By Josh Barr
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The Philadelphia (PA) Bureau Fire Training School Class of 1940, taken December 5, 1940, at Frank Palumbo’s Restaurant at Eighth and Catharine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (click on photo to enlarge image) |
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Al Barr – Class of 1940
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And, many of those doing the populating do so in 19th century designed and built structures.
Many of those buildings—laced snugly within tight streets and alleyways, many of which hang on hills.
Summer’s onslaught brings underworldly temperatures—heat and humidity partner for strength- and morale-sapping heat indices, making predicting the area’s notoriously unpredictable weather a blind stab.
The duo combine for deadly disservice—fireground heat exhaustion, equipment failure, to name just two.
Winter’s wrath often couples high winds with freezing temps, ice and snow. Fallen mercury hangs up its climbing boots and turns a blind eye.
City streets double as black diamond ski trails. Feet-long icicles overhang street and sidewalk, threatening death, prompting vigilant travel, on foot, in vehicle. Nature’s killing prowess looms, visible, tangible.
In short: Philadelphia is a city jam-packed in straw houses with many a different big bad wolf at doorstep.
Further complicating matters: another wolf, the arsonist, the only wolf with a conscience—yet, also, the only wolf who consciously does the unconscionable.
According to a 2011 article on WHYY’s NewsWorks, Pennsylvania leads the nation in arson deaths per year with more than 55. A finding neither brotherly nor loving.
Nor conducive to peace of mind—for citizen and firefighter alike.
And it wasn’t much different in and around 1940. The collective pictured above fought amid much of the same—but while wearing and using equipment far less comfortable, effective or protective as today’s.
Among them, fought Aloysius Barr of Roxborough.
Braving smoke and flame on row home flat roofs and Delaware-sat fireboats, in towering Center City skyscrapers and unreasonably tight Manayunk back alleys, Al, put his life on the line.
To protect always proud, always demanding citizens. To provide for his family. To honor his profession.
And he did so for more than 32 years, never expecting—just doing.
Selflessness personified. Firefighting at its core.
Al Barr
(1914 – 1995)
Barr and brethren have much company, and FE wants to honor that company; the firefighters you know and love who fought to save life and limb and set example for ‘fighter and kin, long, long ago.”
There is no cost. We’re looking for academy classes who graduated in 1960 and prior.
Track down the academy grad photo, or another photo showing the class in full, and contact FE’s Josh Barr at (856) 340-1768 or email Josh.Barr326@gmail.com; put “FE Firegrounders” in your email’s subject line.
You can also visit Josh’s FE Community Page to discuss the Philadelphia Bureau Fire Training School Class of 1940 and other stories from the fire service’s past at http://community.fireengineering.com/photo/photo/show?context=user&id=1219672%3APhoto%3A491169.
Let’s get to honoring.
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The Philadelphia Bureau Fire Training School Class of 1940, the school’s 62nd class |
| ARCHIBALD, William Truck 4 BANKHEAD, John Engine 20 BARNES, Harry Engine 52 BARR, Aloysius F. Engine 12 BERNER, Norman Engine 30 BERRY, James Engine 6 CAREY, Jr., Howard Engine 38 COOK, Robert Truck 20 COSTELLO, Joseph Truck 22 COYLE, Charles Truck 11 DORAN, John Engine 46 DRISCOLL, Jr., James Engine 43 DUFFY, Jr. Edward Engine 57 DUGAN, William Engine 12 ECKLES, William Engine 43 FIX, Jack Engine 14 FLANNAGAN, Thomas Engine 17 GALLAGHER, Edward P.L. 1 GOMMEL, Albert Engine 52 GOODMAN, Isadore Engine 46 GREGOR, George Truck 15 GRUMM, Leonard Engine 4 HARKINS, John Engine 29 HASSETT, Charles Truck 29 HOFFMAN, Morris Engine 22 HOLLAND, Charles Engine 16 JOFFE, Maxwell P.L. 2 KITCHEN, John Truck 22 KNOWLES, Nicholas Engine 29 KRESS, Ralph Engine 2 LEACH, John Truck 20 LEONARD, John Engine 57 LISOVITCH, John Truck 4 LYNCH, Arthur Engine 57 MAWHINNEY, Wilson Engine 50 McKERNAN, James Engine 63 McNALLY, John Engine 67 O’BRIEN, William Engine 47 O’DRAIN, Howard Engine 2 O’NEILL, Charles Engine 53 OSUCH, Leon Engine 2 POOLE, William Engine 40 REEVES, David Engine 58 RIENISH, Lester Engine 41 RISSAKOW, Morris Engine 27 ROTOLONI, Emo Engine 29 SENDERLING, George Engine 45 SCHRIVER, George Engine 14 SLOAN, James Truck 12 STECKER, Henry Truck 13 STRUBE, William Engine 23 SWENK, Shuman Engine 1 TRACEY, Joseph F. Engine 53 UHLL, William Engine 45 VAN HORN, Raymond Engine 67 VOGENBERG, Frank Engine 45 WANINGER, George Engine 29 WISNIEWSKI, Thomas Truck 4 ZORR, Carl Engine 33 |
Instructor: Chief Ferrier |
Josh Barr is a 10-year freelance magazine writer and copywriter. He has published articles in regional, national, and international magazines; e-zines; journals; and entertainment weeklies on firefighting, business, technology, sports, art, music, overly-bearded bikers, and underappreciated chicken wings. He is the grandson of the late Al Barr, who was a 32-year member of the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department.
Visit Josh’s page on the Fire Engineering Web site at http://community.fireengineering.com/profile/JoshBarr.
