John Collins decided at 4-years-old that he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. For some kids, one trip to the firehouse is all it takes. When he was old enough to actually apply there were no openings on the FDNY, so he joined the NYPD and served there for four years first. Once in the FDNY, Ladder 25 on 77th & Amsterdam was his assignment. On September 11th, he was actually on temporary assignment to another firehouse, but when they were called out before he arrived, he hopped on the truck with Ladder 25 and rode in heavy as the 7th man on the truck.