Fiedler had many different hobbies . He was fascinated by the work of firefighters and would travel in his own vehicle to large fires in and around Boston at any time of the day or night to watch the firefighters at work . He was even made an " Honorary Captain " in the Boston Fire Department . A number of other fire departments gave him honorary fire helmets and/or badges . The official biography of Fiedler reports that the conductor once helped in the rescue efforts at the tragic Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston in 1942 . An avid sailor , he volunteered during the early days of World War II for the Temporary Reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard and was later a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary
Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
Arthur Fiedler