Altadena Historical Society presents
Fire Historian Dave
Boucher
Monday, July 23, 2018 at 7:30
Focusing on fire
protection in the Altadena and Pasadena area, retired Los Angeles Fire Department Captain David Boucher will tell the story of the
formation and development of the department including its complex evolution,
leadership, people, machines, traditions and services.
The
lecture will take place at 7:30 on Monday, July 23 at the Altadena Community
Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive, (next to the Sheriff’s Station).
(Photo above) Altadena was there at the beginning
when Fire Station 11 (now located at 2521 El Molino Avenue) was built in 1925.
It was one of the county’s first three stations, the other two in La Canada and
La Crescenta.
Dave began
his fire service in 1953 as an auxiliary fireman with the Altadena branch of
the Crescenta-Canada Civil Defense Corps, serving for two years out of
Altadena’s fire station 12 at 2760 Lincoln Avenue. He retired 41 years later in
1994 as a Captain in the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Not long after retirement, Dave returned to the department as the official historian and since then has scanned and indexed more than 11,000 images from the department’s archives. In this role he’s provided his expertise as the historian and a director for the Los Angeles County Fire Museum that recently opened in Bellflower.
Not long after retirement, Dave returned to the department as the official historian and since then has scanned and indexed more than 11,000 images from the department’s archives. In this role he’s provided his expertise as the historian and a director for the Los Angeles County Fire Museum that recently opened in Bellflower.
Captain
Boucher has written three books on firefighting: “Ride the Devil Wind” is the
history of the Department; “Devil Wind Fire Wagons” is about firefighting
apparatus; and his recently published
autobiography, “Climbing the Ladder,” combines stories of his fire service with
historical facts about California.
The lecture will be illustrated with photographs from his books, which will be available for sale at the event.
The
program is free for Altadena Historical Society members and firefighters; otherwise a
$5 donation is requested.
“We expect a standing room
only crowd” said AHS president Kathy Hoskins, “so come early.”
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