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Vehicle Maintenance
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Assessing damage to Squad 1 - Charles Ordwein and Glen Wyscaver.
Robert Lieurance, Robert Elrod, James Martin, and Bernard Moore.
| From the very earliest of times it was realized by the volunteers, and later those who made their living as firefighters, that reliable equipment was of the utmost importance. This meant that maintenance was a must, and any major repairs would have the highest priority. Some of the earliest station log books made note of various pieces of apparatus that were taken "off track" for repair either at the department shop or at one of the local carriage shops.
From this early start, the department has maintained a vehicle maintenance shop that remains a vital part of the present daily operations. This section's major function is to keep in operating order all the vehicles and equipment assigned to the Fire Department. The complicated design of the different types of fire apparatus used by this department demands skilled craftsmen in the field of mechanical repairs and on-the-job maintenance. In the early years, most of the repair work was done at individual stations by those who had a knack or interest and, if necessary, the work was sent to a local repairman.
When Central Station was built in 1908, the first mechanic, Walter (Babe) Viney, was assigned in 1918, followed by W.W. Garrety in 1928. All repair work was done in this location until the construction of the first mechanic shop adjacent to #1 Station in 1931. Walt Pulver was the Wichita Fire Department vehicle mechanic at that time. When this location was razed in 1971 to make room for the new city building, this operation was moved to 436 South Emporia, its present location.
Mechanics are available twenty-four hours a day to make needed repairs or to respond to multiple alarm fires, as well as other emergency calls.
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Related to 13 - Divisions and Organizations (1978) |
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