(photo by The Bolivar Herald Free Press)The
canvas top truck in the foreground-right was for many years A.L.E.R.T.'s number one truck.
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On October 20th, 1977, Fire
Chief Bob Curry was loading a 5,000 gallon gasoline tank at 4:30am at gasoline alley
(about one block away from the MFA Elevators) when the sirens went off and he looked up
and saw the smoke above him. By about 9:00am the fire was under control and
"out" to the satisfaction of MFA. MFA took control of the scene and the
fire department went home. One hour later, the second call was sent for a re-kindle
and the fire department never had control of it again until it was on the ground and the
below ground bunkers were overflowing with water. 182 was at
Claude and Locust and hooked to the hydrant there, with a 2 1/2" hose running down
Claude to Olive, then to the fire to supply the big nozzle that was reaching the top of
the elevator. 181 was hooked at Claude and Chestnut pumping down two 1 1/2"
hand-lines that were used to cool the rail road depot and other buildings. All the
water that could be had, was had.
Mike Moore and Dale Newcomb took turns pumping 182, while181 was driven and
pumped by Bud Ivy, as he was the dispatcher that night. Back then, it was the duty
of the night dispatcher to drive the first fire truck to the scene and pump it after
calling all the firemen.
This incident was the first use of two-way radio traffic between trucks for the
BFD. The radio in 182 was brand new at this fire in 1977 and is still working!
Some time in the afternoon we made a call for mutual aid, so A.L.E.R.T.
responded with their only truck and took care of the grass fire in short order and stayed
and squirted the extra they had in the tank on the big fire.
Clayton Troyer is now a city alderman, but at this time was a member of the
fire department and worked delivering ice cream. Since he was working, he could not
help at the fire, but Dale Newcomb fondly remembers him bringing ice cream bars to all the
firefighters on the scene.
(paraphrases and excerpts taken from Dale Newcomb's 12/22/00 email to Theron
Becker) |
