Papers and items from fire chief Broughton Colvin.
Table Of Contents
Box 36: Fire Alarm and Call Records, 1958-1969
Box 37: Fire Department Annual Reports, 1940–1970
Box 38:
– Fire-call Record, Dec 1, 1949 – Nov. 1954
– 1969-1970, Day nursery & aged home inspection information
– 1959 Peach Festival file
– Greer Ward 4th Precinct
– C. L. Chander and Barbara C. L. McCall File
– Miscellaneous documents
Report with "a list of Firemen serving as Volunteer's in the Greer Fire Department for the year of 1963."
Information includes names of firemen, number of times, type, hours, and drills served, and receipts.
Three letters addressed to the Greer Fire Department in 1962.
1st letter: From the "Mayor and City Councilmen, City of Greer, by C.B. Cannon, Clerk" dated December 18, 1962. Addressed to Mr. R.B. Colvin, Fire Chief, Greer Fire Department. The letter is commending Chief Colvin for a good report of the year. The letter says a check for $521.00 is included as a "'service fee' Christmas bonus for the Firemen."
2nd letter: From Fred Glenn of Lockwood Greene Engineers and Architects, dated December 12, 1962. It is a letter thanking R.B. Colvin for a "wonderful" Christmas party. He mentions Sarah, Ruby, and Reverend Simms.
3rd letter: From Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Vaughn of W.R. Vaughn's Auto Trim Shop, dated June 20, 1962. The letter is thanking the Greer Fire Department for their work "keeping the fire on June 13 at Central Elementary School Building under control."
Greer Fire Department information for the year 1965. Stack of forms stapled together. Information includes who the firemen were (including paid and volunteer), how much each was paid, schedules and hours worked, drill training, membership, measurements (waist, chest, pants lengths, etc.) for suits.
Also included is a news clipping from The Greer Citizen from Wednesday, October 20, 1965 discussing the Greer Fire Department monthly fire drill.
Stack of papers stapled together. Handwritten and typed copies of forms filed by the Greer Fire Department with the names of the Volunteer Firemen and how many hours they served and any compensation received.
Other forms include the "Fire Chief's Annual Report, Year 1964," "1964, Report and Schedule of "Paid Men" on duty job hours 1964," "Fire Department Training and Drill Sessions, Year of 1964," "1964, 9th annual firefighting training school, August 24-28 at "Greer Fire Department," Mr. H. Burton Wells, Instructor," and "Firemen's Inspection and Annual Fund: Quarterly & Annual Inspection Requirements."
Stack of Outside Calls - Alarm and Fire Records
Includes information provided during calls to the fire department. On the back of each page are handwritten notes on who responded to the call and additional information. The last page in the stack is an invoice for the outside calls.
Attached by staples and paper clips.
Stack of "No Alarm" Alarm and Fire Records and Alarm and Fire Records.
Each paper provides information gathered during calls reporting fires.
On the back of each paper, there are handwritten notes including which firemen reported to the call and additional notes.
A stack of "Whistle" and "No Alarm" Alarm and Fire Records
Each paper includes information about the fire/fire alarm. Notes are written on the back of each page including which firemen reported to the call and additional notes about the fire.
Attached by paper clips and staples
Titled "Record of Fire Alarms, Fires and Deaths"
Published by the National Board of Fire Underwriters - Committee on Statistics and Origin of Losses
Greer, South Carolina
For the Year Ending December 31, 1961
Sections include "Number of Alarms for Fires," Number of Alarms for Non-Fires," "Number of Alarms Outside City," "Total Number of Alarms," and "Deaths Among Firemen and Civilians."
Signed and Dated by Chief Colvin, January 8, 1962
"National Board of Fire Underwriters (A National Organization of Capital Stock Fire Insurance Companies Established in 1866) - Committee on Fire Prevention and Engineering Standards - 85 John Street, New York 7, N.Y."
"Bulletin No. 263"
Dated February 20, 1948
Titled "What Constitutes a Fire and a Fire Alarm"
In order to keep clarifying and accurate fire records, the National Board uses their annual questionnaire, filled out by Fire Chiefs, to develop a definition of a fire and a fire alarm: "From the viewpoint of keeping fire records, a fire alarm is any emergency notification which causes one or more pieces of apparatus to respond" and "the definition of a fire follows closely the one already given for a fire alarm. An alarm is an emergency notification which causes apparatus to make a run, and a fire is any run made for the purpose of extinguishing an unfriendly fire regardless of whether there was any need for the firemen or apparatus upon arrival."
Letter addressed "To The Chief of the Fire Department."
From "Yours very truly, L.A. Vincent, General Manager."
Dated January 5, 1962.
The letter is requesting the fire department complete the annual questionnaire of the Committee on Statistics and Origin of Losses for the year 1961. The questionnaire was designed for the fire record established by the President's Conference on Fire Prevention. About 2,500 cities in 1960 filed reports which were published by the Committee on Statistics and Origin of Losses.
"National Board of Fire Underwriters - Report of the Committee on Statistics and Origin of Losses"
Addressed to "Mr. President and Gentlemen"
Dated "New York, May 25, 1961"
Headings of the report include "Fires in Cities," "Causes of Ignition & Materials Ignited," and "Factors Involved in Large Loss Fires." There are 8 tables and charts included. They are titled "Table 1: Annual Fire Loss in the United States for Eighty-Six Years - 1875-1960 Inclusive," "Table II: Incurred Monthly Fire Losses in the United States," "Table III: Estimated Number of Fires During 1960 in All United States Communities of 2,500 or more inhabitants classified by types of occupancy and Size of City. Estimates based on reports received from fire chiefs of 2,461 cities," "Table IV: Fires Resulting From Unknown Causes of Ignition," "Table V: Classification of Materials Ignited in Fires," "Table VI: Frequency of Occurrence of Outstanding Factors which contributed to the size of the loss of 629 fires of $100,000 and over during 1960 and 3227 fires for a seven year period 1954 to 1960 inclusive," "Chart 1: Estimated number of fires during 1959 in all United States Communities of 2,500 or more inhabitants in buildings and other than buildings, by years. Estimates for 1942 to 1946 based on reports from fire chiefs to the President's conference on fire prevention. Estimates for later years based on reports from fire chiefs submitted to the National Board of Fire Underwriters. Number of Cities Reporting - 2,461" and "Chart II: Number of Fires in the United States during 1960 per 1000 population by size of city."
Stapled stack of "No-Alarm Fire Call" reports.
Cards include information such as date, received by, location, type of property, origin of fire, truck used, material used, value of property, insurance, remarks, call handled by, etc.
"No Alarm Calls." Stack of cards labeled No. 1 - No. 25. Information includes "received by," location, owner of property, cause, remedy, results, type of call, property value, insurance coverage, "call handled by following," etc.
"Start 1959 Fire Call Report"
Date range: December 2, 1958 - November 27, 1959
Stack of cards stapled together, numbered 1-10. December 1958 - November 1959. Information including date, owner, address, cause, insurance coverage, etc.
Stack of Papers. 2 Papers, both labeled "No. 1"
Outside, City Property Call. Dated 6/17/59 and Oct. 17, 1959. Information includes date and time, location, type of call, cause, results, remarks, and "call handled by following."
Stack of Outside Fire Calls. Typed onto cards. Cards numbered 1-14. Information includes date, received by, location, owners, driver, cause, remedy, results, remarks, and which firemen handled the call. Handwritten notes on many of the cards.
Reports stapled together. Alarm and Fire Reports made by the department. Numbered 22-39. Each labeled "No Alarm and Fire Record." Information includes date, time, address, origin and condition of fire, cause of ignition, number of firemen reporting, etc. On the back of each paper are the firefighters who responded to the call.
Letter addressed To The Chief of the Fire Department; From L.A. Vincent, General Manager. The letter is requesting the 1960 department records. Letter is dated January 3, 1961.
The National Board of Fire Underwriters. Established in 1866, 85 John Street, New York 38.
Record of Fire Alarms, Fires and Deaths
National Board of Fire Underwriters, Committee on Statistics and Origin of Losses, 85 John Street New York 38, N.Y.
For the Year Ending December 31, 1960
Information includes Number of Alarms For Fires, Number of Alarms for Non-Fires, etc.
