A History of the Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Department

Every Palm Harbor resident should rest comfortably at night knowing that a dedicated fire department is available to them at a moment’s notice for an emergency.  An interview with Norm Atherton uncovered a history of dedicated people who cared so much for Palm Harbor that they risked everything, including their lives, to bring a fire department to the area and fight those fires.

In the spring of 1956, members of the Palm Harbor Lions Club were sitting around talking about starting a fire department.  The area never had its own fire department to respond to fires, leading to many losses. Ex-Postmaster Milton Nellinger had a 100 year-old home on Virginia Avenue that he was remodeling when a plumber accidently set fire to the home while he was soldering copper pipes. There were fires that occurred in Palm Harbor that burned down the San Marino Hotel, the Women’s Dormitory and the school house on 15^th street many years before Mr. Nellinger’s home burned. 

The members of the Lions Club were brave men who understood the immediate need to have a fire department that could respond to fire emergencies.  At the time these men met at the club, the Palm Harbor area was rural and had many citrus groves.  It wasn’t until the early 1980’s when many large developments were being built all at the same time. 

The Lions Club members knew that the nearest fire departments to Palm Harbor at the time were Tarpon Springs and Dunedin and the problem was that Palm Harbor did not fall within those city limits -Palm Harbor is still unincorporated today.  The other issue these members noted was that Palm Harbor was a growing community and the members had the foresight to determine that with growth, a fire department was an important addition to the community.

In 1956, the Lions Club went to Pinellas County and asked for a fire department.  They were denied because there didn’t appear to be enough of a tax base to support a fire department. There were about 3,000 people living in what later became the Palm Harbor Fire Rescue district. 

Undeterred, the members of the Lions Club raised funds to determine the next steps in the process.  Mr. Lester Dicus, an attorney with offices at Main Street and Broadway in Dunedin, did not want to take “no” as an answer from the county.  He wrote a charter for the creation of a fire department and got it approved by the state legislature on October 14, 1958.  The charter was only four pages long and that included an approval page signed by Judge Bird.  The Lions Club with Mr. Dicus created what was called the Ozona, Palm Harbor and Crystal Beach Fire Department (OPC).

Between 1956 and 1958, the fire department started out as an all-volunteer department. With some of the money raised and some conversation with the Department of Civil Defense, the volunteers purchased their first fire truck for Palm Harbor from Camp Blanding near Jacksonville, Florida.  It was a 500 gallon truck that worked on high pressure fog.  Two men from Palm Harbor, Ned Porter and Oscar Williams, travelled to Jacksonville to pick up the vehicle.  When they got to Jacksonville, they discovered that the engine didn’t work!  It was purchased as Army/Air Force surplus and in an “as is” condition for about $500.00.  These men towed the truck from Jacksonville to Palm Harbor.

Once the truck was in Palm Harbor, the engine was rebuilt. The tank was tested and found to be filled with holes! There wasn’t even a cab! The volunteers took the truck to Mr. Vanvalkenberg’s shop where he welded steel in place to cover the holes. Norm Atherton, our current Fire Commissioner, was on hand then.  He stayed up on top of the truck while Mr. Vanvalkenberg welded to make sure he didn’t pass out from working within an enclosed area. 

The all-volunteer fire department needed a place to do business, so they built a lean-to next to the old Stansell’s shop on Illinois Avenue.  Stansell’s shop was built in 1933 and .  Later, on January 17, 1961, Station #1 (now known as Station 66) was leased.  Chief Williams was the chief then; Norm Atherton signed as a witness on the lease. 

During the first few years of OPC, the all-volunteer firefighters learned how to fight a fire with very limited resources, including water. With a 500 gallon tank, the firefighters learned quickly how to put out a fire with a small amount of water. Grove owners would bring their own water tankers to a fire to refill the fire truck, just in case more water was needed.  It is because of these past circumstances that Palm Harbor Fire Rescue can put out a fire with less amounts of water than any other fire department in the area, conserving precious resources. It can be said that they were the First Water Conservationists in the area!

Because of the foresight of these Lions Club members, Palm Harbor has never been behind the eight ball during periods of high growth.  OPC had to use a map to differentiate itself from the East Lake area due to the type of growth at the time. There were so many groves in the East Lake area then and the residential homes and businesses in the old Downtown Palm Harbor area were in the most need of a fire department.  The volunteers were on their way to developing a professional, well run fire department for the Palm Harbor area…but what happened next and how did the volunteers know when a fire was in progress? You'll find out in Part #2 of this series.

By the way: Did you know that the first fire dispatcher was a woman named Sally Parrish?