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"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." --Joseph Campbell This week we are featuring the Biography of Edward Wallace Bent (1917-2012). Chief Ronny J. Coleman has authored and shared with us several articles on Ed's legacy, including the explanation of Ed's impact on California State Fire Training and Education. Ask any young firefighter today who Ed Bent was, and I doubt they'll know. This is one of the many reasons we seek to preserve and share our fire service history. As you'll read in Ronny's narrative, Ed was perhaps the most important person in the creation and evolution of what is today the California Fire Service Training & Education System (CFSTES). His influence was especially strong in Northern California, as Ronny shares.  Chief Ronny J. Coleman conducted a video interview of Ed Bent on February 12, 2012, about six weeks before Ed passed away. The video will be posted on Ed's biography page soon. This week we are posting the early history of what is now called the Marin County Fire Investigation Team. The Team is a group within the Marin County Fire Prevention Officers, still operating with the same general value that it was originally started with - that of helping each other out with fire investigations, through pooled resources and expertise. Fire Investigation as a specialty area and profession dates back to 1949, when the International Association of Arson Investigators was formed in Kentucky. The California Conference of Arson Investigators was formed in 1954, and is now Chapter 21 of the International Association. Marin County's size did not warrant full-time positions, but an unusual partnership was formed with most of the fire departments and law enforcement starting in the 1960's. Read about the history and evolution of this joint effort on the Fire Prevention Officers sub-page for the team. Thanks to Author and one of the early members, retired Larkspur Chief William "Bill" Lellis.  Larkspur Captains Bill Lelis on the left, and Craig Shurtz investigate a fire at the Chinese Kitchen in the 1960's. Both would later serve and retire as Fire Chief of Larkspur FD. In the last blog we posted the story of Larkspur Fireman James Niven, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a possible structure fire on January 2, 1978. Jim was serving as the officer on Larkspur Engine 1, which crashed enroute to the alarm, resulting in his death. We read that the California Highway Patrol determined that excessive speed was to blame, and that Larkspur Fire Department Engineer Willie Wilson was driving. We who lived through this tragic incident do not want Willie to be remembered in that way. This week we are posting his story under the "Special Recognition and Award Recipients" section. Willie was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, and fought in 13 major battles at sea in the Pacific Theater. He and the other members of his crew received 13 battle stars. Willie served as a Gunner's Mate, and we are sure he lost much of his hearing ability due to those terrible battles and gunfire. Read how the loss of his hearing may have played into the accident in 1978. We all have good memories of Willie and his time in the Larkspur FD. For me, I will always remember him in his coveralls, running a buffing machine back and forth over the fire station engine bay floors. He'd be whistling loudly and appeared happy to be doing the work. This was probably a task he learned well on the U.S.S. Louisville, while "swabbing the decks." The station floors were always clean when he was on duty. Rest in Peace Willie.  The U.S. Navy battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) leads USS Colorado (BB-45), USS Louisville (CA-28), USS Portland (CA-33), and USS Columbia (CL-56) into Lingayen Gulf before the landing on Luzon, Philippines, in January 1945. Today we have posted the story of the 15th known Line-of-Duty Death in Marin County, occurring on January 2, 1978. Larkspur Volunteer Fireman (as they were called then) Jim Niven responded as the officer to a reported structure fire in the Greenbrae Convalescent Hospital on South Eliseo Drive. Third-due, the open-cab Engine 1 and it's six firemen including Jim never made it - crashing while enroute. Jim was a third generation businessman and left behind his wife Lorraine and two young daughters, Cynthia and Patricia. At the time 43-year old Jim was President of the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce, and was the head of the Niven Nursery Company, a long-time producer of roses and orchids. Larkspur Station 1 (now called Station 15) was named in his memory, and an annual college scholarship is given in his name by the Larkspur Association of Volunteer Fireman (later renamed to '...Firefighters' and in 2015 to the Larkspur Volunteer Fire Foundation.) Read about his death in our Line of Duty Deaths section, and look forward to his biography coming soon. Thanks to retired Larkspur Chief Bill Lellis for his personal account of this accident, and to Brian McLeran for the on scene photographs he shared.  Jim responded to the New Joes Fire in Corte Madera in 1975, pictured here on the tailboard pulling hose. Fireman Willie Wilson was the Engineer on Engine 1. Photo from Larkspur FD historical archives. |
AuthorOur Blog announces new site content, and gives the context of the topic and it's relationship to fire service history. Written by Bill Lellis & Paul Smith Archives
August 2022
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