WPBFD History

roads for other episodes. For some reason Hollywood liked the effects of a wet road when filming. The fire department was preparing to take one of the big- gest steps in its history in 1988. The city had okayed installa- tion of a Computer Aided Dispatch (C.A.D.) and Records Man- agement System (R.M.S.) for the police and fire departments. N.C.R. had been contracted by the city to install the computer hardware. Chief Reese assigned Nancy Oehler, an intern hired by the city manager's office, as a liaison with the police depart- ment. She headed an unofficial C.A.D./R.M.S. division within the fire department. Lieutenant Edward Willard was assigned to a forty-hour week to assist. The scope of the project was far reaching, in effect restructuring everything related to alarm dispatch and all records maintained by the department. Months were spent entering street and address information into the program. The old running cards had to be thrown out, and new alarm assignments designed for all locations within the city. New fire reports had to be designed and entered into a computer program. All personnel had to be trained on com- puters and the new reporting system. It was a monumental task performed entirely within the department. By December 1 computers had been installed at all fire stations for implementation of the first phase. The old Fire In- cident Reports (FD-1s) were to be discontinued as of December 31. Response reports effective January 1, 1989, would be com- pleted on computers in the Florida N.F.I.R.S. format. Company officers received training from Willard and Oehler throughout the month of December. Chief Reese had doubts about the sys- tem, but it went on line January 1. As with any change, the reporting system had its com- plainers. Most firefighters had never touched a computer until a few months before and the N.F.I.R.S. reports required extin- sive information that had not been necessary on the old forma. Many failed to see why the new system was even necessary. As much time was spent explaining the long range benfits as train- ing the officers. In spite of the difficulties, the new computer reports were successfully implemented. Long range plans for the C.A.D./R.M.S. project included computer terminals in every apparatus. Officers would receive information on the alarm while enroute to the scene of emer- gencies over these terminals and also be able to access informa- tion on specific buildings, prior alarms, hydrants, and other pertinent information. Company designations were also changed: OLD NEW Company 1-A Engine 11 Company 1-B Engine 12 Ladder 1 Platform 11 Fire Medic 1 Rescue 11 Company 2 Engine 21 Fire Medic 2 Rescue 21 Company 3 Engine 31 Fire Medic 3 Rescue 31 Company 4 Engine 41 Company 5 Engine 51 Fire Medic 4 Rescue 51 Large, reflective metal signs made by the City Sign De- partment were placed on each side of apparatus to help identify

units. Brackets mounted on each apparatus allowed the signs to easily be changed when apparatus went in or out of service. 1989 The number of females increased in the firefighter ranks across the nation during the 1980s. It was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of a female firefighter calendar. A 1989 calendar featured Jo Ann Lester of the West Palm Beach Fire Department for the month of July. Firefighter Paul Polisena took the photo of Jo Ann standing at the pump panel of an engine. On January 3 The Palm Beach Post ran an article that reviewed the City of West Palm Beach's affirmative action plan after one year. The fire department in 1988 had 11% minorities (19 of 170 firefighters). Chief Reese had just hired ten addi- tional personnel all of which were either female or minorities. There were no openings in the fire department, but the city had okayed the extra personnel temporarily in order to increase the number of minorities on the roster. Unbeknownst to city offi- cials, the article went out on the national UPI wire service and caught the eye of a United States Justice Department investiga- tor who decided to look into the possibility of reverse discrimi- nation in West Palm Beach's hiring practices. The Downtown/Uptown arsonists stepped up their mad- ness in 1989 as legal problems delayed the demolition of dilapi- dated structures. It would seem to firefighters as if the orches- tra was slowly gaining momentum for a rousing crescendo. Fires came two or three at a time, even in broad daylight. New evolutions were practiced, such as using deck guns to snuff out roaring house fires in a minute or two. New recruits became seasoned veterans overnight; Brian Joy battled 26 working fires in his first two months on the job. The training department shot plenty of good video at the daytime burns and the camera would always scan the crowd of observers hoping to get a shot that might lead to the arrest of the arsonists. On Sunday, January 15, 1989, firefighters were busy putting out a fire in a boxcar on a railroad siding at 26th Street. An engine company leaving the scene discovered a fire in the Johnson Flooring Company building at 906-26th Street. It proved to be stubborn and tragedy was narrowly averted when a firefighter suddenly fell through the second story floor into the main area of the fire. Aaron Fells was quickly pulled to safety by other firefighters. The new recruit was uninjured and ready for more action. In March of 1989 the F. O. F. purchased property for a clubhouse. President Robert Berlin had been dealing with the city for three years to settle the issue of the leased property at 2801 Tuxedo Avenue. On March 21 the city sold the lot to the Fraternal Order of Firemen. The property had been put out for bid and the only bidder was the F.O.F. at $190,001.00. Since the existing lease had been valued at $160,000, the F.O.F. had to pay $30,001 to close the deal and gain title. Hopes for a new hall looked brighter. The Maintenance Division, headed by Chief of Fire Equipment Maintenance Charles Lewis, had outgrown the sin- gle bay at #4 Station where repairs to apparatus had been made since 1961. The number of vehicles requiring service had more than doubled and space was at a premium. The old Na- tional Guard Armory garage, located just to the north of #4 Sta- 5