WPBFD History

1968 The worst fire in the his- tory of the department in terms of lives lost occurred in the early morning hours of March 24, 1968. The alarm awoke sleeping fire- fighters at 1:35 a.m. for a structure fire at 294 Queens Court. In minutes the men were straining against the hose lines battling the blaze in the two-story frame house. Four bodies were later removed from the smoldering ruins. The fa- talities were Robert Painter, Shirley Painter, Peggy Painter, and Cleverly Ar- mour. The tragedy was caused by a deteriorated electrical wire that shorted- out. Despite the public consen- sus in the recent bond issue, there was still considerable debate among commission- ers over the bond market.

He then announced the type of emergency and location into a microphone. Incom- ing emergency telephone calls were supposedly re- corded on dictaphones, but they seldom worked. There were three or four of the an- cient devices in various stages of disrepair. A time card was stamped to document all emergency radio transmis- sions. Both routine and emergency transmissions had to be hand written in a radio log. The watchman was also responsible for en- tering all routine information in the station log. Severe weather alerts and national defense warnings were broadcast over the

N.A.W.A.S. radio system and a "bank" of fire alarm monitors were haphazardly installed on one wall. The old watch office was noisy and often busy, especially during normal business hours when the chiefs and fire inspectors were getting calls. No sleeping was allowed when the men were on watch. This proved a difficult rule to follow on the 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., or 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. watches when there was little to do except watch the telephone console and go cross- eyed. Firemen developed unique ways of leaning back in the old office chair and resting their heads on the 4-inch thick city directory to catch a few winks. Riviera Beach Fire Department called for help on Sunday, July 30, 1967. Mullins Lumber Yard at 8th Street and Old Dixie Highway was burning furiously and they had already recalled their entire force. A pumper was dispatched from #3 Station to assist. The city commission decided to hold a referendum vote for a $2,600,000 bond issue that would include $1,000,000 for relocating the Central Fire Station and construction of a fifth station in the expanding westward section of town. The rest of the bond money would be used for construction of a new city hall and various rec- reational facilities. The election was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1967, with the following results; the fire station bonds passed by a solid majority, 3,041 to 1,834, the new city hall squeaked by, 2,582 to 2,337, and the recreation issue passed 2,570 to 2,134.

Charles Griffin and Chief Sloan testing hose in the mid-1960s.

On June 10, 1968, Vice Mayor Potter said the City Com- mission felt that other cities in the area had received Gen- eral Obligation Bond interest rates lower than West Palm Beach and if a rate in the neighborhood of 4.7 percent could be obtained, the city would save $173,537 in inter- est payments. The commission finally concluded that the sale of bonds for the new facilities was not in the best in- terests of the city and the proposed projects were scrapped. Chief Sloan was extremely disappointed when plans for relocating Central Station failed to materialize. The department had done a lot of leg work in promoting the bond issue and finding a suitable site for the new headquarters. Howard Johnson's Restaurant, located in the 300 block of Belvedere Road, was the scene of an accidental fire on August 28, 1968. A deep fat fryer was left on when the business closed at 1:00 a.m. The fryer over- heated and caused grease in the container to ignite. An automatic hood extinguishing system was activated, but failed to control the fire. Flames found their way into the ceiling, spread along the open space, and finally vented through the roof. Units responded at 2:29 a.m. for an- other "all-nighter." Assistant Chief "Bud" Smith was first on the scene and ordered Company 4 to bring in a supply line. Royal

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