WPBFD History

the new fire station during his tenure. An audit of the Town of West Palm Beach was conducted in early 1904. T. G. Hutchinson of Jacksonville ex- amined the records and found them " . . . prepared in a very careless man- ner . . ." Assets of the West Palm Beach Volunteer Fire Department totaled $3,010.10. Among the appa- ratus listed were a hook and ladder truck, a hand pump with folding brakes and two 2 1/2 inch discharge

tion was passed "that the fire com- mittee of the Council and the com- mittee appointed by the firemen, con- fer and purchase a light-weight hose and reel on the best possible terms." With the council in a giving mood, Chief Morris then asked for repairs to be made on the old hand engine and renewing of the fire extinguish- ers throughout the town. "Authority was given to the chief to have the matters attended to."

Hand drawn hose cart 1905.

connections, and a hose reel with 500 feet of hose. The fire department building was estimated as being worth $225. At the meeting of July 1, 1904, the association de- cided to send the company to Miami on July 27 to take part in the celebration of that city's birthday. The men entered the firemen's parade, taking the new $250 hose reel. There was a heated rivalry at the time between West Palm Beach and their closest competitor, Miami. 1905 The first fire station was nearing completion by the summer of 1905 and the men were eager to move in. Minutes of the June 8, 1905, meeting stated, "The chief informed the members present that the new fire hall had been accepted by the Town Council and appointed Bert Faber, Ralph Broadwell and Harry Redifer to meet the council at their next regular meeting and see if they were ready to turn the fire hall over to the company and to dis- cuss a Fourth of July proposition with them." July 4, 1905, was a proud day in the Town of West

The first charter of West Palm Beach was adopted in 1903. One of the ordinances limited the speed of automo- biles to seven miles per hour; four miles per hour on cor- ners. 1904 On April 20, 1904, Flagler gave a grant in the amount of $6,000 to the association. A contract for con- struction of the first fire station was let shortly thereafter with Jones & Greer, builders. The northeast corner of Datura and Poinsettia (Dixie Highway) was selected as the site. Construction began late in 1904 and carried over into 1905. The original building would consist of engine rooms and offices on the first floor with living quarters on the second floor. City hall rooms were added later. At the time the department possessed two hand reels for hose, a hand-tub (pump), and a hand-drawn ladder truck. Oscar Cheatham was appointed chief on May 19, 1904. He would break the precedence of short term chiefs by retaining his position for more than six years. He had the honor of supervising construction and opening

5 The West Palm Beach Volunteer Fire Department in the July 4, 1905 Parade.