One of the worst snows in Wichita's history occurred on February 21 when 14 inches fell. Most of the City was closed down for two days and City employees (except for Fire and Police) enjoyed a paid holiday.

In March that year, an anti-rabies campaign for cats was initiated with special low cost clinics set up at all fire stations.

The Kansas Firefighters' Association held its annual meeting in Wichita in 1971. The guest speaker, Representative Garner E. Shriver announced pending legislation that would make attacks upon Fire and Police personnel a federal crime. In the July issue of the Eagle-Beacon's "Parade" magazine, the feature story told of the "Undeclared War on the Nations Firemen." All over the country, firefighters were becoming targets of unprovoked attacks.

Chief Carney announced that a new building inspection program would be started by Fire companies, to shift some of the workload from the Fire Prevention Division.

That year, the hoped-for salary increase for firefighters was axed, when nearly $80,000 worth of requested improvements for the Fire Department were cut from the budget.

In the middle of July, arsonists soaked a building occupied by the Wichita Beef Company with turpentine and set it on fire. This resulted in a $140,000 loss.

Senator Robert Dole was the guest speaker at the "Firemen's Appreciation" service at West Side Christian Church, where Fire Chaplain John Greenlee was minister. Due largely to the efforts of Mr. Milton Zelinkoff (a good friend of former Chief McGaughey), a memorial was designed and an appeal for contributions was made. Also, he convinced the City Commission, that the new No. 1 Station should carry the name of Chief McGaughey. This was approved, and it was the first building in the history of the City to be named after a City official. Plans for the new "Thomas A. McGaughey Fire Station No. 1" were approved by the City Commissioners in September. Estimated cost was $788,280.

Following Fire Prevention Week, 300 customers were routed out of the Giant Department Store at 2601 South Oliver by heavy smoke, and fire damage was listed at $50,000. Two men were indicted on arson charges stemming from the supermarket fires in 1970.

All trash burning was banned in Wichita during October, with the passage of an ordinance prohibiting open burning. The previous year, 621 trash fires were the leading cause of alarms. Arson caused $155,000 loss to the Wellington Place Baptist Church; later a 12-year old boy admitted setting the blaze.

A new program was underway to change Fire Department fire reporting from hand-written to computer reporting. A short time later, automated inspection reports were also developed. Later a completely new method of locating fire stations was computerized - this was the "Fire Station Location Model."

In Atlanta, Georgia, the executive director of the "National Commission on Fire" Howard Tipton, stated that statistics revealed by the Bureau of Labor indicated that firefighting was the most dangerous occupation in the United States.

More financial problems for the ambulance company made it necessary for the Fire Department to once again provide emergency service. Thirty-nine calls were made in November by the Wichita Fire Department using Red Cross vehicles.

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