[quote name='Ladder 68' post='252141' date='Oct 5 2008, 19:16 ']Good stuff Joe. I have a book on the Woodway Square Fire. MCFD sent an Engine Co. to the fire in addition to this mini-pumper. As a point of note, Stafford also sent a pumper and brought with it the largest supply line on the fireground, 3" hose. My how times have changed. The HFD District Chiefs didn't now what to do with it since it was different from the 2-1/2" hose everyone else had. In the end the Stafford pumper wound up supplying a portable monitor and tele-squrt.[/quote]
Larry,
I knew one of the mutual aid companies had the only hose larger than 2 1/2 but I wasn't sure who. Some of the mutual iad companies did some really good work at the fire, especially Village FD.
Like most people associated with the Fire department, i'd been waiting for this fire for years but i moved to Ohio 5 days before it happened.
Hey Larry, didn't this fire cause quite a few changes in Houston. Didn't city council change the code the very next day to outlaw wood shingles in the city limits. Also, didnt HFD go to LDH due to water supply issues at this fire?
Jerremy Brown
Full time - Fulshear Simonton Tx FD
Part time - Champions ESD, Cypress Creek FD
The fire occured on July 31, 1979. On the actual day of the fire City Council voted to table the new ordinace forbidding wooden shingles despite numerous wood shingle fueled fires and literal conflagrations in the city. The following day City Council voted to approve the new ordinance unanimously and in record time.
The complex as a whole was comprised of 105 individual 2 and 3 story buildings. The complex was in the process of being renovated from apartemnts to condominiums. There had already been 5 multiple alarm fires in the complex since 1971 (Two 3-11 fires and three 2-11 fires) in addition to other fires held to the original dispatched box.
Jeremy your right. After the fire Engine Co. 60 was equipped with 4" LDH as an experiment and trial. HFD went with it after that.
I was incorrect on something I posted earlier regarding Stafford and Missouri City at this fire. For clarification:
On the 5-11 MCFD sent a Booster and Chief to Station #48. On the 7-11 a MCFD Engine Co. responded to the fire. They responded into the north side and were instructed to "Bring your water with you". They never laid and hooked up to a plug and supplied several lines from that position including a ladder pipe.
Stafford also responded on the 7-11 with 1 Engine Co. Upon arrival they laid 1500' of 3" hose (Largest hose on the fireground) from the MCFD pumper on the plug at Voss and Woodway into the fire. They then hooked up and supplied 1 ladder pipe, 1 tele-squrt and 1 400' 1-1/2' handline.
Also interesting to note is that their was only 1 building in the burned out area that survived; Building #42. It was protected by Ladder 68. Thought I would throw that in (Ha ha).
Interesting what other departments responded to this fire:
Cy-Fair, Jacinto City, Northwest, Rosenberg, Kendelton, Pearland, Conroe, Katy, Alief (Community), West Lake, Cloverleaf, Friendswood and Jersey Village.
Info from an excellent book by Dave Miller with pictures by Chuck Buschardt and reports from District Chief Max McRae and Charlie Wilson, Jr.
10-07-2008, 08:49 PM (This post was last modified: 10-07-2008, 08:50 PM by jgohio.)
[quote name='Ladder 68' post='252238' date='Oct 5 2008, 23:48 ']The fire occured on July 31, 1979. On the actual day of the fire City Council voted to table the new ordinace forbidding wooden shingles despite numerous wood shingle fueled fires and literal conflagrations in the city. The following day City Council voted to approve the new ordinance unanimously and in record time.
The complex as a whole was comprised of 105 individual 2 and 3 story buildings. The complex was in the process of being renovated from apartemnts to condominiums. There had already been 5 multiple alarm fires in the complex since 1971 (Two 3-11 fires and three 2-11 fires) in addition to other fires held to the original dispatched box.
Jeremy your right. After the fire Engine Co. 60 was equipped with 4" LDH as an experiment and trial. HFD went with it after that.
I was incorrect on something I posted earlier regarding Stafford and Missouri City at this fire. For clarification:
On the 5-11 MCFD sent a Booster and Chief to Station #48. On the 7-11 a MCFD Engine Co. responded to the fire. They responded into the north side and were instructed to "Bring your water with you". They never laid and hooked up to a plug and supplied several lines from that position including a ladder pipe.
Stafford also responded on the 7-11 with 1 Engine Co. Upon arrival they laid 1500' of 3" hose (Largest hose on the fireground) from the MCFD pumper on the plug at Voss and Woodway into the fire. They then hooked up and supplied 1 ladder pipe, 1 tele-squrt and 1 400' 1-1/2' handline.
Also interesting to note is that their was only 1 building in the burned out area that survived; Building #42. It was protected by Ladder 68. Thought I would throw that in (Ha ha).
Interesting what other departments responded to this fire:
Cy-Fair, Jacinto City, Northwest, Rosenberg, Kendelton, Pearland, Conroe, Katy, Alief (Community), West Lake, Cloverleaf, Friendswood and Jersey Village.
Info from an excellent book by Dave Miller with pictures by Chuck Buschardt and reports from District Chief Max McRae and Charlie Wilson, Jr.[/quote]
Larry,
Good rundown and it was a great book. One thing though. Not to detract from what Ladder 68 accomplished but there were actually 2 buildings left standing in the fire area, building 47 being the other one. (See pages 17, 20, and 30). Ladder 2 operated in front of bldg 47. They were a 4th alarm company running out of quarters on W. Dallas then. Engine 62, operating a squirt was in the area, too. If you haven't done so, check out the pics at the end of my Houston thread in Fire Scenes. Miller/McRae/Wilson/Buschardt were my main reference. Excuse this little OT trip, folks, but you don't get many chances to get one on Larry.
Below, (1) Ladder 68 operates in front of Bldg 42 (2) Stafford engine operates at Woodway Square, on the north end, in front of Bldg 7.
Photos by Chuck Buschardt/scanned to disk and archived by Ken Paradowski
Thanks for the corrections Joe. Ah how times have changed. I am driving Ladder 68 today and the difference from 1979 to 2008 is amazing in the way of apparatus and everything else we do and what we use to accomplish it.
I love the photo of the Stafford pumper. I have never seen that photo before. The old timers told me one of our pumpers was there and I have read it in the aforementioned book, but have never seen a photo of it. Thanks a million. I'll have to talk to Paradowski when I see him at the next fire and ask for permission to use that one and put it up at Station #3.
The pumper was a Ford C/Boardman I believe. When I joined there it was Engine 3 which was replaced by a '79 ALF Century and then a '84 Pirsch (Tag on to a HFD order for 2 identical rigs) and finally the current '96 Spartan/Quality pumper (1 of 2).
[quote name='Ladder 68' post='252815' date='Oct 8 2008, 13:59 ']Thanks for the corrections Joe. Ah how times have changed. I am driving Ladder 68 today and the difference from 1979 to 2008 is amazing in the way of apparatus and everything else we do and what we use to accomplish it.
I love the photo of the Stafford pumper. I have never seen that photo before. The old timers told me one of our pumpers was there and I have read it in the aforementioned book, but have never seen a photo of it. Thanks a million. I'll have to talk to Paradowski when I see him at the next fire and ask for permission to use that one and put it up at Station #3.
The pumper was a Ford C/Boardman I believe. When I joined there it was Engine 3 which was replaced by a '79 ALF Century and then a '84 Pirsch (Tag on to a HFD order for 2 identical rigs) and finally the current '96 Spartan/Quality pumper (1 of 2).
Thanks again.[/quote]
Great. Glad you liked it. I can send you a larger format version of the Stafford piece if you want it.
Things have changed. In the entire collection of 134 photos of the fire, I didn't see a single SCBA. It was mostly an exterior operations, but now days there would still be people running around in their packs on.
Bacliff Tx Bacliff is a small community along the shores of Galveston Bay. One station Dept. with 2 apparatus and 3 support vehicles. This dept was hit hard by Hurricane Ike a month ago.
Bacliff E-21 1997 Pierce Saber #EA549 1250/1000 Very clean truck!
Jerremy Brown
Full time - Fulshear Simonton Tx FD
Part time - Champions ESD, Cypress Creek FD
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