XENIA LODD - 1908

On Feb. 3, 1908, two Xenia firefighters died when a brick wall collapsed at a fire at the H. H. Kavey & Co. wholesale grocery store.

Martin Ulery and Joseph Fletcher were manning a hose line at the rear of the building when the wall gave way, according to Fire Engineering magazine. Another firefighter was thrown to the ground by the force of the collapse and injured.

"The flames made their way upward through the elevator-shaft, and before they burst through the roof had been burning fiercely for some time," the magazine said. "The firemen were hindered in their operations by the intense cold and by help given to the flames by the gas which escaped from the broken and melted lines."

Firefighters directed seven streams at the blaze, all at the constant pressure of 85 pounds, which was considered reliable in the early 1900s.

The likely cause was an overheated pipe or spontaneous combustion in the rear of the building.

Decades later, members of the Ohio National Guard lost their lives at the same site when a killer tornado struck Xenia on April 3, 1974, according to the Xenia Fire Division.

HOME INSPECTIONS - 1960

The Springfield Fire Division introduced a home fire safety program in May 1960 and within the first four weeks firefighters completed more than 6,000 inspections. In the photo, pumper crews muster on the ramp at fire headquarters. It is likely truck companies remained at their stations to provide fire cover. Civic organizations provided funds for the program, brainchild of Fire Chief Willard G. Compton.  

CLARK COUNTY COURTHOUSE - 1918

Roaring flames swept the old Clark County Courthouse on March 12, 1918, toppling the bell tower and gutting the interior.

The grand jury room, the common pleas court chamber and the court of appeals chamber were ruined.

Many of the law library's 9,000 volumes were lost.

Fire Chief Samuel Hunter struck a second alarm upon arrival, bringing his entire force to the scene at about 1 a.m.

``Hundreds of feet into the air the flames shot as they encircled the high tower,'' The Sun newspaper said. ``Several lines of hose were used to throw water on the southwest corner in which are kept all the court records of the county ... Two lines of hose were carried to the top of the sheriff's residence and from there water was played on the building.''

Winds carried sparks ``as far down as Spring Street where a dwelling caught fire,'' according to The Sun.

Sheriff James Welch ordered the transfer of inmates from the County Jail to the City Prison as a precaution.

The blaze apparently started near a lavatory on the second floor of the courthouse, which was built in 1878.

GREEN VERSUS RED

Photo: Youngstown Fire

Photo: Big Mack Trucks

"It's not easy being green," Kermit the Frog once said.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Springfield, Dayton and other American cities fielded safety lime and safety yellow fire apparatus to improve visibility and cut down on traffic accidents.

Scientists had determined human eyes are "most sensitive to greenish-yellow colors under dim conditions, making lime shades easiest to see in low lighting," according to the American Psychological Association.

However, later scientific studies determined "recognizing the vehicle was more important than paint color" the APA said. "If people in a particular community don't associate the color lime with fire trucks, then yellow-green vehicles may not actually be as conspicuous."

The trend has since shifted back to red, just like Kermit the Frog's Sesame Street neighbor - Elmo.

MAST FOOS - 1925

Photo: Fidelity Sales Co. via Clark County Historical Society

Insurance agents distributed local fire photos like this one to drum up business. It was pretty convincing advertising.

On Dec. 17, 1925, fire broke out at the Mast Foos plant in Springfield, Ohio, and the city's aging steamer was put back to work supplementing motorized fire apparatus.  Notice that part of a wall collapsed.

Mast Foos, founded in 1884, produced Iron Turbine Wind Engines, Buckeye Force Pumps and Buckeye Lawn Mowers.