Seattle Firefighters Demand Better Equipment
Local fire delegates warn that current equipment cannot reach the city's growing buildings during an emergency.
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A combination board of fire delegates held a meeting last evening at No. One's engine house, for the purpose of considering the advisability of asking the city to purchase a new and improved truck and apparatus for the Seattle hook and ladder company. There were present Messrs. Haines, Good, Manning, Felly, Pronon, Latimer, Campbell, Hiligui, Holmes, Abrams, Levy, Kerry and Jones. Chief of the Department McKaon and Chief Engineer Campbell stated that the present apparatus of the company was insufficient for effective use in case of a large fire. They claimed that the ladders are too light to bear firemen who go aloft with hose, and that they were not long enough to reach the third-story windows in some of our larger buildings. It was finally decided to recommend the Council to purchase a new outfit, to cost about $1,100.
“The ladders are too light to bear firemen who go aloft with hose, and that they were not long enough to reach the third-story windows.”
As Seattle grew rapidly in the 1880s, the city's infrastructure struggled to keep pace. This request for a new hook and ladder truck highlights the constant civic catch-up required during a boom era.
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