WPBFD History

the burned-out house, the garage door was some twenty- five feet down the driveway, and a large screen enclosure dangled in the blackened water of the swimming pool. Dr. Martin Misavage, an eyewitness, described what he saw, "One boom and then the whole house was on fire everywhere at the same time. Every window was orange at once. I never saw anything go up so fast." The current occupant of the house, Timothy Gra- ham, and the mortgage holders had been involved in liti- gation over the property since December 1982. The latest court ruling had given the mortgage holders the right to foreclose. An extended investigation began. By September differences between a few of the un- ion officers and the Women's Auxiliary grew into a full blown hurricane. The auxiliary had opened a money mar- ket account to deposit all funds raised by the Firefighter News , but some of the officers of Local 727 thought the money should be in their control. Ill feelings divided not only firefighters, but families who had members in each

advertising to businesses in the community. Hersh Volat, a professional solicitor, had published the newsletter and sold the ads since 1983. As in any solicitation for funds, there had been problems. A few businesses contacted by Volat had complained and some of the firefighters thought he was taking too much of a cut from the earn- ings. Proponents argued that for the first time money was coming in to fund an F.O.F. clubhouse. With the Women's Auxiliary now publishing the newsletter, the content began to change. Gone were the articles from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the Palm Beach Council of Firefighters, and the Professional Fire- fighters of Florida. Now there were articles with a more homey nature. Family news, humorous stories, and pro- jects of the Women's Auxiliary now filled the columns. Some approved of the new format, some did not. One thing was for sure, the organization was gaining strength and bringing in money. The first three newsletters put $4,000 into the building fund. At 4:50 a.m. on

organization. One out- spoken firefighter put his feelings rather bluntly saying, "Letting the auxiliary control the money is like giving Jessie James the train schedule." The entire episode got out of hand as tempers flared on both sides. It was the beginning of another regression for the auxil- iary, and a trying period for a splintered union. Local 727 and the Women's Auxiliary worked out a truce. The Building Fund ac- count would have three signatures to control the money; the union treas- urer, the auxiliary treas- urer, and the Fraternal Order of Firemen's president. Even after settlement, many of the participants were per- manently scarred by the quarreling. The union had been having internal prob- lems of its own. There were members who did not like the expansion

June 6, 1985, the emer- gency telephone lines at Central Station lit up like a NASA control panel at lift off. At least thirteen callers were reporting an explosion in the 3800 block of Australian Court. Com- pany 3 arrived at 4:55 a.m. finding what looked like a war zone. A mere shell of a house was burning angrily and debris was scattered everywhere. The fire was under control in twenty minutes, but it would take another two hours to complete extin- guishment and search for bodies. There was evidence that gasoline had been poured throughout the inside of the house. As firefighters wound down their initial attack, they were able for the first time to look at the destruction. Shards of glass were embedded in trees across the street from

Australian Avenue explosion and fire.

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