WPBFD History

Graham proposed a reduction in per- sonnel which Local 727 strongly ob- jected to on the grounds of safety. In the eyes of the firefighters any reduc- tion in the already bare-bones personnel level could prove disastrous on the fire ground. Tempers on both sides had flared as the issue hit the media. Once again the union made pleas to the public and of- fered other solutions to the monetary crisis in an attempt to maintain the cur- rent number of firefighters and compa- nies. In many ways the situation was similar to that faced by Chief Sadler when the depression of the 1930s threatened to curtail services. The lay-off dispute had been settled in the summer of 1993 and a three-year

Beach to accept the chief’s position in Delray Beach. He had worked there two years as assistant chief before tak- ing the top position in West Palm Beach in 1990. Rehr’s three years in West Palm Beach came at a time when the city suffered some of the worst financial problems in its history. “These opportunities don’t come along very often,” Rehr was quoted as saying in the Palm Beach Post . “I think it’s an opportunity to go to a city . . . recognized for its excellence. I don’t think Delray is facing the financial cri- sis that West Palm Beach went through in 1993.” Mayor Graham announced Rehr’s replacement on May 12. James M. Car- man, the 55 year-old assistant chief at

James M. Carman, Chief 1994

contract was finally agreed to on August 5, 1994. Fire- fighters agreed to annual drug testing and the city agreed to raises of 6% for topped-out employees and up to 16% for others. A dramatic rescue unfolded on Congress Avenue at Echo Lakes Drive on October 3, 1994. A car with four teenagers had been hit broadside by another vehicle and pushed into a canal; several occupants of the car were trapped under water. Firefighters and paramedics worked desperately to free one of the youngsters, performing emergency treatment without having time to think. Two of the injured died despite those efforts. Just another day of playing checkers at the firehouse and taking home that big pay check. The Centennial Celebration began on Friday, Octo- ber 28 with a big chili cook-off and block party in the 400 block of Clematis Street. All 30 gallons of chili was con- sumed by the crowd which numbered in the hundreds. The West Palm Beach Fire Department had the honor of unfurling a huge United States flag to begin the Centennial Parade on Saturday morning. Firefighters re- pelled down the south side of the Comeau building open- ing the flag as the national anthem played. The parade was led by some thirty fire apparatus from as far away as Jacksonville and Coral Cables. An unexpected surprise appeared when Martin County came down the street with a 1926 American La France pumper bearing a sign saying “Former West Palm Beach Fire Department Engine.” The department had been hunting the old truck for years. The parade of apparatus was the highlight for many youngsters watching from the sidewalks in awe. Butch Barndt pulled a fast one by putting all of the apparatus in the parade; city centennial officials wanted to limit the number to six.

West Palm Beach, was named the new chief. Carman began his career when he joined the New Brunswick, New Jersey Fire Department in 1963, rising to the posi- tion of fire director in that city in 1985. He came to West Palm Beach after his retirement in 1991. The Palm Beach Post article of May 13 hailed the appointment of the “first minority chief.” An alert was issued to all residents between Okee- chobee Boulevard and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard and between Australian Avenue and Congress Avenue on July 4, 1994. A liquid chlorine tank at the city water plant was leaking and posed a threat to people in that area. Fire- fighters and water plant workers worked carefully for 2 1/2 hours moving chlorine cylinders and sealing the leak. Firefighters once again were awakened by the alarm early on the morning of July 10, 1994. It was 2:35 a.m. when they arrived to find a woman desperately beating on the side of the burning house at 715-49th Street. Security bars on the windows slowed entry by the firefighters who were told that a young boy was still inside. The 5-year- old was found huddled between his bed and a wall, but all efforts of revival proved fruitless. Tavares Shank became the latest victim of the red menace in West Palm Beach. The department received a welcomed donation in July when Robert and Lucille Dingman gave two Ex- caliber Knife for Life tools for use in rescues. The $500 tools, powered by compressed air from an air pack, can cut through steel and glass. An auto crash had taken the life of Linda D. Deese, the Dingman’s daughter, prompt- ing the Dingmans to make the donation. As the West Palm Beach Fire Department ap- proached its one-hundredth anniversary, another financial crisis loomed. The city had once again been forced to make some critical decisions in an effort to continue emergency services with limited revenues. Mayor Nancy

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