1919
1919 - Engine 6 crew.During the First World War, everyone rallied behind the war effort, including the men of the Fire Department. Not only did many men enlist in the service, but those that remained did their part. They purchased Liberty Bonds, $8,000 worth, they dug up their croquet courts and planted "war gardens" and, as a supreme sacrifice, the men knitted sweaters for the "poor soliders" in France.
Although the war in Europe raged, the war against fire also continued in Wichita. On August 8, 1919, the Smyth Storage Company was involved in a fire that subsequently destroyed three other buildings. Three months later, the Regent Theater burned.