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171 stories matching firemen
- Olympia’s Firefighters Needed Rubber Suits, Beds—and a Paycheck
An editorial urges the city to equip, house and compensate its firemen, noting that volunteers had spent their own money and lost clothing fighting the steamer Eastern Oregon fire.
- The Great Firemen's Brawl of 1889
A regional firefighting tournament in Tacoma dissolved into a chaotic dispute over prize money, accused dictators, and local pride, forcing Seattle firemen to offer a do-over on home turf.
- Railroad Union Leader Arrives to Mediate Wage Standoff
Grand Master F.P. Sargent arrives at the Occidental Hotel to negotiate pay increases for Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad engineers and firemen.
- The Ballroom Ignored the Flames: Olympia’s Nonchalant Dance Amidst Disaster
While citizens and firemen battled a blaze at the Washington Hotel on Friday evening, revelers inside continued dancing with startling indifference to the falling cinders.
- The Night Seattle’s Firemen Saved Ballard’s Mill
Seattle firefighters spent the night in Ballard after a mill fire endangered the main buildings; their engines were credited with saving the property.
- Volunteer Firefighters Pass the Torch
Walla Walla's volunteer fire department officially disbands as members receive exemption status.
- The Strike for a Messboy
When the crew of the whaleback steamer 'Wetmore' demanded a messboy to clean their quarters, the captain faced a labor standoff that revealed the grim realities of maritime life in the 1890s.
- The Bunco King of Riverside Avenue
A Wisconsin farmer falls for a classic card-sharping trap in downtown Spokane, while local firemen demand more pay for shoveling coal.
- The Haunted Steamer: A Maritime Labor Standoff
When the steamer Premier broke a propeller blade, her superstitious crew blamed a 'hoodoo' fireman—sparking a strike and an emergency standoff on the Puget Sound.
- A Night of Masks and Revelry
Yakima’s firemen transform the opera house into a glittering masquerade, capturing the spirit of a frontier city at play.
- Fire Department Botches North End Blaze
A carpenter shop burns to the ground as equipment fails and engines fail to build pressure.
- A Prayer for the Property
A homeowner's desperate plea to save his burning house becomes a local spectacle.
- Seattle's Fire Drill Revealed a City Almost Defenseless Against Flames
A routine test of the fire department exposed feeble water pressure and sent two firemen to bed with serious injuries.
- The Night Fourth Street Lit Up: Ellis's Furniture Warehouse Burns
A fire breaks out above a frame warehouse after ten o'clock, the east side of the city glows, and firemen haul chairs and mattresses into the street until the heat drives them back.
- The Sword of Order at the Newsboys' Union
When an attempt to depose the union's leadership led to chaotic brawls, a local fireman had to intervene with a literal sword.
- Walla Walla Devastated by Lower Main Street Blaze
A massive fire wipes out a half-block of wooden buildings, revealing the city's total lack of adequate firefighting equipment.
- The End of the Volunteer Era
Seattle decides to abandon its volunteer fire system in favor of a professional, paid department, prioritizing efficiency over neighborhood spirit.
- The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day
Northern Pacific tries to declare victory, but firemen, switchmen and engineers vote to stay out—while Debs wires that the fight is still solid.
- The Firefighters' Heavyweight Victory
A grueling contest of strength between Yakima’s firemen and a team of local citizens ends in a surprise win for the city's defenders.
- Railroad Disaster and Drowned Fireman in the Skagit Flood
A catastrophic flood in the Skagit Valley leads to two consecutive train wrecks and the death of fireman Ed Cole, leaving his young family behind.
- The Perilous 42-Day Voyage of the SS Shawmut
Passengers recount a chaotic journey from Manila to Tacoma, marked by boiler failures, mutinous crews, and the tragic deaths of three firemen.
- Firefighters battle stubborn blaze in North Seattle block
A basement fire under a millinery shop creates a late-night hazard for North Seattle responders.
- The Peril of Water and Wire
Electrical engineer A.L. Kasson warns that firefighters face a hidden danger when spraying water on high-voltage power lines during city fires.
- A Lamp Explodes and Firemen Are Trapped in a Third Avenue Blaze
An oil lamp exploded in a picture-frame shop at 1908 Third Street, burning its owner and trapping firefighters in a re-ignited wall of flame.
- The Underground Fire Beneath Jackson Street
Firemen battle a persistent blaze burning within the tide-flat ashes beneath the electric light works.
Also about this, in other words
- The Fire That Never Came: Seattle’s Barely-Staffed Engine Company
In 1878, the city finally bought a hand engine for fire protection, but with only ten men to crew it, officials warned that a real blaze would leave the town helpless.
- The Tragedy of a Dedicated Seattle Fireman
A young, well-regarded member of the fire department dies suddenly, highlighting the personal toll of civic service in 1886 Seattle.
- The Fire Warden’s War with the Firemen
Seattle’s fire warden defends his authority against a rebellious engine company.
- Olympia's Volunteer Firefighters Warn the City: We Are One Blaze Away From Disaster
In 1891, the city's three fire companies pushed to reorganize as a single department, citing a 25-year-old hand engine, unfurnished sleeping quarters, and waterfront shacks that could turn a small fire into a catastrophe.
- The Firemen Held the Line at First and A
A wind-whipped blaze threatened a row of frame storefronts in North Yakima. The department stopped it—and grateful citizens filled its empty fund.
- The Firehouse Rebellion
Seattle's volunteer firemen resist a City Council power grab in a bitter dispute over control of firefighting apparatus.
- After the Fires, Newport's Young Businessmen Build a Fire Department
A city-hall meeting called by the Commercial Club elects Charles Luce chief and signs more than twenty volunteers, answering a season of business-district fires.
- The Case for a Modern Fire Engine in 1880s Seattle
An urgent editorial call for the city to upgrade its firefighting capabilities to match Seattle's rapid expansion.