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Firefighters Home Page

Detroit Fire Department

This page is dedicated to the Fire Fighters of Detroit.

       I worked on Detroit Fire Department EMS at Eng. 11 Medic 11, Eng.41 Medic14,
 Eng.58 Medic15, Eng.32 Medic12, from "72 to 78".I went back to Detroit in "97" and for several years did "ride a-longs" with your Fire Department, for training and experience. This is my way of saying thanks to my old friends and new friends a like.
The Photo's and articles listed below have been compiled from the internet as well as purchased from several sources.  Additional photo's on the Historic page.

                                                                                                      Mike Farmer
                                                                                       Powell Township Fire Department

 · The lightweight: 1,100 pound horses that were used on the hose wagons,

 · The middleweight: 1,400 pound horses that were used on the steamers, and

 · The large, 1,700 pounder's that were used to pull the hook and ladders as well as other heavy equipment.

Fire horses required much stamina and strength and natural ability. One expert of the time said it was usually a one-in-a-hundred selection. Their training took between one and two years. The City of Detroit actually had a horse college where many of Toledo’s horses were trained.

Last Run of Fire Horses in Detroit, MI (1922)

      Seagrave spent its first 10 years located in the city that would later become the world center of the automobile industry. Perhaps that is why Detroit Fire Department has long been one of Seagrave's best customers. This 1922 photo shows the last time that fire horses ever pulled a fire engine to an actual fire in Detroit, and of course this hose wagon is a Seagrave!

       The first motorized fire Engine in the World was a Packard  in the city of Detroit.
 I've also found out that an ex-Detroit Fire Department 1911 Packard Squad # 2 is 
being restored in Ohio.

          Circa 1890's                                                                                  
              

 
             Circa1920's         Circa 1920's                 Circa 1930's             Circa 1930's  
                    

Engine 58 quarters before the bullet holes.   

         Engine 26 of the Detroit, Michigan F.D. operated this "Jumbo" model with a 750 gpm. piston pump. This1912 delivery still had torches on the rear grab rail.  Robinson rigs were delivered with a distinctive radiator cap with an eagle perching on top.