Long Beach Fire Case Study

Words: 1556
Pages: 7

wrote about the founding of the first volunteer fire brigade on March 18, 1897 (though Glen Goodrich in his 2005 book the Long Beach Fire Department writes it was March 16, 1897). There were earlier claims that 1902 marked the date of the first fire department, but two long-time citizens presented Case with evidence proving the 1897 assertion. Major Brewster Kenyon told Case that the organization had 28 charter members and that he was captain, John McPherson first lieutenant, and William Craig second lieutenant. Kenyon recalled that they didn't have a hose cart or hose, but did possess a hand-drawn hook and ladder truck. The truck carried, beside an extension ladder, hooks, buckets and axes. Money for these had been raised by several fund-raisers. …show more content…
16, 1897, was the date of the first volunteer fire department. Unfortunately she didn't list the source for her date. She stated that volunteers were paid $2 for every call and $1 extra if the job took more than one hour. In addition, each man received $2 for attending fire drills twice a month. Once, she wrote, when pulling the hand-drawn cart on the way to a blaze, the volunteers caught up with a streetcar going in the right direction, so they hitched the cart to the end of the streetcar and were pulled to the fire. Once there, the motorman and all the passengers got off and helped put out the …show more content…
Chief Shrewsbury, who was at the city hall annex on business, responded to the alarm. He jumped into his car with engineer Shaw at his side. Assistant Fire Chief Crew, driving fire engine No. 1, left the central station with George Wright. Heading due east on Broadway at approximately 40 miles an hour, the high powered truck struck the fire chief's car just as they reached the center of the street. The force of the collision carried the fire truck up to the curb and completely demolished the black touring car which Shrewsbury was