Title supplied by cataloger. In September of 1871, George M. Fall, the County Clerk for Los Angeles County organized Engine Company No. 1. This volunteer firefighting force disbanded in 1874 after the City Council refused to purchase horses to pull the fire engine and hose jumper - equipment that had previously been hand-drawn to fires. Soon after, many of the former members reorganized under the name of Thirty-Eights-No. 1. In May 1875, Engine Co. No. 2 was organized under the name Confidence Engine Company. In 1877, the first horses were bought for the fire department. In 1878, a third fire company was formed and was named Park Hose Co. No. 1. Five years later, in 1883, the East Los Angeles Hose Co. No. 2 was formed. And the final volunteer company, called Morris Vineyard Hose Co. No. 3, forming in the fall of 1883. All of these companies remained in service until February 1, 1886, when the present paid Los Angeles Fire Department came into existence. When it was officially formed, it had 4 fire stations, 2 steam fire engines, 2 hose reels, a hose wagon, a 65' aerial ladder truck, 31 paid firefighters, 24 reserve firefighters, and 11 horses to protect 30 square miles and a population of 50,000. Today, the LAFD has 106 fire stations and nearly 3,600 uniformed personnel offering fire prevention, firefighting, emergency medical care, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, public education and community service to a resident population of more than 4 million people who live in the agency's 471 square mile jurisdiction. View of an unidentified fire fighter maneuvering a horse-drawn fire engine, as two other firemen stand next to it; the station visible in the background is most likely Engine Company No. 9. Engine Company No. 9, formed on November 27, 1899, was located at 916 S. Santee Street until 1960. It relocated to 430 E. Seventh Street and has operated from that address from November 1, 1960 to the present. On that exact date, Engine Company No. 23 and Squad #23 moved into the building formerly occupied by No. 9.
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Image
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1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Los Angeles (Calif.).--Fire Department Engine companies--California--Los Angeles Fire engines--California--Los Angeles Fire stations--California--Los Angeles Fire fighters--California--Los Angeles Horses--California--Los Angeles
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