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Fireman's Hall Museum Philadelphia Fire Department collection
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Held at: Fireman's Hall Museum [Contact Us]147 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA , 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Fireman's Hall Museum. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
"The Philadelphia Fire Department's mission is to protect the public safety by quick and professional response to emergencies and through the promotion of sound emergency prevention measures. This mandate encompasses all traditional firefighting functions, including fire suppression, with 60 engine and 30 ladder companies deployed throughout the City; specialized firefighting units for the City's two airports and the Port of Philadelphia; investigations conducted by the Fire Marshall's Office to determine the origins of fires and to develop preventative strategies; prevention programs to educate the public in order to increase overall fire safety; and support services such as research and planning, management of the Fire Communications Center within the City's 911 system, and operation of the Fire Academy.
"Ordinances of 1840, 1855, and 1856 established a City Fire Department which was a voluntary association of independent fire companies which, in return for subsidies, accepted the direction of City Councils. An ordinance of 29 December 1870, established Philadelphia's first fully paid and municipally-controlled Fire Department, administered by seven Commissioners chosen by Councils. [The Department went into service on 15 March 1871.] The Commissioners were abolished and the department placed under the control of the Department of Public Safety as the Bureau of Fire in 1887 in compliance with the 1885 Bullitt Bill and enabling ordinance of 1886. The Fire Marshal, first appointed on 1864, was a member of the Bureau of Police until 1937 when his office was removed from it and placed directly under the Director of the Department of Public Safety. In 1950 it was transferred to the Bureau of Fire. The City Charter of 1951 abolished the Department of Public Safety and established the present Fire Department. At that time its inspectorial duties were transferred to the Department of Licenses and Inspections. On 14 February 1972, the Office of Emergency Preparedness, which had been organized in January 1952 as the Philadelphia Civil Defense Council, with the Mayor as Director, merged with the Fire Department and the Office was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Fire Commissioner."
Bibliography:
Quoted text from: City of Philadelphia Department of Records. "Agency Information: Fire Department (Record group 74)." November 8, 2000. Accessed May 10, 2012. http://www.phila.gov/phils/docs/inventor/graphics/agencies/a074.htm
This is an assembled collection of various materials created by the Philadelphia Fire Department (P.F.D.) and its predecessor, the Philadelphia Bureau of Fire. The contents of the collection fall into five general groupings: station log books, fire alarm box dispatch cards, publications, memoranda, and miscellaneous.
The station log books in this collection are of several different types, and originate at several different types of companies. The Officer's Journals include attendance lists and references to alarm calls. The Run Books contain more information about individual alarm calls, including the address, box number, address, time, and outcome. The Watch Desk Logs contain similar information. The Foreman's Logs contain the most information about individual fires, often including the cause, and also describe general goings-on at the station. About half the log books in this collection originate from Engine Companies ("E" Companies)--these are typical fire stations with fire engines. Other log books are from Ladder Companies ("L" Companies)--fire stations that are also equipped with hook and ladder--or Battalions ("Batt")--Battalion Chiefs oversee several stations. A complete inventory of the log books is provided below:
Company E 1 Run Log, 1983-1986
Company E 1 Run Log, 1986-1989
Company E 2 Officer's Journal, 1957-1958
Company E 2 Watch Desk Log, 1964-1965
Company E 9 Forman's Journal, 1881-1883
Company E 9 Watch Desk Log, 1903-1905
Company E 9 Officer's Journal, 1964-1965
Company E 9 Officer's Journal, 1965-1967
Company E 9 Officer's Journal, 1967-1970
Company E 10 Officer's Journal, 1959-1961
Company E 12 Forman's Journal, 1896-1900
Company E 12 Officer's Journal, 1900-1904
Company E 13 Forman's Journal, 1893-1894
Company E 13 Watch Desk Log, 1926-1926
Company E 13 Officer's Journal, 1955-1956
Company E 13 Officer's Journal, 1956-1957
Company E 13 Officer's Journal, 1957-1958
Company E 13 Officer's Journal, 1958-1959
Company E 13 Officer's Journal, 1959-1960
Company E 13 Watch Desk Log, 1958-1958
Company E 13? Run Log, 1960-1962
Company E 14 Watch Desk Log, 1935-1935
Company E 15 Forman's Journal, 1895-1897
Company E 15 Watch Desk Log, 1902-1906
Company E 15 Watch Desk Log, 1959-1959
Company E 23 Forman's Journal, 1887-1890
Company E 23 Officer's Journal, 1961-1962
Company E 24 Officer's Journal, 1978-1980
Company E 24 Run Log, 1979-1982
Company E 24 Officer's Journal, 1980-1982
Company E 24 Run Log, 1982-1986
Company E 24 Officer's Journal, 1982-1984
Company E 24 Officer's Journal, 1984-1987
Company E 24 Run Log, 1986-1990
Company E 24 Officer's Journal, 1987-1989
Company E 24 Run Log, 1990-1992
Company E 26 Officer's Journal, 1956-1957
Company E 26 Officer's Journal, 1957-1958
Company E 26 Officer's Journal, 1958-1959
Company E 26 Officer's Journal, 1959-1960
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1960-1960
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1960-1961
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1961-1961
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1961-1962
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1962-1963
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1963-1963
Company E 26 Watch Desk Log, 1963-1964
Company E 27 Watch Desk Log, 1920-1921
Company E 30 Run Log, 1976-1978
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1955-1956
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1956-1958
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1958-1959
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1959-1962
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1962-1963
Company E 32 Officer's Journal, 1963-1963
Company E 32 Maint. Record, 1960-1961
Company E 34 Forman's Journal, 1887-1889
Company E 35 Forman's Journal, 1894-1895
Company E 43 Forman's Journal, 1898-1901
Company E 46 Watch Desk Log, 1903-1903
Company E 46 Watch Desk Log, 1969-1972
Company E 57 Officer's Journal, 1914-1914
Company E 57 Officer's Journal, 1916-1917
Company L 1 Officer's Journal, 1955-1956
Company L 1 Officer's Journal, 1956-1957
Company L 1 Officer's Journal, 1957-1957
Company L 1 Watch Desk Log, 1958-
Company L 1 Officer's Journal, 1958-1959
Company L 1 Run Log, 1960-1961
Company L 1 Run Log, 1961-1962
Company L 1 Officer's Journal, 1962-1964
Company L3/Truck C Forman's Journal, 1892-1895
Company L3/Truck C Watch Desk Log, 1964-
Company L 11 Officer's Journal, 1959-1961
Company L 13 Officer's Journal, 1935-1937
Company L 21 Run Log, 1962-1967
Company L 21 Officer's Journal, 1963-1967
Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, 1979-1981
Company Batt 1 Run Log, 1979-1981
Company Batt 1 Run Log, 1980-1981
Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, 1981-1983
Company Batt 1 Run Log, 1981-1983
Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, 1983-1985
Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, 1985-1988
Company Batt 1 Officer's Journal, 1988-1991
Company Batt 1-Aid Run Log, 1979-1984
Company Batt 4 Officers Journal, 1959-1960
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1960-
Company Batt 4 Officers Journal, 1960-1961
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1960-
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1961-
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1961-
Company Batt 4 Run Log, 1962-1963
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1962-
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1963-
Company Batt 4 Watch Desk Log, 1963-
Company Batt 10 Officers Journal, 1918-1920
Company Rescue 14 Run Log, 1985-1986
Company Chem. 2 Forman's Journal, 1886-1889
Company WT 1 Forman's Journal, 1898-1901
Company WT 1? Officers Journal, 1918-1920
Fire alarm box dispatch cards contain predetermined lists of fire stations assigned to respond to particular alarm boxes. Each fire station used to keep a set of these cards, which designated the response order to alarms from fire boxes up to the fifth alarm. This collection includes three sets of these dispatch cards, dated circa 1945-1984. There is also a set of "extra alarm" fire cards, which list the responders to particular incidents.
The publications of the Philadelphia Fire Department include annual reports (1871-2012), printed "Code of Fire Alarm Signals" (circa 1893-1920), and P.F.D. News (1952-2003).
The P.F.D. memoranda in this collection date from the 1920s to 2012. There are several kinds of memoranda, such as general memoranda (1955-2007), Chief Staff Notes (1973-2009), activities-operations (1996-2009), communications (1952-1962), special orders (1952-1972), general orders (1963-1972), training materials (circa 1957-1970), and miscellaneous memoranda (1920s-1990s).
This collection contains additional miscellaneous materials, including P.F.D. employee lists, Firemen's Pension Fund of Philadelphia records, Firemen's Active Association of Philadelphia records, personal run log books, and other miscellaneous ledgers. A highlight of the collection is a Bureau of Fire members record, 1871-1955, with an alphabetical name list that includes age, residence, occupation, position, station, date of appointment, and ward. Other employee records include: deaths and injuries registers, 1871-circa 1907 (alphabetical) and 1916-1954 (chronological); a monthly attendance log book by company, 1877-1878; World War I veterans' physical exams for Fire Bureau employment, 1917-1919; a chronological list of fire fighter appointments, 1921-1925. Records from the Fireman's Pension Fund include: account journal, 1916-1946; trial balance sheets, 1917-1937; audit reports, 1922-1959; and a binder on pension ordinance, circa 1953. There are some records of the Firemen's Active Association of Philadelphia, including minute books (1902-1918), deeds, membership list (1897-1911) and membership dues book (1897-1910). There are personal run logs and records kept by non-P.F.D. individuals, including: Elwood B. Scherthorne [Second Alarmers] record of extra alarm fires, 1901-1965; Personal Run log, 1902-1957; Personal Run log, 1951-1956; Al Stomckin Personal Run log, 1958-1962; Tim McLaughlin Personal Run log, 1969-1972; Automatic Fire Alarm Company, log of alarm triggers, 1949-1962. Finally, the collection includes a few miscellaneous ledgers: Daybook of S. W. Jacob, fire engine parts and carriage parts, 1854-1859; Bureau of Fire feed account, 1894-1903; Order book, 1912-1941; P.F.D. contract ledger, 1919-1920; Shop Gas & Oil usage, 1922-1933; Training class Log, 1925-1927; Shop Brake & Light Test, 1929-1930; and Pay Record, 1953-1955.
Materials collected by the Fireman's Hall Museum at various times.
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2011-2012 as part of a pilot project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.
In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Fireman's Hall Museum directly for more information.
Organization
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Fireman's Hall Museum
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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Contact Fireman's Hall Museum for information about accessing this collection.