Acre & Spalding Interview

This is an article from the Gazette in May 1985.

The Master Stream

Below is an early copy of the Master Stream News. This was the "Monitor of Fire Protection News and Opinion" published by the Fairfax County Paid Fireman's Association. Thanks to Charlie Wood for sharing with the Association.

Radio Roll Call

This is a recording made by Ken Neumann back in 1975. It contains the 1800 hour nightly Tone Test back when each station had to reply via base station radio, as well as various dispatches. Ken would go on to say "Here is a sound track of evening roll call of all stations plus a few calls that I recorded in the early seventies. I had to laugh at a patient report given to Fairfax Hospital over the main channel! Would love to know who that was". If anyone recognises any of the voices, please email your answers to info@fcfrra.org and the information will be added to this post. Again, thanks to Ken Neumann for sharing this piece of history.     

Click below to listen

/docs/FXCOFireRescueDispatch1975.mp3

From Kathy Bomar: Dispatcher - Bobby Sims

From Carl Maurice: Co 11 - Ron Mastin

From Tom Wealand: Co 13 - Alton Wood

From Steve St. Clair: Co 19 - Wayne "Howdy Doody" Green

Early Radio Traffic

This is a recording of Fairfax Fire Control on January 7, 1954 taken directly from the vinyl recording disc it was originally made on. Towards the end of the recording you will hear the voices of all 15 paid men who were employed at the time as they acknowledge an announcement regarding their requirement to begin filling out a timesheet to get paid. Thanks goes to Clyde Clark who donated the recording disc, Ed Dornack who donated his time and expertise in cleaning up and enhancing the recording for us and Clyde and Steve St. Clair for identifying the voices as listed below.

From Clyde Clark:

Having listened to the above referenced tape I am of the following opinions as to voices heard:

I believe the primary dispatcher was Arthur Smith.  This opinion is in part due to the sound of the voice and the fact that he often repeated radio transmissions (as heard on this tape).  A second dispatcher is heard at 24:10 in the tape and I am not familiar with this voice.  Reviewing the EOC time sheet which you forwarded I do not believe the unidentified voices belong to any of those persons listed on the time sheet as each had a distinctive voice sound and quality.

At the time this tape was made (Jan. 1954) there were many itinerant dispatchers who came and went at the fire board - some in for a day and others for longer periods of time.  Possibly this era is best considered as a "try out" period.

At 00:20 the voice of Tommy Gaines (Jr. Gaines) is heard on a piece from Co. 8.

At 00:40 the voice is that of Dutch Simpson from Co. 10.

At 03:30 the voice is that of Bob Hunter from Co. 2.

At 09:45 the voice is that of C.B.  Newman (Bernie Newman) from Co. 9.

At 19:00 the voices of all 15 career personnel can be heard and for those that did not identify themselves the voices sound like the primary paid man at each station, i.e. Co 4 voice is not identified but certainly sounds like Oscar Costello.

From Steve St. Clair:

I listened to the tape one time and started jotting names down. The following is a list of names I came up with:

Co. 1 was Sam Redmond

Co. 2 was definitely Bob Hunter

Co. 3 was definitely Stuart Fox

Co. 8 was definitely Vince Guidi

Co. 9 was definitely Charlie Newman

Co. 11 was definitely Joe Dove

Co. 14 was definitely Marshall Curtis

Co. 15 was definitely Porter Hutchison

Co. 16 was Calvin Millen (Thanks Keith Pearson)

Co. 17 was definitely Harry Riggles

"96" was definitely Bill Sheads working as the Forest Warden.

I believe Maynard Wells was talking with Bernie Newman about the first brush fire Co. 9 was handling on Route 235 in reference to more assistance.

One of the dispatchers toward the end sounded like Horace Williams.

The names I was definite about were all voices I could identify from knowing them as a kid and later working with them.

Click below to listen

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