History

Up until 1924, firefighters were trained differently depending on the the station to which they were assigned. In 1924, Chief Craw and Assistant Chief Minter adopted the Fresno Fire Department method of training firefighters. Fresno used one central training location and a training manual to achieve consistency. Station No.6 was used as the first training center. pictured here to the left are unknown trainee firefighters.  In 1930,long Beach carpenters supervised the construction of the Fire College building and a wooden drill tower built by firefighters. Capt.E Steiner was appointed as the first drill master.

The new training center opened on a five acre lot and included a six-story training tower for simulated fires and rescues.  This addition in 1964 aided greatly in the training of future firefighters, better equipping them for the challenges they would face with the growing city they served.  A new fire communication center was opened in 1965, right next to the old Station 10.  It was equipped with electronic equipment, a talk alarm system that could notify stations selectively and record all calls and dispatches.  At the close of the 1960’s the department employed 419 firefighters, 46 civilian employees, equipped with 18 pumpers, 4 ladder trucks, 1 Snorkle, 3 fireboats, and 1 Airport crash rig.