This photograph was taken in 1947 shortly after the Tacoma Fire Dept. bought three new fire trucks from Tacoma Truck and Tractor Company. The Mack 1000 gpm pumper is parked in front of Fire Station No. 2, at 2701 Tacoma Avenue So. Fire Station No. 2 was built in 1907 from a plan by Paul Bergfeld, and was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1986.

Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire stations--Tacoma; Vehicles--Tacoma; Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma); Tacoma Truck & Tractor Co. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Fire Department had just bought three new fire trucks from Tacoma Truck and Tractor Company. They bought two "Mack" 1,000 gallons per minute (GPM) pumpers and a 75 foot aerial ladder truck. Exterior view of Fire Station No. 2 proudly displaying their new addition, the "Mack" 1,000 GPM pumper, an unidentified man is standing next to the truck.

Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Fire stations--Tacoma; Vehicles--Tacoma; Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma); Tacoma Truck & Tractor Co. (Tacoma);

Fire truck at Midland Fire Department . The 500 gallon pumper truck, loaded with different sizes of hoses, stands in front of the H.M. & L Fire Department, Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 4 (Fire District No. 4 served the communities of Harvard, Midland and Larchmont). Photo taken for Ted Hoakinson, South Tacoma Motors. South Tacoma Motors handled Chevrolet trucks.

Fire engines & equipment--Midland--1940-1950; Fire stations--Midland--1940-1950; Chevrolet trucks;

Tacoma Fire Department has been in existance for many many years, the first paid fire department was established in 1885. Since this time the department has dramatically increased to help meet the needs of the community. Exterior view of Tacoma Fire Station No. 2, located at 2701 Tacoma Avenue South, seven fire trucks, three have their all-metal ladders up; Mount Rainier in background. TPL-9236

Fire stations--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Ladders; Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma);

In 1944 the Tacoma Fire Department began an extensive modernization program aimed at upgrading its aging fleet of fire fighting equipment. This picture, taken in June of 1948, shows the fire departments impressive collection of trucks lined up along Tacoma Avenue South in front of Station No. 2. The fleet includes 3 Peter Pirsch 1250-GPM Pumpers with aerial all-steel ladders. TPL-10051

Fire stations--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Ladders; Fire fighters--Tacoma; Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma);

Exterior view of Tacoma Fire Station No. 2, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church on left side, Tacoma's Fire Department fleet is parked along Tacoma Avenue South. The fleet includes: Peter Pirsch aerial ladder trucks, Pirsch 1250-GPM pumpers, 1000-GPM Mack pumpers, 1000-GPM pumpers, 75 foot aerial ladder truck, 750-GPM Type 85 Mack pumpers, hose wagon, line truck and a light line truck; in 1948 all staff cars were replaced. TPL-10080

Fire stations--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma; Ladders; Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 2 (Tacoma);

On May 11, 1949 fire trucks, equipment and fire fighters from McChord Field and from Lakewood helped extinguish the blaze that destroyed this dry cleaning establishment. View of site where McChord Dry Cleaning Shop previously stood; the fire completely destroyed the business although a small portion of the building structure still stands (T.N.T., 5/12/49, p. A-9).

Fires--Lakewood--1940-1950; Disasters--Lakewood--1940-1950; Fire fighters--Lakewood; Fire fighting--Lakewood; Fire engines & equipment--Lakewood--1940-1950; McChord Dry Cleaning Shop (Lakewood);

A fire of undetermined origin, completely destroyed the privately owned McChord Dry Cleaning plant near Ponders corner in Lakewood. The Lakewood and McChord Field Fire department responded to the call. View of site where McChord Dry Cleaning Shop previously stood; the fire completely destroyed the business; no one was hurt (T.N.T., 5/12/49, p. A-9).

Fires--Lakewood--1940-1950; Disasters--Lakewood--1940-1950; Fire fighters--Lakewood; Fire fighting--Lakewood; Fire engines & equipment--Lakewood--1940-1950; McChord Dry Cleaning Shop (Lakewood);

A fire of undetermined origin, completely destroyed the privately owned McChord Dry Cleaning plant near Ponders corner in Lakewood. The Lakewood and McChord Field Fire department responded to the call. View of site where McChord Dry Cleaning Shop previously stood; the fire completely destroyed the business; no one was hurt (T.N.T., 5/12/49, p. A-9).

Fires--Lakewood--1940-1950; Disasters--Lakewood--1940-1950; Fire fighters--Lakewood; Fire fighting--Lakewood; Fire engines & equipment--Lakewood--1940-1950; McChord Dry Cleaning Shop (Lakewood);

Oren W. Satterlee was a firefighter for the Fircrest Fire Department. Oren was married to Marie and they lived at 919 Princeton Street in Fircrest; Oren had previously been the foreman of Herb Satterlee Motors. Portrait photograph of Oren W. Satterlee wearing a striped suit and tie, his Fircrest Fire Department badge and his official cap.

Fire fighters--Fircrest; Insignia--Fircrest; Portraits; Portrait photographs; Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fircrest Fire Department (Fircrest); Satterlee, Oren W.;

Firefighters from eight companies labored nearly four hours on the evening of November 9, 1949, combating the stubborn 2-11 fire which gutted the one-story brick facilities of the Avenue Tire Shop, located at 2311 Pacific Avenue. Loss to the tire shop, principally in ruined tires and damaged machinery, was estimated at $35,000. Adjacent properties, including Willner Clothing Company, also suffered damage. No injuries were reported. (TNT,11/10/1949, p.1-alt. photograph) TPL-9144

Avenue Tire Shop (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Group of uniformed fire fighters at Fire Station #1 with fire truck in the background. This two story, two bay frame firehouse went into service in 1920.

Fire fighters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Uniforms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Firemen practice their lifesaving techniques by catching an enthusiastic volunteer. The volunteer in this picture from June of 1950 has just jumped from the drying tower next to station No. 5 at 1453 South 12th Street. Fire Station No. 5 was built in 1935. Its number was changed to Station No. 4 in 1974. It was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1986.

Fire fighters--Tacoma; Fire helmets;

Ordered by Llewellyn Advertising Agency. Clipboards with copies of the Weekly Police Bulletins hang from the wall behind three men looking at rifles, knives, a revolver and even an ice pick in an office. The weapons have been tagged and are possibly police evidence. Mug shots and fingerprints of "Wanted" persons hang on the wall on the right.

Firearms; Knives; Posters; Identification photographs; Investigation--Tacoma;

On the evening of March 19, 1951, a major fire broke out at the Baker Dock, 300 Schuster Parkway, on Tacoma's waterfront when a lift truck that was receiving maintenance backfired. Gil Keske, the dock employee who was working on the lift truck when it backfired, tried to put out the fire with a hand fire extinguisher. When the extinguisher failed to put out the fire, he grabbed a few handtools and escaped before the whole repair shop caught fire. The fire was fought by 9 fire department companies, the city fireboat and 4 Foss Launch & Tug Co. firefighting tugs. The damage to the center section of the warehouse, dock and contents was estimated at $250,000. A fire wall and the absence of a wind aided firemen in keeping the blaze from spreading to the remainder of the facility and the adjoining Shaffer Terminal. (TNT 3/20/1951, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Baker Dock (Tacoma); Fireboats--Tacoma--1950-1960;

This is the new $13,000 scarlet fire engine, trimmed with chrome, that was put into service at Fircrest in July of 1951. It had traveled up from California. On the way it put out two vehicle fires and came to the assistance of a bus. At the wheel is Fire Chief Oren W. Satterlee. Leo J. Ash, city councilman in charge of the fire department, is in the middle. Fircrest's Mayor Nelson J. Morrison is on the right. Children were invited to visit the fire station on July 12th for rides and fire chief hats. The new acquisition carried 500 gallons of water with a pumping capacity of 600 gallons per minute. It had 1,300 feet of hose. The old unit, a 1939 model, would be kept mainly for brush fires. Fircrest at the time had a population of 1600 and was undergoing a building boom. (TNT, 7/11/1951, p.8)

Fircrest Fire Department (Fircrest); Fire engines & equipment--Fircrest; Satterlee, Oren W.; Ash, Leo J.; Morrison, Nelson J.; Mayors--Fircrest--1950-1960;

Fire Chief Lesley B. McGaw, Pierce County Fire District #3. Mr. McGaw was fire chief of the University Place Fire Department from 1941-1965. University Place, in the 1950's, was protected by volunteer firefighters who manned the trucks and answered fire calls. They attended weekly drills and furnished a man every night, seven nights a week, who slept at the fire station to answer emergency calls. In addition, the Fire District 3 commissioners were also volunteers. By 1960, University Place had a force of 30 volunteers, including one woman, and three full-time firemen. McGaw, a one-time truck driver and native of San Francisco, brought his frisky fox terrier, Patsy, with him to fires for many years. (TNT 4/10/1952, pg. 10, TNT 7-6-60, A-8)

Fire fighters--Pierce County---1950-1960; McGaw, Lesley B.;

New Fire Hall with equipment, Pierce County Fire District #3. The building was designed by architect Lyle Swedberg, and constructed by G. Kirkebo & Son Co. after bids were obtained in 1952. The building was paid for by cash and replaced the volunteer firefighters headquarters. The district was officially established in 1945 as a tax supported fire district by a majority vote of property owners. At the time the district was formed, the members of the volunteer fire fighting force sold their equipment, which included a fully equipped truck, to the district for $1. In addition to the new station, the district has a nearly new truck and two older trucks. (TNT 4/10/1952, pg. 10)

Fire engines & equipment--Pierce County--1950-1960; Fire stations--Pierce County--1950-1960;

Fire fighters are battling the fire at Harold E. Dahl Company from ladders set against the rear of the building. A ladder truck provides access to the roof of the building. Hoses look like spaghetti lying on the alley pavement. The cause of the fire that caused $89,000 damage to the four-story brick building was blamed on a cigarette. TPL-9889

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Harold E. Dahl Co. (Tacoma); Stores & shops--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

Fire fighters are battling the fire at Harold E. Dahl Company from ladders set against the rear of the building. Three fire fighters are standing on the same ladder, possibly to help hold and lift the hose, with another standing at the bottom. A ladder truck provides access to the roof of the building. The Harold E. Dahl Company sold office supplies, desks, typrwriters and safes. TPL-9237

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Harold E. Dahl Co. (Tacoma); Stores & shops--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

The Tacoma Fire Department provided ladders and the Safeway stores supplied scaffolding when members of the Painters Union, local # 64 and members of the Tacoma Junior Chamber of Commerce took on the project of painting Tacoma's totem pole at South 9th & A Street in 1955. By official proclamation, Mayor Harold M. Tollefson had declared May 8-14, 1955 "Clean up, fix up, paint up" week in Tacoma. This annual event encouraged citizens to clean out their basements, attics and yards and dispose of excess items. The re-painting of the totem pole was the project chosen to kick off the campaign. Local # 64 had already painted the totem pole once before in April of 1948.

Totem poles--Tacoma; Painting--Tacoma; Community service--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laborers--Tacoma; Painters Union Local No. 64 (Tacoma); Labor unions--Tacoma; Urban beautification--Tacoma--1950-1960; Scaffolding--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment;

The Gig Harbor fire department's trucks, firemen and firefighting apparatus posed for a November 2, 1955, evening photograph, outside a local Chevrolet dealership. In 1955, the volunteer fire department of Pierce County Fire District #5, headed by fire chief Charles L. Summers, answered 14 calls with only one major fire. One new and one used truck, perhaps the ones shown in the above picture, were added to help firefighters. A new station was built in Arletta to cut down on the time to answer calls. Firefighters presumably would have taken care of fires and other emergencies in the peninsula area. Photograph ordered by the Gig Harbor Firemen's Association. (TNT 1-22-56, B-7)

Fire engines & equipment--Gig Harbor; Fire fighters--Gig Harbor; Gig Harbor Firemen's Association (Gig Harbor); Automobile dealerships--Gig Harbor--1950-1960;

ca. 1955. View in 1955 of the tall doors to the garage bay where the fire engines are stored at Tacoma Fire Department's Engine Company #17. A reader notes that although signage over the doors indicated that Truck Co. #5 also operated from this station, the Tacoma Fire Department never established a staffed Truck 5 out of this station or anywhere else and still operates to this day with only four ladder companies city-wide. In addition to room for a thousand gallon pump truck and 75 ft aerial ladder truck, the building contained accommodations for 18 firemen and six officers. Lighting in the apparatus room came from large clerestory windows. Radiant heating panels were installed in the floors over which the trucks stood, to keep them warm and ready in all types of weather. The station had an enclosed outside garden court adjacent to the living quarters. It was closed when Engine Co. #17 moved to Fircrest. (TNT 1/9/1955) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Fire stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Fire Department, Engine Company #17 (Tacoma);

ca. 1955. Nalley Valley Fire Station, Engine Company #17 located in the industrial section near So. 35th St. and Union Ave. The station was designed by Robert Billsbrough Price, architect, of frame construction. It contained an area of 5,200 sq. ft. The outside was dark stained textured plywood contrasting with light colored stucco. It was Tacoma's first one floor fire station. The station began operation in March of 1955. Information received from a reader indicates that this station is now closed. Engine #17 was relocated to the City of Fircrest's fire station and that station re-designated as Station #17 when Tacoma assumed fire protection responsibility for Fircrest. The building at 3471 South 35th still exists and remains owned by the Tacoma Fire Department. It has been heavily remodeled and no longer resembles a fire station from street view. (TNT 1/9/1955) (Additional information obtained from a reader)

Fire stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;Tacoma Fire Department, Engine Company #17 (Tacoma);

The plant formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. on the Tideflats was destroyed by a $400,000, 2 hour fire on May 9, 1959. The building had been abandoned by the previous company and was now occupied by 8 smaller businesses, including Nordlund & Silva Boat Co., Educators Manufacturing, Nu Life Fertilizer, City Millwork, General Hardwood Co. and Thunderbird Water Ski Co. All of the businesses suffered extensive losses, most were insured to some extent. The fire was started by an oil burner and tank that were installed without the Fire Department's knowledge. Three-fourths of the sprinkler system had been turned off a few days before the fire due to its leakage on desks stored in the plant by Educators Manufacturing. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to surrounding plants. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1; 5/10/1959, pg. 1, TNT 5/19/1959, pg. 3)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Tacoma firemen bravely try to contain the blaze at the buildings formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. on the Tideflats. Over 21 firemen were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation, exhaustion and acid burns. The fire was fought by sixteen companies aided by a fireboat and off duty fireman. The fire did over $400,000 in damage to the structure and the inventories of the eight small businesses that occupied the buildings. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firemen pause in the fight against the raging fire that destroyed the plant formerly occupied by the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. Firemen from 16 companies answered the call that came at around 11:30a.m. on May 9, 1959 to fight the fire on the Tideflats. Firemen battled the blaze for more than two hours before containing it. The building, which was occupied by eight small businesses, was totally destroyed. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

The raging fire at the old Tacoma Sash & Door Co. plant broke out in a building where several people employed by Nordlund & Silva Boat Co. were working on small pleasure boats. All individuals escaped without injury. However, in the two hour fight to contain the blaze, 21 fireman were overcome by smoke or exhaustion or suffered acid burns. The flames at time shot to an estimated 150 feet in height, fed by the mahogany, school desks and fertilizer stored at the plant. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1, 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

Firefighters from 16 companies fought for two hours to subdue the blazes consuming the plant that formerly housed the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. At times the flames reached an estimated 150 feet in height and a brisk 50 mph wind blew sparks into the firemen's eyes and damaged roof tops of surrounding businesses. The heat was so intense that workers at the Buffelen plant 100 feet away could not stand to be outside. After the fire was subdued, 3 chimneys of the original structure were all that was left standing. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1 & 5/10/1959, pg. 1)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);

This is the aftermath of a spectacular fire that broke out on May 9, 1959, on the Tideflats at the plant for the Tacoma Sash & Door Co. The fire, the year's most spectacular, completely destroyed the plant and the equipment and materials of the eight smaller companies that occupied the building. The financial loss in the fire was estimated at $400, 000. Sixteen fire companies aided by a fireboat and off duty firemen battled the blazes, whipped up by a 50 mph southwesterly wind, to keep them from spreading to other volatile industries, such as Buffelen Woodworking, the tanks at Reichhold Chemical and the Rock Wool Co. (TNT 5/9/1959, pg. 1-article & alternate photograph & 5/10/1959, pg 1 & alternate photograph)

Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma);