” to keep advancing the line deeper into the apartment. After finally making it out, exhausted firefighters collapsed in the hallway, on the steps, and even in the street below.

“It could have been really bad.”

A powerful reminder of the physical punishment, teamwork, and determination required during the FDNY’s toughest fires.

Outro Song: Gang Starr Feat. K-CI & JoJo – Royalty (1998)

VIEW FULL INTERVIEW HERE: