The Fight for Fire Protection on Renton Hill
Residents of the Renton Hill neighborhood are organizing to demand an engine house, fearing their homes are too far from existing fire services.
The people on Renton Hill are out for fire protection, and next Monday night a large delegation will be present at the meeting of the board of aldermen to press their claims. Already petitions are being circulated both north and south of Madison Street. The city owns a lot at the corner of Howe and Harrison streets, purchased last fall as a location for an engine house, but the project was stalled when fire funds ran low. Residents argue that if a fire gets a fair start in a house within the district, it is almost certain to burn out before heavy fire apparatus can be dragged to the scene. Ex-Chief Hunt previously supported the claim, noting the impact on insurance rates. A long list of prominent residents signed the petition, including H. A. Bigelow, J. Arthur Hall, and Dr. E. F. Stevens.
“They claim that at present if a fire gets even a fair start in a house within the district it is almost certain to burn out before the heavy fire apparatus can be dragged to the scene.”
Renton Hill is now known as First Hill and Capitol Hill. The struggle for municipal infrastructure in growing neighborhoods is a perennial Seattle theme, echoing modern debates over the distribution of city services and public safety resources.
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