Page 33 - History of the Colton Fire Department

The old City Hall was originally an opera house and being Joe did. We put as much furniture as we could up on top of beds and
old had its share of mice and bats. Finally the Police Chief moved the dining room table, rolled up the carpet and piled National Geo-
out and we moved into the front apartment. It had a cupola out graphic Magazines (which had been saved for many years) around
front and on the third floor was another one where my dad fixed for the closet doors. The Kinmans, my dad and I went into the kitchen
me as a play room. It was hard growing up in a place with no yard, and meeting hall were sandbagged kept most of the water out. That
flowers, pets or bicycles. night it was almost to the windows. No one slept and the emergency
The wooden slide pole was so large and I couldn’t get my generator was used so we had a stove to cook on and Mrs. Kinman
arms around it. The gasoline pumps were in the back and whenev- had made stew that day. The next day they threw a line across 10th
er anyone needed to get gas they would have to get the drivers to Street to the fire department and sent over food. They had worked so
open the pumps. The street sweeper was a wonderful person who hard on the grass and flowers but when the water finally subsided,
pushed his cart with his brooms and kept the downtown streets clean only mud and boulders remained outside and mud throughout the
(6 blocks) the other streets were left to anyone who wanted to clean apartments and apparatus room.
up in front of their homes. Our first new fire engine was a 1938 Seagraves and was
Ken Apperson left a year later and dad made First driver. totaled in a collision with another truck at 8th and I Street while go-
Second driver was Harold East and then Hugh Roberts and others ing to a fire in South Colton. Joe Howe was driving and George Kin-
would come and go until George Kinman. George was there until man was with him. When the truck left the station that night my dad
1938. Charlie Castle was the other single driver who later became a stepped on the back and then stepped off deciding not to go. George
CHP Officer and then Joe Howe. Kinman was hurt the most and retired from the fire service. 1938 was
When my Dad first arrived, the only fire truck was a 1914 a very bad year. ~Naomi~
Seagraves, right sided steering wheel which was purchased mostly
by funds raised by a Carnival. We called it “Betsy”. It was all white 1926
with gold leaf printing and was the pride of the city. It was large and
hard to handle. My dad who had only a thumb and stub of a second The fire chief’s salary increased from $25.00 a
finger was able to handle it with ease. In 1924 we got “Little Red year to $25.00 per month, plus service at fires.
Baby” so named because of the hugeness of “Betsy”. It was a tradition that the bell that was first mount-
In 1928 or 1929 they finally remodeled the City Hall, the cu- ed on “Betsy” would be remounted on the newest engine
polas and large wooden doors were taken out. The apartments were as it was put in service.
improved and the volunteers had a large meeting room, kitchen and
a room with a pool table. Joe even had better quarters. However,
the only bad thing was the steps were on the outside of the building, a
porch was connected to the next building and the washing machines
and clothes lines were on this porch. The poor iceman had a long
way to bring ice up (before refrigerators) but he knew where the
liquor was so it was not all in vain. The old City Hall was solid and
the earthquakes made it sway but no bricks fell.
When city elections came around you had to get out and
work for the ones who would keep you on the job. There was no civil
service and each election meant your job. Every four years there
was always a group of three that ran together so they would be able
to run things their way.
The best times were the dinners the volunteers put on for the
families. At least two or three times a year. Everyone helped and the
families enjoyed being together.
The summers were hot (before air conditioning) and being
surrounded by pavement and brick buildings. The Copula was the
place to be especially on the nights when the KKK met across the
street and you tried to tell who they were by their walk, behind the
white sheets.
The city purchased a resuscitator and many times a baby
was brought to the station for help. They worked on one baby for 12
hours and they were unable to save it. The driver was very upset but
it was the beginning of trying to save lives not associated with fire but
human concern.
When the station at 10th and E Streets in April 1937 was
complete (built by WPA) the era of a small town fire department
was gone. The city appointed as the first fire chief Friend Lombra
who had been chief of the volunteers. The three drivers and families
moved to the new station.
The floods came in 1938 it had been raining for many days
and Lytle Creek could no longer hold the water. Mom had gone to
work and they decided early to take one truck to higher ground which 33