LTC 010-2016 Celebration of the Fire Department's 95th Official Establishment MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC 4 010-2016 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members the Cityi •- 'mission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager NNW
DATE: January 11, 2016
SUBJECT: Celebration of the Fire Department's 95th Official Establishment
This letter serves as communication to the Mayor and members of the City Commission
that the Miami Beach Fire Department turns 95 years old since its official establishment
on January 26, 1921. Chief Fernandez would like to extend an invitation to join the Fire
Department in its celebration on Tuesday, January 26, 2016, at the Fire Administration
Building, lobby area at 2:30 p.m. where cake and light refreshments will be served.
Background
Miami Beach has grown from a small village of thirty-three registered voters in 1915 to a
modern city of close to 92,000 residents and an average daily population of
approximately 250,000 comprised of residents, hotel guests, day-tourists, and local
visitors.
Originally incorporated as the town of Ocean Beach in 1915 and the City of Miami Beach
in 1917, it was not until 1920 before the first fire engine was purchased and a fire station
opened. The Fire Department was officially established by way of ordinance #145 (see
attached). The original Miami Beach Fire Station at 617 Collins Avenue was under the
direction of J.S. Stephenson, the first fire chief. Fire department legend has it that Chief
Stephenson was elevated to the top rank because he was the only person in the
department who knew how to operate the new pumper. Chief Stephenson's tenure took
him through the "great 1925 land boom" and the devastating 1926 hurricane that hit
Miami Beach. On September 19, 1926, the day after the hurricane blew through and
flattened Miami Beach, the entire fire department consisted of only 28 men.
The City recovered over the years to the point that fire protection was expanded to three
fire stations and four pieces of apparatus. "Old" fire station #3, at 6880 Indian Creek
Drive, was completed on August 10, 1937, and construction began on the "present" fire
station #2, 2300 Pine Tree Drive, on December 28, 1938.
In 1977, sensing that the fire safety level of hi-rise residents on Collins Avenue needed
upgrading, Fire Chief Bishop at that time, was instrumental in persuading the City
Commission to build a new fire station at 5303 Collins Avenue in the heart of the district.
This became the fourth fire station and meant that response time to emergency calls
would be cut to a minimum in that area.
All in all, it has been an impressive era for past and present members of this honorable
fire department. In the Miami Beach Fire Department's relatively short history, it has
become one of the top fire departments in the country. The Department is part of an
elite group of only 18 fire departments world-wide that is both nationally accredited by
the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and Insurance Services Office
(ISO) Class 1 rating. This achievement has been accomplished by a continuous
dedication and performance by each and every member of the department who on a
daily basis strive to maintain the department at its current level of service to its residents
and visitors.