The shoulder patches read Portland, Burbank, Buffalo, Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, East Hartford, FDNY, Toronto and many more. Jersey City, N.J. fire dispatcher Ira Rubin's family and his fire service family gathered at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, in Jersey City, on March 19 for a memorial service for their beloved “Dispatcher Two-Three.”
Rubin, 62, was known throughout the country in the fire service and fire buff worlds. He was a member of the International Fire Buffs Associates (IFBA) and a life member of the Jersey City Gong Club, a buff organization that operates a canteen rehab truck. He drove the rig and served firefighters refreshments at numerous fire scenes. Rubin loved bag pipes and was one of the founding members of the Hudson County Fire & Police Pipes and Drums, marching in parades and ceremonies. He participated in numerous funerals after the 9/11 attacks.
He was always a welcomed guest in firehouses. He had lunch with the members of Jersey City (FDJC) Engine 19, Ladder 8 and Battalion 2 on March 2 before going in for his night tour. After he returned home, he didn't feel well. Rubin called fire dispatch for assistance and numerous fire companies, including the ones he had lunch with during the day, and Jersey City Medical Center personnel did their best to revive him, but Dispatcher Two-Three was silenced.
His parents owned a candy store on Ocean Avenue, around the corner from the old Ege Avenue firehouse--home of Engine 8. Exposure to the firehouse generated his interest in the fire service. In addition, he was proud of his Uncle Joe, a captain in the FDNY. In the late 1960's, while buffing a fire in the downtown section of Jersey City, he was spotted by Gong Club members Frank Bohrman and Bob “Bozo” Bozewski. They invited him to stop at the Gong Club for a visit and the rest is history.
Rubin chased fire trucks at every opportunity, including cutting class to do so. He joined the Gong Club in 1972. Ira rose to become a night manager at Manischewitz, just a few blocks from the Gong Club quarters. When the company moved out-of-town, he was hired as a FDJC fire dispatcher, and the timing was just right. The department had begun replacing uniformed members with civilian dispatchers.
He loved the FDJC and had a special affection for Boston and FDNY. He acquired many personal friends in the Boston metro area.
Rubin appointed himself the FDJC historian and he knew just about everything possible relating to the department, and had a JCFD work chart calendar printed every year. The calendars included photos of city fire apparatus, personnel and fires from over the years. The date boxes included the on-duty group number and other department related events of the past.
“He was a walking encyclopedia,” said Gong Club Treasurer Paul Schaetzle. Ira was recognized for his dedication and named Honorary Battalion Chief.
He was also known in many northern New Jersey firehouses through his personal business, Ira's FD Supplies. He took his uniform and turn-out gear business seriously. He was a uniform buff. He was the only fire buff who could tell a fire officer that he was wearing the wrong insignia or wearing it the wrong way, and after he schooled them on how to correct it, they did. He was the uniform expert and he would take orders and deliver such items as badges, helmet front pieces, key chains and more. He cast an impression on everyone he met, and a big cigar was his trademark.
On the morning of March 6, Rubin's family and his fire service family assembled at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Fairview, N.J. to say goodbye. This was initially going to be a small Jewish funeral service; however many showed up for a brother. A small gathering at the cemetery? Not likely. Too many friends wanted to show up to pay their respects. As sea of blue lined up at the grave site, including the FDJC Honor Guard, active and retired firefighters and fire buffs joined with his family.
Before arriving at the cemetery, tributes were on display. Members of the Fairview and Cliffside Park fire departments set up their aerial ladders and placed a huge American flag over the entrance to the cemetery. The funeral procession included Jersey City Engine 19, Ladder 8, Battalion 2 and the Gong Club canteen truck. Members of Group “B” were on duty--the same group of firefighters that were on duty when Ira joined them for his last lunch--and these members also responded for his call for help.
Conducting the memorial service, Rabbi Nathan W. Langer, said he didn't know Rubin. He did a Google search for Ira and there were “pages and pages and pages” about him. Langer said he felt “cheated” that he did not have the opportunity to know him personally.
At the March 19 memorial service, FDJC Chaplain, Reverend James V. Pagnotta, a long time friend of Rubin's, explained why Ira, and only Ira, could receive a memorial in a Catholic church, and explained that he “touched many lives.” That was just part of his uniqueness.
Chief of Department Darren Rivers said Rubin “laid the groundwork” for his remarks at his promotional ceremony. He found a “level of respect and connection with Rubin.” The chief explained that Ira's knowledge of the FDJC was “second to none.” With that respect for his knowledge of the city and the fire department, he asked Rubin to revamp the department's running assignments in 2013.
Battalion Chief Steve McGill said everything “was well” when you heard Rubin's voice on the radio, noting a confidence in his work. He said that Ira's tip, by announcing “Striking Box...” let you know that the alarm sounded like a “job,” and be prepared to go to work.
Paul Boudreau, president of the Boston Sparks Association, said Ira would visit Boston to “hold court” at their club's quarters, and local buffs would stop by to “kiss the ring.”
Paul Schaetzle, who went to high school with Rubin, provided some Ira Rubin stories. Through his insurance business, Schaetzle travels throughout the country. At one round table meeting, everyone announced who they were and where they were from. When Schaetzle said he was from Jersey City, a Mexican public safety officials asked, “Do you know Ira Rubin?”
There has been an inside joke at the Gong Club since 1972, “Who is Ira Rubin?” Schaetzle explained that the question evolved into, “Do you know Ira Rubin?”
Chief Rivers presented Schaetzle with a framed copy of General Order 16-08, dated March 19, 2016, that retired Dispatcher number 23. Honor Guards from Jersey City, Bayonne and Newark played Amazing Grace for Rubin.
Emotions were displayed in everyone who spoke at the memorial. Battalion Chief John Alston continued to tell Ira Rubin stories into the evening at the Gong Club quarters, including an incident when he was nice and soothing to the chief's child. Chief Alston said, “I miss my friend so much.”
