Panel discussion on the 150th anniversary of DC Fire & EMS at MLK Library Wed.

From an email:

“DC Fire & EMS Department’s 150th Anniversary
Wednesday, July 9th at 6:30 pm
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
901 G Street NW
Washingtoniana Room, 3rd Floor

Please join the staff of the DC Fire & EMS Museum in the Washingtoniana Room (Room 307) on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. for a panel discussion on the history of the DC Fire & Medical Emergency Service Department. Historians Jim Embrey, Jim Lloyd, Mark Tennyson and Walter Gold of the DC Fire and EMS Museum will discuss 150 years of firefighting in the District, including its establishment as a paid department, segregation and integration of the force, and its critical role in the community. Photos and stories from DC’s biggest fires will be featured.

Be sure to stop in the Great Hall lobby to see a multimedia exhibit on DC Fire history. The exhibit features photos from the Special Collections Prints & Photographs Collection and historic fire equipment on loan from the DC Fire & EMS Museum. Fires to Remember, a slideshow produced by the Friendship Fire Association, is also on view in the Great Hall through mid-July.

District of Columbia Fire and Medical Emergency Service was founded in 1864, although there were various Volunteer Firefighting Companies throughout Washington D.C up until that point. Initially starting with less than 10 firemen, today DC Fire & EMS operates 33 Stations in the District. On average, DC Fire & EMS responds to approximately 160,000 calls in the DC metro area. Since its inception in 1864 DC Fire & EMS has grown tremendously to become one of the premier fire departments in the United States.”