The Maids of the Mist: Fireboats and the History of Fire Protection at the Port of Los Angeles

Description

This volume on the fireboats and fire protection history of the Los Angeles harbor is the fourth publication by Dave Cox and Walt Jaeger for the Los Angeles FIre Department Historical Society. It documents in photo and text the rise of the harbor complex from its beginnings as a shallow marsh to one of the worlds largest ports.

This 9 x 12 inch, coffee-table style book features over 140 black and white photos and 190 color photos that take the reader through 150 years of history; the fires, fireboats, fire apparatus and multi-use, rapid harbor expansion. In 192 pages the book covers the early attempts at fire fighting by local volunteers through the annexation by Los Angeles of all the small communities. You will follow the steady improvements of fire protection through the progression of bigger and more powerful fireboats and fire fighting innovations, not to mention the fires, with many photos and descriptions of the disasters that occurred over the years such as the Markay and Sansinena explosions, all the wooden dock fires, and the petroleum fires, and the boat and commercial building fires. Also included are biographies of the fire personnel that made big advances in the fire protection of the harbor such as: Chief Ralph J. Scott, Chief John C. Baly, Chief Archie J. Eley, Capt. Warner L. Lawrence, and Chief Bethel F. Gifford.

This book features all the LAFD fireboats, from the first simple attempts to the most modern and powerful boats of today, which are known by some as the Maids of the Mist. Order your copy today!