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This digital collection is comprised of select materials from the Boise Fire Department records documenting the history of the Boise Fire Department, including administrative and operational activities. Materials are textual and photographic, encompassing annual reports, photographic prints, and negatives. The collection also includes oral history interviews with former firefighters and spouses from the Oral History Program collection (MS 075).

The Boise Fire Department began as an all-volunteer crew of 28 men on January 24, 1876. A fully funded department was established in May 1902 consisting of a Chief, two Assistant Chiefs, three Drivers, one Assistant Driver, one Engineer, one Hoseman, and pay-per-call Stokers and Firefighters.

Today, the department responds to a 130+ square mile area, serving 225,000+ residents. The department has over 300 employees within the divisions of Emergency Services, Support Services, Planning and Administration, and Emergency Management. To learn more about the Boise Fire Department, visit https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/fire/.

The oral histories included in this collection are recorded interviews with firefighters sharing memories of their personal lives, including wartime memories, and careers with the Boise Fire Department. Due to the nature of the work performed by firefighters, which includes extinguishing fires in occupied buildings and responding to medical emergencies, some of the material in this collection is sensitive. Some of this material contains mature language and mature content as well as graphic descriptions of abuse, self-harming behavior, war, death, and hate speech. A general content warning to the collection and a specific sensitive content warning for assets identified to contain these topics has been applied.  See the full Harmful Content & Language statement here: https://collections.boiseartsandhistory.org/harmful-content-and-language-statement.

Image Credit: Boise Fire Department records, RG004, James Himond Hart Sr.

Interested in researching Boise Fire Department records?  Click on "Find out More" below to review the finding aid or reach out to artsandhistory@cityofboise.org.