Page 57 - History of the Colton Fire Department

1955
Fire Chief Carter Dies of a sudden Heart At-
tack… Fire Chief George C. Carter, 63, better
known as “Nick” to his countless friends, passed
away last night at his home at 191 East G Street,
victim of a heart attack which struck suddenly
and without warning. Friends of the chief’s
were shocked when the news spread around the
city this morning. Carter had been on the job
yesterday and attended the weekly meeting of the
Kiwanis Club, of which he was a member, last
night. For a man who didn’t want the job, Carter
stuck around for a long time. In an interview
18 months, shortly before he received a diamond
studded pin from the city for his 30 years of serv-
ice to that time, the Chief said he took a job as
fireman in Colton only because the late Friend
Lombra, Fire Chief at the time, talked him into
it in 1923. Carter joined the department on No-
vember 11 of that year when there were only two
paid members and the fire company was located
in the City Hall on I Street.
Carter would have retired in April of
next year. For the past few months he and his
wife, Judge Myrtle Carter, had planned to build
a new home and had their present home up for
sale.
Carter leaves his widow, Mrs. Myrtle Carter; a daugh-
ter, Naomi Ellison of Colton; three grandchildren; his mother,
Mrs. Laura Lloyd of Ventura; a brother Ollie Carter of Colton;
three sisters, Mrs. A.C. Abel of Northridge and Mrs. Pearl Yar-
borough and Mrs. Ella Brackett of Simi Valley.
In addition to the Kiwanis, Carter was a member of the Odd Fel-
lows and several professional organizations.
-The Colton Courier, Tuesday, March 29, 1955-

On April 20, 1955 Ed Temby was appointed
as the 3rd fulltime Fire Chief. On June 6, 1955 Chief
Temby reviewed the department’s grading schedule
as the newly appointed chief. The last grading was
done in 1938. The Pacific Fire Underwriters of Los
Angeles, at the request of Chief Temby scheduled an
inspection for the fall/winter of 1955. After the grad-
ing was completed the city’s fire protection classifica-
tion was a Class 5 with the following recommenda-
tions: Completion of the fire alarm system which was
asked to be done in the 1938 grading, add additional
fire suppression personnel and to provide a second
station in the northwest portion of the city. As a result
of the recommendations, the City Council proceeded
with the bond issue to take to the citizens to improve
fire protection for the city.
Top: Chief Carter at his desk.

Bottom: Chief Temby at his car with plenty
of new and progressive ideas to drive home.
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