By Amy Zimmer
DNAinfo News Editor
UPPER EAST SIDE — Women looking to snag one of New York's Bravest rushed to the scene Thursday night at Saloon to see if they could spark something at the "Rescue Me" singles party with firemen.
The firemen, many hoping to show off their mouth-to-mouth skills, simply had to present their ID at the bar on York Avenue at 83rd Street, which is a regular FDNY hangout. But the ladies had to pony up $30-$40 for the event, organized by OnSpeedDating.com.
"Everybody knows that firemen are fun," said Leah Glass, 28, who trekked from Bedford-Stuyvesant for the event. "Every time I see them I'm drooling. They're built."
Megan, a 35-year-old real estate broker from Astoria who declined to give a last name, focused on their hands: "This is my element. I like blue collar, jeans, boots, getting their hands dirty. I don't like guys whose hand look better than mine. I like calluses."
At least one fireman demonstrated his talent for carrying people, picking a woman up and lifting her behind his head and over his shoulders.
"Here, what I like to do is scope out the scene," said Chris Gonzalez, a West Side fireman and Mr. December 2011 in the NYC Firemen Calendar, ogling the women coming through the door. "It's the same thing with a fire, you have to go in and look at what's around. You do a scene survey."
Dennis Reilly, 37, a fireman in the Bronx, added, "There's a lot more heat in here. You can definitely get burned in here, too."
Women were given note cards with ice-breaker questions to ask the firemen, such as "What's a Class C Fire?" (an electrical fire) or the definition of a "probie" (a rookie firefighter).
Fire fighters start drinking Jameson when they're probies, Stephanie Federico, 42, said she learned. She hadn't yet found a match, but said, "Actually, I find the firemen pretty polite."
David, a 34-year-old lieutenant in Brooklyn who declined to give a last name, was happy to have the opportunity to get some digits. "Being in the fire department, I have people drive past the fire house every day and shout, 'We love firefighters.' But they never stop. And when someone's having a heart attack or their house just burned down, you can't say, 'Can I have your phone number.'"
Jimmy Granger, a firefighter in Astoria, acknowledged that his work get-up helps.
"If I go to a grocery store and see a woman, she might not look twice. If I go to that same grocery store, same day of the week, same time of day, same aisle, and I have my firemen with me, my uniform on, she'll stare," he said. "My mom tells me I look good in my uniform."
