Fire Patrol/Fire Police Companies/Salvage Companies

mack

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mack

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ALBANY

A major fire the Albany Fire Protectives fought with the Albany Fire Department was the March 29,1911 NYS Capitol Building fire.

"ALBANY -- By the time Fire Box 324 was pulled downtown at 2:42 a.m. on March 29, 1911, the state Capitol had been burning without impediment for one-half hour, gathering in ferocity.

When firefighters arrived with horse-drawn pumpers, the most costly and celebrated building constructed in 19th-century America was a roaring inferno.

Flames shot 200 feet in the air and a vast plume of black smoke enveloped the sleeping city. Smoldering paper embers carried on updrafts drifted for miles until they burned out and fell to earth, charred reminders of the greatest loss of its collective culture in the state's history.

Fueled by 500,000 books and 300,000 manuscripts in the State Library, searing heat twisted metal framing in a huge skylight above the Great Western Staircase and sent glass panels raining to the stairs far below in a crashing cascade. Suddenly open to the sky, a rush of oxygen fed the conflagration with a fierce energy.

The fire burned so intensely that it melted the stairway's carved sandstone filigree into a molten slurry. At the top of the "million-dollar staircase," 10,000 of the State Museum's most prized archaeological and ethnographic objects stored in tall glass cases, including its world-famous Iroquois collection, were consumed in a flaming corsage.

The landmark structure -- constructed with blocks of granite as thick as a man's chest, a building that state officials had insisted was "fireproof" -- shuddered with percussive booms as large sections of walls and acres of heavy wooden bookshelves caved and fell into the pulsating throat of the fiery volcano.

The five-story northwest corner of the Capitol, located on the uptown side of the building flanked by Washington Avenue, pancaked to the ground in a pile of scorched, twisted metal and stone rubble.

In a narrow passageway on the fourth floor, the body of night watchman Samuel Abbott, a 78-year-old Civil War veteran, was recovered, a silver-handled cane at his side. His pocket held a key to a locked door a few paces away, through which he might have escaped. Remarkably, Abbott was the only casualty of what became known locally as "The Great Fire of 1911."

Out on the streets, authorities began to rouse residents in a widespread evacuation along fashionable Elk Street and from the stately row houses that lined Washington Avenue and State Street.

People across the city awoke and rushed to view a sight cataclysmic and unimaginable. The granite monolith that took 32 years and $25 million to complete was a smoldering hulk of wreckage. Architects had touted the building's invincibility, and no standpipes, extinguishers or other fire safety equipment were installed.

Although no official cause of the fire was ever determined, suspicion was originally focused on faulty wiring. More recent speculation has suggested that a smoldering cigar butt may have been dropped during a late-night gathering among Assembly staffers. The fire started in the third-floor Assembly Library, quickly spread to the adjacent State Library and engulfed the fourth and fifth floors. It destroyed up to one-half of the square footage on those floors on the Capitol's northwest side, while lower floors sustained mainly water and smoke damage."
(from Timesunion.com)

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/1911-Capitol-fire-remains-seared-into-city-s-1308984.php

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/capitolfire/fire/index.html

Log book with entry for 1911 Capitol fire demonstrates how Albany Fire Protectives documented runs and work performed: 
Albany_12.jpg
Looks like date, time, box, location, description, covers thrown, hours worked

1938 :
Albany_1938.jpg

Picture of Albany Fire Protectives rig with AFD H&L 1 at Engine 9:
Albany_1938_w_AFD_L_1_vic_Eng_9.jpg
 

mack

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BALTIMORE

The Baltimore Fire Insurance Salvage Corps operated from 1873-1958.

The Fire Insurance Salvage Corps was organized in 1873 by former Chief Engineer Charles T. Holloway.  They were known as "Sparkers" and kept their
horse wagon on the street in front of 214 E German St, ready to respond to alarms. James Wesley Shaw (Assistant Chief Engineer 1859-1868) was
foreman. The early Salvage Corps was closely allied with the Baltimore City Fire Department. Many members were former BCFD firemen.

The Salvage Corps under Captain Jordan was the first to respond and arrive at the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.

http://netmole.blogspot.com/2008/08/great-baltimore-fire-of-1904.html

http://www.mdch.org/fire/#

1921 White Motor Model 61:
Balt_1921_White_Motor_Model_61_2.jpg
 

mack

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INDIANAPOLIS

Indianapolis Fire Underwriters ran the Salvage Corps of Indianapolis from 1914-1944 to protect city buildings and property.

LODD:
On January 5th, 1919 at the age of 46 years old, Edward A. Ankenbauer was killed in an accident in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was actually more than just an accident. You see sometime before that in 1914/15, in an effort to provide for his family, Edward and his wife Josephine (Korte) Ankenbauer and their son Martin; moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Indianapolis so that Edward could take a job as a paid firefighter for the Underwriters/ Merchants Salvage Corps of Indianapolis.

Fire was such a concern those days that the insurance companies hired their own firefighters to assist the local fire departments in fire fighting. Edward was promoted to Captain and on that fateful day was actually driving the fire truck for the Salvage Corp. In those days, if there was a fire alarm, they would notify the city firefighters first and then a few moments later the salvage corps firefighters would be notified so as to prevent them from responding at exactly the same time.

At 8:22am on January 5th, 1919 an alarm was received from Box 27, located at the corner of Illinois and Michigan Streets. At 8:25am., the fire alarm was sounded by the Indianapolis Fire Department and there was some delay in sending it to the city fire department Motor Hose Company #7 and they wound up sending both the Indianapolis fire truck and the salvage corps truck at exactly the same time and they collided in the intersection of Delaware and New York Streets in Indianapolis.

Edward Ankenbauer, was killed when he was thrown from the vehicle. Unfortunately Captain Clinton T. Lowes of the Indianapolis Fire Department was also killed in the accident. Eight other firefighters were injured in the accident.

It was soon directed by A.L. Taggert, the president of the Board of Safety in Indianapolis that all fire trucks in Indianapolis be equipped with high powered motor sirens that can be heard for blocks. 
(from "Municipal Journal", June 1919)


http://www.yesterdaysmysteries.com/memorial
 

mack

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ROCHESTER
(fire salvage volunteer organization - not a fire insurance sponsored)

The Rochester Protectives is an active fire salvage organization which responds to fires and emergencies and assists the Rochester Fire Department.  1858-present

"The Rochester Protectives are a volunteer firefighter assistance organization that works with the Rochester Fire Dept. The organization's mission is to provide both fire and non-fire salvage services to the City of Rochester, N.Y.

Work description:
The Protectives provide assistance to the Rochester City firefighters through the following activities:
?Covering or removing property
?Recovering family valuables
?Providing ventilation through the use of smoke-ejecting fans
?Set-up of emergency scene lighting
We also perform activities that include pumping water from flooded buildings and securing broken windows and doors."
(from website)

http://rochesterprotectives.com/index.php?l=t&pageStewardLink=2249

History:

tt_history.jpg

The Protectives was formed on August 23, 1858, by an act of the Rochester City Council at the behest of 51 of the young City?s most prominent merchants and businessmen. Their formation was part of a general ?reorganization? of the Rochester Fire Department, which at the time consisted of ten separate fire companies which had taken to fighting more with each other at fire incidents than against their common enemy, fire. There had been criticism of the Department?s efforts at the Minerva Block fire earlier that month, but several nights later various fire companies directed almost all of their efforts and energy towards brawling with one another while the ?Break O?Day House? burned to the ground. The Mayor, City Council and the leading citizens of Rochester had had enough of the oftentimes drunken brawling and the lack of coordinated leadership within the fire organization at fires and in general. They wished to better protect the property of the merchants and citizens, not just from fire and water, but also from the firemen themselves. There was stiff opposition from some of the more rouge fire companies, in fact on at least one occasion an officer of the law was directed to man a firehouse with his revolver in hand in order to effect the changes sought by City Council. City Council persevered. Council had been authorized to pay for (and thereby control) a ?Property Protection Brigade? as part of the Fire Department?s reorganization. Thus was born the Protectives Property Protection and Salvage Company. The City provided their rapidly growing membership with covers, sacks, buckets and tools as well as a hand draw cart with which to carry them. They were also supplied with suitable quarters in the form of a house located on Mill Street, below the Corinthian Hall in what then was the ?entertainment district? of the City, right next door to Rattlesnake Pete?s Museum. From their inception, the Protectives have honored their responsibilities to the community and to the Fire Department. As the City and the Department grew, so did the Protectives. The organization, needing more space for members and equipment, soon moved their headquarters down the street to Mill and Market Sts. However, by 1881 it was apparent that yet another move to even larger quarters would be in order. In addition, the Protectives wagon was still hand drawn, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that an improvement in this area was needed in order to transport their equipment throughout the rapidly growing community.

In May of 1882, the Protectives moved into a newly erected structure on North Fitzhugh St. The new quarters had been custom built and furnished with partial funding from the membership and the business community. However, the bulk of the construction expense was borne by the citizens of Rochester through appropriations from City Council. It gave the Protectives greater comfort and space for their brand new ?Patrol Wagon,? which the City provided complete with a team of horses and a pair of paid Fire Department drivers.

After the Great Sibley Fire in February of 1904 (with a fire loss at the time of $4 million), the City of Rochester recognized a glaring need to modernize and upgrade its firefighting capabilities and became a front runner in utilizing innovative equipment and methods thought to better control and prevent fires.

Not to be left behind in the push for modernization, the Protectives in 1915 received their first motorized vehicle with drivers, again provided by the City. In the meantime, the Protectives? quarters had moved in 1906 to the new Fire Department Headquarters on the corner of Central Ave. and Front St., and again in 1937, when the Fire Department Headquarters were relocated to an even larger complex of municipal buildings at North St. and University Ave., the Protectives were given a more spacious and centralized location there. This remains the home of the Protectives today. The tradition of selfless dedication lives on in its volunteers who aid and assist the rank and file of our Fire Department. They are proud members of what is by now the longest standing volunteer department ever to serve the City of Rochester, for a period at this date of over 144 years! Millions of dollars of property and valuables have been safeguarded during this time at very little expense to the community. The community has greatly benefited from its association with The Protectives and so has the Fire Department.

They sometimes may take for granted the services which we provide for the Fire Department and the citizens of Rochester. Initiating salvage, setting up and operating fans and lighting at incidents and pumping out flooded basements are all jobs to which Firefighters and Citizens pay little attention, but they would be sorely missed if The Protectives weren?t there to perform them for the Rochester Fire Dept. and the community. Of course, this is no revelation to many of the rank and file of the Rochester Fire Department, however, because many Rochester firefighters originated from the rank and file of The Protectives and they still subscribe to the motto, ?We strive to save.?
(from Facebook)

tt_r.jpg
 

mack

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BROOKLYN

The Fire Insurance Salvage Corps of Brooklyn, LI, was organized in 1895 to operate in the city of Brooklyn.  The salvage corps was created to be an auxiliary to the Brooklyn Fire Department.  Funding was originally to be the responsibility of the city, but the Brooklyn city council decided that the fire insurance companies would be assessed for costs.  Two firehouses were approved.  One would protect the Brooklyn city hall area, the second would be in the eastern part of the city.

Double section companies were located at 172 Pacific Street and 33 Stagg St.

Brooklyn became part of NYC in 1898 and The Fire Salvage Corps transitioned to the NYFP.

Design for 172 Pacific St firehouse:
NYFP_Bklyn_Fire_Salvage_172_Pacific_St.jpg

BKLYN_BKLYN.png

Bklyn_Thanks.png

Bklyn.png
 

mack

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STATEN ISLAND

Castleton Fire Patrol - served in Staten Island late 1800s-early 1900s - firehouse on Castleton Ave and Taylor St - became site of Tompkins Department Store.

Castleton_Fire_Patrol.png

Castleton_Fire_Patrol.png
 

mack

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WHITE PLAINS, NY

White Plains ran a fire patrol for a limited time early 1900s.

White Plains Fire Patrol 1:
White_Plains_Fire_patrol.jpg
 

mack

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GREENWICH, CT

"The Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was established in November 1927 after members of the Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Company felt there was a need for a separate fire salvage and scene control company. On May 1st, 1928 the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was officially organized and held its first meeting with the elections of James Tomney as Captain ? Chief Officer, John Snyder as 1st Lieutenant ? Senior Officer, Maurice Ivory as 2nd Lieutenant, John Rooney as Secretary, and Nicholas Bologna as Treasurer. The Patrol?s first vehicle was a Simplex, donated by the Cos Cob Fire Company.  But the Patrol continued to grow and on November 10th, 1930 a used Broadway was purchased for $750. On August 2nd, 1931 the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was incorporated and was granted its non-profit status of 501c3."

Greenwich_2_Fire_patrol.jpg

1940s:
Cos_Cob_Fire_patrol.jpg

Volunteer company still active:
Cos_Cob_2.jpg


http://ccfpp.org/about-us/history/

http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Cos-Cob-Fire-Police-Patrol-gets-a-new-set-of-358295.php#photo-94141

 

mack

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ISLIP, NY

image.jpg

"The Islip Fire Police Company was organized in October 1928 as the Islip Fire Patrol. Subsequent to that the name was changed to the Police Patrol Company on August 4, 1933, Islip Fire Patrol and then to the Islip Fire Police Co. No. 1. The company's first piece of apparatus was a 1923 Packard Fire Police Truck and a new 1.5 ton Ford utility light truck was followed in March 1936. In 1939, Section 209-c of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York was enacted to provide for the forming of fire police squads within the volunteer fire departments and companies in NYS. Members of these squads were given the power of peace officers when on duty as fire police. As a result of a change in New York State Law, the company was renamed Fire Police Company No. 1 on December 2, 1964. A new purpose-built Seagrave Fire Police truck was placed in service on September 7, 1975, following a "light-up ceremony", and remained in service until 2002.

All fire police members are peace officers who are able to make arrests of persons committing a crime at the scene of an incident. The members must take specialized courses dealing with traffic handling, the laws of the State of New York and the powers of peace officers. This is in addition to regular firefighting courses required by the department. The company is allotted 36 members."

http://www.islipfd.org/news/index/category/10416/layoutfile/firepolice
 
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To add to the Greenwich post, mack, there were 4 Fire Police/Patrol organizations in town. Out of the Central Firehouse in Downtown Greenwich, was the Greenwich Fire Police Patrol. During their height, they originally operated a 1928 Studebaker/ALF and later a 1950 Ward LaFrance. The last unit they operated was a 1990 GMC Utility unit as Patrol 1. They were disbanded around 10 years ago and were merged with the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol, Patrol 2. Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol currently operates a 2004 Pierce Enforce Heavy Rescue Patrol Unit, as well as the 1990 GMC, formerly Patrol 1. They also operate a 2010 Ford Utility Unit, Utility 2. Then there was the Sound Beach Fire Police Patrol which operated Patrol 5 and Round Hill Fire Police Patrol, Patrol 6, which operated a 1964 Dodge Power Wagon. Finally, there was the Banksville Fire Police Patrol which operated as part of the Banksville Fire Department in Banksville, NY, which borders Greenwich to the north. Banksville was responsible for covering the northern most reaches, or the "Back Country" of Greenwich.

Today, the fire police are still active in Greenwich within the individual volunteer fire companies, but not as formal "Patrols". Here's some pictures of Patrol apparatus through the years:

Greenwich Fire Police Patrol:

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTFirePatrol1Stud28.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTFirePatrol2WLF50.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTP1.jpg

Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol:

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTCosCobP2Ford40.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTCosCobP2Ford40Right.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTCosCobP2GMC57.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/CosCobFirePolice.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/CosCobCTPat2.jpg

http://www.firenews.org/ct/GreenwichCTU2.JPG

Sound Beach Fire Police Patrol:

http://www.firenews.org/ct/SoundBeacholdphoto3.jpg

Round Hill Fire Police Patrol:

http://www.firenews.org/ct/RoundHillP6.jpg

Banksville Fire Police Patrol:

http://www.firenews.org/ct/BanksvilleFirePatrol.jpg
 

mack

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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

image.jpg

- Salvage Corps became operative in 1873 - Superintendent, Foreman, Deputy Foreman and five men. A total of eight men and one horse drawn vehicle.
- Location Nicholas Street; relocated to Albion Street in the late eighteen hundreds; relocated to 90 Maitland Street in 1972
- Became ?The Glasgow Salvage Corps? in 1972 with 60 Officers and men, a van and three damage Control Units, who work a 42 hour week with a four watch system.
- Arbuckle Smith & Co's bonded warehouse collapsed in the Cheapside Street fire of 1960. Six fire fighters were killed in this one incident, and the blaze claimed the lives of a eight more fire fighters and five men from the Glasgow Salvage Corps:

Fireman John Allen ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Christopher Boyle ? Glasgow Fire Service
Sub Officer James Calder ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Gordon Chapman ? Strathclyde Fire Brigade
Fireman William Crockett ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Archibald Darroch ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Daniel Davidson ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Alfred Dickinson ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman Alexander Grassie ? Glasgow Fire Service
Salvageman Gordon McMillan ? Glasgow Salvage Corps
Fireman Ian McMillan ? Glasgow Fire Service
Fireman George McIntyre ? Glasgow Fire Service
Sub Officer John McPherson ? Glasgow Fire Service
Leading Salvageman James McLellan ? Glasgow Salvage Corps
Fireman Edward McMillan ? Glasgow Fire Service
Salvageman James Mungall ? Glasgow Salvage Corps
Superintendent Edward Murray ? Glasgow Salvage Corps
Salvageman William Oliver ? Glasgow Salvage Corps
Fireman William Watson ? Glasgow Fire Service

http://www.findagraveinscotland.com/grave/famousGrave/126031

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/the_cheapside_fire/


- Glasgow Salvage Corps disbanded in 1984

History:
http://www.graemekirkwood.co.uk/Salvage.htm

http://www.graemekirkwood.co.uk/Photos/SFB/Appliances/Salvage.htm

Cheapside Fire - 50th Anniversary:
50th Anniversary of the Cheapside fire disaster in Glasgow
 

mack

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BOMBAY, INDIA

The Bombay Salvage Corps was formed in 1907 by 37 insurance companies for fire salvage and to minimize fire occurance and damage.  It is still operational and works in conjunction with the Bombay Fire Brigade (Mumbai Fire Brigade).  The Bombay Salvage Corps is currently run by the Loss Prevention Association of India.

11 members of the salvage corps were killed in a 1944 Fort Strikine ship explosion in Bombay's dock area.

1948 picture of Bombay Salvage Corp officers: Corps Officers with Supt. Saleh of Bombay Salvage Corps 1948

http://labourandemployment.gov.in/LC/factory/whom_non_loss.htm
 

mack

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KANSAS CITY FIRE PATROL

   
    Adjunct to KCFD

    Active through 1962

    2 firehouses:

          FP1 706 Wyandotte Ave
          FP 2 1310 St. Louis Ave

    KCFD picked up duties when KCFP disbanded

   
    KC_FIRE_PATROL_2_STATIONS_DISBANDED_1956.jpg
 

mack

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ST PAUL, MN

St. Paul Fire Insurance Patrol

    Operated 1893-1943, 1965-1967

    The work of the patrol was supported by insurance companies until 1939, when it was taken over by the St. Paul Fire Department.


    ST_PAUL_FIRE_INSURANCE_PATROL.png
 
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