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Seventy years ago, there
was no organized fire protection in Citrus Heights. The approximately 400
residents in the area used burlap sacks and water buckets for fire control.
It is important to remember that in 1933, this country was in the midst of
the depression. Some families could not even put food on the table, let
alone concern themselves with improving their fire protection. In spite of
such financial constraints, a “fire committee” headed by Adolph Van Maren
was created in 1928 by the Citrus Heights Community Club. Van Maren, a
rancher of about 780 acres near Greenback and Dewey, advised private
citizens as to how they might improve their personal fire protection.
It was not until December
31, 1933, that the seeds of the Citrus Heights Fire District were planted.
In the evening of that historic day, a barn burned to the ground while
onlookers helplessly stood by. Among the people watching was Eugene Desimone,
later to become the first Fire Chief, and Virgil Mulch, who became an
Assistant Chief. These two men decided that some organized form of fire
protection was needed. Through the efforts of Desimone and Mulch, 1934 saw
the birth of a non-governmental citizen’s firefighting group. It was the
area’s first attempt at organized fire protection. By January 1935, the
organization was meeting regularly and official minutes were being recorded.
Some of the people involved in those early meetings included Clarence
Champlin, Guy Van Maren, William T. Mooney, W.T. Berg, Gene Desimone, Paul
Govette, Virgil Mulch and Byron Myklebost.
1935 was a productive
year for the fledgling group. They became a non-profit corporation called
the Citrus Heights Fire District, Inc., and joined the Sacramento County
Fireman’s Association. They also obtained an old fire engine on a short-term
trial basis. Not much is known about this truck other than it kept breaking
down and eventually was given to Fire Chief Donovan of the Carmichael Fire
District and used as their first fire truck. Soon afterwards, the District
bought a 1921 Studebaker machine for $350. The terms of the sale were $100
down and $25 per month. The truck needed hose, nozzles and tires, but it was
the best buy possible. Due to the Studebaker’s poor condition, it was
commonplace to see Gene Desimone and Virgil Mulch pushing the machine down
the road to Earl’s Service Station for repair.
The problem with the
Studebaker was not lack of effort or interest on the firefighters’ behalf,
it was money; money for tires, gasoline and parts. As money was always in
short supply, card party fundraisers were started. The first party made
$19.99, a very tidy sum for the depression years. In fact, card parties and
donations were the only source of income for the corporation until 1941.
This meant that from 1935 to 1941, everything pertaining to the District was
purchased out of the pockets of local residents, rather than county taxes.
Until 1939, Citrus
Heights’ Studebaker fire truck was stored at the home of the designated
Citrus Heights Fire Chief. Each year from 1934 to 1940, the Fire Chief was
elected into the position by the board members. Because Mr. Rankin was
elected Fire Chief in 1939, Truck 1 was moved from the home of Ed Voltz,
previous Fire Chief, to Mr. Rankin’s home. The alarm telephone, which was
part of the Sylvan Telephone and Telegraph Company, was also moved. It was
after this move that materials were donated to construct Citrus Heights’
first fire station. The station was located on Mariposa, just south of
Greenback next to Chief Rankin’s home and eventually housed Trucks 2 and 3.
It looked more like a big shed with a gravel floor than a fire station, but
it was more than adequate and was used for five years.
In addition to the new
station, the District also purchased a 1931 Chevrolet with equipment for
$600. The Chevrolet was called Truck 2 and appeared to have been the
District’s favorite for many years. After the purchase of Truck 2, Truck 1
(the Studebaker) was moved to Bud Filter’s store, located at Sunrise and
Watson Way. Filter’s store represents the beginning of what is now Station
27.
By 1940, a 1927 Fageol
tanker was purchased from Standard Oil for $100. The tanker was designated
Truck 3. It was also the year that the Ladies Auxiliary was formed. The
Ladies Auxiliary should not be confused with the Ladies in White Rescue
Squad, which was formed in 1951.
The Ladies Auxiliary was
formed to help supplement the volunteer firemen, while the men worked at
their daytime jobs. They also became very important to the welfare of the
community during the war years, gaining statewide recognition. The Ladies
Auxiliary provided the critical manpower that was needed in light of the
number of men who had left the community to fight in the war. Grass fires
were a primary concern during this period, and so sweeps were crudely
fashioned underneath the truck’s front fender wells to assist the women in
their work. This was something of an innovation, as it had not been tried
before. The sweeps were used in a tandem type of operation with one person
bringing up the rear with a booster line. Those tandem tactics are now
commonplace and widely used. According to records, the women were good at
firefighting and were never known to back away from any fire. In short, they
had a lot of grit. Oddly though, even when the women had complete
responsibility at the end of the nozzle, they were not allowed to hold any
office in the corporation. The Ladies Auxiliary consisted of Estaline Mulch,
Fire Chief; Zella Desimone, Captain; Palmyra Ravinale, Captain; Camille
Smith, Captain; and Mary Bost, Verda Taylor, Onita Harper, Elizabeth
Stoddard, Lola Oldham, Tommy Evans, and Donnie Macabee.
On June 20, 1947, while
the auxiliary was on duty, the Fire District experienced its first general
alarm. Camille Smith initially reported the fire as being located at Madison
and Oak. Smith’s crew was on Truck 5. Truck 3 also responded from the main
station. No fire was actually found at that location, but a serious fire was
seen burning north of Camp Kohler, a federal detention center which held
Japanese citizens during World War II. Truck 3 went into Camp Kohler and
joined other fire units already trying to stop the fire before it hit nearby
buildings. After about 30 minutes, our units were withdrawn from the Camp to
fight the fire, which had jumped the main road and was spreading into our
District.
By this time, all of our
equipment was committed to the fire. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office called
several times to report numerous fires in other locations. The other reports
represented spots from the main fire and they all eventually burned
together.
Every effort was made to
get ahead of the main fire, but their efforts were fruitless as a strong
north wind carried pieces of burning tar paper for miles. Eventually, 11
homes, many out buildings, Earl’s Service Station, considerable livestock
and most of Camp Kohler were destroyed. Several firefighters, including some
of the women, received first and second degree burns. The fire raged for
four hours before it was brought under control. Equipment from 10 fire
departments fought the fire and property loss was estimated at $150,000. The
Ladies Auxiliary remained a vital part of the Fire District until about 1948
when they disbanded.
In 1941, the local
volunteers made a total commitment towards a county funded Fire District
called the Citrus Heights Fire Protection District. All privately owned fire
trucks, equipment and equity in the previous fire protection corporation was
donated free and clear to the new District. This was quite a donation
considering the amount of time, effort and private money that had been spent
in the previous eight years. This development gave birth to the Citrus
Heights Fireman’s Association.
In 1942,
a new “Central Station” was under construction at 7641 Greenback Lane. The
lot was purchased for $400. Ironically, it was the site of a previous
structure, which had burned to the ground. Later, an old school building was
purchased from San Juan High School and
was moved to the lot. The
building along with the truck room made up the Central Station. Ten years
later, a 30-foot addition to the front of the station was added. Amazingly,
the volunteer firemen and not the District purchased the lot, station and
equipment. The old Mariposa station was eventually torn down.
During the same year, an
article appeared in “The Siren,” a fire journal published in Los Angeles,
which mentioned the salvage operations of the Citrus Heights Fire District.
The article thought it rather amusing that the use of mops and squeegees for
general cleaning of a home after a fire was routine. Considering the current
emphasis on salvage operations in the fire service today, that article
clearly demonstrated the District’s progressive nature.
Communications, up until
this time, were mainly via a siren at the main station, along with a
telephone. The person in need would call the fire district and give their
address. Afterwards, the dispatcher would blow the siren and the volunteers
would promptly dash to the Central Station to man the trucks. For the trucks
that were assigned in the outlying areas, an army surplus field phone was
used in order to establish communications between the main station and the
outlying stations. All of the outlying stations at this time were the homes
of volunteers. So as the volunteers became active or inactive, the truck
locations would move around. Communications improved in 1946, when radios
were installed in the command car and Truck 5. However, the radio frequency
was that used by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and proved
impractical due to all the radio traffic.
The Orangevale Volunteer
Fire Department merged with Citrus Heights in about 1945. The original
Orangevale Fire Station was located at Hazel Avenue and Greenback Lane. In
1953, Citrus Heights replaced the volunteer station with a new station at
Greenback Lane between Hazel Avenue and Pecan Avenue. The station housed two
engines and had a living area in the rear of the station providing for
24-hour manning. The first to live at the station was Assistant Chief Ewell
and his family. This station remained in operation until 1967, when it was
replaced with the current Station 22, located on Chestnut, north of
Greenback.
A third fire station was
established in 1947 and was referred to as the “Highway Station.” It was
located on Highway 40 (now Auburn Boulevard), across from the 12 Mile House.
It housed two fire engines and had a living area. To supplement the
station’s manning, Fire Chief Gene Desimone and his family moved in. In
November of 1963, Chief Desimone died while at the Highway Station. The
station remained in operation until about 1965 when the current Station 23
located on Greenback, just east of Auburn Boulevard, replaced it.
Station 6 was constructed
in 1947 on Marmith Avenue, off of Hemlock Street. It was later moved into a
tin shed behind a gas station with local merchants as volunteers. In 1961,
the station was moved to the intersection of Amber Lane, Oak Avenue, and
Auburn Boulevard. The station number was changed to Station 4 in 1964. Oak
Avenue was later renamed College Oak Drive.
In 1951, the nationally
known “Ladies in White” Rescue Squad was formed. This organization was
prompted by an auto accident, which occurred on Highway 40. Chief Desimone,
while responding to a structure fire on Highway 40, came upon a head-on
accident involving a bus and an auto. The Chief sent his crew to the
structure while he remained at the scene to lend some help. The structure
fire turned out to be a minor incident. Afterward, with much thought, Chief
Desimone decided to create an organization within the department that would
handle first aid calls, thus releasing the firefighters from that obligation
and allowing them to fight fires. As some of the women were from the
disbanded Ladies Auxiliary, their duties were expanded to include
firefighting as well for a period of time.
In 1959, the District
purchased the first diesel-powered fire engine sold on the west coast.
Citrus Heights had a
Gamewell fire alarm system. The Gamewell system was replaced when the
District became the third department in the State of California to install a
radio alarm box system.
In the 1982/83 fiscal
year, the District operated on a budget of 4.7 million dollars and responded
to more than 5,800 calls. The District protected 38 square miles of
residential, commercial, and rural properties. It had been assigned a Class
3 rating by the Insurance Services Office. The District had two Battalion
Chiefs, nine Captains, ten Engineers, three Firefighters, two EMT-II’s, and
eleven Resident Firefighters on duty 24-hours a day operating out of nine
fire stations. The apparatus inventory included ten engines, two Sutphen
aerial tower ladders, three grass units, a squad, an air unit, and two
advanced life support medic units.
In 1983, the Board of
Directors of the Citrus Heights and North Highlands Fire Districts voted to
merge. The merger became effective February 4, 1984, and the North Highlands
Fire District became part of the Citrus Heights Fire District.
On July
1, 1989, the Citrus Heights Fire District merged with the Rancho Cordova
Fire District, creating the Sacramento County Fire Protection District.
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