Firefighting Techniques Revolutionized By Hayes Truck

By James H. Pierce
The Great-Great Grandson
of Daniel Dennis Hayes

            Firefighting is an ever-changing science. The techniques of firefighting have transpired from the early days when bucket brigades were the only means of fighting fires to today's modern engines, capable of sending a stream of water 300 feet into the air.  Many of the improvements made in the science of fighting fire have come as a result of the efforts of the firemen themselves. One such fire-man was Daniel Dennis Hayes of the San Francisco paid-Fire Department. Mr. Hayes’ ingenuity as a firefighter and inventor came forth with the invention of his now famous Hayes Hook and Ladder carriage, which revolutionized firefighting and lifesaving techniques in the 1860s.

            Buildings were growing taller in the 1860s and created a major problem for firefighters.  Their ladders were not capable of reaching above the first floor which made rescue work and firefighting difficult.  The idea came about to place long ladders, for use in firefighting, at certain locations around the city.  While this seemed a good idea at first, it soon proved to be ineffective, due to the time lost by firefighters having to make extra trips to get the ladders to the scene of the fire.  A second idea was to place ladders on wagons to transport them from place to place.  This was the original Hook and Ladder Truck.  This idea proved to be rather effective; however, the length of the ladders was still rather limited.  The ladders could be tied together to increase their length, but this took valuable time which could be used for saving a life or controlling a fire during its early stages.

            Hayes, a former New York City fireman and the then current Superintendent of Steamers of the San Francisco Fire Department, conceived an idea for an extension ladder mounted on a wagon.  Mr. Hayes worked on his idea in his Oakland home.  In the year 1868, Mr. Hayes completed the construction on his Hook and Ladder carriage, commonly known as the Hayes Truck.

            The Hayes truck was a horse drawn carriage with an extension ladder mounted on the bed of the carriage. The ladder could be raised by a crank on the side through a system of pulleys, enabling firefighters to raise the ladder to upper stories of building quickly and safely.

            The Hayes truck was given a public test and proved to be quite successful.  The City of San Francisco was very impressed with the invention of their Superintendent of Steamers and purchased his truck at a cost of $3000.  However, once the Hayes truck arrived in San Francisco a problem soon became evident. On many of the city’s narrow streets, the overhead wire would not allow the extension ladder on the carriage to be raised. Mr. Hayes soon solved this problem with the invention of the ground extension ladder.  The small ladder could be raised by two men from a sidewalk.  The ladder, which was actually two ladders together, could be extended to twice its normal length by a rope and pulley system.

            While both the ground extension ladder and the Hayes truck proved to be effective, Chief Engineer Whitney of the San Francisco Fire department was still not convinced of the practicality of the Hayes Truck.  Chief Whitney stated the “Hayes truck, one of four Hook and Ladder trucks, seems to be somewhat of an ‘elephant’.  It cannot be expected that an apparatus so unwieldy and cumbersome can perform other duties then that of a ‘fire escape.’ ”[1][1]  However, others in the fire department supported the Hayes Truck.  They said the same company of men operated the Hook and Ladder trucks could operate the Hayes Truck. The Hayes Truck could service central and eastern portions of the city where hotels and warehouses were located.  Also, they hoped it would increase the usefulness of the Hook and Ladder branch of the fire department.  They felt the cost for construction would be money well spent if the truck aided with saving a life.  Chief Whitney was steadfast in his thinking and the Hayes truck was not assigned a permanent station for three years.

            In 1871 a fire struck the Harpending Building and the disastrous failures of the ladders in use at the time stirred up a storm of indignation at the ineffectiveness of the equipment of the fire department.  The press and public strongly urged another trial of the Hayes truck, purchased three years before.

            A new Chief Engineer had taken over for the San Francisco Fire Department by this time.  The new Chief, David Scannell, felt a second test of the Hayes truck was unnecessary.  He assigned the Hayes Truck to Engine Company Number One.
 

           
         On the fourth of July, the Hayes Truck took part in San Francisco’s annual Independence Day Parade.  During the parade a fire broke out at the Whitcomb Hotel on Washington Street.   Chief Scannell ordered Engine Company Number One and the Hayes Truck onto action.  Mr. Hayes took personal charge of his truck and at the fire demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt the superior performance of his apparatus with the quick containment of the fire and the rescue of people trapped by the fire.

            The Hayes truck had proven to be a great asset to the San Francisco Fire Department and had gathered a great deal of respect from the men who manned her.  Chief Scannell stated, “The Hayes’ Patent Hook and Ladder carriage of the department will supply a want long felt by officers and men.  To wit: the means of reaching the upper floors of large building without delay.”[2][2]

            By the year 1873, with the Hayes Truck in use all aver the city, it was evident a second Hayes truck was needed in the ever growing city.  Chief Scannell recommended to the board of Supervisors that a second Hook and Ladder company using the Hayes truck be formed.  The second truck would cover the southwestern section of the city where tall buildings were also located.  The Board of Supervisors agreed and authorized the purchase of second Hayes Truck.

            Word of the effectiveness of the Hayes Truck spread rapidly and by 1900, less then forty years after its invention, over 290 Hayes Trucks were in service in the United States.  The fame of the Hayes truck became world-wide when Captain of the London Fire Department saw one of the trucks in action and was so impressed with its effectiveness that he purchased one for the London Fire Department.

            Mr. Hayes’ ingenuity and devotion to duty as a firefighter clearly came to light with the invention of his Hook and Ladder carriage.  Hayes recognized the problem, faced by firemen the world over, of quickly getting to upper floors of burning building for rescue work and firefighting. Hayes solved the problem with his truck which has been responsible for saving countless lives and reducing property damage.  Daniel Hayes died in 1920, but his memory lives on in his invention.  There are few fire departments today which do not use a descendent of the Hayes Hook and Ladder Truck or a ground extension ladder invented by Mr. Daniel Dennis Hayes.
 

Bibliography
 

Anonymous,  The History of the San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco, The Commercial Publishing Company, 1900.

 Sackett, Georgia, San Francis Firehouse Favorites, New York, the Boobs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1965

 Whitney, F.E.R., “Chief Engineer’s Report for the Fire Department, “Municipal Reports for 1871-72, San Francisco, Spaulding and Barto Printers, 1872, 134-137

 Scannell, David, “Chief Engineer’s Report for the Fire Department, “Municipal Reports for 1872-73, San Francisco, Spaulding  and Barto Printers, 1873, 125-127.

 Scannell, David, “Chief Engineer’s Report for the Fire Department, “Municipal Reports for 1873-74, San Francisco, Spaulding  and Barto Printers, 1874, 233-238.

 Scannell, David, “Chief Engineer’s Report for the Fire Department, “Municipal Reports for 1874-75, San Francisco, Spaulding  and Barto Printers, 1875, 554-555.

 Soul, Frank, et al. The Annals of San Francisco, Palo Alto, Lewis Osborne, 1966.