The Stentorians

The History of the Los Angeles Fire Department and the segregated Firehouse at Station 30

The history of African-American firefighters in the LAFD began to take shape in the 1940s and 50's when individual firefighters and officers began organizing and making their voices heard. As their numbers in the ranks grew, slowly at first but; with the return of many blacks after serving in the military overseas they stood firm that there was a place for them at the table of Civil Service. Many, once appointed, were ostracized by their fellow firefighters, so the model of a fraternal organization was used across the country in forming groups, most notably the Vulcan Society of the FDNY and the Stentorians of the LAFD, for them to join. Within those groups, black firefighters found solace among their brethren by holding their own affairs and allying themselves with other ostracized groups like the Jewish firefighters whom the mostly Irish (and catholic) white firefighters opposed being part of firehouse life.

The Battle for integration began with the Mayoral election of 1953. The Newly elected Mayor wanted to install his own Fire Chief, and sought a pretext to oust the current head of the LAFD, Fire Chief Engineer John Alderson. A month after taking office, he was given a petition backed by the NAACP that protested that the LAFD did not represent the people it served because it was not integrated. The Mayor, no fan of fair employment practices, sought to use this petition to get the fire commission to fire the chief engineer. Alderson wanted no interference from city hall but then was beset on another front. When the fire commission ordered him to produce a plan on integration and the white ranks learned of this, they raised $500,000 and formed a Fact Finding Committee to investigate whether integration was possible and petitioned the fire commission to hold any decision until Oct 14, 1954. Before the results of this committee was heard, the commissioners ordered Alderson to integrate, which he began to do. 4 black firefighters were sent to other houses from the 2 segregated ones and tensions ramped up, of course the Fact Finding Committee reported back to the commission that under no circumstances should integration occur. By then, the firehouses that were integrated became hellhouses for the black firefighters. Nightly hazing had become warped and degrading, and when 6 more blacks were sent to Old #10, the tension was palpable. It had gotten so bad, by the end of 1955, Chief Alderson removed the men from the white firehouses (so-called ‘Hate Houses’), for their safety, much to the chagrin of the fire commission, which then fired him for insubordination. Wearied by the year's events and vilified by the Eagle's campaign to remove the segregationist, Alderson announced that he would retire at years end. The commission sheepishly let the dismissal drop, as it seemed they were being petty firing the retiring chief engineer.

Etymology

The Greek 'Stentor' meaning "(of a person's voice) loud and powerful" was taken from Homer’s epic the Iliad - describing the herald Stentor whom had a voice as loud as that of 50 men, and was fitting for blacks making their stand for inclusion.

Early black recruits to the Fire Department

On December 6, 1888, a colored man, Sam Haskins, born a slave in 1840 from Virginia is listed in the census as an employed Fireman for the city of Los Angeles and assigned to Engine Company #4. In 1892 Sam Haskins is appointed as a colored Call Man and assigned to Engine #2, making him the first black man hired by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Haskins is fatally injured on November 19, 1895 while responding to a fire call on 1st Street. When the steamer he was riding on hit a bump in the road, Haskins lost his balance and fell between the steamer’s boiler and the wheel. It took firemen and citizens ten minutes to remove the wheel which pressed him to the hot boiler. He was carried back to Engine 2’s quarters where he died that night.

The second black fireman was appointed to the Department on September 21, 1897, two years after firefighter Haskins became the 1st firefighter of any race to die on duty in the LAFD. George Bright is hired as a fireman in the LAFD and 3 years later was assigned to newly segregated Hose Company #4 on Loma Drive near Beverly Blvd. It is where all subsequent black firefighters are sent following the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson that "Separate But Equal" is the law of the land.

In 1900 William Glenn is hired as the third black fireman in the LAFD. He subsequently left to become the 3rd black patrolman in the LAPD.

Arnett Hartsfield, Jr.

Arnett Hartsfield, Jr. of The Los Angeles Fire Department died Saturday, November 1, 2014. He was the Co-Founder of the Stentorians Organization. He served as an Army Lt. during WWII in a segregated unit, became a Firefighter and later an Instructor and during his time as a firefighter studied and became a barrister to continue to work against injustice and inequality. Hartsfield was appointed to the LAFD in 1940 and retired after 20 years working at Old Station 30 in south Los Angeles. While firefighting, He used the GI Bill to return to school and attended both UCLA and USC, earning a law degree in 1955. He retired in 1961 from the LAFD to practice law full-time. Arnett, nicknamed the "Rookie", fought to integrate the LAFD. One of the founding members of the Stentorians, he was widely respected for his ability to educate the masses on issues of fundamental fairness. He also served as the African American Firefighter Museum's Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30, historian, where he spent 10 hours a week at Old Station 30 volunteering and promoting the values of diversity to dis-advantaged youths and touching the lives of all who met him. His was the generation of black ‘firsts’, many of whom have passed and are remembered for the integration fights that led the full appearance of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Later on, He was appointed Civil Service commissioner by Mayor Tom Bradley and served as "Fire Chief for a Day", achieving the chance at promotion he felt he was unfairly denied while a firefighter. In his later years he said he felt that he had so much to smile about, including his wife and five beautiful children. He was 95 years old when he passed. For those who never had the honor of knowing him, there is a video online, which is full of moving testimonials. As a founding member of the Stentorians, it is fitting that the origins of the Fraternal Order of Stentorians be prefaced with his byline.

September 1956 Integration of the LAFD

By the following September old #30 and #14 were integrated, all black firefighters formerly assigned at the segregated houses were transferred into 17 of the city's 91 fire stations. Hazings still occurred, but along the lines of the traditional firehouse fare all probies endured. The long crisis year of 1955-56 finally ended for the LAFD. Bradley Garret and Tolbert Young were the first blacks hired after integration. Both are terminated unfairly during their academy training, which path Jim Crow practices now took in the FD. (In 2009 a black probie in the diversity class on Randalls Island, NYC collapsed and died during training at the FDNY Academy, leading the Vulcan Society to question whether blacks in that class were being unfairly targeted for drop-on-request.) By 1959 barely 3% of the firefighters in the LAFD were African-American. During the 60 years following Alderson's departure, questions of whether he was a traditionalist protecting his department arose. In looking back, the questions can be answered and several observations apply to the segregation years. The foremost question is whether was it his opposition to integration that caused the crisis year of chaos? Yes, but until then, Jim Crow laws supported segregation, which Alderson believed in, and he had convinced himself that his legal obligations under the city charter prohibited assignments based upon race, albeit that some of the city's laws now ran against the rulings adopted by the supreme court and made law everywhere across America.

This fight to integregate the LAFD had re-vitalized the NAACP L.A.chapter under newly elected Pres. Thomas Neusom and v.p. Loren Miller, By the 1960s blacks and whites began marching en-masse to gain recognition culminating with the march on Washington and passage of the Voting Rights Act. The struggles of the Civil Rights era had begun with the stands made by Civil Service workers such as those Old Stentorians who fought for fairness and diversity in the ranks of the LAFD. By recruiting and mentoring youth to apply for the title and later in the ranks of the Paramedics the 1970s saw a rise in the number of black officers and while occasionally there was racial tension in the firehouse, the LAFD began to find itself under fire from the very communities they served. In 1965 Watts exploded into riots and firefighters of every stripe came under fire while on duty. The Stentorians came to understand a different sensibility of Jim Crow, namely harassment in various forms that didn’t quite rise to the level of racial animosity, but as ret. f.f. Arnett Hartsfield recounted in 1973, "I had a degree in Law yet I went to work and cleaned toilets!." When the call came in 1969 from NY that a national black firefighter organization was being formed, the Stentorians stepped up.

In 1970, Capt's David Floyd and John Ruffins of the FDNY Vulcan Society founded the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, an international fraternal order that The Stentorians became a part of. Black firefighters across the country formed chapters and the gov't civil service firefighters in Barbados, BWI became a member making the organization international. The IABPFF is currently led by Pres. James Hill, a veteran 40yr Dallas, Texas Firefighter.

1980 The Stentorians acquire old Station # 46 at 1409 W. Vernon Ave. as their office and training center.

By 1990, the Stentorians had divided into two chapters,The Los Angeles County Stentorians and the Los Angeles City Stentorians. Today, the Los Angeles City Stentorians membership consists of more than 400 AFRICAN-AMERICAN men and women Fire fighters and paramedics throughout Los Angeles. Both groups of Stentorians also belong to the International Association of Black Professional Fire fighters, a national organization promoting equality for the fire service nationwide. In 1991 The Executive Development Institute is created at HBCU Florida A & M University. This program was created by the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters as an alternative to the National Fire Academy. The previous year, the Los Angeles County Fire union, Local 1014 had accused the Stentorians of cheating on the entry-level exam for firefighter. As a result of the allegation, the Fire Chief threw out the exam causing countless candidates to fail the new exam. The allegations were false and the union and the Stentorians endured a rift in their otherwise cordial relationship. The EDI was created as a response to this. Historically, Black firefighters had not been successful in attending the NFA for a variety of reasons. Later on, EDI was renamed in honor of Carl Holmes. Several members from the LAFD and the LACoFD graduated from the first class of this prestigious program. CarlHolmesEDI continues to exist today.

Many of the traditions that Stentorians started over sixty years ago continue today, including "Mentoring to Youth in the Community", "General Community Outreach", "Career Counseling", "Career Enhancement & Upward Mobility", and "Labor Relations." The members also serve as big brothers and big sisters for the Gwen Bolden Foundation. Through their involvement in the school system, the Foundation and the Stentorians have been able to offer community youth a viable alternative to the growing problems with gangs and drugs. The Stentorians have progressed and prospered over the years, becoming a well noted and respected organization in the community. Old Station 46 was renovated and became the home of the Stentorians, and renamed for Arnett Hartsfield Jr of the City and Van Davis of the County of LA fire depts.

African American Firefighter Museum

On December 13, 1997, The African American Firefighter Museum opened. Firefighter/lead Paramedic Michelle Banks served as the first President. On opening day, Fire Chief Bamattre spoke to the Old Stentorians and issued a formal apology for enduring a terrible time during the integration of the LAFD during the mid 1950s. Station 30, along with station 14, integrated in 1956 and was later closed in 1980. It is now home to the African American Firefighter Museum and is dedicated to collecting, conserving and sharing the shared history and heritage of African American firefighters. The history of African American firefighters in Los Angeles spans more than 100 years and provides a unique glimpse into the history of firefighting, race relations and segregation in the City. It was one of two segregated fire stations where black firefighters worked in Los Angeles between 1924 and 1955. It was built in 1913 and served the Central Avenue community of the City. It is now beautifully restored and has the original apparatus floor tiles, poles and kitchen out-building. In 1985 Old Fire Station 30 was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument - #289 on the historic register - and is the recipient of the Los Angeles Conservancy's 1999 Preservation Award. It is opened to the public as a museum. In 2009 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places along with No. 14. Old Fire Station 30 exhibits display a wide array of firefighting gear including vintage engines (an 1890 hose wagon and a 1940 Pirsch ladder truck), uniforms from LA County and LA City firefighters, New York badges and uniforms, helmets of all kinds, displays of African American women firefighters, photographs, and other paraphernalia and firefighting artifacts.

Today

In 2004 the Stentorians of the City and County hosted the I.A.B.P.F.F. Convention and the traditional "Memorial March", made its way down Crenshaw Blvd., creating a truly historical moment in Los Angeles’ history.

That year, 2004, an unmarked grave was re-made and the status of the occupant elevated. Deceased Fireman Sam Haskins was finally given an honorable burial when a headstone is placed over his remains in Evergreen Cemetery. For years, Haskins was buried in an unmarked grave and it was not known that he was the first Black Fireman in Los Angeles until the Los Angeles Times uncovered the story. Sam Haskins was born a slave in Virginia in 1840 and was appointed as a ‘Call Man’ to Engine #2, becoming the first black hired by the LAFD as a firefighter.

2009 Battalion Chief Millage Peaks, an African American and a 33-year veteran of the LAFD becomes the next Fire Chief to serve the City of Los Angeles.

2011 Daryl L. Osby is appointed by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors as the Fire Chief of the Department. He is the first African American to serve as the Fire Chief in the history of the Department

2011 LAFD Fire Chief Millage Peaks retires and Assistant Chief Brian Cummings, is appointed by the Mayor to the position of Fire Chief. Chief Cummings is the son of the late retired LAFD Engineer Lou Cummings, who served on Central Avenue during the days of segregation. Cummings Chief cummings retired after coming under fire from Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013.

The Stentorians hold a place amongst the civil rights fights that took place in the mid-twentieth century that continues to the present day. Resistance to men and women of color still exists in fire departments across the country and even though discrimination is no longer overt, the numbers of firefighters in the ranks do not reflect the demographics of the populations served, hence the continued need for such fraternal organizations. As recently as 2011 lawsuits filed by fraternal organizations and joined by the Justice Department forced the City of New York to settle with the Vulcan Society of the FDNY in making minority appointments from the lists established by the Dept of Personnel in 1999, 2002 and 2007, leading to the most diversified classes in the history of that city’s fire dept. In 2015 the city of Austin, Tx entered the final stage of a Consent Decree with the Judge in the case ruling against plaintiff Union Local 675(AFA) in not allowing them to take part in diversity negotiations rival black firefighter group AAAFA previously won thru litigation. This pattern repeats around the country in other cities and the Stentorians in L.A. City are also a party to a Consent Decree.

Mission Statement of the LACityStentorians

For almost 100 years, African-Americans have been members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) and have historically faced major obstacles to equal employment opportunities. While there have been some improvements over the years, discriminatory hiring and promotional practices, which represent significant barriers for minority members of the LAFD, remain. Double standards, subjective judgements and institutionalized discrimination still serve as an effective barrier against equal and fair promotional practices. A review of minority members, in middle and upper level management positions, is clear evidence of the ongoing problem of discrimination faced by our members. The LAFD has become polarized, not only within itself, but also within the high risk communities it serves. The LAFD is one of the Fire Departments who must protect itself from the very people it is supposed to serve. The Los Angeles City Council's resolution #94.0585 dated April 12, 1994, directed the Personnel Department to study the LAFD. This study was to review the entry level process and all procedures and factors relevant to promotion and advancement within the Fire Department as they relate to minorities and females. This represents an important opportunity for objective evaluation and for change. The Los Angeles City Stentorians is an African-American Firefighter's Association dedicated to the professional advancement of its members. Therefore, we have a real stake in ensuring that the Personnel Department's study objectively evaluates and highlights the LAFD's present promotional and employment practices. We are confident that an honest review of the present employment conditions in the LAFD will lead to the conclusion that a fundamental lack of equal opportunity exists and that certain safeguards, policies and procedures are needed to level the playing field. The Stentorian organization would like to see an LAFD united within itself. Where all members are treated equally, and job satisfaction is not only experienced by each member, but is also displayed to the communities in which we live and serve.

Motto

"Keep The Fire Burning For Justice."