Newest Truck in Our Fleet Is Being Picked Up from the Factory | Flickr
Newest Truck in Our Fleet Is Being Picked Up from the Factory | Flickr
From February 8, 2023 post.
Usually on Tuesday your Gallup Fire Department posts about Fire Prevention but today we wanted to share some fire service history.
Yesterday, February 6th was the 100th anniversary of the Chicago, Illinois Fire Department retiring their last fire horses replacing all of their apparatus with gasoline powered engines.
On February 6th, 1923 at 12:40 pm fire alarm box 848 was pulled. The fire bell rang at the firehouse of Engine 11. The fire horses Teddy, Dan, Buck and Beauty were attached to the engine and they were out the door for their last fire response. The alarm was purposely false allowing the horses to finish their career with a purpose.
As the horses were responding to the call the new motorized fire engine was backed into the bay. When the horses returned to the station, they were greeted by thousands that lined the street honoring them for their service.
The Fire Commissioner John Cullerton asked the city council to send these horses to an agricultural school to be cared for by the students stating “They served faithfully and deserve a better fate then being sold to someone who might work them to death.”
The fate of Teddy and Dan are unknown, but Buck and Beauty were sold to a country pastor who used them to visit his congregation and ride to church.
Original source can be found here.
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