Milwaukee Fire Department

Milwaukee Fire Department
Author: Wayne Mutza
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 073853434X

The Milwaukee Fire Department, like the city it serves, boasts a long and proud past, rich with diverse details. The department first formed as a volunteer organization in 1837, evolving into a full-time service by 1874. Steeped in pride and tradition, its penchant for innovation is legendary. These traits have characterized legions of brave and skillful professionals whose devotion to duty established the department's reputation as a leader in protecting lives and property. Throughout the department's history, its members have left their mark in countless ways, reflecting the background, work ethic, and talent of Milwaukee's citizens.

The Flame Within

The Flame Within
Author: Wayne Mutza
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0786472766

A former City of Milwaukee firefighter, the author writes his memoir with candor, depth, spice and emotional insight. He lays out the tumultuous events that led him as a youth into the profession, and the wealth of eye-opening experiences along the way. He plumbs the character of the firefighters and paramedics who answer the call for rescue--but also the character of those who make the call, the rescuer and the rescued. The author keeps the reader close with vivid details of fighting fire and dealing with the anguish of loss and destruction. He pulls no punches; he also describes the promotion process, the politics in stations and in the service as a whole, the struggle of teaching young firefighters, and the heavy price of dedication. The book fully displays the humanity of members of the fire service and the flavor of fire service tradition.

Engines and Other Apparatus of the Milwaukee Fire Department

Engines and Other Apparatus of the Milwaukee Fire Department
Author: Wayne Mutza
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2020-09-18
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 1476638861

The vehicles and other firefighting equipment of the Milwaukee Fire Department, like the department itself, are unique among the fire service. It built more of its own apparatus than any other American city and few can match the scope and character of apparatus used to serve and protect life and property in Milwaukee. Through detailed research, firsthand narratives, and captivating photos, the author walks the reader through the fascinating history of the incredible machines that served Cream City from the mid-nineteenth century to modern times. This volume traces the ever-changing face of Milwaukee's fire-fighting and life-saving equipment in parallel with the city's own history and growth. The fire department workshop's reputation for ingenuity is shown through its adaptations to disastrous fires that brought about changes in laws, economic growth and decline, the establishment of Milwaukee's ethnic neighborhoods, the difficult transition from horses to motorization, the wartime and post-war experience, the corporate world of apparatus manufacturers, and Milwaukee's fireboat fleet.

Damn the Old Tinderbox!

Damn the Old Tinderbox!
Author: Matthew J. Prigge
Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2019-03-01
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0870208829

In the dead of an unassuming January night in 1883, Milwaukee’s Newhall House hotel was set on fire. Two hours later, the building—once among the tallest in the nation—lay in ruins and over seventy people were dead. It was a tragedy that brought global notice to Milwaukee, with daring escapes and rescues and heart-wrenching tales of victims burned to death or killed as they leapt from the burning building. From the great horror emerged an even greater string of mysteries: Who had set the fire and who was to blame for the staggering loss of life? The Newhall’s hard-luck barkeeper? A gentleman arsonist? What of the many other unexplained fires at the hotel? Had the Newhall’s management neglected fire safety to boost their profits? Damn the Old Tinderbox! is the gripping tale of one of the Gilded Age’s forgotten calamities, a fire that remains among the deadliest unsolved arsons in American history, and a significant chapter in both the history of Milwaukee and the Midwest.

Historical Black Milwaukee (1950 to 2022)

Historical Black Milwaukee (1950 to 2022)
Author: Dr. Michael Bonds
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2023-08-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

In Historical Black Milwaukee (1950-2022), the author illustrates how an African American community grew over time and the people, events, and institutions that shaped Black Milwaukee. He also shows the contributions that African Americans made to the City of Milwaukee's growth and its history. Bonds provides a detailed discussion on historical Black Milwaukee. He shows how a small Black population of 21,772 (3.41%) out of Milwaukee's population of 637,392 in 1950 grew to become the second-largest racial group in Milwaukee with a total population of 223.962 (38.8%), based on the City of Milwaukee's 2021 estimated population of 577,222. The author discusses the people (community leaders, Black elected officials at every level of government, and Black professionals in the public, private, and criminal justice sectors) who shaped historical Black Milwaukee. Moreover, he provides a detailed discussion of various institutions (Black businesses, schools, religion, media outlets (newspaper, radio stations, televisions, etc.), social service agencies, and more that shaped historical Black Milwaukee. And the book reveals the role of Black cultural institutions (museums, art galleries, bookstores, nightclubs, sports leagues, etc.), cultural events (festivals, art shows, and more), Black neighborhoods, and public landmarks (streets, buildings, murals, parks, etc.) named after Blacks who contributed to the growth of its community and the City of Milwaukee's history. This book discusses the challenges and opportunities that led to the integration of the Black population into the City of Milwaukee. Historical Black Milwaukee will become a book that can be updated regularly and can provide a one-stop reference book on Black Milwaukee for the period of 1950-2022. The book also discusses lessons learn from historical Black Milwaukee and their implications for other Black communities.

American Fireboats

American Fireboats
Author: Wayne Mutza
Publisher: Cornell Maritime Press/Tidewater Publishers
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2017-02-28
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 9780764352713

The first comprehensive account of fire and rescue boats in America, this profusely illustrated book sheds light on a heroic tradition dating to the nineteenth century. From coast to coast and in cities large and small, it documents everything from battleship-size fireboats so powerful their monitors could reduce concrete structures to rubble, to small water-jet-powered fireboats, and everything in between. Included are operational details that showcase the proud traditions of marine firefighting. The author traces the evolution of mammoth wood and iron fireboats to modern, high-tech aluminum vessels whose role is dictated by ever-changing dangers and technology. This book pays tribute to marine firefighters who served with purpose and pride, and who continue to answer the call of danger.

Lost Milwaukee

Lost Milwaukee
Author: Carl Swanson
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2018
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467138630

From City Hall to the Pabst Theater, reminders of the past are part of the fabric of Milwaukee. Yet many historic treasures have been lost to time. An overgrown stretch of the Milwaukee River was once a famous beer garden. Blocks of homes and apartments replaced the Wonderland Amusement Park. A quiet bike path now stretches where some of fastest trains in the world previously thundered. Today's Estabrook Park was a vast mining operation, and Marquette University covers the old fairgrounds where Abraham Lincoln spoke. Author Carl Swanson recounts these stories and other tales of bygone days.

Beneath the Flames

Beneath the Flames
Author: Gregory Lee Renz
Publisher: Three Towers Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781595986887

The author offers a suspense-filled, intimate combination of love, race, and the complexity of life through the eyes of a young urban firefighter.