​"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday." Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), American writer

This week we are posting new content including a two-minute film. These two minutes of footage from 1967 give great insight into the Marin County fire service of almost 50 years ago. Narrated by retired Larkspur Chief Bill Lellis originally for an FD installation dinner showing in 2004, we’ll first see a panning overhead shot of the Redwood High School east parking lot. The county fire service had gathered for the 1967 Fire Prevention Day event, and the lot was full of fire trucks that are no longer in service today.

Look for engines that were built as early as the 1920’s, and some that were hand built by local FD’s in their stations. You’ll see an OES engine, and the Sausalito FD Snorkel Platform, considered state of the art at the time. While a few were saved, most have disappeared and were probably at some point scrapped. Open cab trucks were common, along with accordion hose loads, designed to drain and help dry cotton jacket hose at risk of mold.
We’ll see the Hamilton Air Force Base Band, Technical Rescue Team, and Crash Rescue foam truck, all of which would no longer exist when the base was closed in 1976. An oil fire demonstration out in the field reminds us of simpler times, when that type of training was common and had only minor environmental or health concerns.