March 1: Hero Firefighters Save Two From Burning Building

When Lt. Mike Lampasso of Ladder 124 arrived on Bleecker Street in the Ridgewood section of Brooklyn around 3:15 on Monday morning, the situation could hardly have been worse. 

At the two-story private dwelling, a fire burned out of control as word came down the line that an unknown number of children were trapped on an upper floor above where the blaze was first reported. So the Lampasso's men responded as those who are later described "heroes" always do — relying on their training, looking out for one another, focusing on the job at hand. 

And in a story that in this time of recession and political division seems to slip by the wayside — that is to say, a "good" story — Lampasso's crew pulled two victims from 272 Bleecker Street, their lungs filled with smoke, but otherwise O.K.

"It's great to be able to make a difference in someone's life," said firefighter Richard Mercado.

Indeed.

Here are the 5 Things You Need to Know for this first day of March:

1. As the men of Ladder 124 noted in a press conference yesterday, though the blaze on Brooklyn's Bleecker Street was found to be accidental, it could have been avoided had fresh batteries been installed in the building's smoke detector.

2. The chairman of the New York State Democratic Party said his membership is standing behind Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget, which includes  in discretionary spending advocates believe will result in the closure of 1 in 3 senior centers throughout the city.

3. No rain, snow, wind or anything else for that matter, forecasters report for today.

4. Queens Library has these 7 Bad Habits of Ineffective Job Seekers. Worth a look.

5. And you guessed it: alternate side parking rules are in effect today.