First of all, I think we will go through some of the changes in the department from when I started until I retired. I started in 1961. At that time the rigs were small and their water tanks carried from 100 to 300 gallons of water. We carried about 1,000 feet of 2.5-inch hose that we would lay from a hydrant. We also carried about 200 feet of 1.5-inch hose that we would use for firefighting. 

We only had two masks on each four-person rig. If you put a mask on you were considered a wuss, so nobody wore them. In fact, if you were caught wearing one at a fire, usually a Captain or a Battalion Chief would tell you to get out of there and let a ‘man’ do the job. Things were pretty tough as far as wearing a mask and safety. 

When I went on the fire department, we had about 32 engine companies, 2 truck companies and 4 battalions, which meant that the city was broken up into four different areas. 

The Battalion chief’s cars had blowers in them, and also some rescue equipment because the only rigs that carried rescue equipment were trucks. There was only one truck in Downtown, and one in North Park, and they didn’t leave those areas unless there was some dire emergency and they were needed somewhere else. 

San Diego is the third largest city in the United States in terms of geographic size. It goes from the Mexican border to the south up to Escondido in the north, which is over 30 miles. It also goes from the ocean to about 15 miles inland. It’s a really large area for that many rigs to cover. 

When I retired in 1995, we had 44 engine companies, 12 truck companies, 8 brush rigs, and 6 battalions. We also had a lot of specialists for things like hazmat, wildland, and explosive ordnance disposal. The rigs now carry about 1,200 to 1,500 feet of 4-inch hose for a hydrant rig. They also carry three different lengths of 1.75-inch hose, which measure 100, 150, and 200 feet, and they can all be connected together. Plus there are other rolls of hose. The rigs with water tanks now carry 800 to 1,000 gallons of water.