Fireman Slinkard
Meets
Death in Tragic Mishap
Tragedy struck a swift and inexorable blow on
Saturday, November 8th, when Fireman James C. Slinkard of Engine
8-A fell from the apparatus which was responding to an alarm at
1357 South Valencia Street.
A
telephone call came at 1:39 p.m., reporting an overheated ice
box motor at the above address. Under Captain Neely,
Engine 8 proceeded east on Pico and as the turn was made into
South Valencia, Slinkard, who was standing on the left rear of
the apparatus, unaccountably fell to the pavement and incurred a
fracture of the skull.
He was quickly removed to Georgia Street
Receiving Hospital but despite heroic efforts to save him, died
at 6:45 p.m.
James Slinkard, who was 53 years of age, was
a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department for 22 1/2 years and
was well known and liked throughout the department.
He is survived by his wife, Ruby, and two
children, James Jr., 21; and Lucille, 23.
The Firemen's
Grapevine
November 15, 1941
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By Bill Goss J AMES C.
"JIM" SLINKARD, veteran fire fighter of Engine 8, who had his time in, a large
part of which he spent at 8s, was asked one day when he was going to take it and he said,
"not for a while, until the kids get a little bigger." It was at 1:39 p.m., the
afternoon of November 8, 1941. Engine 8 got a long ring for a fire at 1357 Valencia.
Autofireman Lawrence Richerson headed the wagon north to Pico street and Valencia; slowed
down, taking the corner at about 12 to 15 miles per hour, thinking the company might lay a
line, but seeing several other companies in front of the location, proceeded on down the
street to the address. As soon as the rig came to a stop, Fireman Ray Moon, who rode the
tail board with Slinkard, ran up to the front of the apparatus and said that at the corner
Jim had fallen off the rig. Richerson backed the wagon up a short ways and, parking it,
ran back to the scene of the accident.
Engineer Eugene Briggs, who had been following the wagon with his pump at a
distance of about 60 feet, saw Slinkard, who was riding the left rear side of the hose
wagon, lose his balance as the wagon made the turn. Jim tried unsuccessfully to regain his
hand hold and fell to the street, landing on his back and rolling over one and a half
times, ending face down on the pavement. Briggs stopped the pump and got out to render
what first aid he could and see what was the matter.
Meanwhile, Chief Bennett, Chief of Battalion 4, rolled up to the Valencia street
address and was notified by Captain Sims of Engine 50 that it was only a refrigerant leak.
The Chief then noticed the commotion at the corner of Pico and proceeded there to see what
had happened. He dispatched his operator to call an ambulance and Slinkard was quickly
removed to the nearby Receiving Hospital, where it was found that he was unconscious, due
to a severe concussion and subdural hemorrhaging of the brain. His skull was not fractured
as he had fastened the chin strap on his helmet and never lost it in the fall. The shock
of the impact was the cause of the injury. Growing steadily worse, Slinkard was removed to
surgery at 3:00 p.m. in an attempt to remove some of the internal pressure in his head.
However, all the efforts of the staff of the hospital were of no avail, and Jim Slinkard
passed away at 6:45 p.m. of the same day.
James Slinkard was born at Burfettville, Missouri on October 12, 1888, and he
was survived by his wife, Mrs. Ruby Slinkard and their two children. He served in the
armed forces during World War I and came to the Los Angeles Fire Department June 8, 1920.
Funeral services were held at Edwards Brothers chapel with the pastor of St. Matthias
Episcopal church officiating, assisted by the chaplain of the Relief Association.
Interment was at Inglewood Park with the Fire Fighters' Post No. 102 in charge of the
grave side rites.
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