Page 103 - History of the Colton Fire Department

Strict OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administra- would use as their social hour. Marcia Shipley was the
tion) requirements would back Colton’s actions towards Chief’s secretary and she would sit with us and record the
a safer - more efficient work environment. Later the pol- visitor’s information.
icy would dictate that any engine with less than 3 people Wednesday – The wood shop would get new face lift.
would remain out of service. The system of replacing Thursdays – was brass day. We still had a lot of brass
people in the event of an illness or vacation was to utilize knobs and fixtures around the station and it all needed
a person that had trained for the position of either a Cap- polishing. A few years later I got smart and started clear
tain or Engineer but did not yet hold that position. This coating things.
was called an acting position. If there was a Captain on Friday – It was time to clean every window in the station.
Vacation each shift would keep track of whose turn it is Saturday – Lawns and landscaping. We would also do a
to act as Captain. Then you might have to move another complete equipment check on Saturday were we started
person to act as Engineer. Some days it could be all ac- every small motor, checked all breathing apparatus and
tors. Because there could not be an acting paramedic and made sure everything was in working order.
there were no rules in place to maintain 2 paramedics on Sunday – Clean, vacuum, wax and buff every floor.
the squad many times they would combine a firefighter/
EMT with a paramedic on the squad. That would make Original Hose Wagon
it tough on the medic to sometimes triage, assess the pa- One of my first projects as a Rooky was to help
tient, treat and then call the hospital for further orders. restore Colton’s original Hose Wagon. The Hose Wagon
His plate was full. I must say that there has been a huge was loaned to the San Bernardino County museum that
change in the EMT program of today and the motivation was located in Bloomington and opened to the public in
behind the EMTs to assist the paramedic with his patient 1957. There was not enough space inside the building so
contact. But, with constant manning around the corner, the Hose Wagon remained outside in the weather. The
the squad would always have 2 Paramedics. All mem- County Museum moved from Bloomington to Redlands
bers that would act in another capacity other than the po- in 1974 but the wagon remained in Bloomington until it’s
sition that they hold would obviously be familiar with broken down shell was recovered by members of the Col-
that position but it was not the job that they do every day. ton Fire Department. The driving force behind the Hose
If the public wanted to have consistency and the most Wagon’s recovery was Captain Don Rountree. The parts
highly trained individuals for every position, “Constant were salvaged, sandblasted and painted. Some of the
Manning” was the answer. In other words if a Captain guys that were good in the wood shop had rebuilt and re-
or Engineer would be on vacation or a Paramedic was off placed the rotted wood. The original wooden wheels and
duty because of illness, those people would be replaced tongue were salvaged with lots of sanding and linseed oil.
with a person of the same rank to maintain a crew with After its completion in late 1982, the Hose Wagon once
the skills and training necessary for the most effective again was given on loan to the San Bernardino County
fire fighting company. This was referred to as “Constant Museum with the stipulation that it be kept inside. There
Manning” and was put into effect around 1992. have been several occasions that Colton wanted to dis-
The “Muster” at the engines tailboard just outside play its history and had borrowed the Hose Wagon on
of the radio room was a morning ritual. This is when a short term basis. In 2009 there was a request that the
the off going shift informs the on coming shift about the Hose Wagon be present during the reopening ceremony
events or changes from the previous day. The on com- of Station 1 after its remodel. San Bernardino County
ing Captain would take note of who was on vacation or Museum stated that Colton had signed papers, giving the
off because of illness and give assignments for manning Hose Wagon to the Museum and they would not be able
the engine, squad and water tender. Sometimes we might to loan us the wagon now or at any time in the future.
have to mix with station two’s crew in order to make This was a sudden change from past practice so I later
things work. On pay day, Division Chief Bob Beach talked to Don Rountree since he had retired, asking if
would appear behind the podium to hand out pay checks. there had been any release papers that he knew of. Don
Every day of the week we had a major chore along said that there were no such papers signed giving them
with our daily routine chores. ownership. The San Bernardino County Museum stated
Mondays - Rain or shine, it was car wash day for about 5 that they could not find the paperwork to document their
to 6 staff cars. claim and the matter of ownership has not been resolved.
Tuesdays - Blood pressure clinic where we might get 30 Presently, the Hose Wagon is being proudly displayed as
to 70 residents filling up our squad room for what many part of their ”Cross Roads in History”. 103