Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteSeattle amended its City Charter in 1883 to establish a fire department. It provided for equipment purchases, but not for hiring firefighters. By 1889, Seattle had seven volunteer fire companies. Following the Great Fire of 1889, a professional fire department was created with five district fire stations and purchase of a fire boat. The first Fire Chief of the professional department was Gardner Kellogg, who served 1890-1892 and 1895-1901. A Board of Fire Commissioners was established by the 1890 City Charter to prescribe rules and regulations for the Department. The Board's responsibilities included enforcing rules violations and appointing the Fire Chief and all subordinate officers. The Board was abolished with passage of a new City Charter in 1896. The Department's mission is to curtail loss of life and property by fire through inspection and certification of building safety systems, public education, regulation of hazardous material storage, and fire suppression. The position of City Electrician was created in 1909 by Ordinance 22354 as part of the Special Service Corps. The City Electrician was originally in charge of the Fire Alarm Telegraph System, the Police Signal and Telephone System, the wiring of public buildings, and other responsibilities. Responsibility for inspection of electrical wiring and equipment installed in and about buildings was transferred to the Building Department in 1914. In 1918, through Ordinance 38896, the title of City Electrician was changed to that of Superintendent of Fire Alarm and Police Signal Systems, a position filled by appointment by the Chief of the Fire Department. Content DescriptionFire Department annual reports date from 1895 to 1989. Early reports include duties performed, statistics, financial information, and ages and names of Fire Department members. Information on alarms responded to includes date, time, location, and financial loss. Causes of fires are also listed, although this later transferred to the Fire Marshall reports. Later reports list only “notable fires.” The position of Fire Marshall was established in 1901; responsibilities included enforcing ordinances for the prevention of fires. Causes of fire were listed in Fire Marshall reports. Fire Marshall reports are a separate subseries dating from 1904 to 1931, when they have a separate CF number. Fire Marshall reports are also included with the Fire Department report for many years. Fire Alarm Superintendent reports are also included with many Fire Department annual reports. This office originated in 1890 as the Fire Alarm and Police Telegraph department. In the 1920s reports discuss administrative changes, such as the “Day Off in Eight” system, institution of a School of Instruction, rating systems, calisthenics, and, in the Fire Marshall reports, fire prevention work. By the 1940s, reports are less detailed. There are seven reports for the City Electrician dating from 1908 to 1916. Howard Joslyn was the City Electrician for these years. Included are status reports on the fire alarm system and police signal system. Records were originally filed with the City Clerk in the Comptroller/Clerk's Files (CFs) and were removed to create this record series. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Records are open to the public. Preferred Citation :[Item and date], Seattle Fire Department Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-G4. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives. Administrative Information
Arrangement :
Reports are arranged in three subseries: Subseries I: Fire Department Annual Reports Subseries II: Fire Marshall Annual Reports Subseries III: City Electrician Annual Reports Within each subseries, reports are arranged chronologically by year. Detailed Description of the CollectionThe following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
SubjectsThis collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
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