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April 25, 1925 shortly after the Town of Flagler Beach was incorporated, the Town Commission formed a police and fire committee composed of L.O. Upson, H.W. Sessions, and R.W. Raulerson.
October 2, 1925 the town commission authorized the purchase of a fire truck from the Obenchain-Boyer Company in Logansport Indiana. The truck was to cost $2750.00 with the first payment on the note due in 14 months. The truck was received sometime in December of 1925. It was a chemical truck. There was no pump. Pressure for the hoses was produced by a chemical charge similar to the old style soda acid fire extinguishers. Additional chemical charges were ordered on April 23, 1926.
Early 1926 the Flagler Beach Garage and later Mrs. S.A Baker (owner of the casino) were paid for storing the fire truck.
February 19, 1926 the town commission appointed J.J. Rheiner as the first Fire Chief. He was given the authority to select assistants as he may need.
April 23, 1926 the fire and police committee was composed of L.O. Upson, D.D. Moody, and Thomas A Herrington.
June 1926 the police and fire committee was authorized to find location for housing the fire truck. Also in June of 1926 the Town Commission instructed the Town Clerk to write to the Obenchain-Boyer Company concerning the unsatisfactory condition of the fire truck. Later in the month of June, L.S. Raurk was paid $11.25 and F.L. Shepherd was paid $20.00 for labor on the fire department garage. There in no mention of the location of the garage. In July of 1926 R.L. Fuquay was paid $20.00 for painting the fire department garage.
October 15, 1926 the Town commission accepted the resignation of J.J. Rheiner, Jr. as Fire Chief. Louis Upson was appointed as Fire Chief.
November 1926 the Town commission passed the first fire prevention ordinance in Flagler Beach. It called for all streets, alleys and lots within 50 feet of a structure be grubbed and cleared. The lot owner was responsible for the clearing of the lot(s) and the Town would pay for the cost of clearing the streets and alleys. If a lot owner failed to clear his lot, the Town would clear it and charge the lot owner.
January 1927 the Town made the first payment on the fire truck in the amount of $100.00. John Warner was paid $40.00 for replacing the axle on the fire truck in February of 1927. A committee of one was appointed to sell the old axle.
April 15, 1927 the police and fire committee was composed of K.H. McCullough, P.F. Hudson, and R.S, Tolan. In May of 1927 the Flagler Beach Garage was paid $21.70 for repairs on the fire truck.
June 1927 the Boyer Fire Apparatus Company presented a note in the amount of $585.50 due on the fire truck. The Town Commission authorized the Town Clerk to request an extension to Janaury 1, 1928 provided that the Town pay $100.00 plus interest at this time. In July of 1927 the Town Clerk was instructed to advise the Boyer Fire Apparatus Company that owing to the taxes being paid so slowly, the Town would be unable to pay their note. If the note could not be renewed, The Boyer Fire Appatatus Company could take the truck back and cancel the town’s indebtedness. Later in the month of July $100.00 was paid to extend the note to January 1.
October 25, 1927 Charles Teebe was appointed as Fire Chief.
February 1928 the Town Clerk was instructed to write to the Boyer Fire Apparatus Company in regard to finding out what arrangement could be made to cancel the Towns indebtedness on the fire truck. Later in the month was offered a payment of $200.00 and yearly payments of $300.00 for eight years with a final payment of $148.16. Apparently this offer was accepted. Checks for the annual payments were put in escrow at the Bunnell State Bank. (reading through the lines, it seems that the main reason that the Town did not default on the fire truck note was because they were in the process of issuing bonds to finance building a pier and a water system)
April 1928 Fire Chief Teebe requested a new battery for the fire truck and planks to lay in the garage for the fire truck to rest on. The Fire Chief also requested that a fine be placed on any unauthorized person(s) caught in the fire house. After discussion the Town Commission decided at existing ordinances covered the matter. However, they authorized to have two ventilators put in the fire house and a padlock placed on the door with a key in a glass front box for emergency cases. It cost the Town $2.00 for the ventilators, $1.00 for the padlock, $6.05 for the floor planks, and $12.07 for the battery. The Town also paid 50 cents in July for repairs on the roof of the fire house.
September 1, 1928 Charles R. Teebe resigned as Fire Chief and Adolph Deen was appointed Fire Chief.
Late 1930's the Town and Boyer Fire Apparatus Company were still negotiating for payment.
Unknown Rumor has it that the Obenchain Boyer fire truck was destroyed in a fire. It was apparently being repaired and the wheels had been taken off of it when the fire house caught fire. It seems that there wasn’t an organized fire department from about the time of World War II until 1950 or 1951.
1951 the Town received a surplus 1925 American LaFrance fire truck from the City of Atlanta. They also purchased a similar truck from Daytona Beach. This truck had a chain driven axle and a gear type pump. The pump was damaged at a fire on Lambert Avenue. They were drafting water from the Intracoastal Waterway and no one noticed that the rope holding the suction strainer had broken and allowed sand to be drawn into the pump. The sand rounded off the gears of the pump. Its been talked about how bright and shiney the brass gears were when they were taken out of the pump.
Early 1950’s a two bay fire station was constructed at the corner of South 4th Street and South Daytona Ave. This building is still being used by the City. At this time a telephone call system and siren were used to notify the volunteer firefighters of a call.
1956 the Town purchased a 500 gpm pumper from Howe Fire Apparatus. Half of the cost of the truck was paid by Civil Defense. There was a stipulation that it had to respond to any fire within the County. At the time the City of Bunnell did not allow their truck to leave their city limits.
1964 Bunnell and Flagler Beach purchased identical mini-pumper type trucks from W.S. Darley. The trucks were built on a pickup truck and had a 500 gpm front mount pump and a 200 gallon water tank.
1965 A new City Hall was constructed. It included a three bay fire station with a meeting room, kitchen and office. (the 3 bays were renovated in 2000 for use by the Flagler Beach Historic Museum) In the time between 1951 and 1976 Dean Peterson, Paul Staton, and E.J. Chaffee served as Fire Chief.
February 1972, the 1956 Howe was the primary engine with the 1964 Darley as backup. E.J. “Zeke” Chaffee was Fire Chief at that time. At that time members depended on a siren mounted on the roof of City Hall to alert them to a call. The Mosbys lived across the street from the station that was located in the City Hall building. They answered the FD telephone and could activate the siren from their house. When members arrived at the station for a call Mrs. Mosby or one of her family members would be standing by the door of the fire station with the location and nature of the call written on a blackboard. This was done because it was almost impossible to communicate verbally while the siren was activated.
The 1956 Howe had a police two way radio in it. At that time the Sheriffs Department did not have a dispatcher on duty between 11 pm and 7 am. The Sheriff’s son lived at the jail and would answer the radio if it woke him up during those hours. If that didn’t work, members would contact a deputy sheriff or police officer. They could relay fire department messages through Putnam County. Most of the members of the department installed citizens band radios in their vehicles so that they could communicate with each other. The volunteer association purchased CB radios for the trucks and loaned money to members who could not afford to buy a radio.
1974 the City purchased a 750 gpm pumper from W.S.Darley. Shortly after that the 1964 Darley truck was converted for emergency medical calls. The tank and hose reels were removed and a camper type topper was placed on the truck. At that time the County had one ambulance with one EMT. The EMT took the ambulance with him wherever he went. This caused some excessive delays. Several of our members took the first EMT course taught in Flagler County and would fill in if the ambulance EMT needed time off. The department held several rummage sales to get the money to convert the truck.
Up until 1974 the firefighters turnout gear was stored and carried on the 1956 Howe fire truck. Members did not have their own turnout gear. The gear consisted of 3 or 4 canvas duck turnout coats, 3 or 4 rubber coats, rubber wading boots, and about 10 helmets.
1974 the City took advantage of a 50/50 grant from the Florida Division of Forestry and purchased NFPA compliant turnout gear for each volunteer.
1975 two suspicious fires destroyed the Marco Polo Park which was located near the current entrance to Plantation Bay.
1976 Fire Chief Zeke Chaffee retired.
April 7, 1976 Robert Creal was appointed Fire Chief by the City Commission.
Mid 1970’s FBFD became one of the first volunteer fire departments in Florida to allow females to fill firefighter positions.
Late 1970’s the department needed a better two way radio communication system. The volunteers conducted several fund raisers and got several corporate donations to purchase the needed equipment. A base radio on a fire frequency was installed in the station office, mobile radios were installed in our trucks, and each volunteer was issued either a Plectron alert receiver or pager. Members still depended on the siren to initially alert them to a call. The first firefighter to arrive at the station used to base radio to activate the alert receivers and pagers.
1980 the City purchased an Emergency One 300 gpm mini-pumper to replace the 1964 Darley truck. This truck was set up to respond to emergency medical calls, traffic accidents, and as a backup for fire calls. Shortly after receiving the truck, the City bought a Hurst “Jaws of Life” tool. The volunteer association purchased accessories and a ram.
1982 a radio had been installed at the Sheriffs Office dispatch center that would activate alert receivers, pagers, and siren. This eliminated the need for the Mosbys to answer the FD telephone and activate the siren.
1984 the City purchased a Grumman 1000 gpm pumper to replace the 1956 Howe.
Friday May 17, 1985 two large wildfires burned through the County. One fire started near the Old Haw Creek Road and burned all the way to the coastline just south of Flagler Beach. Many homes in Korona and the Seminole Woods subdivision were burned or damaged. The second fire started west of US1 near the Hargrove Grade. It burned through Palm Coast and was stopped by Graham Swamp. About 130 homes were destroyed and hundreds more were damaged in the two fires.
April 4, 1994 the 15,000 square foot Ebb Tide Restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway was destroyed in a suspicious fire. Our department received assistance from every fire department in the County.
1995 ground was broken for the new fire station on South Flagler Avenue.
March 1996 The building was opened. It was named the Mosby Building in honor of Mrs. Mosby.
December 1996 the City purchased a 1250 gpm pumper from Pierce.
June and early July of 1998, the county was ravaged by wildfires. Our station was used to house many of the firefighters from out of the area. The training room was converted into a bunk room. The entire county was evacuated in early July due to the wildfires.
More history coming soon . . .
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