BUFFALO, NY – The company is located at the corner of Tonawanda and Martin Streets. (now Progressive Ave.) It is surrounded by several large lumber yards. Outside the danger from the lumber yards along the riverfront, the district is entirely free from inflammable material. The section is purely residential.  The firehouse itself is a brick structure, two and one-half stories high, with a large tower in the rear for the purpose of drying hose after returning from fires.  The building was built in 1894 and went into service in 1895. It is one of the best firehouses in the city and also one of the newest. 

In the house are stationed two wagons, one the heavy engine and the other the hose cart. The former is of the Sibly pattern, and has a pumping capacity of 700 gallons of water a minute. This engine is an old one. It has seen some heavy service in the department and is about to be replaced by a new one. The fire commissioners have had the matter under consideration for some time, and have reported that they will replace the old engine by a new inside of a month. This good news was received by the firemen with many manifestations of joy. The hose wagon is also an old one. It is a neat cart and somewhat lighter than the average hose wagon.   The engine is drawn by three large horses, two blacks and a sorrel. Their names are "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry." The hose cart is drawn by two splendid grey horses. The names of these are "Gaston" and Alphonse." 

Captain John H. Mack has charge of Engine Company No. 26. Captain Mack has been connected with the Buffalo Fire Department for the past 19 years. He has seen service with almost all the houses in the city and has a reputation in the fire business that any man could be proud of. Mr. Mack became a fireman in 1883. He was appointed to the position of fireman with hose company No. 1, when the latter company was headquartered on High Street. In April of 1892 he was promoted to captain of Engine No. 7, transferred to Engine No. 13, then transferred to Engine No. 26 in 1900.  The lieutenant is Peter J. Donovan, who has been 20 years in service with the Department.

The names of the other eight men employed in the house are as follows: Engineer, Hugh J. Dowd; assistant engineer, Michael McNamara; Engine Driver, William Smith; Hose Driver, Daniel Quinn; Firemen, Thomas Carroll, Michael Mulcahy, Timothy J. Blewett and Joseph Shear.

O'FALLON, IL – Fireman Henry P. Schwarz was born on September 19, 1887 in Kansas City, Missouri. His father died before he was born and his mother died shortly after. He was adopted by Matthias and Caroline Schwarz of O'Fallon, Illinois. The Schwarz family owned a furniture business that had a sideline in funeral undertaking. At the age of 13, Henry became licensed as an embalmer, the youngest in the State of Illinois. He practiced his profession for 45 years at the Schwarz Furniture and Undertaking Company. From his obituary: "He once operated the old Taylor Opera House where early motion pictures such as "The Birth of a Nation" were shown during World War I. Mr. Schwarz retired from the O'Fallon Fire Department after 40 years service in May 1946.

BOSTON, MA – Died during the collapse of floors at 347-357 Cambridge Street, 3 alarms Box 1356, (Cambridge & Charles Streets) which was sounded at 0257 hours, 0300 hours and 0322 hours. They both died of multiple injuries, Hoseman Willett was dead on arrival at Massachusetts General Hospital and Hoseman Walsh was dead when he was found several hours later. Hoseman McCarthy was severely injured. Hoseman Willett had 9 years and Hoseman Walsh had 6 years of service.

CHICAGO, IL –Chicago was nothing more than a little frontier village during its beginning days with roughly six frame buildings and a population estimated at one hundred and fifty. The first building erected in 1831 was a tavern. Mark Beaubien was the proprietor and he named his establishment the “Sauganash Tavern”. Most dwellers lived along the south bank of the Chicago River on South Water Street. The city boundaries were Ohio Street on the north, Jefferson on the west, Jackson on the south and on the east it was State Street south of the river; Lake Michigan north of the river. The Sauganash Tavern remained the social center of Chicago until March of 1851, at which time a fire caused its closure.

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The history of Louisville’s Fire Department begins in 1780; only two years after the city came into existence. Having begun with a mere handful of settlers Louisville soon recognized its need for fire protection. Accordingly, the first fire brigade was initiated in 1780 in order to meet the demands of a growing population. Records provide no evidence of major blazes at this time; indeed, the city had scarcely developed past the possibility of minor fires involving little damage of property. Nevertheless, our ever-practical ancestors realized that threat of fires goes hand in hand with a City’s development, and these same practical people were ever prepared to meet the challenge.

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NEW YORK, NY – The alarm came in at Box-598 at 2136 hrs and before the shift was over, 12 Firefighters would be dead in the deadliest building collapse in the history of the FDNY aside from the 9-11 Tragedy. The fire started innocently enough in a four story Brown Stone at #7 East 22nd Street. The rear and side walls butted up to a 3-story white brick commercial building to the West at 3940-948 Broadway and to a 5-story brown brick building to the North at 6 East 23rd Street.

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LACONIA, NH – The photo was taken in front of the quarters of H&L Company 1 on November 14th, 1910. The eclectic mix of facial expressions lends an aura of assuredness and experience to the photo. These guys certainly have seen their fair share of work and are proud of their experience. This is one “page” of the Book on Brotherhood that we all know and hold true.

LINWOOD, PA – This photo was taken in front of the Vicose Company’s Fire Brigade Station in Linwood, PA. It is now the area known as Marcus Hook. The TYPE40 Combination Jr. pumper was delivered on 10-20-1917 via SO#90793 with ALF registry #1741.

CHICAGO, IL – Gerry Gabor operates a deck nozzle under the direction of Capt Vincent Day on CFD Fire Boat Fred Busse.The children of Angel Guardian Orphanage were hosted by Chicago Jaycees for this “adventure”.

CHICAGO, IL – Heavy smoke and fire boil from the glue works of Swift and Company just as church let out on this hot Sunday afternoon. Thousands of on-lookers caused a terrific traffic jam as the building began to profusely burn out of control.

CHICAGO, IL – A carelessly discarded cigarette set the scene for a massive conflagration that caused an estimated $10,000,000 in damage shortly after 4 pm in the the great hay barn of the Union Stock Yards & Transit Company. The hay acted as a blow torch on the surrounding tinder-like constructions of sprawling Packingtown, the vast stockyards area on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

CHICAGO, IL – Fire swept over the Armour Meat Packing Company in the Chicago Stockyards June 18, 1954. The Armour and Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867.

MELROSE PARK, IL – Firefighters are silhouetted by a massive fire that raged through the Handy Button Machine Company building on October 11th, 1980.

CHICAGO, IL – A Firefighter runs along the railroad tracks as smoke and sparks billow toward him from a blaze at 364 North Hardin. Barrels of Magnesium fed the blaze, which injured 2 civilians. Fireballs from the explosion traveled up to 100′ the air.

STEGER, IL – The 1923 Hook & Ladder truck is displayed outside of their main station in 1960. in Steger IL. Before the tractor was added, the trailered ladder portion was pulled by horses.

NEW YORK, NY – A raging fire engulfed a manually operated subway train on track 3 and melted it away buckling the steel beams holding up the station roof. 42nd Street actually buckled and was closed for a while. At one time there was a fear that the street would collapse into the station. Repair work was done and the street and station were reopened weeks later.

UNKNOWN – These Firefighters from Fire Company #1 are in mourning as can be seen from the mourning ribbon on the lantern. The men are from left to right, George McGee, Ken Duke, Rube Jones, Al Bousell, George Miller, Harry Greer, and Thomas Robinson. To this date I have been unable to ascertain the exact location of this Fire Company.

FOREST, OH – The Forest / Jackson Fire Company were photographed standing in front of their Fire House on West Lima Street. From left to right – Tommy Sharon, Louie Stout, Hew Schott, Frank Roby, Hew Harman, unknown, Darby Jenkins, Emerson Robinson, Gene Musgrave, Lou Craiglow, and Ott DeVore.

CHICAGO, IL – Firefighters battle a massive blaze at 3920 S. Federal Avenue near Pershing & Dan Ryan. The fire eventually went to a 5-11 alarm and lasted for hours. The building was completely destroyed.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – This photo of the crew and mascots United Fire Patrol Company 1A was taken in front of their quarters located at 147 Natoma Street. The building is still there and privately owned. It has Underwriters Fire Patrol Company in the masonry above the doors.

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CHICAGO, IL – A skid row hotel known as the Comfort Hotel burned on May 6, 1955 killing 10 people and injuring 20 more. This image is of some of Chicago’s Bravest carry out drunken victims that attempted to re-enter the building while the fire was in progress. The CFD saved 25 residents by guiding them through the smoke while several more occupants were brought down by fire department ladders. The Brothers on scene were veterans of previous skid row fires, and were accustomed to the sight of raggedy derelicts hanging from hotel windows and screaming for help. Following this fire, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley vowed to tear down every remaining skid row hotel and replace them with modern buildings.

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago Firefighter John Scott of Hook and Ladder 9 is helped by two other Firefighters after he was overcome by smoke from a fire at Grand Avenue and Clark Street January 4, 1955.

CHICAGO, IL – 4 Firefighters were fatally injured in an explosion and subsequent structural collapse while fighting a fire in a four story office and warehouse building at 320 North LaSalle Street. Those killed were Lieutenant John Schuberth of Engine 42, Firefighter John P. Gleason of Engine 42, and Firefighter Henry T. Dyer of  Engine 11. Chicago Insurance Patrol Firefighter Patrick Milott died a few days later of injuries sustained at the scene. Seven other firefighters and two civilians were injured by the blast.

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NEW YORK, NY – As the mournful commemorate the anniversary Friday of the Happy Land fire that left 87 people dead, community leaders and city officials say only vigilance will insure history doesn’t repeat itself. The arson fire 21 years ago at the illegal social club was the largest mass murder in New York City until the World Trade Center attacks, and was the deadliest inferno ever recorded in the Bronx.

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NEW YORK, NY – On the warm spring afternoon of March 25, 1911, a small fire broke out in a bin of rags at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory on New York City’s Lower East Side. In less than an hour, 146 people—most of them young immigrant women—died, trapped by blocked exit doors and faulty fire escapes. One of the worst industrial fires in U.S. history, the Triangle fire galvanized working people and middle-class reformers alike, ultimately resulting in the passage of several laws designed to insure workplace safety. The fire received sensational and extensive coverage in all the New York City newspapers. William Gunn Shepherd, a young reporter for the New York World, happened to be at the scene of the fire when it began. From a phone across the street, he gave a minute-by-minute account of the unfolding events to his city editor. The World published them the following day.

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