When Rick Rodriguez and some colleagues went to New York in 2001 to aid fellow firefighters after the World Trade Center attack, his Big Apple counterparts took him to bars like "The Hook and Ladder" and the "Red Suspenders." That planted the seed for Milwaukee's Firehouse, 354 E. National Ave., which opened on October 31.

"I came back to Milwaukee and looked for a location here," he says.

Rodriguez is a 24-year veteran of the Milwaukee Fire Department, working the blue shift of Engine 31 at South 8th and West Hayes Streets. His partner Frank Rueda works the red shift at Ladder 14 at South 22nd Street and West Oklahoma Avenue.

"We're empty nesters and close to retirement," Rodriguez says. "We thought we'd give it a shot. Our kids help, and we've put our wives to work. They're partners in this operation, too."

Early in October they gave it a shot with the opening of Milwaukee's Firehouse, located in a classic 1896 building at the east end of National Avenue. The place was known for years as the Sail and Rail, drawing its business from the maritime and railroad set; during the nineties it was a not particularly charming gay bar more prized for its isolation than its ambience.

The tavern, with a capacity of 75, is open from 3 p.m. until bar time, "except we do open early for Packers games," Rodriguez adds.

The beverage selection ranges widely through the Miller and Budweiser offerings; something like Heineken is considered quite top shelf here (but priced at only $3, a bargain these days.) Happy hour (5-7 p.m.) provides 50-cent discounts on tap, rail and domestic bottles.

The decor is beginning to come together with photos of Milwaukee firefighters and fires, along with other related knick-knacks. High above the bar is a collection of firefighters' helmets, including those once belonging to Rodriguez and Rueda.

A special place of honor holds a cloth polka-dotted work cap, a blue collar badge of individuality dating to the '70s.

"That was my father's hat. He worked on the railroad," says Rueda.

For now the business is about "half firefighters and cops," according to Rodriguez, with the balance being neighborhood folks and family.

The amenities include the usual television, CD jukebox and video amusements along with a 75-cent pool table, formerly covered in purple felt (imagine that!) and now a normal green. In a move that more tavern keepers should emulate, Rueda went through all the pool sticks with his vending machine company's representative and made the guy take back the crooked ones.

Plans for the future include a full-service kitchen. The first goal, though, is to make a little money to buy the equipment. That's the Milwaukee way. As Rodriguez says, "We're a blue collar bar."