The Tulsa Fire Department is the fire department for the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, serving approximately 400,000 citizens out of their 29 fire stations in an area of 201 square miles. The department was founded as a volunteer fire department on June 6, 1900, following a fire that broke out in Downtown Tulsa in 1897. The Tulsa Fire Department headquarters is located at 1760 Newblock Park Drive and the current fire chief is Michael Baker.
History
R. C. Alder (1900–1922) On June 6, 1900, the Tulsa Volunteer Fire Department was officially founded and R. C. Alder was elected fire chief for the city of Tulsa. In 1901, the fire department received its first alarm and responded to deployed hoses and water more effectively than ever before. The city council decided to pay for a chemical truck and start paying them for their response. The chemical truck was named "Old Soda Fountain" and saved multiple buildings while in service. In early 1905, Chief Alder was sent to Kansas City to choose some recruits and a horse team, leading to the first paid fire department in Tulsa.
When the electric call boxes were installed around Tulsa it allowed the Tulsa Fire Department to respond more efficiently and frequently to calls. In February 1906, the Tulsa Fire Department was called the most perfect department in the country. The head of the rating bureau, Mr. Ingalls said if all the fire departments in the US followed off of Tulsa the number of fire losses would be decreased by 50% nationwide.
The Tulsa Fire Department received their first motorized vehicle in 1907. In 1908, the Tulsa Fire Department purchased its first aerial ladder truck, a horse team, and a 75-foot aerial ladder for $5,000. By October 1, 1913, everything in Tulsa Fire Department was motorized. The Tulsa Fire Department was the first fire department west of the Mississippi River to be completely motorized.
On October 24, 1917, two firefighters, Ross Shepard and Ben Hanes, were killed while fighting a fire at the Mayo Building when they fell through a stairwell. In 1919, the men had 84 hour work weeks divided into two shifts.
Wesley Bush (1922–1926) While chief Wesley Bush was chief, Tulsa Fire Department received 3 new Seagrave Fire Apparatus pumper trucks in 1924. The department had 13 companies and 122 men on the payroll in 1924. On July 1, 1926, the end of the fiscal year showed that the Tulsa Fire Department had responded to 1,091 alarms. Later that year Bush stepped down from his position as fire chief.
R. E. Pitts (1926–1933) The NFBU rated Tulsa Fire Department as one of the best in the nation in 1927. The department ranked among the best despite being undermanned and inadequately equipped. On April 3, 1928, the firemen submitted a "petition NO. 2" to raise the salary from $0.42 an hour to $0.56 per hour. In 1931 each man signed a contract saying they would pay the survivors of an active firefighter in the event they died on or off the job. In 1931 the fire department had 161 men, 12 pump trucks, 4 ladders, and 3 hose carts. Chief R. E. Pitts retired on June 28, 1933.
R. W. Granger (1933–1940) Granger started his career with the company on June 1, 1933, as fire chief. In December 1935, Chief Granger made up a Drill Evolution Instruction Guide for governing Company Evolutions. It consisted of "Order No. l," which spelled out how the Drill Evolutions would be carried out, and "Evolution No. l," which was to lay a line into the Drill Tower and charge it". Granger served for 7 years before being replaced by Fire Chief C.C. Jennings.
C. C. Jennings (1940–1950) In 1940, the fire department received 2 1939 Ford sedans for the district chiefs. In 1941, Captain J.C. Warf was thrown from an open cab Seagrave pumper truck during a collision at Pine and Rockford. Captain Warf died at the age of 51 the next day at Hillcrest Medical Center. In 1943, each Tulsa fire truck would receive a 2-way mobile radio. In 1945 the Tulsa Fire Department got its radio station. In 1949 Fire Station #16 was opened and equipped with a 1949 500 gallon American La France Pumper. After 30 years of service, Chief Jennings retired from the department, having been Chief for 10 years.
G. N. Paris (1950–1956) Chief Paris was the department's sixth fire chief and would remain in this position for 6 years. On January 29, 1955, the department changed to a schedule of 24 hours on 48 hours off. On May 15, 1956, Chief Paris retired after 27 years with the department.