Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection

Transcription

1 Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection 01 Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Last updated on March 07, Fireman's Hall Museum

2 Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...3 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 9 Related Materials Controlled Access Headings Page 2 -

3 Summary Information Repository Fireman's Hall Museum Creator Fireman's Hall Museum. Title Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection Call number 01 Date [inclusive] Extent 69.5 linear feet Language English Abstract The Philadelphia Fire Department traces its roots to a series of volunteer fire companies that were organized beginning in In 1871 it was established as a professional fire department and has continued to serve the city of Philadelphia. The Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection, , is comprised of memoranda and publications produced by the Philadelphia Fire Department. Biography/History "The Philadelphia Fire Department's mission is to protect the public safety by quick and professional response to emergencies and through the promotion of sound emergency prevention measures. This mandate encompasses all traditional firefighting functions, including fire suppression, with 60 engine and 30 ladder companies deployed throughout the City; specialized firefighting units for the City's two airports and the Port of Philadelphia; investigations conducted by the Fire Marshall's Office to determine the origins of fires and to develop preventative strategies; prevention programs to educate the public in - Page 3 -

4 order to increase overall fire safety; and support services such as research and planning, management of the Fire Communications Center within the City's 911 system, and operation of the Fire Academy. "Ordinances of 1840, 1855, and 1856 established a City Fire Department which was a voluntary association of independent fire companies which, in return for subsidies, accepted the direction of City Councils. An ordinance of 29 December 1870, established Philadelphia's first fully paid and municipallycontrolled Fire Department, administered by seven Commissioners chosen by Councils. [The Department went into service on 15 March 1871.] The Commissioners were abolished and the department placed under the control of the Department of Public Safety as the Bureau of Fire in 1887 in compliance with the 1885 Bullitt Bill and enabling ordinance of The Fire Marshal, first appointed on 1864, was a member of the Bureau of Police until 1937 when his office was removed from it and placed directly under the Director of the Department of Public Safety. In 1950 it was transferred to the Bureau of Fire. The City Charter of 1951 abolished the Department of Public Safety and established the present Fire Department. At that time its inspectorial duties were transferred to the Department of Licenses and Inspections. On 14 February 1972, the Office of Emergency Preparedness, which had been organized in January 1952 as the Philadelphia Civil Defense Council, with the Mayor as Director, merged with the Fire Department and the Office was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Fire Commissioner." Bibliography: Quoted text from: City of Philadelphia Department of Records. "Agency Information: Fire Department (Record group 74)." November 8, Accessed May 10, inventor/graphics/agencies/a074.htm Scope and Contents This is an assembled collection of various materials created by the Philadelphia Fire Department (P.F.D.) and its predecessor, the Philadelphia Bureau of Fire. The contents of the collection fall into five general groupings: station log books, fire alarm box dispatch cards, publications, memoranda, and miscellaneous. The station log books in this collection are of several different types, and originate at several different types of companies. The Officer's Journals include attendance lists and references to alarm calls. The Run Books contain more information about individual alarm calls, including the address, box number, address, time, and outcome. The Watch Desk Logs contain similar information. The Foreman's Logs contain the most information about individual fires, often including the cause, and also describe general goings-on at the station. About half the log books in this collection originate from Engine Companies ("E" Companies)--these are typical fire stations with fire engines. Other log books are from Ladder Companies ("L" Companies)--fire stations that are also equipped with hook and ladder--or Battalions ("Batt")-- Battalion Chiefs oversee several stations. A complete inventory of the log books is provided below: Company E 1 Run Log, Page 4 -

5 Company E 1 Run Log, Company E 2 Officer's Journal, Company E 2 Watch Desk Log, Company E 9 Forman's Journal, Company E 9 Watch Desk Log, Company E 9 Officer's Journal, Company E 9 Officer's Journal, Company E 9 Officer's Journal, Company E 10 Officer's Journal, Company E 12 Forman's Journal, Company E 12 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Forman's Journal, Company E 13 Watch Desk Log, Company E 13 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Officer's Journal, Company E 13 Watch Desk Log, Company E 13? Run Log, Company E 14 Watch Desk Log, Company E 15 Forman's Journal, Company E 15 Watch Desk Log, Company E 15 Watch Desk Log, Company E 23 Forman's Journal, Company E 23 Officer's Journal, Company E 24 Officer's Journal, Company E 24 Run Log, Company E 24 Officer's Journal, Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection - Page 5 -

6 Company E 24 Run Log, Company E 24 Officer's Journal, Company E 24 Officer's Journal, Company E 24 Run Log, Company E 24 Officer's Journal, Company E 24 Run Log, Company E 26 Officer's Journal, Company E 26 Officer's Journal, Company E 26 Officer's Journal, Company E 26 Officer's Journal, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, Company E 27 Watch Desk Log, Company E 30 Run Log, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Officer's Journal, Company E 32 Maint. Record, Company E 34 Forman's Journal, Company E 35 Forman's Journal, Company E 43 Forman's Journal, Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection - Page 6 -

7 Company E 46 Watch Desk Log, Company E 46 Watch Desk Log, Company E 57 Officer's Journal, Company E 57 Officer's Journal, Company L 1 Officer's Journal, Company L 1 Officer's Journal, Company L 1 Officer's Journal, Company L 1 Watch Desk Log, Company L 1 Officer's Journal, Company L 1 Run Log, Company L 1 Run Log, Company L 1 Officer's Journal, Company L3/Truck C Forman's Journal, Company L3/Truck C Watch Desk Log, Company L 11 Officer's Journal, Company L 13 Officer's Journal, Company L 21 Run Log, Company L 21 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1 Run Log, Company Batt 1 Run Log, Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1 Run Log, Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, Company Batt 1-Aid Run Log, Company Batt 4 Officers Journal, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Page 7 -

8 Company Batt 4 Officers Journal, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 4 Run Log, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, Company Batt 10 Officers Journal, Company Rescue 14 Run Log, Company Chem. 2 Forman's Journal, Company WT 1 Forman's Journal, Company WT 1? Officers Journal, Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection Fire alarm box dispatch cards contain predetermined lists of fire stations assigned to respond to particular alarm boxes. Each fire station used to keep a set of these cards, which designated the response order to alarms from fire boxes up to the fifth alarm. This collection includes three sets of these dispatch cards, dated circa There is also a set of "extra alarm" fire cards, which list the responders to particular incidents. The publications of the Philadelphia Fire Department include annual reports ( ), printed "Code of Fire Alarm Signals" (circa ), and P.F.D. News ( ). The P.F.D. memoranda in this collection date from the 1920s to There are several kinds of memoranda, such as general memoranda ( ), Chief Staff Notes ( ), activitiesoperations ( ), communications ( ), special orders ( ), general orders ( ), training materials (circa ), and miscellaneous memoranda (1920s-1990s). This collection contains additional miscellaneous materials, including P.F.D. employee lists, Firemen's Pension Fund of Philadelphia records, Firemen's Active Association of Philadelphia records, personal run log books, and other miscellaneous ledgers. A highlight of the collection is a Bureau of Fire members record, , with an alphabetical name list that includes age, residence, occupation, position, station, date of appointment, and ward. Other employee records include: deaths and injuries registers, 1871-circa 1907 (alphabetical) and (chronological); a monthly attendance log book by company, ; World War I veterans' physical exams for Fire Bureau employment, ; a chronological list of fire fighter appointments, Records from the Fireman's Pension Fund include: account journal, ; trial balance sheets, ; audit reports, ; and a binder on pension ordinance, circa There are some records of the Firemen's Active Association of Philadelphia, including minute books ( ), deeds, membership list ( ) and membership - Page 8 -

9 dues book ( ). There are personal run logs and records kept by non-p.f.d. individuals, including: Elwood B. Scherthorne [Second Alarmers] record of extra alarm fires, ; Personal Run log, ; Personal Run log, ; Al Stomckin Personal Run log, ; Tim McLaughlin Personal Run log, ; Automatic Fire Alarm Company, log of alarm triggers, Finally, the collection includes a few miscellaneous ledgers: Daybook of S. W. Jacob, fire engine parts and carriage parts, ; Bureau of Fire feed account, ; Order book, ; P.F.D. contract ledger, ; Shop Gas & Oil usage, ; Training class Log, ; Shop Brake & Light Test, ; and Pay Record, Administrative Information Fireman's Hall Museum Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Sponsor This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Access Restrictions Contact Fireman's Hall Museum for information about accessing this collection. Immediate Source of Acquisition Note Materials collected by the Fireman's Hall Museum at various times. Processing Information Note Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in as part of a pilot project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project. In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Fireman's Hall Museum directly for more information. - Page 9 -

10 Related Materials Related Archival Materials Note City of Philadelphia Department of Records: Fire Department, Record group 74. Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania Fire Companies of Philadelphia collection, , collection Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) Philadelphia (Pa.). Fire Dept. Geographic Name(s) Philadelphia (Pa.) Subject(s) Engine companies Fire extinction Fire stations Ladder companies - Page 10 -