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Department History
Prior to 1941, The Hialeah Fire Department was a Volunteer Fire Department.
January 8, 1925
J.L. Quimby was appointed the First Fire Chief of the Hialeah Fire Department.
Chief J.L. Quimby purchased the Department's first fire engine, which was a 1925 LaFrance Brockway Torpedo Pumper.
1927
The fire department purchased an additional pumper, a 1923 American LaFrance Pumper.
A fire alarm system was installed in the city. The system consisted of 34 pull boxes and the control equipment, which was housed in the Municipal Building Fire Station. The pull boxes were located on almost every block.
Roy Ewing was in charge of the fire alarm system installation project.
1932
The first Fire Chief's Car was assigned to the chief for official use.
1936
Fire-station 1 was remodeled.
October 1938
It was ordered that some of the Everglades Fire Control Fire units were to be housed at Hialeah's Fire station Number 1.
March 1939
Smokey, Hialeah's Fire Dog, was featured in an article in the Miami Daily News Paper. Smokey was a full-blooded Dalmatian.
September 12, 1941
Roy Ewing aided in the construction and design of the City's fire hydrant system.
September 14,1941
The Hialeah Fire Department was officially changed from a volunteer department to a full-time paid department.
The first paid Fire Chief was Chief A.J. Davis. The first paid fire personnel were: Ben Cameron, Robert Woefel, Merle McKinney and Roy Ewing.
1942
The Hialeah Fire Department was awarded a Class 1 rating by the underwriters insurance.
The Department reported 60 alarms:
- 45 trash and grass fires
- 10 house fires
- 5 false alarms
1943
The Department reported 120 alarms:
- 107 trash and grass fires
- 13 house fire
- 0 false alarms
January 17, 1946
A fire broke out at the Hialeah Race Track, destroying 600 seats and 12 parimutuel machines.
June 27, 1946
A major Code 1 Fire broke out at the Hialeah Riding Club, located at West 1st avenue and 9th Street. The alarm was received at 11:50 a.m
An art mural located in the second floor of the Fire Administration building depicts this event.
1948
The department consisted of 9 full-time paid personal.
1951
Fire Station 2 was built at 4200 East 8th Avenue.
1954
Fire Station 4 was built at 251 East 12th Avenue.
1959
Fire Station 3 was built at 800 West 49th Street.
Hialeah Fire Department operated out of four fire stations:
- Station 1 (Central Station) at 20 East 6th Street
- Station 2 at 4200 East 8th Avenue
- Station 3 at 800 West 49 Street
- Station 4 at 251 East 12 Avenue
The restoration of one of the Department's first fire engines was completed (1923 American LaFrance). It took the crew from "4B" two and a half years to complete the restoration project.
March 25,1960
The department received its first Civil Defense Heavy Rescue Truck.
March 1, 1961
Fire Department employee salaries were as follows:
- Assistant Fire Chief: $525 monthly
- Fire Engineer: $415 monthly
- Fire Lieutenant: $455 monthly
- Firefighter First Class: $410 monthly
- Freighter: $340 monthly
1963
Hialeah Fire Department consisted of 77 full-time firemen and owned 11 pieces of fire apparatus. The department responded to approximately 1,350 emergency calls.
Mid-1960s
The department purchased its first aerial fire truck, the American LaFrance Junior Aerial.
1968
Fire Station 1 (Central Station) was built on the site of 30 East 6th Street.
11 major code 1 fires were fought, and the department's personnel increased to 96 firefighters.
November of 1970
The department ordered the first two modern day Rescue units at a cost of 12,000 each. These units were to be manned by two EMTs
1971
The department responded to 2,882 alarms.
January of 1971
The department sent 15 fire personnel to begin training as Emergency Medical Technicians.
January 12, 1971
The first Code 1 fire involving a gasoline tanker (8,000 gallon tanker) occurred, at the intersection of Northwest 122nd Street and the Palmetto Expressway. Three victims died on scene as a result of the fire.
1972
The Rescue Protocol system was set into place. The department responded to 4,674 alarms. Hialeah's first graduating class graduated from Metro-Fire College.
October 23, 1973
Ground was broken for the construction of Fire Station Number 5 located at: 1195 West 74 street.
September 5, 1974
A chlorine leak was discovered at the Miami Water Plant on West 9th street. A total of 11 firefighters were taken to Hialeah Hospital for possible lung damage.
1974
William Ackerly, was appointed the full-time Rescue Coordinator for the Hialeah Fire Department. Fire Station 5 construction was completed. The department handled 5,431 alarms.
1975
The department received a new 100 feet aerial ladder from Mack.
1976
Fire Station#3 was remolded and enlarged with a large training classroom and an additional engine bay was added on.
1977
The creation of the Training Division was developed. Craig Andres was appointed as the department's first fulltime training officer. Fire Station Number 6 was completed at 780 West 25th Street.
1979
The department consisted of:
- 211 trained personnel
- 12 command staff vehicles6 fire stations
- 7 primary engines
- 4 rescue vehicles
- 2 aerial ladder trucks
- 1 reserve engine
The department responded to 7,115 alarms.
Hialeah’s Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was developed. The exact date is not known, but it is believed to be 1984.
1991
Hialeah Fire Station 7 was built at 7590 West 24th Avenue.
1994
The Fire Administration Building (83 East 5th Street) and Fire Station 1 (93 East 5th Street) were built.
May 7, 2007
Hialeah Fire Station 8 was built at 5405 West 18th Avenue.
- 1925 to 1933: Chief J.L. Quimby
- 1933 to 1939: Chief F. Freeman
- 1939 to 1943: Chief A.J. "Shorty" Davis
- 1943 to 1946: Chief Roy Ewing
- 1946 to 1948: Chief A.J. "Shorty" Davis
- 1948 to 1955: Chief ArThursday Chapman
- 1955 to 1972: Chief Norman Thompson Jr.
- 1972 to 1981: Chief William E Lynch
- 1981 to 1989: Chief Thomas J. Hyle
- 1989 to 1994: Chief Herminio Lorenzo
- 1994 to 1999: Chief Paul DeYoung
- 2000 to 2001: Chief Micheal M. McCann
- 2001 to 2009: Chief Otto Drozd III
- 2009 to 2013: Chief Marcos De La Rosa
- 2013 to 2017: Chief Miguel "Mike" Anchia
- Current: Chief Patrick Flynn