WPBFD History

firefighters donated earned vacation time to provide monetary assistance to the Grasso family and a huge benefit barbeque was held at John Prince Park on October 6. Firefighters from all over the county showed up in support of the stricken West Palm firefighter. Larry was one of the most aggressive firefighters on the department, attacking fires with a ferocity that knew no fear. He fought his disease the same way but finally succumbed on November 11. The 15 year veteran left his wife Linda and four children. There were few dry eyes as the funeral procession slowly rolled through an arch formed by two ninety foot aerials fully raised and crossed. Larry was making his last run on Engine 31. This tragedy helped bring to light the terrible odds that firefighters face. Cancer was the third-leading dis- ease that disabled firefighters and they were three times more likely to die of the disease than the general public. The firefighter was a prime candidate for cancer after re- peated exposure to a wide variety of toxic gases and chemicals over an extended career. The West Palm Beach Fire Department held its an- nual awards ceremony on November 1, 1991. Walter Barndt received the Firefighter of the Year award beating out Alton Ashby, Kenny Young, and Tim Ketchner. Cer- tificates of Appreciation were given to eight members of the public who had performed heroic or extraordinary measures at emergency scenes during the past year. Other fire department members receiving awards were: Terry Shores of the maintenance division and secretaries Barbara Kinser and Joyce Olsen. Certificates of Merit were presented to Captain Roy Chapman; Lieutenants Dennis Withington and Ken Woodcum; Paramedics Chris Brown, Cathy Henderson, David Pack, Marc Leather- wood, and Paul Williams; and Firefighters Tom Ellis, Aaron Fells, Paul Lotts, David Merrell, and Kenny Young. The 1991 Florida legislature mandated additional training for all health care professionals. All E.M.T. and paramedic personnel, which included the entire depart- ment, would now be required to take an extra two hours education on HIV/AIDS with their bi-annual recertifica- tion. The training would cover such subjects as modes of transmission, infection control procedures, clinical man- agement of HIV, prevention of HIV/AIDS, and legal as- pects of the disease. The seriousness of the drug problem in West Palm Beach was reinforced on November 21, 1991. A fire at 740-47th Street was quickly extinguished by Engine 31. Eighty-year-old Cecil Hutson, who occupied the house with his wife Betty, was treated for first degree burns on his face and neck, and smoke inhalation. Fire inspectors called to the scene discovered the remains of several Molotov cocktails that had been thrown through the win- dow in an attempt to burn the house down.

A worker narrowly escaped death in an explosion at 1500 Presidential Way on September 23, 1991. David Vanderhaus had laid new floor tile in the kitchen of unit 205 and was using a flammable cleaner when fumes ig- nited. The resulting blast blew out several windows and started a fire in the kitchen. Vanderhaus put out the fire with an extinguisher in spite of burns to his hands. Fire- fighters arrived shortly before 12:30 p.m. evacuating the eight-story Yorktown condominium, treating Vanderhaus' injuries, and completing extinguishment of the fire. The explosion had been strong enough to actually displace one of the interior walls in the apartment several inches. An emergency at Jewelmaster's on September 30, 1991, was indicative of the new dangers facing those in the firefighting profession. A caller reported a potassium leak at the jewelry manufacturing plant located in a com- mercial district at 6001 Georgia Avenue. The first arriv- ing unit learned that four employees had already been taken to a local hospital for treatment after breathing po- tassium cyanide fumes. This Class B poison is highly toxic and can be fatal when inhaled or absorbed through the skin. The building, which housed multiple businesses, was quickly evacuated. Since West Palm Beach had not yet formed a specialized hazardous materials team, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was requested. The air was continually monitored for dangerous levels of potassium cyanide for four hours before an all clear was given. A more serious leak could have affected many people in a nearby residential area. On October 3, 1991, the fire department hired James Carman to fill the position of assistant chief of admini- stration. Carman brought a lot of experience with him from the New Brunswick, New Jersey Fire Department. He began his career in 1963 and in 1985 was named fire director for the eighty-one member department. He re- tired from New Brunswick in 1991. Daily radio test was changed to weekly radio test on October 6. All radios would now be tested at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Station 3 was the first to offer neighborhood chil- dren a Halloween party. In 1989 the Northwood Neighborhood Association asked the firefighters at #3 if they would be interested in hosting the affair so children would have a safe place to enjoy the holiday. It was a great success and a good opportunity to get a fire safety message out to the kids. By 1991 all fire stations were having neighborhood Halloween parties. Treats were passed out and contests held for best costumes. Various neighborhood associations donated money, candy, deco- rations, prizes, and people to help. The police department was also active in the event. West Palm Beach Firefighters were shocked into reality during the summer of 1991 when Driver/Engineer Lawrence Grasso was stricken with cancer. His fellow

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