Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 | 5:09 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION Nov. 22 - 23, 2003
It's hard to believe how far the Clark County Fire Department has come in 50 years.
On Nov. 23, 1953, the department had one station, one engine and nine firefighters.
Today there are 22 stations, more than 700 paid personnel plus 400 volunteers in 13 rural fire departments.
Battalion Chief Robert Taylor is amazed at how much things have changed in the fire department throughout the years.
Joining at age 21, Taylor claims he literally grew up with the fire department for the past 35 years.
"I came on when I was a sprout," Taylor, 55, said. "I had taken some college courses to be a police officer but decided I wanted something different."
Taylor said helping people was a priority in choosing a profession, thus persuading him to be a firefighter.
Thirty-five years later Taylor continues to help Las Vegas Valley residents on a day-to-day basis, as battalion chief at Station 18, 575 E. Flamingo Road.
Taylor said working at Station 18, known for its size, is quite a different experience than his firefighting days when he began.
"I started, of course, as a fireman on a tailboard," Taylor said. "I was at Station 18, but it then it was located at 707 E. Desert Inn Road, where the Convention Center now sits."
Taylor said many of the old fire stations he was familiar with have been replaced.
"My old station is no longer there," Taylor said. "A lot of them are gone now. They've been replaced, remodeled and enlarged."
Looking back, Taylor said he is amazed at the growth and development of the county fire department and the city of Las Vegas itself.
"The biggest thing is the number of people we have now and the overall growth of the city altogether," Taylor said. "The types of emergencies are different now, too."
Taylor explained the advancement of the department since he first started.
"Almost all types of responses are 'emergency medical' now," Taylor said. "Our regular firefighters today are EMT intermediates and some are paramedics. The degree of medical training required is much higher."
Such was not the case when he first started, Taylor said.
"In those days, you'd get a first aid kit and take a Red Cross Advance course for a few hours," he said. "You just did the best you could. We learned CPR and how to put on Band-Aids, but now they do all sorts of technical things with advanced paramedic training."
Taylor added machinery has also become more technologically advanced.
"Oh, the firetrucks are now much more powerful, bigger and can carry and pump more water," he said. "They are air conditioned to protect people from the elements."
Taylor laughed as he reminisced about the firetrucks 35 years ago.
"We used to ride on the open tailboard in the rain, getting rain in our faces, even snow sometimes," he said. "We'd hold onto the bar, squatting down behind the hose, hoping it would break the wind."
Things have since improved greatly, he said.
"Now, they ride inside a heated or air-conditioned cab with seat belts on and safety gear," he said. "We used to just sit out in the open, holding on to the back. Things have changed a lot."
Not to mention the advancement of the firehouses themselves, Taylor added.
"The houses have changed a lot and of course we have automatic doors now," he said. "See, when I started, everything was a rope and a pulley to open the door, but now they're all push-button."
Taylor said the firehouses have grown in number as well as size.
"They're a lot bigger now," he said. "A lot of things we do now are community-service oriented, so we're bringing groups in daily for tours and classes. The house is much larger and much more comfortable than before."
Taylor said he can hardly believe how things have changed.
"To tell the truth I really cannot believe the changes," he said. "I walked out in the foyer in Station 18 at the display and saw all these old pictures and thought 'My gosh, I remember that's exactly what it was like.' "
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