WPBFD History

the new apparatus. The number of volunteers began to dwindle during this period, yet the city was expanding. Slowly more paid personnel were added to fill in the gaps left by the volunteer shortage. 1918 Firemen have always been an active lot, taking part in various physical pursuits that result in numerous inju- ries to their bodies. Fire chiefs were no exception. A Palm Beach Post article dated July 7, 1918, stated: Chief Sadler is out again, having been con- fined to his home for two weeks as the result of breaking his leg while cranking a car. It is the old story of the crank kicking. In this instance it struck the victim on the leg near the ankle in- stead of the arm, according to rule, with a result more painful and inconvenient than usually fol- lows breaking of an arm. There were no specifics of the previous injury to Sadler that was inferred in the article. This was not the last misfortune that he would endure.

truck," was delivered in 1917.

The Fire Department was called to the local gas- works on the morning of November 29, 1916. A mal functioning regulator had allowed excessive gas into the furnace. Very little financial loss was reported in the po- tentially volatile incident. 1917 Under Chief Sadler's direction the department grew steadily with the addition of new equipment. The opera- tion of new apparatus required more training and knowl- edge due to the increased technology of the machines. In 1917 the first motorized ladder truck went into service. The "auto truck" had 235 feet of ladders, the longest being a 50 foot extension. Other equipment included: axes, picks, shovels, crowbars, roof cutters, tin cutters, insulated wire cutters, fire extinguishers, and three electric search- lights. The four cylinder engine produced 48 horsepower allowing a speed of 45 miles per hour. The 1917 West Palm Beach financial audit valued fire department equipment at $21,543, a figure that did not include the fire station. Total disbursement for mainte- nance of the department for the year came to $5,318.69. More paid personnel were hired to drive and operate

From horse drawn to motorized in the 1910s. 5