HIKE OUT, Bill Bowes, Dan Kenny, Jim McNelis, Len Ottenbreit and Jack Wright, 1999
In this, the only comprehensive history of the Philadelphia Fire Department ever written, the reader will experience the first 125 years of professional paid firefighting in Philadelphia.
Beginning on March 15, 1871, Hike Out chronicles the transition of the fire department from the earliest days of the horse-drawn apparatus and continuous duty to the day of motorized rigs and modern technology. Readers will experience the people, events, apparatus, and fires that have shaped the Philadelphia Fire Department into the outstanding organization that it is today.
Painstakingly researched and profusely illustrated, Hike Out will undoubtedly be the definitive history of the Philadelphia Fire Department for many years to come. It will be an essential book for the library of every firefighter, fire service enthusiast, and historian.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
This book was researched and written by a dedicated group whose common interest in preserving the history of the Philadelphia Fire Department brought them together.
The group, comprised of Bill Bowes, Dan Kenny, Jim McNeils, Len Ottenbreit, and Jack Wright, spent over three years working on this project.
In addition to producing this book, they also have spent countless hours volunteering at Fireman’s Hall Museum, helping it to attain the excellent reputation it has as one of the nation’s premiere fire museums. It is the group's desire that you enjoy this book as much as they enjoyed preparing it. Our regret is that Bill Bowes is not here to see the finished product. They are sure he would be proud. Rest in peace Bill.
9" x 12 1/4", 320 pages, hundreds of color and B&W photos, hardcover, BH6201 / $39.95