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Seattle Municipal Archives Finding Aids

2800-00. Seattle Fire Department

 Record Group
Identifier: 2800-00
The creation of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) can be traced back to July 6th, 1876, when the all-volunteer Seattle Engine Company No.1 was organized by a meeting of citizens convinced of their growing town’s need for a dedicated fire-suppression capability. The various fire companies that appeared in proceeding years were similarly equipped and administered on a private basis until 1883, when the City Charter was amended to create and fund equipment, but not staff, for a centralized municipal fire department. The first fire chief of this new volunteer organization, Gardner Kellogg, would also become the first chief of the professionalized department in 1889, as well as the first Fire Marshall in 1901. The volunteer-based system persisted into the late 1880s, when the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 destroyed over 30 city blocks and resulted in approximately $12-16 million in damages. Under pressure from the insurance industry and its citizens, the city council acknowledged the inadequacy of a part-time force to meet the city’s expanding need for fire protection. The council passed Ordinance No. 1212 in 1889, which reformed Seattle’s seven volunteer companies into a paid, professional unit of 32 men organized into five district fire stations. The decades following the birth of the professional SFD brought rapid increase in size and resources commensurate with Seattle’s explosive growth rate; from an 1890 population of 42,000, the city’s inhabitants numbered over 237,000 by 1910. Prominent developments included the creation of a maritime fire unit with the deployment of the fireboat Snoqualmie in 1891; the complete transition from horse-drawn to motorized fire engines in 1924; and the development of firefighter- staffed, emergency response "aid cars" during the 1930s. The SFD also participated in the historic founding of the International Association of Fire Fighters in 1918; the department’s Local 27 constituted one of the union’s 218 charter members. While the rigors of the Great Depression necessitated the temporary dissolution of 14 of the SFD’s 55 operational companies, recovery was hastened by the threat of new fire hazards posed by World War II-era industrialization. Associated incidents, such as the 1943 Frye Slaughterhouse fire caused by the crash of a B-29 bomber, would severely tax the department’s limited resources during this time. The postwar SFD experienced a wave of significant material and organizational changes, one of the first being the Local 27-sponsored institution of the 8-hour day and 48-hour week for firefighters in 1947. Other important developments included the installation of two-way radio communication in first-line vehicles in 1950, the 1958 upgrading of the aid car program with stretcher-bearing station wagons, and the 1959 adoption of a new Fire Code based upon national standards. Throughout this time, the SFD’s institutional mandate continued to evolve beyond basic fire suppression. In 1970, the department’s new Medic One program initiated the training and deployment of firefighters as first-response paramedic units throughout Seattle. In 1980, the specially trained and equipped Hazardous Materials Response Unit was deployed to respond to incidents involving dangerous chemicals, including fires, spills, and suspected drug labs. Some of the most consequential changes to the SFD at mid-century did not concern equipment but equality, as the department admitted its first African-American firefighter (Claude Harris) in 1959 and its first female firefighter (Bonnie Beers) in 1977. The ongoing commitment to the recruitment and training of under-utilized applicant pools substantially diversified the department’s make-up; of the 49 firefighters enlisted in 1993, 9 were female and 11 of minority status. As of 2010, the SFD contains 1,020 uniformed personnel organized into 5 Operational Battalions and one Medic Battalion, which are employed running 33 engine-equipped fire stations, 11 aid and medic teams, 4 fireboats, and a host of other emergency resources. Several specialized units are used for hazardous materials response, marine response, search and rescue, and other incidents requiring extraordinary expertise. Under the control of the Fire Marshall’s Office, the SFD administers an array of fire prevention efforts, including Fire Code enforcement, inspection of building fire plans and safety systems, public education programs, and the regulation of hazardous materials storage and use. In addition, the department provides leadership and personnel to several regional incident response organizations, such as FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Teams and the Puget Sound Marine Response Consortium.

Found in 45 Collections and/or Records:

Fire Marshal's Monthly Reports

 Series
Identifier: 1802-B3
Abstract

Monthly reports of the Seattle Fire Marshall, 1901-1961; reports include statistics on monetary losses, types of alarms, numbers and causes of fires, and inspection records.

Dates: 1901-1961

Board of Fire Commissioners Minutes

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2800-01
Abstract

Proceedings of Board of Fire Commissioners meetings, 1890-1896.

Dates: 1890-1896

Building Inspections Log Book

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2810-03
Scope and Contents note For dates 1901 - April 1906, this volume is a chronological record of building inspections performed by the fire department. Includes address and owner of building, which ordinance was violated and how, reported by whom, what type of notification was given, how much time was allowed to comply, and results. Inspections that resulted in no violations are also recorded. Also includes monthly tallies and yearly summaries. The types of violations include defective chimneys, fire escape...
Dates: 1901-1910

Goodwill Games Records

 Series
Identifier: 2810-04
Abstract

Records documenting security preparations for the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle.

Dates: 1987-1990

Accident Prevention and Incident Board Minutes

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2810-05
Abstract

Minutes and findings regarding fire apparatus accidents and injuries to fire personnel.

Dates: 1981-1992

Fire Department Public Education and Fire Safety Records

 Series
Identifier: 2810-06
Abstract

Records from the Fire Marshall's office of the Seattle Fire Department relating to public education and fire safety.

Dates: 1980-1995

Building Code Revision Records

 Series
Identifier: 2810-07
Abstract

Records from the Fire Marshal's Office related to the update and revision of Seattle’s high rise building codes.

Dates: 1977-1983

Fire Marshal Subject Files

 Series — Box 9
Identifier: 2810-08
Abstract

Records from the Office of the Fire Marshal.

Dates: 1951-1993; 1964-1979

Fire Code Violation Cards

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2810-09
Abstract

Index cards recording fire code violations found by the fire marshal in Seattle.

Dates: 1919-1968

Fire Incident Cards

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2810-10
Abstract

Index cards kept by the Seattle Fire Marshal to track various types of fire incidents.

Dates: 1963-1977

Fire Department Estimates and Budgets

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-01
Scope and Contents note

Copies of departmental budgets and estimates of expenditures.

Dates: 1890-1924

Fire Department Record of Supplies Received and Disbursed

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2811-02
Scope and Contents note

Record of supplies received by the department and then disbursed to respective engine companies. Includes vendor, description of supplies, quantity, and cost. Arranged chronologically.

Dates: 1894-1906

Fire Department Monthly Appropriation Record

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-06
Scope and Contents note

Record of monthly expenditures for apparatus, equipment, supplies, maintenance, and services. Includes date; requisition, and voucher order numbers; and amount of order by type of expenditure.

Dates: 1911-1924

Fire Department Stable, Laundry, Chicken, Fireworks, and Sign Permit Index

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-07
Scope and Contents note

Two indexes. Fireworks and signs permit index for 1906 includes name of grantee and permit number. Index for stable, laundry and chicken permits for 1908-1911 includes grantee, date, and permit type.

Dates: 1906-1911

Fire Department Expense Ledger and Study Questions

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-08
Scope and Contents note This volume contains two separate subjects interspersed throughout the volume. One portion consists of a ledger where payments or costs are recorded and added. Some of the months are dated 1901. This portion is organized by name of company or type of expense, with amounts listed by date below. Some headings are names of companies, such as Lowman & Hanford, Laird & See, Sanford Manufacturing Company. Many of these names only have one entry under the heading. Other headings include:...
Dates: 1901-1928

Fire Chief's General Correspondence

 Series
Identifier: 2801-01
Scope and Contents note Correspondence relating to Fire Department activities. Includes information on equipment needs and purchases, department budget, code violations, assessments of station sites, equipment and apparatus evaluations, and personnel matters. The first two boxes contain outgoing correspondence in bound volumes for the years 1894 to 1928. Outgoing and incoming correspondence overlaps with the volumes and dates from 1903 to 1951. Included is correspondence from Chief Stetson with his son Horatio,...
Dates: 1894-1951

Fire Chief's Intradepartmental Memoranda

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2801-02
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence and memoranda from the Fire Chief relating to personnel actions including reprimands, promotions, hiring and firing. Also includes memoranda to other departments and Fire Marshal's notices of fire code violations.

Dates: 1895-1917

Fire Department Central Files

 Series
Identifier: 2801-03
Scope and Contents note Central file maintained by Fire Department administration. Combined with other record series from the department, the records present a very complete history of the Department, including changing technology and its local and national context. The change from horse-driven wagons to motorized vehicles is documented as well as the Departments’ participation in the Puget Sound Urban Search and Rescue group which traveled throughout the country in the 1990s to assist with various disasters. The...
Dates: 1890-2003

Fire Department Apparatus Records

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2801-04
Scope and Contents note

Certificates of title, inspection reports, correspondence regarding sales, specifications, and accident reports for trucks, wagons, and other fire apparatus. Includes reports of tests conducted prior to purchase.

Dates: 1900 -1955

Fire Department Station House Records

 Series
Identifier: 2801-05
Scope and Contents note This record series contains information about the physical structures of the station houses of the Seattle Fire Department. Types of materials include correspondence, memoranda, maintenance requests, architectural drawings and photographs. The records contain some materials related to personnel and community relations issues. New station planning materials, including building drawings and appraisal reports, are included for some stations. Requisitions for station amenities make up a large...
Dates: 1903-1984

Fire Department Newsletter

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2801-06
Scope and Contents note

Monthly departmental newsletter.

Dates: 1964-1983

Seattle Fire Department Moving Images

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2801-11
Abstract

Moving images, primarily 16 mm, created by or for the Seattle Fire Department and ranging from PSAs to training drills.

Dates: 1940-1988; 1960-1988

Fire Department Publications

 Series
Identifier: 2801-12
Scope and Contents note

Newsletters published by the department as well as the union, the officers' association, a fire buff society, and others. Also includes brochures and Fire Department ephemera.

Dates: 1915-2019

Fire Department Scrapbooks

 Series
Identifier: 2801-13
Scope and Contents note Scrapbooks consisting of newspaper clippings of articles and photographs on topics related to the Fire Department. Most of the articles cover incidents to which the firefighters responded, including fires, car accidents and medical emergencies. Also prevalent are articles regarding the fire department's involvement with specific propositions, initiatives, fire station closures and pay raises/cuts. Also included are articles about training, equipment, personal interest stories about...
Dates: 1947-1979

Marine Fire Protection Project Records

 Series
Identifier: 2801-14
Abstract

Records documenting the Seattle Fire Department's Marine Fire Protection Project.

Dates: 1972-1980

Fire Department Public Information Officer Records

 Series
Identifier: 2801-15
Scope and Contents note Records from the Public Information Officer documenting the activities of the Seattle Fire Department from the 1960s through the late 1980s. The collection includes press releases dating from the 1960s through the 1980s, graduation ceremony programs and planning records, fire station dedication and rededication records, as well as memos from various fire chiefs, citizen complaints and responses, and information on fire safety films. Of particular interest are records pertaining to the...
Dates: 1915-1993

Fire Department Personnel Pocket Cards

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2802-01
Scope and Contents note

Summary and index to department personnel files. Includes demographic data on employees and brief notes on personnel actions.

Dates: 1890-1970

Fire Department Union Records

 Series
Identifier: 2802-02
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence, meeting minutes, grievances, agreements and contracts, and negotiation and arbitration files maintained by the department primarily relating to the Firefighters Union Local 27. Two folders relate to Local 2898

Dates: 1964-1998

Fire Department Civil Service Department Correspondence

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2802-03
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence and civil service forms relating to promotions, notices of appointment, separations, misconduct reports, injury reports, requests for certification, and returns to service.

Dates: 1895-1927

Fire Department Conduct Reports

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2802-04
Scope and Contents note

Reports to the Civil Service Department concerning conduct of men in each company. Filed monthly.

Dates: 1904-1914

Fire Department Engine Company Roll Book

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2802-07
Scope and Contents note

Daily logs of each firefighter's hourly in and out status of Engine Company 6. Also includes some additional information such as supplies received and alarms or fires, as well as fire fighter substitutions.

Dates: 1892-1896

Fire Department Log Books

 Series
Identifier: 2802-08
Scope and Contents note Chronological log (dates and times) of the regular business of the Engine Company. Each volume is exclusive to a particular Engine or Truck Company or Station. Each volume contains differing amounts of detail and differing additional information. All include some kind of personnel information such as shift changes, officers on duty, days off, substitutions, payroll or sick/injured fire fighters. Almost all include some alarm and response information. Other information recorded includes...
Dates: 1905-1955

Fire Department Performance Record

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2804-01
Scope and Contents note

Chronological record of alarms and subsequent actions taken at the fire sites. Information provided for each fire: date of alarm, time alarm received, engine companies responded, distance traveled to fire, amount of time at site, feet of hose laid, feet of ladder raised, gallons of chemicals used, casualties, and remarks. Includes monthly tallies.

Dates: 1894-1906

Fire Department Alarm Response Log

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2804-02
Scope and Contents note

Each volume is divided into sections, each engine company in its own section. Within each company section is a chronological list of alarms to which the company responded. Includes date, name and address of building or structure and Fire Department officer on duty.

Dates: 1919-1926

Record of Fires

 Series
Identifier: 2804-03
Scope and Contents note

Chronological record of fires in Seattle, including date, time, alarm, location, owner, description, cause, and information regarding the value and loss of building and contents. Monthly and yearly summaries are also included. Some volumes list responding Engine Companies.

Dates: 1894-1924

Medic I and II Records

 Series
Identifier: 2805-01
Abstract

Records documenting the establishment and operations of the Seattle Fire Department's Medic I and Medic II programs.

Dates: 1969-1992

Record of Fire Losses and Insurance

 Series — Box 2
Identifier: 2810-01
Scope and Contents note

Chronological list of fires written in narrative form including date, address of structure, owner, estimated amount of loss, and insurance coverage. Many entries are incomplete.

Dates: 1903-1911

Fire Marshal's Correspondence

 Series
Identifier: 2810-02
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence, notices, and inspection reports regarding fire hazards, fire code violations, fire escapes, and other safety devices at Seattle homes and businesses. Includes orders to correct violations. This is almost exclusively the correspondence of Gardner Kellogg.

Dates: 1902-1912

Fire Department Instruction and Information Manual

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2802-05
Abstract

Handwritten manual outlining various aspects of the Fire Department's operations.

Dates: 1913

Fire Department Distribution of Claims

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-03
Scope and Contents note

Record of payments for equipment and supplies, building repair and maintenance, utilities, payroll, and other department expenses. Includes voucher number, name of payer, service or account type, and amount paid. Annual recapitulations are arranged by engine company and totaled by month.

Dates: 1908-1925

Fire Department Operating Expense Ledger

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-04
Scope and Contents note

Monthly list of operating expenses including small stores, feed, harness repair, chemicals, fuel, drugs and medicine, etc. Arranged by engine company.

Dates: 1894-1897

Fire Department Record of Expenses

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 2811-05
Scope and Contents note

Record of departmental expenses arranged chronologically with monthly recapitulation by fire company. Includes date, requisition number, item or supplies, cost, and company receiving it.

Dates: 1893

Fire Department Annual Reports

 Series
Identifier: 1802-G4
Scope and Contents note Early reports include duties performed, statistics, financial information, and ages and names of Fire Department members. Information on alarms responded to includes date, time, location, and financial loss. Causes of fires are also listed, although this information is included in Fire Marshal reports which date from 1904 to 1931. Fire Alarm Superintendent reports are also included with many early Fire Department annual reports. In the 1920s, the reports discuss administrative changes, such...
Dates: 1895-2024

Fire Department Slides and Photographs

 Series
Identifier: 2801-09
Abstract

Slides primarily used in public relations and training prgrams.

Dates: 1971-1991

Fire Department Personnel Records

 Series
Identifier: 2802-06
Scope and Contents note Records of positions held, promotions, disciplines taken, civil service investigations, and extracurricular activities on behalf of the Fire Department. The records provide glimpses into the employees' personal lives, especially in the 1910s and 1920s, as the files include explanations for tardiness, communications with debtors, and reasons for resignations. The personnel files cover employees who worked less than a year to those who worked more than 50 years. Women began working in the...
Dates: 1903-1969