Boston's Bravest-The Last of the Tiller-men

Retired Boston firefighter Kevin Ranahan tells us what it's like to tiller a ladder truck. "It's better than any ride that they have at Disney or ever will have at Disney!"
Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies.
When using oral history as a source material, several caveats exist. The person being interviewed may not accurately recall factual information such as names or dates, and they may exaggerate. To avoid this, interviewers can do thorough research prior to the interview and formulate questions for the purpose of clarification. There also exists a pre-conceived notion that oral history is less reliable than written records. Written source materials are different in the execution of information, and that they may have additional sources. Oral sources identify intangibles such as atmosphere, insights into character, and clarifications to points made briefly in print. Oral history can also indicate lifestyle, dialect and terminology, and customs that may no longer be prominent.

[@loisdonovan1716]

My dad was a tiller man on LADDER ONE in the NORTH END IN BOSTON in the 60s. He said if you can tiller in Boston you can tiller anywhere. RIP DAD.

[@josephconforti4684]

I'm sure that's true with the Boston streets. RIP.

[@alankjkj1]

When I got on the job in 1977 across the river in Cambridge you sat in the aerial and had to clear the steering wheel, windshield, and seat before you could through the stick. Tillering is by far the most fun you can have driving fire apparatus except on those cold Jan & Feb nights up here in the northeast. The new trucks have a nice tiller cab which keeps you warm but more importantly DRY. Thanks for bringing back some great memories. Be safe out there jakes.

[@josephconforti4684]

I'm sure it was a ball! And demanding!

[@Michael-v3z1s]

Thank you for great stories.You guys are the backbone.

[@gregsmith4047]

Being the tillerman was the best job I had in the 30 years of the PFD. We could put that truck anywhere we wanted.

[@josephconforti4684]

Where's PFD?

[@gregsmith4047]

Providence Fire

[@LSVIDEOSFIRE]

EXCELLENT!!! Really a great video. I remember the old rigs. Lots of laughs. Once again GREAT!!! Hope to see more. Larry

[@josephconforti4684]

Very glad you liked it...more you come.

[@virgilhilts3924]

I started my FF career in the 80's and after earning my FF2 and EMT-P I had enough time as a pipeman in to be offered a chance to pick a station, but I was at the bottom of the list as there were many more senior guys in line ahead of me. So by the time my number came up all that was left was a truck position, I was pretty bummed to say the least, turns out taking that slot was one of the best things that ever happened to me. After about six months our officer moved into an AC slot which meant everybody on the truck got to move up one and I got the tiller... no more slinging ground ladders as the puppy. I spent a number of years on tillers and LOVED each and every day of it. Just like he said there is nothing in the world that can compare to sitting up there rolling through the streets wailing. I was still in my 20's and that position was veritable chick-magnet. Operationally I liked Snorkels better, but the ladder was a fun ride.

[@sandman0127]

What does a tillerman do if they don't throw ladders? Personally I'd much rather be on an engine

[@sandman0127]

Maybe a crash truck if I'm lucky!

[@firemanricci1]

Best seat in the fire service. I was lucky enough to be a tillerman early in my career.

[@josephconforti4684]

I'm sure it was...glad you enjoyed it!

[@jimwilloughby]

When I was a kid 60-65 years ago, I lived with my family in Shrewsbury, Ma. Every so often my mother would have to take us into Wiorcester for various reasons. I remember back then the city had nothing but Maxim engines and trucks. I can confirm they were loud. It seemed to me that they all had straight pipes for exhausts.

[@josephconforti4684]

I remember them also, and the noise. Glad it brought back some good memories.

[@albertnevaras9016]

Great Story Thank you

[@loisdonovan1716]

My dad was a tiller man on ladder One in The early 60s. He said if you can tiller in Boston u can tiller any where in the USA. Narrow old streets.

[@josephconforti4684]

That's so true. I learned so much interviewing these older firefighters.Boston was particularly tough to navigate in, old cow trail streets, cloistered communities. Your dad was certainly correct. Thanks for watching!

[@albertnevaras3465]

Love This, Thank You

[@josephconforti4684]

Thank you for commenting!

[@EricJMJ-ln9dx]

I rode many a Time on the side of a tiller just like the open piece you showed in a picture

[@josephconforti4684]

Must have been an experience. This is one of my most popular videos. That tells you something about how much people loved those tiller-men.

[@EricJMJ-ln9dx]

@@josephconforti4684 yes sir thank you so much I used to wake up on the truck and didn't know how I got there and didn't remember getting my bunker gear on looking down and seeing if I was dressed, at 3:00 in the morning. After witnessing 5 deaths at different times I quit doing that and went into fire sprinklers for 30 years. 669 Union just retired 4 years ago.

[@josephconforti4684]

All the best!@@EricJMJ-ln9dx

[@HighwayLand]

love it!

[@josephconforti4684]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kk6aw]

First time I tillered worried the crap out of me. You didn’t have the best view down and too the right especially passing parked cars, I tended to steer left into the adjacent lane until I got used to it. Also you could really cause the driver problems if you were not coordinated. My worst day was at a scene of an incident we were a paramedic unit and the two paramedics went with the ambulance. I was acting Captain and went to the rig to go to the Hospital to pick up the medics and I was the only crew left with a with a tiller truck wondering where my tiller man was. Kinda hard without a tiller man.

[@mec253]

An open tiller up here in the northeast can get some f---------ing cold !! I know all too well. ......but I still loved it.

[@josephconforti4684]

That's why I moved to Florida!

[@mec253]

Don't blame ya' !! @@josephconforti4684

[@Washoewillie]

The Reno FD trucks have tillers.

[@josephconforti4684]

Good to hear that...dying breed.

[@user-bx9rb8kg2s]

Let's not forget that Billy Pero assisted John Gaddis in pulling Joe under the apapratus until the shooting stopped.

[@bizerker1497]

My favorite duty was when we had the tiller truck in Cambridge. Tillerman was the best seat!

[@josephconforti4684]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@alankjkj1]

Shawn who taught you to tiller?

[@bizerker1497]

@@alankjkj1 Phil Dooley and Billy Mo

[@JasonBatz]

How the hell did Reading make it into this film?

[@josephconforti4684]

Who's Reading?

[@joshw1687]

@@josephconforti4684 the truck at the end of the video

[@josephconforti4684]

Good catch...sometimes as a documentary filmmaker you have to find what is called B-roll to play to match the audio. Due to copyright that can be hard. Only a handful will catch it!

[@stephenbritton9297]

I had the chance to tiller an antique rig once many years ago. I was taking a class at a weekend seminar in a small town. My instructor for the class had brought his antique tiller truck he'd just drove back from the west coast (it was a Crown or something like that.) After class was done for the day, we all took turns in the tiller seat driving around the small town. Very interesting skill.

[@josephconforti4684]

You're luck, certainly, it's mostly a lost art. Thanks for watching!

[@Aesir5]

What exactly does a tiller do? We don't have those types of fire trucks here

[@josephconforti4684]

I'm not a firefighter, but I'll give it a shot. The tiller-man directs the rear end of the long ladder truck, giving it better directional control. Without the tiller-man maintaining directional control in turns it would be virtually impossible to control. I hope you get a better explanation from a firefighter who drove one.

[@iamlotsafun]

@@josephconforti4684 The Tillerman turns the tiller left when the truck turns right, and he turns it right when the truck turns left. That allows a long truck to turn on narrow city streets.

[@terrycollins6673]

The tiller's job is to help get the rig around sharp corners. He(or she) has to steer the wheel opposite direction from the front driver. The rig is hinged behind the drive rear wheels to accommodate the ladder and bucket. The rear part holds the ladder and bucket. It has another set of steerable wheels that is set to steer opposite the front steer wheels. The tiller's job is to do that.