Page 38 - History of the Colton Fire Department

When the fire service pays its respects to a lost
firefighter whether it’s in the line of duty or in honor of
their contribution and dedication throughout their ca-
reer, “The Bell Ceremony” or also known as “The last
Call Ceremony” is a tradition of honor.
Wes Vaughn’s “Last Call”
Read by Captain Con Cendejas, Honor Guard
Leader
The men and women of today’s fire service are
confronted with a more dangerous work than ever be-
fore. We are forced to continually change our strategies
and tactics to accomplish our goals safely.
Though our methods may change, our goals
remain the same: to save lives and protect property,
sometimes at a terrible cost. This is what we do, this is
our chosen profession.
This is the tradition of the firefighter. The fire
service of today is ever changing, but is steeped in tra-
ditions, some over 200 years old. One such tradition is
the sound of a bell.
In the past, as firefighters began their tour of
duty, it was the bell that signalled the beginning of that
day’s shift. Throughout the day and night, each alarm
was sounded by a bell, which summoned these brave The Bell from “Betsy” - 1914 Seagraves and Nick Carter
souls, whether volunteer or paid professional, to fight
fires and to place their lives in jeopardy for the good of
their fellow citizen. And when the fire was out and the
alarm had come to an end, it was the bell that signalled
to all the completion of that call. When a fire fighter had
died in the line of duty, paying the supreme sacrifice, it
was the mournful toll of the bell that solemnly announced
a comrade’s passing.
We utilize these traditions as symbols, which re-
flect honor and respect on those who have given so much
and who served so well. To symbolize the devotion that
these brave souls had for their duty, a special signal of
five rings, three times, represents the end of our com-
rades duties and that they will be returning to quarters.
And now, we pay tribute to Wes Vaughn. His duties done,
he has given his best, a job well done. For our fallen
brother, his last alarm. He has gone home.

Battalion Chief Harry Norfleet is giving a tour at Lincoln
Elementary. You can see the bell that was on the 1938 Sea-
graves. It was common at that time for the bell to be trans-
ferred from one engine to the newest engine. The bell was
missing from the 1914 Seagrave as the 1924 was placed in
service with its bell. Then again when the 1938 Seagraves
was placed in service with its bell there was no bell to be
38 seen on the 1924.