AFter five volunteer firemen perished in the Grand Central Hotel fire of 1878 it was determined the City of Omaha needed to go another way with regards to fighting fire. In 1887 a full time paid fire department was begun. Many have served with distinction. Over the years 59 firemen have perished in the line of duty. The firemen unionized in 1902 and joined the International Association of Firefighters in 1934.
Burning of the Grand Central Hotel by David L. Bristow, Nebraska State Historical Society, Nebraskaland Magazine, Nebraska Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE, Nov 2025 pp 38-43.
The Grand Hotel was a grand project in Omaha. It was on the corner of 14th and Farnam. It was concluded Omaha needed a hotel worth of being the gateway to the West. The hotel was planned in 1870, and slowed because of financial issues. It opened in 1873. It was five stories and billed itself as the "largest and best hotel between Chicago and San Francisco."
However in addition to financial issues before opening, the hotel had other problems. It was so lavish it struggled financially even after opening. It was sold at auction in 1878. Renovations were underway when a workman kicked over a candle on the fifth floor. The fire department was a volunteer department in 1878. The city did not have a central water system. They fire crew attempted to pump water up by hand, but only created enough water pressure to reach the third floor. At one point they ran out of water. They were poorly trained and lacked organization and order. A group was manning a hose on the second floor, after the fire had spread to the ground floor. The walls caved in on them, and they were pushed through the floor to the billiard hall below. Four firemen's bodies were recovered. The next day another fireman succumbed to burns and injuries.
This fire brought change to Omaha. The fire department went fro volunteer to paid, and the city had more success in pushing through a city wide water system.
Eleven Firemen died in Kingman at a propane fire, explosion 7/5/73. There is a memorial to the volunteer firemen in the lobby of Kingman High School. The school is dedicated to Lee Williams who was principal at Kingman High School (the site of Lee Williams today) when it happenned.
