DFD Station #3 "The Gator Pit".

Come see the Gator Pit in Downtown for Fill the Boot! Ross/Pearl and Live/Pearl. If you can’t come see us in person, use the QR Code below!

They are not in the same place at the same time often. But when they are, it’s time to shoot the bull and catch up.

The HazMat Engine 3 Drivers from all three shifts.

Traffic Alert
Be aware of rolling road closures INTO downtown Dallas on April 8, from approximately 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
The exits off our major highways, highlighted on the map, INTO downtown will be affected by the rolling closures.
Exits OUT of downtown will remain open.

Good Friday morning from "The Gator Pit".

Thank you Bill R. Carter Photography/Video for the great shots from the Inaugural Gator Pit Meetup.

The Tiller's
DFD Station #3 "The Gator Pit".
Dallas Fire-Rescue

Dallas Retired Firefighters Dallas Fire Fighters Association Auxiliary Dallas Fire-Rescue Dallas Fire History: Duty-Honor-Courage Dallas Firefighters Association-Local 58 Dallas Firefighters Museum

This week, HMRT 03 and 37 completed their annual work capacity test, along with suit and dexterity drills.

Thank you to Punch Drunk Chef Meal Prep and Fire Grounds Coffee Co for the “Caffeinate-A-Station” program. We appreciate the unexpected gesture and will raise a cup to you today!

Thank you to Taylor's Tins for the unexpected visit! Here are pictures of the Tins that are on our retirement wall and various places throughout the station with Taylor himself.

https://youtu.be/q5tpIcA7x4s?si=5oYAYL-hRpB_B48q

60 Years Ago: More than 700 firefighters battled flames at a popular restaurant in Dallas WFAA's Tiffany Liou sits down with a son and former colleague of those killed in the line of duty.

Today, members of C shift participated in aerial ladder manipulation training. This drill is essential for smooth operations of the hydraulic aerial ladder during rescue and firefighting operations.

We had some special guests on B-Shift! Thanks for coming and hanging out with us, Cub Scout Pack #4!

Thanks for being our valentines, Dallas Fire Fighters Association Auxiliary! Y’all show up every year and we appreciate it.

Captain E.L. Frith LODD 2-9-1931

February 9th, 1931 was a dismal day for members of the Dallas Fire Department when one of their apparatus, #1 Salvage, was involved in a major accident at San Jacinto and Hawkins. The incident resulted in the death of 38-year-old Captain Eddie Frith, a twelve-year veteran of the department, and injured four other firemen. The apparatus was responding to Box 381 for a small fire at a grocery store at Ross and Hall when the accident occurred. Capt. Frith leaves behind a wife, a son, and numerous other relatives.

The Dallas Fire Museum gratefully acknowledges Capt. Frith's dedication to his Family, the Dallas Fire Department, and the fine Citizens of the City of Dallas. R.I.P. Sir.

The following news stories provide very detailed accounts of the incident and are a good read.
As it was written.....

FIREMEN HURT IN CRASH; TWO MAY DIE

Fire Truck and Tram collide, crushing men.

Passengers escape injury in accident on San Jacinto Street

Five city firemen were injured, two of them critically, when a fire truck from the Central Station, responding to an alarm at Ross Avenue and Hall Street, collided with a streetcar at Hawkins and San Jacinto streets Monday morning. T. Riddell, operator of the streetcar, and five passengers escaped injury, however.

The most seriously hurt were Fire Captain Eddie L. Frith and Leroy Cole, driver of the fire truck. Captain Frith's legs were badly mangled when crushed between the front vestibule of the car and the back step of the truck on which he had been riding. He suffered seriously from loss of blood and shock and is not expected to live. Cole received injuries to his back which may disable him permanently if he does not die.

Three Others Hurt........

The other crash victims were:

J. H. Nowlin, bruised and cut about the face and body.

L. H. Harris, fractured skull, and a broken right hand.

O. L. Frith, cut and bruised when hurled against the side of the streetcar.

The fire truck was speeding north on Hawkins Street and the streetcar was going west on San Jacinto Street when the crash occurred. Riddell said that he did not hear the siren of the truck until it was too late to stop his car. The passengers, including two children, were seated in the rear of the car and escaped a shower of flying glass. Riddell emerged with a cut on the hand, although the vestibule in which he was standing was wrecked.

Made Quick Turn......

Leroy Cole said that he was sounding the siren and intended to go straight across San Jacinto Street to make the turn on Ross Avenue to the right. The streetcar pulled across the street in front of him and he had no time to avert a collision but turned to the left off Hawkins Street. Cole was driving the Salvage Truck (also known as #1 Salvage, or affectionally known as the "Sack Wagon") from Central Fire Station located at 2111 Main Street, and Eddie L. Frith was captain of the crew. The fire was in a grocery store at Ross and Hall streets, and only slight damage was done.

Five ambulances went to the scene of the crash when it was reported to the Emergency Hospital. All of the firemen except Harris were taken to St. Paul's Hospital. He is at Parkland. Charles Kuhnert of 721 West Tenth Street, a passenger on the streetcar, said the first he knew of the danger was when the fire truck suddenly appeared at the intersection and crashed into the front of the streetcar.
Street Car Derailed.....

The streetcar was knocked from the rails at the front and headed into the curb. The front of the fire truck was telescoped, and the steering wheel torn from the gear. Cole attempted to miss the streetcar by turning west onto San Jacinto Street off Hawkins, but he was unable to do so, the streetcar had almost crossed Hawkins Street when the fire truck plowed into the front vestibule and swung broadside into the side of the car. Harris, who was riding the back of the truck, was hurled against the side of the car. Captain Frith was crushed between the car and truck. Traffic was congested for more than an hour on the street, while mechanics from both the fire department and streetcar barns worked to clear the wreckage.

Officials Investigate

Officials of the fire department are making an investigation of the crash to determine blame for the accident, as are inspectors and special agents of the streetcar company. Reports from the hospital said Captain Frith's chances for recovery are slight. Firemen at the Central Station, discussing serious accidents that have occurred in the department, recalled that in practically every instance the run was being made for an inconsequential cal.

Funeral Notices:

Dallas Times Herald

February 10, 1931

FRITH, E. L., 35, of 1626 Jimtown road, died Monday night at a local hospital. Surviving are his wife, a son, Jack Shelton of Dallas, three brothers, O. L. Frith of Iowa Par, R. J. L. Frith of Charleston and J. W. Frith of Dallas and two sisters Mrs. J. A. Wilson of Childress and Mrs. S. E. Kern of Dallas, Funeral services Wednesday 2 p.m. Ed C. Smith and Bro. Chapel.

The Dallas Morning News

Tuesday, February 10, 1931

Fatal Injuries Result When Truck Sideswipes Streetcar

Fireman Killed, Four Hurt, When Speeding Truck on Way to Blaze Strikes Streetcar

Driver Swerves Speeding machine when He Sees Peril to Passengers and Crew.

Makes Fast Choice

Pilot on Fatal Alarm Kept in Ignorance of Comrade's Death.

The name of Capt. Eddie L. Frith, 38 years old, for the past twelve years a member of the Dallas fire department and captain of the Salvage Corps Truck for the last three years, was added Monday night to the roster of "courageous and heroic men who have lost their lives in line of duty". He died at St. Paul's Hospital shortly after 7 o'clock because of an accident during the morning when the fire truck on which he was riding collided with a streetcar at San Jacinto and Hawkins streets.

The fatal crash came despite a desperate effort by the driver of the truck, Leroy Cole, to save the lives of passengers on the streetcar, as well as the lives of the four other firemen on the truck. Cole himself was severely injured and his condition was such Monday night that fire department officials did not immediately let him learn of the death of Captain Frith. J. W. Nowlin, L. H. Harris and Leon Frith, a nephew of Captain Frith, were also injured in the crash, but all four men are expected to recover.

The Salvage Corps Truck, answering an alarm at Ross and Hall streets, was speeding northward on Hawkins Street when a westbound streetcar on San Jacinto Street entered the street intersection, according to an investigation made by Fire Chief Jess Coffman and Deputy Fire Chief Rod Gambrell. Two children were among the six passengers on the streetcar, none of whom was injured. T. Riddle, 2419 Maryland Street, operator of the car, said that he was sounding his own bell for the street intersection and thus did not hear the siren on the fire engine.

Quick Decision Made

Driver Cole made a quick and heroic choice when the streetcar suddenly cut across his path. Deputy Chief Gambrell explained after the investigation. "Cole had two choices," said Chief Gambrell. "He might have allowed the powerful, heavy truck, with all its accumulated momentum, to plow headlong and at right angles through the shell of the streetcar. But he could see the passengers in the car. Besides, he was as greatly concerned to save the lives of his fellow-members of the fire department. So he threw the truck around the corner in an effort to escape colliding if possible, and to spend the force of the blow if the crash was unavoidable.
"The street is very narrow there and as the truck whipped around to be moving parallel with the car, the right side of the truck sideswiped the streetcar. The children and passengers were saved and undoubtedly this quick thinking reduced the fatality the men on the truck. It was one of those cases where no one was to blame." Captain Frith was one of the most popular men in the department, and his death was a blow to all his associates. Chief Coffman, a man of few words and quiet manner, expressed his deepest feeling by saying "I can't talk about it now."

Answers Many Alarms:

The Salvage Corps for all of Dallas east of the Trinity River is located at the Central Fire Station on Main Street. Chief Coffman explained that the salvage corps truck makes practically three runs to every one made by any other unit of the fire department, since it is called to every fire, no matter in what part of the city. The purpose of the corps is to reach the scene of the alarm in advance of the firefighting units, if possible, so that tarpaulin and other protection may be placed over contents of the building before the fire hoses are turned on.

The salvage corps was created in 1926 at the suggestion of the State Fire Insurance Commission and has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of goods and furnishings that otherwise would have been water soaked. As a result of putting the unit in service, the bad fire loss record of Dallas was reduced, and it thus became an important factor in eliminating the penalty of over $100,000 a year which formerly rested on fire insurance policyholders of Dallas. The fire department maintains a separate salvage corps in Oak Cliff.

Captain Frith is survived by his wife, a son, Jack Shelton of Dallas; three brothers, O. L. Frith of Iowa Park, R. J. L. Frith of Charleston, and J. W. Frith of Dallas, and two sisters, Mrs. J. A. Wilson of Childress and Mrs. S. E. Kern of Dallas.

Station 03 has many new members across all 3 shifts. Today they worked on tiller driving dynamics with a pretty ingenious training prop. The driver and tillerman each have a remote and learn to communicate while indepently steering.

Dallas Fire Rescue DFR Our department exists to provide the citizens of Dallas the most effective and rapid emergency, fire, rescue, and prevention services in an ever-changing environment.

CALLING ALL RETIREES AND CURRENT FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE EVER BEEN ASSIGNED TO STATION 3!!!

WE ARE HAVING A PANCAKE BREAKFAST FOR Y'ALL ON MARCH 23RD AT 8:00 A.M. COME ON BY AND CATCH UP WITH US AND SEE THE STATION SINCE ITS REMODEL.

RSVP TO LT JAMES COLE: [email protected]

Come on out to Exall Recreation Center tonight at 6 to discuss a Ross Avenue Roadway Improvement Project involving a replacement of sidewalk.

Venga al Centro Recreativo Exall esta noche a las 6 para discutir un Proyecto de Mejoramiento de la Carretera de la Avenida Ross que involucra el reemplazo de la acera.