A New Era

In December 1957, a new era began in the Mesquite Fire Department with the hiring of James Lewis as the first full time paid chief.  At the time of the appointment, Chief Lewis was serving in his first term as chief of the volunteers after being elected by its members by an 11 to 9 margin the prior January 14.  The council felt that as the department converted from a volunteer to a paid department, it needed some stability and Chief Lewis would help make this transition. Change continued in January 1958 as seven new firefighters were hired to staff the new fire station at 320 South Galloway Ave.  These men were John McDaniel, L.G. “Bud” Riggs, Hugh Dahn, R.C. Dean, William May, Harry Stockton, and Virgil Doty.  The new station opened in May with these seven men working three 24-hour shifts per week.  The department continued the volunteer program for the next 5 years with about 20 volunteers assisting with emergencies.  (By January 1963 only 7 volunteers were listed on the roster but seldom did more that 2 or 3 attend the weekly meeting).   An article in The Mesquite News in July 1958 showed these firemen had a busy day with 5 calls during one shift. Pay during this first year was recorded at $250.00 per month for the firemen and $450.00 per month for Chief Lewis.  In October 1958, the pay was increased to $280.00 per month for firefighters and $500.00 per month for the chief. 

 

Throughout the years, this department has responded to assist other area fire departments with mutual aid.  This was true in July 1959 when the department responded to a fire in Balch Springs at the concrete plant, located at 2017 Peachtree Road and then in August that year to Forney for the Mitchell Furniture Company fire.

 

In 1959, the addition of an ariel ladder was a major improvement to the departments arsenal of equipment.  The 1944 American LaFrance was originally purchased by and served the Washington D.C. Fire Department for 15 years but was used as traded-in to the Pierce Fire Equipment Co.  The unit was placed for auction and the City of Mesquite was the high bidder with a price of $5000.00.  Victor O’Neal was hired as Fire Marshal and the City awards the contract to construct Casa View fire station (station 2) and the drill tower.  Contract price for both buildings was $74,377.00 for construction and $12,300.00 for pavement at both locations.  The big fire of the year was the Morran Jewelry fire in the Morran Building on W. Main St. in downtown.  The total fire department budget for 1959 was $92,402.00.  Of this, $65,435.00 was for personal services.  By the end of the year, there were 21 personnel, one station, 12 pieces of apparatus and equipment, 406 fire alarm calls and 49 rescue calls.  There were 772 fire inspections conducted and Mesquite had $116,337.00 in insured fire losses.  Salary ranged from $280.00 base to $340.00 for maximum firefighter while chief pay was $500.00 per month.

 

The completion of station 2 at 4609 Sarazen and the drill tower on Holley Lane all happened in 1960.  This required the purchase of a new Ward LaFrance (No. 6) 750 gpm pumper for the purchase price of $27,741.00, and the hiring of 10 additional firefighters.  Fire calls were down to 289 but rescue calls were up to 120.  The total budget for 1960 was $135,333.00, of which, $115,768.00 for personal services.  There were a total of 2,060 fire inspections while the insured fire losses were set at $41,350.00

 

In August 1961, the LaRoe Company was awarded the contract to construct station 3 for $83,996.00.  Six firefighters were added to the list bringing the total to 37.  Another new fire engine was purchased, raising the fleet to 15 pieces of apparatus and equipment.  Total budget was at $178,223.00.  The department responded to 379 fire calls and 258 rescue calls.  5,976 fire inspections were conducted and the department men trained a total of 679 hours.  Insured fire losses were at $59,998.00.  An interesting part of the 1961 budget included pay for positions.  The positions and salary ranges were:

 

                           Number of Positions   Base    Maximum

Fire Chief                                 1           616      825

Fire Captain Prevention            1           460      559

Fire Captain Operations           2           460      559

Fire Lieutenant Ops.                 6           417      507

Fireman Operations                 27         360      430

 

The department continued to grow with the opening of station 3 at 4400 Samuell Boulevard in April 1962.  The personnel list was up to 47 by adding 3 new lieutenant in operations and seven additional firefighters.  Another new 750-gpm pumper was added bringing the apparatus and equipment total to 16.  The October 1962 budget was set at $208,298.00.  The men answered 623 fire calls and 158 rescue calls.  Ninety-eight fire calls in the county were recorded and 26 calls for mutual aid.  An additional 145 call was reported as miscellaneous.  Fire inspections were up to 6,956 and training hours was up to 1,226.  The insured fire losses for 1962 totaled $82,947.00. Current positions and salaries are as follows,

 

                        Number of Positions   Base    Maximum

Fire Chief                                1          628      842

Fire Captain Prevention          1          517      628

Fire Captain Operations          2          517      628

Fire Lieutenant Ops.               9          447      543

Fireman Operations                 34        386      461

 

A contract price of $72,000.00 for station 4 was awarded in 1963 but few other changes took place.  One piece of equipment was added to the fleet but there was no additional personal.  The total budget was set at $258,778.00 for the year.  The department responded to 612 fire calls, 187 rescue calls, 84 county calls, 19 mutual aid calls, and 172 miscellaneous calls.  There were 8,028 fire inspections and the men trained for 1,449 hours.  Insured fire losses totaled $40,532.00.  The Texas Fire Chief Association names Mesquite Fire Chief James Lewis as Vice-President in November of that year.

 

In February 1964, station 4 opened at 816 Hickory Tree Road.  The big fire of the year happened at the Broadway Village Shopping Center in March, and in October, Chief James Lewis is names president of the Texas Fire Chief Association.  The important news of the year for the rank and file happened in August when the firemen organize a local association.  Forty-three of the forty-seven men filed for petition with the International Association of Firefighters to become affiliated with the AFL-CIO.  Their wish was granted and on August 17, 1964 the Mesquite Firefighters Association became local No. 1518.

 

Turmoil began to arise in 1965 when firefighters filed complaints with Mesquite officials about the treatment they receive from Chief Lewis.  This paved the way for the union to petition for a state civil service election.  After the necessary signatures were collected in August, an election was called in September.  The results were favorable for the firefighters with 691 votes cast for the plan and 552 votes cast against.

 

With the new state civil service plan in place, the firefighters began working for better benefits.  In January 1966, a three-year program was established to reduce the hours worked per week. Prior to January, there were only two shifts for the department to maintain 24-hour protection.  The first phase reduced the hours from 72 per week to 68 per week.  In July of that year the hours were reduced again from 68 to 63.   July 1967, the hours worked per week dropped from 63 down to 59 and finally in 1968 the current work schedule of three shifts working 56 hours per week concluded the plan.

 

 The Mesquite Fire Department continued to grow through the 1960’s and by 1969 the budget had grown to $603,763.00.  Of this, $497,391.00 was committed to personal services for 66 employees.  The department was operating 20 pieces of apparatus and equipment out of 4 fire stations and for the first time responded to more rescue call than fire calls.  Fire alarms within the city totaled 693 while the rescue calls totaled 844.  There were 69 fire alarms in the county, 6 calls for mutual aid, and 181 calls listed as miscellaneous.  In 1969, there was a total of 8,437 fire inspection and 1,568 hours of training was preformed.  Total fire losses by insured property in Mesquite was $160,160.00.  The positions and salary ranges for the year was follows:

 

                        Number of Positions   Base    Maximum

Fire Chief                    1                      1084    1451

Fire Deputy Chief       4                      817      909

Fire Captain                12                    705      785

Fire Lieutenant            3                      670      693

Fireman                       45                    580      658

Clerk                           1                      401      487

 

By late 1969, early 1970 the burn house and burn pit were ready for training use.  The third ambulance was placed in service in May 1970 at station 4 and by the end of the year, Mesquite was ranked as the 25^th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of 55,101.  It was predicted to continue in growth to become the 10^th largest city by the year 2000.

 

The opening of station 5 at 2141 N. Galloway in October 1973 was the first since station 4 opened in 1964.  At the time the station was completion, Galloway Ave. ended just north of the station with only a rough rock drive continuing.    More equipment was needed with the continued expansion of the rapid growing city.  The first 1000 gpm pumper was purchased this year to be housed at this station and in 1974 a new 85’ Snorkel was purchased to take the place of the old 100’ American LaFrance ariel that was to be retired and sold.

 

The driver-engineer position was reinstated in 1975.  Earlier in the departments history there had been driver and second-driver positions but had been eliminated.  In October of this year, a fire at 820 Pioneer Road caused the loss of Friendship Baptist Church.  Other memorable calls included the November 1978 mutual aid response to Sunnyvale for a 27 car train derailment.  The fire at Gross Road Baptist Church in September 1979 will also not soon be forgotten.

 

By 1979 the fire department budget had risen to $2,348,920.00.  Personnel were up to 97 while the number of apparatus and equipment was at 31.  The number reported fire calls were 1,228, rescue calls were 2,174, fires in the county and Sunnyvale were listed at 31, there were 4 mutual aid calls, and 333 miscellaneous calls.  Fire inspections were conducted 12,315 times and the men trained a total of 1,944 hours.  Positions and salary ranges for 1979 included,

 

                                    Number of Positions               Base                Maximum       

Fire Chief                                1                                  2620                3538

Fire Deputy Chief                   6                                  2542                2542

Fire Captain                            16                                2146                2146

Fire Lieutenant                        16                                1949                1949

Fire Driver-Engineer               15                                1771                1771

Fireman                                   36                                1460                1687

Communications Operator      5                                  1061                1425

Administrative Secretary        1                                  1011                1358

Clerk                                       1                                  794                  1011

 

During the early 1980’s major events included the Tradewind Apartments fire in September 1980 and the Northridge pharmacy fire in December 1980.  The train derailment near Gross Road and Military Parkway that involved 19 train cars in April 1981 and a fire at the First National Bank at Main Street and Galloway in downtown took place in December 1981.  Also in April, the MFFA files suite pertaining to dispatching duties.  The city council indicated in September it wants to include one paramedic unit in the 1981 budget after seeing a survey revealing 54.1 of the citizens would be willing to pay more taxes supporting the program.  Prior to that time all ambulances had been staffed with EMT’s.

 

An assistant chief’s position was created in January 1982 with Don Nelson being appointed.  The following March, Chief Lewis is relieved of duties and Don Nelson was appointed as Acting Chief.  In October the council appointed Nelson as Fire Chief and approves the paramedic program.

 

The paramedic program had its began in January 1983 when 3 Mesquite firefighters attended training at UTSW Medical Center.  Upon graduation, the first paramedic ambulance was put into service at station 5 in July.  At the time, one paramedic responded to calls with one EMT.  This practice continued for several years until there was a sufficient number of paramedics trained to staff each ambulance.

 

In a twelve month period from March 1984 through the following February, three events taxed the fire department and other city services as never before.  The first fire happened on Trails Parkway in north Mesquite.  The Trails Parkway Apartments, later to become the Audubon Park Apartments, was under construction when fire broke out.  Buildings were in several different stages of completion and very difficult to extinguish.  Several building was lost as a result.  In December 1984 a tornado struck south Mesquite near Bruton Road and Hickory Tree Road.  Several homes were lost as the storm cut a devastating path through a residential neighborhood.  Then in February 1985 arsonist caused a fire at the Seville Plaza.  This building was located on US 67 and at the time, a suite was being leased to an abortion clinic. All of which happened during a time of unrest between pro-life and pro-choice extremist groups.

 

In April 1985 station 6 opens at 1010 Barns Bridge Road.  This station is the first of its kind in Mesquite as it is constructed to blend in with the neighborhood.  Missing is the conventional flat roof and customary institutional design.  The dormitory was complete with beds divided by tall spacious lockers, enough for each man on each shift.  A new 1500 gpm E-One pumper was added in June.

 

Electronic technology began to appear in the Mesquite Fire Department during the late 1980’s.  Computer aided dispatch (CAD), the 911 phone system and the 800 mhz radio system had their beginning in 1988 and 1989.  Personal alert safety systems (PASS) were provided in February 1989 to increase the safety of each firefighter.  The approved fire department budget for 1989 was set at $6,550,169.00.  Of that amount, $6,101,063.00 provided for personal services.  The personnel roster had increased to 146 members and there were 18 pieces of apparatus and equipment.  The list of fire department responses included 544 fire calls, 1,667 EMS assists, 508 false alarms, 5 mutual aid calls, and there were 1,249 listed as all other incidents.  Fire inspections were conducted 7,123 times and fires were investigated 97 times.  There were 2,269 training sessions, 2,688 hours of training, and 16,035 man-hours of training.  Positions and salary ranges for 1989 included,

 

                                    Number of Positions                           Base                Maximum       

Fire Chief                                            1                                  3166                5332

Fire Assistant Chief                            1                                  3536                3961

Fire Deputy Chief                               5                                  3305                3506

Fire Captain                                        24                                2930                3109

Fire Lieutenant                                    12                                2660                2822

Fire Driver-Engineer                           27                                2416                2563

Fireman                                               69                                1991                2442

Emergency Management Asst.           1                                  1991                2442

Administrative Secretary                    1                                  1454                2002

Clerk                                                   3                                  1056                1534

Equipment Coordinator                      1

Property Manager                               1

 

As the city began to grow to the southeast, protection services were needed for the new Mesquite citizens in the Creek Crossing Addition.  This trendy, upwardly mobile community began to develop seemingly overnight. In December of 1993 station 7 opened its doors at 1850 Clay Mathis.  This station was built under the same design concept that station 6 was built eight years earlier with a pitched roof and residential appeal.  It included an alternate dispatching site, complete with computers and radios for full emergency operations communications (EOC).  A Spartan E-One engine was also purchased for the station during this year.

 

By October 1999 the fire department budget had increased to $14,765,083.00.  Personnel were up to 186 with apparatus and equipment numbering 25.  The department responded to 862 city fire calls, 9,047 EMS calls, 1,662 false alarms, 53 calls for mutual aid, 2,025 calls listed as “Other” for a total of 13,649 calls.  Fire inspections were conducted 3,810 times, fire investigations 372 times, the department trained 3,290 hours.  The total fire loss from insured properties in 1999 were $3,527,665.00.  Positions and salary ranges for 1999 included,

 

                                                Number of Positions               Base                Maximum       

Fire Chief                                            1                                  Executive        Executive

Fire Assistant Chief                            1                                  6020                6969

Fire Deputy Chief                               6                                  5239                5776

Fire Captain                                        28                                4595                5066

Fire Lieutenant                                    17                                4090                4509

Fire Driver-Engineer                           28                                3720                4102

Fireman                                               98                                3023                3858

Emergency Management Asst.           1

Administrative Secretary                    1

Secretary                                             3

Property Manager                               1

Special Project Manager                     1

 

A major concern in late 1999 was the affect Y2K would have on computer operated systems. 

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By the year 2000, the World Wide Web was a part of every day life.  This was also true in the fire department.  Paramedic continuing education was made available through the Internet, motivating the fire department to make the “net” available by May 2001.  Another firefighting tool to be introduced during this time was the thermal imaging camera (TIC).  The TIC has improved the safety for firefighters as well as increasing the speed in which victims and fires are located in emergencies.

 

For many years, the fire department had planned to relocate station 3.  Big Sky Construction Company Inc. submitted the best bid of $959,800.00 for this construction project.  The city council accepted the bid on December 16, 2002 and the long anticipated groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 30, 2002 at 3838 Forney Ave. Projected completion date is set for September 2003.

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