Seattle Fire Department Public Education and Fire Safety Records, 1980-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Fire Dept.
Title
Seattle Fire Department Public Education and Fire Safety Records
Dates
1980-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.0 cubic feet, (10 boxes)
Collection Number
2810-06
Summary
Records from the Fire Marshal's office of the Seattle Fire Department relating to public education and fire safety.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

A Fire Department was established by City Charter in 1883. It provided for equipment purchases, but not for hiring of firefighters. Following the Great Fire of 1889, a professional fire department was created with five district fire stations and purchase of a fire boat. The first Fire Chief of the professional department was Gardner Kellogg who served 1890-1892 and 1895-1901. A Board of Fire Commissioners was established by the 1890 City Charter to prescribe rules and regulations for the Department. The Board's responsibilities included enforcing rules violations, and appointing the Fire Chief and all subordinate officers. The Board was abolished with passage of a new City Charter in 1896. The position of Fire Marshal was established in 1901 with responsibility for inspecting buildings to insure they were in compliance the ordinances related to building construction and fire protection. The Fire Marshal also inspects all fires and reports on the causes. The Department's mission is to curtail loss of life and property by fire through inspection and certification of building safety systems, public education, regulation of hazardous material storage, and fire suppression.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records from the Fire Marshal's office of the Seattle Fire Department relating to public education and fire safety. The series contains information on public and school fire safety education such as the School and Fire-Safe Education (S. A. F. E.) program, Change Your Clock campaign, Fire Prevention Week, and a smoke detector program aimed at providing equipment for low income residents. Correspondence and memoranda related to the activities of the Public Education Supervisor, Diane Shirk, are included in the series, as are residential fire statistics from 1981-1987, and incomplete monthly, quarterly and annual budget reports for 1980-1994.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle Fire Department Public Education and Fire Safety Records, Record Series 2810-06. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged in four subseries: Correspondence, Events and Programs, Reports, and Miscellaneous. The series are described more fully below.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Subseries I: CorrespondenceReturn to Top

Correspondence and memoranda relating to fire safety and public education, mainly between fire chiefs and Diane Shirk, the Public Education Supervisor.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Correspondence - Public Education
1980
1/2
Correspondence - Public Education
1981
1/3
Correspondence - Public Education
1981
1/4
Correspondence - Public Education
1982
1/5
Correspondence - Public Education
1982
1/6
Memoranda - Public Education
1983
1/7
Memoranda - Public Education
1983
1/8
Memoranda - Public Education
1984
1/9
Memoranda - Public Education
1984
1/10
Correspondence - Public Education
1985
2/1
Memoranda - Public Eductaion
1985
2/2
Memoranda - Public Eductaion
1985
2/3
Correspondence - Public Education
1986
2/4
Correspondence - Public Education
1986
2/5
Memoranda - Public Education
1986
2/6
Memoranda - Public Education
1986
2/7
Correspondence - Public Education
1987
2/8
Memoranda - Public Education
1987
2/9
Memoranda - Public Education
1987
2/10
Memoranda - Public Education
1988
3/1
Correspondence - Public Education
1989
3/2
Memoranda - Public Education
1989
3/3
Memoranda - Public Education
1989
3/4
Correspondence - Public Education
1990
3/5
Correspondence - Public Education
1990
3/6
Memoranda - Public Education
1990
3/7
Memoranda - Public Education
1990
3/8
Correspondence - Public Education
1991
3/9
Memoranda - Public Education
1991
4/1
Correspondence - Public Education
1992
4/2
Correspondence - Public Education
1992
4/3
Memoranda - Public Education
1992
4/4
Memoranda - Public Education
1992
4/5
Correspondence - Public Education
1993
4/6
Memoranda - Public Education
1993
4/7
Correspondence - Public Education
1994
4/8
Correspondence - Public Education - Newspaper Clipping
1994
4/9
Memoranda - Public Education
1994

Subseries II: Events and ProgramsReturn to Top

Records relating to public education events including Fire Prevention Week, the smoke detector program, and School and Fire-Safe Education (S.A.F.E.)

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5/1
Change Your Clock Campaign
1991
5/2
Change Your Clock Campaign - Newspaper Clippings
1991
5/3
Change Your Clock Campaign - Print
1991
5/4
Change Your Clock Campaign
1992
5/5
Change Your Clock Campaign - Newspaper Clippings
1992
5/6
Change Your Clock Campaign - Print
1992
5/7
Change Your Clock Campaign
1993
5/8
Change Your Clock Campaign
1993
5/9
Change Your Clock Campaign - Newspaper Clippings
1993
5/10
Change Your Clock Campaign - Print
1993
5/11
Change Your Clock Campaign
1994
5/12
Change Your Clock Campaign - Print
1994
5/13
Engine Company Visits
1993
5/14
Engine Company Visits
1993
5/15
Engine Company Visits
1993
5/16
Engine Company Visits
1993-1994
5/17
Engine Company Visits
1994
6/1
Fire Safety - New Refugee Program
1982
6/2
Fire Prevention Week
1984
6/3
Fire Prevention Week - Newspaper Clipping
1984
6/4
Fire Prevention Week
1985
6/5
Fire Prevention Week
1986
6/6
Heating Safety Campaign
1981-1982
6/7
Holiday Safety - Tree Burn
1986
6/8
Home Heating Safety
1981-1982
6/9
"Name the Fireboat" School Contest - Chief Seattle
1984
6/10
Parades
1984-1986
6/11
Project Proposals
1985-1988
6/12
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1980-1981
6/13
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1981-1982
6/14
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1982-1983
6/15
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1984-1985
7/1
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1984-1985
7/2
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1985-1986
7/3
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E.
1986-1987
7/4
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E. - Insurance Company Donations
1983-1988
7/5
School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E. - Promotional Folders
1980-1988
7/6
Smoke Detector Inormation
1981-1983
7/7
Smoke Detector Loan Program
1982
7/8
Smoke Detector - Low Income Program
1983
7/9
Smoke Detector Public Service Announcement - Correspondence
1983
7/10
Smoke Detector Program
1985
7/11
Smoke Detector Tester
1985
7/12
Wood Heating Safety
1983

Subseries III: ReportsReturn to Top

Budget reports filed weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually regarding expenditures for the public education program. Series is not complete.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
8/1
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1980
8/2
Quarterly Reports - Public Education
1980
8/3
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1981
8/4
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1981
8/5
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1981
8/6
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1982
8/7
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1982
8/8
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1982
8/9
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1983
8/10
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1983
8/11
Requisitions - Public Education
1983
8/12
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1983
8/13
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1984
8/14
Quarterly Reports - Public Education
1984
8/15
Requisitions - Public Education
1984
8/16
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1984
8/17
Weekly Reports - Public Education
1985
8/18
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1985
8/19
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1985
9/1
Requisitions - Public Education
1985-1987
9/2
Weekly Reports - Public Education
1986
9/3
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1986
9/4
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1986
9/5
Monthly Reports - Public Education
1987
9/6
Quarterly Reports and Planning - Public Education
1987
9/7
Quarterly Reports - Public Education
1988
9/8
Requisitions - Public Education
1988
9/9
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1988
9/10
Quarterly Reports - Public Education
1989
9/11
Requisitions - Public Education
1989
9/12
Expenditure - Public Education
1990
9/13
Requisitions - Public Education
1990
9/14
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1990
9/15
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1992
9/16
Expenditure Reports - Public Education
1993
9/17
Annual Budget Report - Public Education
1994

Subseries IV: MiscellaneousReturn to Top

Other records of the public education program, including residential fire statistics, emergency operations procedure correspondence, and workshop materials.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
10/1
Bravery Citation Recommendations
1984
10/2
Business Disaster Preparedness Conference Materials
1995
10/3
Citizen Advisory Committee - Fire Prevention Education
1981-1982
10/4
Emergency Operations Procedure Correspondence - High Rise and Low Rise
1993
10/5
Emergency Operations Procedure Correspondence - High Rise and Low Rise
1994
10/6
Earthquake Information Materials
1995
10/7
International Television Association Membership Request
1984
10/8
"Kids and Fire a Dangerous Combination" - Workshop Materials
1992
10/9
Public Education File Index
1986
10/10
Residential Fire Statistics
1981
10/11
Residential Fire Statistics
1982
10/12
Residential Fire Statistics
1983
10/13
Residential Fire Statistics
1984
10/14
Residential Fire Statistics
1985
10/15
Residential Fire Statistics
1986
10/16
Residential Fire Statistics
1987
10/17
University of Washington Lab Fire - Questionnaire
1985

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fire detectors--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Fire prevention--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Shirk, Diane

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Fire Dept.
  • Seattle (Wash.). Fire Marshal

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.).