FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 November 2017
Contact:
Mike McKendrick / Chairman, Greater Tucson Fire Foundation
Assistant Chief of Operations (Ret.), Tucson Fire Department
Phone: 520.603.3055 / tffchair@gmail.com
TUCSON, Arizona – The Greater Tucson Fire Foundation announces the release of a book that details the history of the Tucson Fire Department, complete with multiple dozens of historic photographs, and chronicles Tucson’s growth from Wild West frontier town, to World War II boomtown, to 21st century metropolis.
Historians Al and Bob Ring are authors and long-time investigators of Southern Arizona history, and examined historic photos and original-source documents to complete the project.
“Tucson Fire Department, Established 1881” tells the colorful stories of the department’s beginnings as a hard-scrabble volunteer force, and introduces you to firefighting tradition, including the use of well-trained horses that pulled Tucson’s early fire engines. It tells tales of notable (and occasionally scandalous) fire chiefs, and details development of paramedics and other specialized services.
It also examines infamous local fires – including a 1934 blaze at Hotel Congress that indirectly resulted in the capture of notorious bank robber and gangster John Dillinger, and the tragic 1970 Pioneer Hotel Fire that led to stronger building fire codes adopted throughout the nation.
The 244-page book costs $37.95, and is available for purchase on line at http://tucsonfirehistorybook.org/ and at the Fire Foundation’s pop up Estate Sale Resale store, 4911 E 29th, beginning December 1st and 2nd, and through the Fire Foundation. Proceeds from book sales benefit health and wellness programing for Southern Arizona firefighters and paramedics.
“This book is just ‘the frosting on the cake’ for TFD history,” said Bob Ring. “Check out the almost unbelievably comprehensive online TFD Archives at www.tucsonfirefoundation.com/tfd-archive-down”
“If you are interested in the history of Tucson, then study the history of the fire department,” added Al Ring. “In almost all communities in the early years, the history of a fire department is the history of the community itself.”
About the Foundation
The Greater Tucson Fire Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by firefighters, for firefighters. It raises funds to provide advanced training and health and wellness support for Southern Arizona firefighters and their families. It also supports research and preservation of the history of the fire service. More information on the foundation is available at: www.tucsonfirefoundation.org
