WPBFD History

In May new high rise hose packs were put in ser- vice. These were quite an improvement over the donut rolls used for many years. A tubular metal frame held 100 feet of 1 3/4 inch hose with nozzle attached. A plas- tic pouch mounted on the frame carried various tools that might be needed in connecting to standpipes. On May 1, 1983, the E.M.S. Division named two local doctors as medical directors for the department. Dr. Elliott McCurdy, M.D., of Good Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department and Dr. Randall Wolff, M.D., of John F. Kennedy Hospital Emergency Department were welcomed by EMS Supervisor Robert Boike. They re- placed Dr. Frederick Smith who had been medical direc- tor for a number of years. At this time there were three Advanced Life Support units in service. They were sta- tioned at Central Station, South Station, and North Sta- tion. A fourth unit was planned for the 1983-84 fiscal year. During the summer of 1983 old Pumper 39 went through a metamorphosis. The hose bed had been re- moved from the rear and replaced with a large aluminum box. The unit was identified as HazMat 1, the depart- ment’s first special operations vehicle. The truck was designed for hazardous materials incidents, mass casualty emergencies, and for use as a command post if it could make it to the scene without breaking down. The old Ford pumper had been worn out mechanically after twenty-five years of service, but with severely limited funds, this was the only option available to provide such a unit. Palm Beach called for mutual aid on June 24, 1983. They had a stubborn fire at the historic Everglades Club on Worth Avenue. Palm Beach's first-in engine had just entered the building when a back draft occurred, injuring the entire company except for the driver. Company 1-B responded with Assistant Training Officer Donald Widing in charge. When Company 1-B was ready to return, the always proper Widing reported, "Company 1-B returning to quarters, mission accomplished." Eight Palm Beach firefighters required hospitalization as a result of the fire. The West Palm Beach Firefighters Women's Auxil- iary had been fairly active in the 1960s and early 1970s. Interest in the organization faded for a few years, but by 1983 the group had found new energy. The group, com- posed of firefighters' wives and girlfriends, had sponsored fire department dances, assisted in hosting the Firefighter Olympics, and provided support for many other functions. On November 27, 1983, they proudly presented a check to University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Burn Clinic in the amount of $2,800. Dr. Gil Ward accepted the dona- tion from Vicki Barnard at the Palm Beach County Fire- fighters Burn Fund Picnic.

were 100 percent polyester and would melt if exposed to heat or fire conditions, and as a result, would stick to the skin of the wearer. This complicated medical treatment and compounded the damage to any burn victim wearing such material. Chief Bell would not listen when union officials tried to explain the problem. It would have to be decided at the bargaining table where union representative Dennis Hashagen actually burned a piece of the material to demonstrate how it would melt. The hazardous uni- forms were finally discarded in 1986. The United States Fire Prevention Act of 1974 led to the creation of a federally funded school for the training of fire personnel. St. Joseph's College, a 200 acre Catho- lic women's college in Emmetsburg, Maryland, had graduated its last class in 1973. The site was chosen for the National Fire Academy on May 15, 1974. The first West Palm Beach firefighter to attend the National Fire Academy was Assistant Training Officer Donald P. Wid- ing. In early 1983 he spent two weeks in the Educational Methodology Course. In April of 1983, the West Palm Beach Firefighter's Local 727 published its first newsletter. The Firefighter News was an effort to improve communication with the members which included just about the entire department. The first issue contained results of the most recent elec- tion of union officials. These were Harry Dahl, president; Ronald Johnson, vice president; George Schurter, treas- urer; Dennis Hashagen, secretary; William Dahl, guard- ian; Mike Ranieri, guide; Robert Berlin and Dennis With- ington, trustees. Fire Chief Lamar Bell wished the news- letter success in the Chief's column. Publication contin- ued into 1986 when the newsletter was taken over by the West Palm Beach Fraternal Order of Firemen and the title changed to the F.O.F. News. The Fraternal Order of Firemen had seen better days as far as membership and activities. A major effort was started in 1983 to revitalize the nearly defunct organi- zation. With the recent political activities of the union, the F.O.F. was seen by many as a non-political alternative to conduct business with the city or others who did not approve of the union's methods. The F.O.F. had leased property from the City of West Palm Beach in the 1960s to build a clubhouse, but construction never got farther than the foundation before money and interest had waned. A small shed and pavilion, twelve by sixty feet, had been built on the property. The union enclosed the pavilion in the late 1970s to use as a meeting place, paying rent to the F.O.F. Curtis "Moe" Morris was elected president of the F.O.F. in 1983, but he too found it difficult to stir interest in attracting new members or constructing a clubhouse. There was concern that the city would cancel the lease on the property because no building had been constructed as specified in the terms of the original contract. The or- ganization more or less continued doing nothing.

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