Presidio Firehouse Has Distinguished Record

 

The Presidio firehouse has been in operation since 1917. Most of
Gen. John Pershing's family perished in a fire at the fire Presidio.

Editor's note: This article about the history of the Presidio Fire Department was reprinted from the national park service's newsletter.

By Will Elder and Marcus Combs

In the late 1800s, Presidio soldiers gained notoriety for fighting wild fires in California's national parks. After the 1906 earthquake, Presidio troops came to San Francisco's assistance during the fire that followed, eventually stopping it at a firebreak they dynamited along Van Ness Avenue. However, the army received much criticism from city residents, who claimed the dynamiting operations were disorganized and people were removed from their houses long before the fire was a threat.

Within the Presidio, the army was plagued by fires in the old wooden buildings, many of which were more than 50 years old, with flammable roofs and open, coal-burning fireplaces with defective flues. In addition, the Presidio had no professionally-trained firefighters and lacked a good fire prevention plan.

A Catalyst for Change

A series of fatal fires at the Presidio in the early 1900s culminated in the notorious Pershing fire of 1915. The fire killed four members of Gen. John Pershing's family - his wife, three of his four children and Wyoming Sen. Francis E. Warren's daughter. The victims suffocated in the early morning hours after coal from an unattended dining room fireplace fell to the floor, leading to a quick-spreading fire in the old wooden house.

After the Pershing fire, Warren led a congressional mandate for improved fire fighting resources at the Presidio. At the same time, SF Fire Chief Thomas Murphy recommended establishing a permanent fire company at the Presidio. Based on Murphy's recommendations and encouraged by an embarrassed U. S. government, the army built a fire station in 1917. The new Presidio Fire Station was the first on any U.S. Army post to house a permanent fire company with trained firefighters.     

Firefighters to the Rescue

Response to the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake showed how much the Presidio Fire Department had changed since the early years. Firefighters from the department proved it to be a well-trained and effective 'first response' organization. A mutual response agreement - not used since the 1906 earthquake - between the army and San Francisco allowed the City to request Presidio Fire Department support for a house fire in the Marina District. The Presidio crew was the first to reach the fire at Beach and Divisadero streets. Actions taken by the Presidio Fire Department at that time prompted commendations from Congresswoman Barbara Boxer and the Phoenix Society, a highly-regarded firefighters' organization.

A National Park Service First

In 1994, management of the Presidio was transferred from the U.S. Department of Defense to the U.S. Department of the Interior. At that time, the Presidio Fire Department became the only National Park Service fire department to be staffed 24 hours a day. The National Park Service has focused on a new role for the modern firefighter, that of a well-trained emergency paramedic. The importance of this expanded role for firefighters is evident in the fact that 90 percent of emergency calls are for paramedic units, making the Presidio Fire Department a vital 'first response' station for the Presidio and neighboring communities.

The Presidio Fire Station was recently rehabilitated to bring it up to earthquake code and to enlarge it to accommodate modern fire fighting equipment. Many of the original features of the historic 1917 structure were restored, such as the historic wood windows and sectional apparatus bay doors.

Will Elder and Marcus Combs are interpretive rangers at the Presidio.