Title supplied by cataloger. Chemical Co. No.1, later to become Hose Company No. 4, was the result of a segregation policy to keep African-American and Mexican-American officers from being in charge of white fire fighters. As a result, the fire department gathered up all the African-American and Mexican-American firefighters and formed the city's first all-black fire company - Chemical Co. No.1 at 137 S. Belmont Drive, Los Angeles, CA. Chemical Co. No. 1 closed in 1907 and Hose Company No. 4, referred to as ‘The Hill,’ went into service in the same station with the same all-Black crew. At the turn of the century as the demographics of Los Angeles were changing, it was decided to move the black firemen from Hose Co. 4 to Fire Station 30, an emerging mixed-race neighborhood. In 1924, Hose Co. 4 was closed and Engine Co. 58 opened in the same building. View of a composite postcard of African American firefighters at Chemical Company No.1. The postcard shows the Champion Chemical Engine, double tank, each with a 50-gallon capacity, and 200 feet of chemical hose. Chemical Company No.1 was located at 137 S. Loma Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Photograph circa 1902.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 25 x 20 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Los Angeles (Calif.).--Fire Department Los Angeles (Calif.).--Fire Department--Employees Fire departments Fire departments--Uniforms Fire fighters Men Segregation Lost architecture Westlake (Los Angeles, Calif.)
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