WPBFD History

chief was not a fa- vorite of the firemen. His style of leader- ship alienated most and scared many who had no options except to take a ver- bal lashing when his temper flared. One incident involved the water bills at #2 Sta- tion in the late 1960s. The bills were higher than any other station and Hoffman knew that the firemen had to be using city water in- stead of well water to maintain the lawn

to save in the debris of what used to be a home. A Flo-Gas Company truck had been filling a LP gas tank when a leak developed in the hose. Escaping gas entered a nearby house and was ig- nited by an unknown source. The result- ing explosion seri- ously injured an oc- cupant of the house and a neighbor in the adjacent yard. Both were admitted to St. Mary's Hospi- tal with cuts,

21st Street explosion and fire.

even though everyone at the station denied the charge. This became a major preoccupation for the crusty chief and he often drove by trying to catch the culprits in the act. At one point he even removed the outside faucet han- dles in an attempt to stop the waste. Hoffman was never able to find the cause of the higher water bills, but he knew that someone had to be responsible. In the 1970s, after Hoffman had retired, cracks began to appear in the concrete ramp at the front of #2 Station. City crews discovered a broken water line leading into the station when they tore up the concrete. Hats were another critical matter in Hoffman's eyes.

bruises, and second degree burns. Ten other people in the neighborhood were slightly injured when windows blew out of their homes. It was truly a miracle that no one was killed. The gas man was so shook-up that a bystander had to rush over with an extinguisher to put out the fire on the broken hose. David Evans, the Flo-Gas truck driver, then regained his composure enough to move the gas truck away from the burning house. He just kept driving and did not return to the scene until an hour later. Deputy Chief Hoffman was well known by the pub- lic, especially on the west side where ripping house fires were the most com- mon. The deputy

What could be more important than ensur- ing that all the firemen had their hats on whenever they were outside their living quarters? It was comical as firemen raced for the hat racks whenever they were called to the truck room. No one wanted to face the stern dep- uty chief without be- ing properly covered. One day, after several men had been disci- plined for hat infrac- tions, the deputy chief's hat turned up missing. The hat was finally discovered in

chief would get a lit- tle ruffled when the heat was on and race around the scene yell- ing orders. When the firemen pulled-up at a working fire, by- standers would often want to know where the man was who "shouts dem’ fires out." Hoffman got so wound-up at one scene where a fire death occurred that firemen had to physi- cally restrain him and take him back to Cen- tral Station. The deputy

New Central Station Watch Office 1964 with Harold Williams “on watch”. 4