The call of the siren

I was reminded the other day when I was driving on East Broad Street near St. John's Church of a story that my mother often told me over the years about my reaction to the sound of fire or police sirens when I was a toddler.

She said they scared me badly, and I would scream and cry.

She eventually decided to be (and she would never have used this word) proactive. She picked up the phone and called Fire Station No. 1 at 25th and Broad, the firehouse that served our neighborhood.

She told whoever answered the phone about her/my problem and asked for a big favor: "Can I bring my son to the firehouse and let him meet a fireman and see the fire trucks?"

They set a date for our visit, and when we showed up, the entire station turned out to make us feel welcome. We toured the firehouse -- including the pole down which the firemen would slide from their quarters on the second floor to their fire trucks below -- and the firemen explained everything in terms that a 3-year-old could understand.

Then comes the only part of the story that I remember myself: A fireman lifted me up, put me in the driver's seat of a beautifully polished red and gold fire engine, and he let me ring the bell.

My mom said that I was captivated by these firemen and their handsome firehouse.

And she always ended her telling of the story the same way: "And you never cried again when you heard a siren. Instead, you wanted to go visit the firehouse."

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The firehouse at 25th and Broad is no more.

It was built in about 1870 at 306 North 25th Street and upgraded just after the turn of the century. The photo above shows the firehouse as it was at the time of my visit as a young child.

In 1962 the city built a replacement firehouse, the present one, at 308 North 24th Street, a block west of the old firehouse. The plot of land on which the old fire station stood is now a graceful public space, Patrick Henry Park.

I nailed down the historical facts (and acquired the image above) with the assistance of Christina Smith of Richmond Fire and Emergency Services and John Hinant, a former Fire Captain who retired after 38 years with the Richmond Fire Department.

I am grateful for their help.