ORAL HISTORY
This page will serve as a repository to written and audio/visual entities from those with personal insights of the Paterson Fire Department. It desires to post comments from Paterson firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Mutual Aid Responders, relatives or others who might have special PFD stories to share. Welcomed are stories of life in the various firehouses, fires, apparatus, activities, etc. This will not serve as a page to address political issues, settle scores or voice displeasure. Please forward all contributions using the contact page.
Fire Department Logbooks
From the departments origins in 1890, virtually every official act that occurred was recorded in company logbooks: Every company had one as did the chiefs. Below is one page (#155) of the Headquarters Chief logbook dating from December 25, 1952 to August 5, 1953. Everything back then was in longhand, with real ink (responses in red and all else in blue), with excellent penmanship, grammar and spelling. Incredible details were written.
March 2: 8 AM entry: Hobart Strathearn Chief of Department on continuous duty. Chiefs aides John B Murphy, James Kelly, Joseph Leitner in quarters from 24 hours leave. Deputy Chief Joseph Bray, Battalion Chief Walter L. Titus in quarters from 24 hours leave. Deputy Chief James Chaplain, Battalion Chief Daniel Carroll, Chiefs aides Edward Hancock, Charles Willard, Raymond Carr leaving on 24 hours leave. in 1953 there were two shifts - A and B - and each worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off.
The entry below is March 2, 1953. Joseph Dayspring was appointed as a Battalion Chief on March 1, 1952 and his first day of duty at that rank was March 2. His very first response was at 5:43 PM: Station 211. The journal begins: Battalion Chief Joseph Dayspring, Engines 2 - 3 -10 - Truck 3. Engine 3 responded on a still alarm from F.A.O.. Operator sent out 2 rounds of station 211. On arrival at 385 Eleventh Avenue a 3 story frame tenement house Battalion Chief Dayspring ordered a second alarm via car #79 and Public Service to cut electric at the pole.
March 2: 8 AM entry: Hobart Strathearn Chief of Department on continuous duty. Chiefs aides John B Murphy, James Kelly, Joseph Leitner in quarters from 24 hours leave. Deputy Chief Joseph Bray, Battalion Chief Walter L. Titus in quarters from 24 hours leave. Deputy Chief James Chaplain, Battalion Chief Daniel Carroll, Chiefs aides Edward Hancock, Charles Willard, Raymond Carr leaving on 24 hours leave. in 1953 there were two shifts - A and B - and each worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off.
The entry below is March 2, 1953. Joseph Dayspring was appointed as a Battalion Chief on March 1, 1952 and his first day of duty at that rank was March 2. His very first response was at 5:43 PM: Station 211. The journal begins: Battalion Chief Joseph Dayspring, Engines 2 - 3 -10 - Truck 3. Engine 3 responded on a still alarm from F.A.O.. Operator sent out 2 rounds of station 211. On arrival at 385 Eleventh Avenue a 3 story frame tenement house Battalion Chief Dayspring ordered a second alarm via car #79 and Public Service to cut electric at the pole.
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Chief of Department Hobart Strathearn, Deputy Chief Bray and Battalion Chief Titus responded to the second alarm at 5:49 PM. Fire caused by exposure of staircase to furnace stack. Helen Katz age 55, Ethel Graber age 29, and daughter Barbara age 2 were removed from the building by firemen via department ladders. Ethel Graber was removed to her personal physician, Dr Shulman via Police Squad Car under supervision of Sgt McClelland suffering from shock. Engine #10 left on detail for 1 hour orders of Chief Dayspring. Engine companies #6 - #12 and truck #2 responded on the second alarm. Used water. Ret. Taps 6:55 PM.
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The next page view is later in the day March 2, 1953 Page 157. It starts with an entry at 9:28 PM - Battalion Chief Dayspring's first day continues:
Station 244 Battalion Chief Walter L. Titus, Engines #4 - #5 - #6 - Truck #1. Fire at 48 Essex Street, a 3 story frame building with apartments for 4 families. On arrival Chief Titus ordered a second alarm to be sounded.
9:33 PM: Second alarm from station 244. Deputy Chief Joseph Bray and Engines #1 and Truck 3 responded from quarters. On his arrival Chief Bray ordered a third alarm to be sounded.
9:38 PM: Third alarm from station 244. Battalion Chief Joseph Dayspring, Engines #3 - #7 - #8 -#9 - #10 - #11 -#12 responded from quarters. Responding from their homes Chief of Department Hobart Strathearn, Deputy Chief James Chaplain, Battalion Chiefs Rudolph J. Peppinghaus, Joseph L. Devenport, Daniel Carroll, George Walls and George Peppinghaus. Mechanics John Carroll and August Peters. Chaplains Meyers, Melberg, Wilde. Fire of unknown cause (suspect oil stove) started in kitchen rear of first floor occupied by Mrs. Fletcher. Body of Gregory Fletcher age 6 years was found under a large amount of clothing
Station 244 Battalion Chief Walter L. Titus, Engines #4 - #5 - #6 - Truck #1. Fire at 48 Essex Street, a 3 story frame building with apartments for 4 families. On arrival Chief Titus ordered a second alarm to be sounded.
9:33 PM: Second alarm from station 244. Deputy Chief Joseph Bray and Engines #1 and Truck 3 responded from quarters. On his arrival Chief Bray ordered a third alarm to be sounded.
9:38 PM: Third alarm from station 244. Battalion Chief Joseph Dayspring, Engines #3 - #7 - #8 -#9 - #10 - #11 -#12 responded from quarters. Responding from their homes Chief of Department Hobart Strathearn, Deputy Chief James Chaplain, Battalion Chiefs Rudolph J. Peppinghaus, Joseph L. Devenport, Daniel Carroll, George Walls and George Peppinghaus. Mechanics John Carroll and August Peters. Chaplains Meyers, Melberg, Wilde. Fire of unknown cause (suspect oil stove) started in kitchen rear of first floor occupied by Mrs. Fletcher. Body of Gregory Fletcher age 6 years was found under a large amount of clothing
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in first floor rear right apartment removed in Truck 1 body wrapper. Pronounced dead by Doctor Richard Zorack, General Hospital. Parents of this child absent at the time of the fire. Only door leading to apartment obstructed by chair. Police investigation by Lieutenant William Ludwig and detective Joseph Dwonack. Electric shut off orders of Chief Strathearn.
Ret. taps 12:46 AM Tuesday March 3, 1953. Used water. Flames from 48 Essex Street damaged a 2 story frame dwelling for 2 families at 60 Beech Street. Flames from 48 Essex Street damaged a vacant dwelling at 46 Essex Street |
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Regarding Battalion Chief Thomas Coppo
Written by FF Andrew Morabito: (appointed December 14, 1987)
This is gonna take a long time to get to the point and for that I apologize. I wrote it shortly after Chief Coppo’s passing.
This is gonna take a long time to get to the point and for that I apologize. I wrote it shortly after Chief Coppo’s passing.
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I went into my second fire with Chief Coppo (and maybe my first) and he gave me the proudest moment I ever had on the Paterson Fire Department in the 26 plus years I worked. I can still feel his hands on my shoulders, his fingers digging into whatever muscles those are up there back of your neck. It was the old schedule, the ten and fourteens. (Still think it was a better schedule than the 24 hour shift) I had been on the job six weeks. It was the last week in January 1988. Very cold. I was assigned to E7 at Grand Street. Amazingly for the times, I hadn't caught a fire yet.
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Battalion Chief Thomas Coppo
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Then on the first night of that cycle we caught a late night General Alarm in a commercial building on Washington Street right behind the building where John Nicosia was to give up his life in service to the people of Paterson four years later. I "Scotted up," wearing the old rubber gear, followed a hose line up an interior stairway probably laid by E4 until I reached the second floor when I had to get on my hands and knees and crawl my way in on the hose line. At some point I grabbed somebody's foot, stood up and was handed the line by whoever had it. I remember him saying "I'm getting outta here". Next thing I knew I was holding a charged hand line in what I could sense was a good sized room. I couldn't see a thing except for a rolling orange glow some 15 or so feet above my head and maybe 20 feet away and 15 -20 feet wide. I knew there were other guys in the room with me and I could hear them but I couldn't see them. Then stuff started falling from the ceiling hitting us in the head, maybe guys were pulling the ceiling I don't know, but suddenly somebody- somebody obviously "Scottless" in all that blackness- said, "All right, that's it, everybody out" (was that Coppo? It might have been but I’m not sure to this day) I could feel guys leaving in a hurry. And I stood there dumbfounded with that hose line and I clearly remember thinking I had to be the last guy out 'cause I had the line and that how ironic, I was gonna die in my first fire and I wasn't really that scared, just clueless, after all I'd been a mailman before this and had had about two days worth of that's a hose line, here's how you take a hydrant, that's where and how the water comes out of an apparatus type of training. Little different from today’s academy. Anyway somebody yanked on me and I stumbled backward and realized "everybody out" meant me too and I dropped the line and happily left with everybody else and we spent the night surrounding and drowning until we were relieved in the morning.
Ten hour break. Back at the FH. I'm on the couch in the TV room at E7, toes up. It's about 11:30 at night. Another freezing night. Everybody else was in the bunk room, as I recall it was Bobby Pena and Barry Katz. John Sellitto was Captain. I'm on the couch thinking about the fire I'd just been to and feeling somewhat like a fireman. I mean, it didn't make much sense to me, you know, you run into complete blackness, hold a hose line you never use, shit falls on your head, you get ordered out and end up putting the fire out from the street and from the roof across the alley.
Seemed a little strange but if that's the job, well now at least I know I can do it. I'm settling in for what I figure is gonna be another six week wait and BANG! Two two and a half story wood frames going good on Jackson Street. Whole different thing from the night before. And here's how I know I was in my second fire with Tommy Coppo. The fire had been severe but knocked down and there was a heavy smoke condition during overhaul. Chief Coppo was in a small bedroom off a first floor kitchen and called for someone with a hook. I had one and went in there. I was crouched over, scott tank empty, mask hanging, choking, gagging from the smoke, eyes burning and running, snot running down my nose. Chief Coppo was deeper in the room. It was just the two of us. He had a hand light and he was pointing it at the ceiling and there was so much smoke it diffused the light and he was telling me "Up there kid, pull that" and I was ramming and pulling and choking and gagging and he was SINGING, as I remember he was singing like Marching to Pretoria or some such nonsense and it was f**king great and everybody kicked ass and it was so much cooler than the night before.
And three days later I was detailed to E3 and we're sitting at the kitchen table after breakfast and Chief Coppo walks in. He looks at me, comes walking over and while he's giving me that massage I mentioned earlier says, "See this guy? This guy's gonna be an OK fireman" or words to that effect. It came completely out of the blue, I'm not sure he even knew my name at the time but it made me feel a million feet tall. I guess he appreciated my effort in that room. Here's a guy who had probably been in like 300 million fires by then and who had forgotten more about firefighting than I was ever gonna learn and yet he took the time to say something nice about somebody, to that person's face, a private, a nobody, a guy who’d been on the job six weeks- and he made that guy feel good about himself for pulling a stupid ceiling in a two and a half story wood frame. I’ll never forget that moment and the way you made me feel if I live a hundred years.
You made the people around you better, Chief, and you set a timeless example for how to be a firefighter and a man. You were a true leader and after that day if you had said "follow me" into the gates of hell I would have. I'm a better man and was a better fireman for having known and worked with you. It was an honor and a privilege, Chief. Thank you for what you taught me and for the way you taught it. I'm sure you've got the Lord's back right now and forever more. God speed, Chief. May you Rest In Peace forever.
Ten hour break. Back at the FH. I'm on the couch in the TV room at E7, toes up. It's about 11:30 at night. Another freezing night. Everybody else was in the bunk room, as I recall it was Bobby Pena and Barry Katz. John Sellitto was Captain. I'm on the couch thinking about the fire I'd just been to and feeling somewhat like a fireman. I mean, it didn't make much sense to me, you know, you run into complete blackness, hold a hose line you never use, shit falls on your head, you get ordered out and end up putting the fire out from the street and from the roof across the alley.
Seemed a little strange but if that's the job, well now at least I know I can do it. I'm settling in for what I figure is gonna be another six week wait and BANG! Two two and a half story wood frames going good on Jackson Street. Whole different thing from the night before. And here's how I know I was in my second fire with Tommy Coppo. The fire had been severe but knocked down and there was a heavy smoke condition during overhaul. Chief Coppo was in a small bedroom off a first floor kitchen and called for someone with a hook. I had one and went in there. I was crouched over, scott tank empty, mask hanging, choking, gagging from the smoke, eyes burning and running, snot running down my nose. Chief Coppo was deeper in the room. It was just the two of us. He had a hand light and he was pointing it at the ceiling and there was so much smoke it diffused the light and he was telling me "Up there kid, pull that" and I was ramming and pulling and choking and gagging and he was SINGING, as I remember he was singing like Marching to Pretoria or some such nonsense and it was f**king great and everybody kicked ass and it was so much cooler than the night before.
And three days later I was detailed to E3 and we're sitting at the kitchen table after breakfast and Chief Coppo walks in. He looks at me, comes walking over and while he's giving me that massage I mentioned earlier says, "See this guy? This guy's gonna be an OK fireman" or words to that effect. It came completely out of the blue, I'm not sure he even knew my name at the time but it made me feel a million feet tall. I guess he appreciated my effort in that room. Here's a guy who had probably been in like 300 million fires by then and who had forgotten more about firefighting than I was ever gonna learn and yet he took the time to say something nice about somebody, to that person's face, a private, a nobody, a guy who’d been on the job six weeks- and he made that guy feel good about himself for pulling a stupid ceiling in a two and a half story wood frame. I’ll never forget that moment and the way you made me feel if I live a hundred years.
You made the people around you better, Chief, and you set a timeless example for how to be a firefighter and a man. You were a true leader and after that day if you had said "follow me" into the gates of hell I would have. I'm a better man and was a better fireman for having known and worked with you. It was an honor and a privilege, Chief. Thank you for what you taught me and for the way you taught it. I'm sure you've got the Lord's back right now and forever more. God speed, Chief. May you Rest In Peace forever.
On becoming a Paterson Fireman: from Battalion Chief Michael D'Arco
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When I was 4 years old I was awakened in the morning by voices downstairs. It had snowed the night before so the Sun reflecting off of the snow light up my room so bright. When I went downstairs, my dad and 3 other firemen were in my kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. You see, they fought a fire overnight and stopped on the way back to the firehouse for a cup of joe and dry clothes. But they stunk! That awful, wonderful, intriguing smell. It was the smoke from the fire imbedded in their clothes and hair. I remember that smell like it was a few hours ago, and every fire that I've been to since 1987, over 1000 of them, takes me right back to my kitchen.
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My dad, a Lieutenant in Clifton at the time, became my hero, a guy that I wanted to be. When they climbed onto that truck parked in front of my house and took off down the block, wow, that was it. That was my intro into the fire department. Of course I dressed in his old turnouts, made believe my pool table downstairs was a fire truck, and used mom's vacuum hose to put fires out.
When older, I would ride my bike to the firehouse to visit dad whenever he was working. The bike turned into a moped and then I was following them to jobs, riding on the trucks once in a while, and going to White Castle for them, all 6 Clifton firehouses. One day I was home and the plectron went off, a gift from one of the dept. mechanics, so I jumped on my moped and beat the trucks to a garage fire. The acting officer of the first company when on scene transmitted to Fire Alarm, "Engine 6 on scene, we have a working garage fire, but don't worry, Snark is on the scene". I drove a Snark Bianchi moped. After that day, my new nickname was Snark, a name the older guys call me to this day.
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I too k the EMT class my senior year of high school, and on 9/16/83 I started on the Paterson Fire Ambulance. I immediately fell in love with the dept. because we were riding out of the firehouses, with all of these fire trucks and firemen, going to jobs: wow! From that time I now wanted to be a Paterson Fireman. A busy department going to a lot of fires, especially back in the early 80's. As a matter of fact, we went to this serious fire one day, and I observed this tall, good looking truck captain getting it done and saving lives. I said to myself, I wanna be that guy. He was Jimmy Pasquariello, Captain of Truck 1.
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James Pasquariello as a fireman (T3)
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But they weren't giving their test anytime soon. So it was the ambulance, a 3 year stint on the Passaic County Park Police and then a 5 year stint on the Clifton Fire Department, which fulfilled my first dream of becoming a fireman. Then on 5/18/92, my second dream came true and I was sworn in on the Paterson Fire Department. My first assignment was Engine 6/Rescue 2 at Southside Firehouse. In 1998 I moved to Ladder 1 at Madison Avenue and in March of 2003 became a Captain of Engine 4 at Northside. In August 2010, then Chief of Department, James Pasquariello promoted me to Battalion Chief (initially Tour 3 at Riverside -- currently Tour 1 at Southside). I never thought of it as a job, nor a paycheck. It was who I am.
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December 13, 1975: The Paterson News clip at right describes a 1-alarm fire. Amazingly the little boy, Isaac Feliciano, who was burned and hospitalized grew up to became a Paterson Firefighter and Captain.
After posting this incident on Facebook one of the FF who responded to that fire was Robert Pina and he posted these comments: "I was at that fire. It was right near the shift change. I was in 13 engine and we were the first company on the scene. Jimmy Carey was our captain. Initially when we pulled up there was no sign of fire from the street. As captain Carey investigated further he could see visible fire. He ran back to the apparatus and ordered us to do a reverse lay for a water supply. No other apparatus's were on the scene yet. I never found out till years later that was Isaac Feliciano's apartment." |
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November 10, 1982: Fire scene description below is from Vince Zito -- 2:38 PM Station 196 (at Main and Grand Street) 2:41 PM 355 Grand Street Tour 3 3rd alarm Mixed use occupancy
L-2 responds to Grand St. from the Hillcrest F/H on the first alarm. The Company is Captain Michael Fleming, Al Credidio, Hubbie Donnellan & myself. We get there, but it doesn't look that bad. Some smoke, maybe a room fire. Looks like we have something on the 2nd floor. Next thing you know someone is hollering that there is fire on 3rd floor. We have a hose line to the 2nd floor, but no water yet. Mike & Al are some where on the 2nd floor. I grab Hubbie & tell him to get out, we have to put a ladder up. When we get outside we are ordered to put a ladder up to the 2nd floor so your cousin can get out. Charlie was free lancing, got cutoff from the stairway & his company. You have a pic of him coming out the window.
We can't use the aerial because of the overhead wires. The building is brick, 3 stories. I figured, with a little luck, the 35' would reach the roof, just barely. Besides, it's just me & Hubbie. There's nobody to help. We can't raise the ladder into the building, using the building or curb to foot the ladder, because of parked cars & overhead wires. We're gonna have to raise the ladder parallel to the building, Hubbie footing & me raising. As I begin to raise the ladder an older civilian helps us. With the help of the civilian we raise & fully extend the ladder. $#%@!!! We're short! About 5'! Hubbie looks at me & asks what are we gonna do. Told him I would climb & he would foot it. There is pic some where of me climbing the ladder. The angle of the ladder was terrible, very close to vertical. As I got close to the top I threw my axe onto the roof. When I got to the top rung I was able to straighten up. My shoulders were even with the roof. The tips of my boots were the only things on the rung, right against the building. I grabbed the edge of roof & pulled myself up.
There is a pic in The Taking the Heat Book, 9th page from the back, titled "Help". Actually I'm yelling to Hubbie not to climb the ladder, to stay down. On the roof I removed scuttles & opened bulkhead doors on that roof & the roofs on either side. Capt Mike came up through the interior stairs of one of buildings next door to the roof I was on. That was about the time the pic was taken. The ladder was pushed closer to the building after I climbed it. That is what you see in the pic. Now it was really almost vertical. No way would I have gotten on that ladder.
There is more to the story. Believe it or not. Everything would have been ok if only one person didn't see what went on. Chief Forbes saw the whole thing. I came out of the building much later on to get my eyes washed out & to take a blow. Next thing I know he is in front of me & he is livid. Actually he was passed livid. It started off with, what did I think I was doing? It ended with don't you ever do something like that again. It was he who had Hubbie & someone else push the ladder closer to the building. Also, he told Capt Mike to get to the roof, he had a man by himself up there. There went my "Atta Boy!"
Bottom line to all this? The building was torn down.
Captain Fleming & Vince Zito
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Vince Zito (photo from Taking the Heat book)
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A story from Vince Zito: Truck 1 at the time using the 1962 Pirsch. Dick Wuench swapped on Tour 3 one night. Our captain was off. So the company was Dick, Vic La Regina (acting Captain) & me. This was Tour-3's first night. We get to work & we are ordered to go downtown as T-1 is being relocated to Hdqtrs. We get there and SUPRISE!! Sitting there is the old '54 FWD spare aerial. T-2 69' Seagrave had broken down & they took our '62 Pirsch. We got the old spare. Tour-4 tells us not to use the aerial or ground ladders. Also, easy on the siren, it will kill the battery. After a discussion it was decided that Dick would drive, Vic A/C & I would tiller. On top of all that it was drizzling out. Of course we had a couple runs downtown. You should have seen the looks we got when we went by. The siren sounded sick & when you used it the lights would dim. The apparatus had no roofs. I had to wear my helmet backwards to keep the rain off my face. "What a way to run a railroad"! The rest of the night was quiet for us when we got back to Lakeview.
The next night is clear & sunny. We still have the spare. This time it is Roger Dumas (E-13) driver, Vic A/C, Bobby Klemans (E-5) on turntable & me tiller. Wouldn't you know it not too long after test taps a box comes in for a fire on Ellison Street and E18th St. Charles Walker was the tour commander. The box is a worker & a second is sounded shortly. That's us! We come "roaring" up Ellison St, the wrong way, to the fire scene. The look on the Walkers's face was priceless. Wish I had camera. He hustles up to us & asks us what we are doing. Before Vic can answer he tells us to get that piece of junk off the fire ground. I guess nobody told the him what the story was. We had a couple more runs later that night. The looks we got from the other companies were something too. After our shift the '54 FWD aerial was taken out of service & was retired permanently. The Snorkel was made Truck 1 and Truck 1 became E-7 with a spare FWD engine. It stayed that way until Truck-2's Seagrave came back in service. So, Tour 3, Truck 1, had the dubious distinction of having the last run & worker for the spare '54 FWD aerial. I tillered both. Whew! The end.
The next night is clear & sunny. We still have the spare. This time it is Roger Dumas (E-13) driver, Vic A/C, Bobby Klemans (E-5) on turntable & me tiller. Wouldn't you know it not too long after test taps a box comes in for a fire on Ellison Street and E18th St. Charles Walker was the tour commander. The box is a worker & a second is sounded shortly. That's us! We come "roaring" up Ellison St, the wrong way, to the fire scene. The look on the Walkers's face was priceless. Wish I had camera. He hustles up to us & asks us what we are doing. Before Vic can answer he tells us to get that piece of junk off the fire ground. I guess nobody told the him what the story was. We had a couple more runs later that night. The looks we got from the other companies were something too. After our shift the '54 FWD aerial was taken out of service & was retired permanently. The Snorkel was made Truck 1 and Truck 1 became E-7 with a spare FWD engine. It stayed that way until Truck-2's Seagrave came back in service. So, Tour 3, Truck 1, had the dubious distinction of having the last run & worker for the spare '54 FWD aerial. I tillered both. Whew! The end.