One of the main things a love about the San Francisco Fire Department is the history that still lives in these halls.
This morning, Christmas morning, I was doing my morning chores when I needed supplies. In this house the supplies are kept in the journal room. Most stations have a journal room which houses all the old records of the companies assigned to those stations. Some have those dating back to the 50s, some the 30s, and a few have them from the 19th century.
Engine 12 used to be Engine 30, so pre-1970s the journals are labeled Engine 30. The numbers were changed when engines were moved to co-habitate with Truck companies, taking the truck number kind of like a wedding. Only completely different.
Not far away, in fact, is the old firehouse for Chemical engine 5 and Truck 12, which is now a Daycare but still has the old wooden doors and red lights out front, not to mention beautifully restored and maintained company insignia. I’ll try to get some shots up in the new year. I decided to take a moment from my morning toilet cleaning and share with you Christmas Day at Engine 30, 1909.
Staff at 8am: 1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, 2 Hosemen, 1 Stoker and 1 Driver.
The exact type of apparatus is not listed as we do now, but it was a single steamer company.
The horses were exercised at 10am, one of the Hosemen took leave to attend church, they had 4 alarms for service.
Merry Christmas from Old Engine 30.
Also on The Happy Medic…
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