It's A Small World After All: Kellogg's Fire Dept. (K.F.D.) - Fire House From Engine House Project - Pt 1 Fire House Memories

I think it best to give you a bit of background info before getting into the nuts-&-bolts of this project. My fascination with fire and emergency vehicles, fire stations, and all that stuff goes back to my childhood. Approx. 200' or so from our house, on the next street over, stood Engine Company 28. The station was built in 1904 (as the capstone above the door indicates and helps in dating the neighborhood I grew up in) and was activated in 1905. The station was located in the Merrill Park district of Milwaukee and I would go in there and visit fairly often. Here's a tidbit of nostalgia: back in the day - 1950s & '60s, one had to go to the local fire station to get their bicycles inspected and to get a license. The licenses were purely voluntary, but it was kind of a public relations thing for the kids to see their local fire fighters.

My uncle Eddie worked at Engine Co. 28 and my parents always said, "He drove the chief." Okay, soooo as an adult trying to put 2-&-2 together he was most likely the assistant fire chief for that station. I had seen him 'in action' at fires in the neighborhood and he was definitely not handling hoses, axes, or other equipment. I saw him walking around and directing other firemen to hot spots needing attention. One fire in particular was a tire warehouse which was ablaze just a couple of blocks away in the Menomonee River Valley - what a stinky fire that was!! And there he was traversing the perimeter and directing the fire firemen.

That being said, I seldom actually saw him in the fire house and I never interrupted his work or ask to see him. One of the other memories I had was that of an old pumper truck (likely '40s or early '50s era) with open cab and split windshield. What a beauty! It was always parked towards the left rear of the station as one entered through the bay door. The photos below are Google street view images from a few years back.

Apparently Engine Co. 28 was in continuous service from 1905 to 2017 when it was deactivated. Now that alone defies all logic as that whole neighborhood was a fire waiting to happen, and growing up in it I saw plenty of them! In any case, somebody with more sense and foresight decided to reactivate it and the station reopened just last year. The full story, along with a history of the fire house, can be found on the OnMilwaukee blog by Bobby Tanzilo. BTW, the capstone with "1904" above the bay door can best be seen in the blog article by Mr. Tanzilo - it doesn't show up well on the Google street view images. Stay tuned for our next installment: Inspiration and planning the fire house. Enjoy! Opa Fritz