About the Book
The History of the Honolulu Fire Department Volume I, The First Hundred Years
- Most anyone who has taken even the most casual look at the history of the Honolulu Fire Department has read of its rich tradition—a department in which monarchs have been active firefighters, and the only fire department that has fought fires and saved lives during an attack by another country on U.S. soil, with civilian firefighters who have received Purple Hearts (the only ones), and three who answered their final alarm on December 7, 1941.
- This version of the history attempts to provide a more in-depth look at the department. Its history is not only about the Chiefs but also about all of its firefighters, and we made an effort to include the names of those firefighters in the various stories. A deeper examination of the history reveals a department rich in tradition and one whose members over the years have exemplified the best of what it means to be a firefighter. The history of the Honolulu Fire Department, in many respects, is also a microcosm of the history of Honolulu, with both sharing the social, economic, and political trials and tribulations of the years.
- The book is written in a chronological, narrative form and covers the fire department from its inception to its 100th anniversary. We have created several appendices to satisfy the needs of readers interested in information organized by specific topics and lists rather than chronologically. The various appendices include a list of Chief Engineers/Fire Chiefs, Fire Companies and Apparatus, Fire Stations, historical documents, etc. The appendices, being too large to be included in this hardcover book, are available in electronic format and in color at fire.honolulu.gov/history/
HFD History Project
The first offering of the HFD History Project is the History of the Honolulu Fire Department, Volume I, The First Hundred Years.
A book on the history of the Honolulu Fire Department was something that Dennis M. Lewis and Paul Fox had wanted to do for many years. Sam Dannaway joined later, and together they embarked on this project. Two significant goals were established for the book. First, to make an
honest effort to write a history of the Honolulu Fire Department that was as accurate as possible. Second, we wanted the book to tell this story in a very readable manner. We wanted the reader to “experience” what these early firefighters faced.