WPBFD History

CHAPTER TEN The City Moves West 1963 to 1972 Everything is sweetened by risk. Alexander Smith

new classification would not be granted, however, until some of the recommendations had been met. By September 1964 Chief Sloan had added seven new men to the ranks; six were assigned to man the ladder company and the seventh was assigned to the Fire Preven- tion Bureau. The water department had installed an addi- tional 41 hydrants. As a result of these and other changes, the city was given a Class 3 rating effective August 1, 1965. Fire broke out in the second floor stockroom of May's Food Center on the Saturday afternoon of Septem- ber 14, 1963. The Northwood Road supermarket suffered extensive damage to the contents of the storeroom and some water damage to the first floor. Firemen brought the fire under control in half an hour, but complete extin- guishment took another four hours. Co-owner Herbert May was credited with saving the life of an elderly female bookkeeper who panicked in a smoky second floor office. May rushed upstairs and led the woman to safety. The fire was ruled accidental. A call was received at 4:27 p.m. on Monday, No- vember 25, 1963, for a fire in a building at 500 Kanuga Drive. Firemen arrived to find smoke pouring from a quonset hut that was being used to store parcel post mail by the post office. Two pumpers and twenty firemen fought the blaze for more than an hour before subduing the flames. The fire consumed more than 700 bags of mail. With the purchase of the new Pitman articulating platform (T-43), the department had the 1948 Maxim lad- der (T-42) as a reserve unit. Old T-41 was no longer needed. The city didn't know what to do with it, though. A press release issued on December 23, 1963, read in part:

1963 Chief Sloan was intent on upgrading the education of his company officers. Before his appointment as chief, this had been primarily left up to the individual, but times were rapidly changing. Fire science was in its infancy and those seeking instruction had to attend the State Fire College in Ocala until Sloan decided to bring the classes to West Palm Beach. The first such workshop was held in the classroom of #4 Station in April 1963. Allen Erwin, State Fire College instructor, gave a thirty hour course on fire tactics. A model of the 400 block of North Dixie Highway simulated fire situations for the officers to con- sider tactics. Two fire deaths were recorded on May 16, 1963. A one-story wood frame house located at 435-18th Street suffered heavy fire damage. The bodies of George Benja- min, age 5, and Angela Benjamin, age 3, were discovered in the ruins. Cause of the fire was unattended children playing with matches. The National Board of Underwriters had visited West Palm Beach in February and March. Its report, dated June 1963, found "Adequate water supply with some unreliable features. . . . Fire department generally well equipped but with an inadequate number of compa- nies and considerably undermanned . . ." Some of the recommendations for the fire depart- ment included: 9.a. That at least 4 men, including a company officer, be on duty at all times with each com- pany. b. That department manning be further in- creased as soon as practicable, to provide 6 men, including a company officer, with each company. 10. That an additional engine company . . . be established with Engine 4, to be eventually relo- cated in an area depending on the future growth of the city. 11. That additional ladder companies . . . be established as follows: a. With Engine 2 b. With Engine 3 The Underwriters' findings improved West Palm Beach's classification from a Class 4 to a Class 3. The

Anyone in the market for an antique firetruck? If so, this south Florida community has a 1926 American-LaFrance 75-foot tractor-drawn aerial "in excellent condition," and is looking for a home for it. "Old 41" was purchased by the city in 1925 at a cost of $15,500, and was in continuous service for 22 years. In 1948 it was "semi-retired" and placed on reserve status. Now it has to go to provide firebarn space for a new 1963 fire- fighting apparatus. . . . "We'd like to keep it if we had a place to put it,

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