Albany

Firefighting runs in Bill Tobler's veins. Three generations of his family have been members of the Albany Fire Department, including his late father, William P. Tobler, a brother, Michael Tobler, and two sons, Michael and Jonathan.

Tobler believes the history of the Albany Fire Department, which marked its 150th anniversary June 1, has not been fully told. Established just two years after the end of the Civil War, it is one of the oldest professional departments in the country.

That's why Bill Tobler, 68, who retired as a lieutenant in 2012 after 40 years as a firefighter, is on a mission to create an Albany Firefighters Museum. He has volunteered to be chairman of the campaign.

It's long gnawed at Tobler that there are more than 150 fire museums across the United States, but Albany, with its long and rich history, has never had one. There are fire museums in New York City, Buffalo, on Long Island and in nearby Hudson. There is a national Fire Museum Network, that holds an annual seminar for curators of fire museums, which range from a spare room in the firehouse basement to warehouse-sized exhibition spaces. The State Museum in Albany has a collection of vintage fire trucks, but Tobler is not satisfied.

"I want the dedication of generations of Albany firefighters to be recognized," Tobler said. "The museum would tell the stories of not only the heroes, but those who came in every day, quietly did their jobs and made a difference in people's lives."

Although still in the conceptual phase, organizers believe a storehouse of the Albany Fire Department's narrative is long overdue. Supporters have organized an Oct. 22 gala at the city's new Capital Center to celebrate the 150th anniversary and to raise funds for the planned museum, which does not yet have a site.

"They have a proud history and they deserve to have a place that pays tribute to the history of the department, their dedication and service," said Anthony Opalka, Albany's historian, who is assisting with research for the proposed museum.

Assisted by Opalka, Lt. Tim Blaney, a 14-year veteran, recently completed a documentary about the department's history. "I figured it would be a 20-minute movie," he said of the three-hour film that took four years to finish. It's titled "The History of the Albany Fire Department" and it will be shown during the gala.

"I wanted our young firefighters to understand and appreciate what a great department we have, but that it wasn't always like this," said Blaney, who dug into archives and interviewed historians and retired firefighters. "Many generations sacrificed a lot to get here and many died."

Chief Warren Abriel' Jr.'s family has been central to the department's history, beginning with his great-grandfather, Ruben Abriel, who joined as a volunteer and was among the first paid members in 1867. The chief is a fourth-generation member. His father, Warren Abriel Sr., was a deputy chief. His sister's son, Steven Meservey, a firefighter, makes it the fifth generation. His brother, Henry Abriel, is a retired captain and Abriel's two nephews, Christopher and Matthew Abriel, also are firefighters. Abriel's youngest brother, Ted, died in the line of duty at 44 on Feb. 19, 2007.

"It's a family thing for a lot of firefighters and you stick with it because it's an interesting and rewarding job," said Abriel, 68, who joined in 1972. A basement room at his house is filled with memorabilia, much of it collected by his late father. He'd like to see it displayed at an Albany firefighters museum.

Opalka traced the forerunner of the city fire department to the Colonial period, when the Dutch passed city ordinances as early as 1624 that stressed fire prevention in an era when residents cooked with wood in wood-frame houses and chimney fires were commonplace. By the late-1600s, "Fire Masters" were hired to inspect chimneys every two weeks. Homeowners were fined if they had not properly cleaned their chimneys. The city purchased its first hand-pump fire apparatus in 1732.

Despite such precautions, an epic conflagration in 1848 devastated the entire core of the city, destroying hundreds of buildings, burning across 37 acres and destroying boats in the basin. "It was the big one," Opalka said. That prompted the city to recruit paid firefighters, but salaries were dropped by the cash-strapped city after three years until a state law in 1867 created Albany's first permanent paid fire department.

There were periods of turmoil, including the department's drive to unionize in the 1970s. Political boss Dan O'Connell controlled the city's Democratic machine and he was adamantly anti-union. O'Connell clashed with the Rev. Joseph Romano, a Roman Catholic priest, who was chaplain of the fire department and a key organizer of the unionization movement. Firefighters finally managed to unionize shortly before O'Connell died in 1977.

Another milestone was the hiring of the first female firefighter, Nancy Horn, in 1988. She was also the first woman promoted to lieutenant, in 1997. Two more women were hired by 1989, Sherry Macie and Zoraida 'Zory' Pineiro.

"Those three women paved a wide path and made it a lot easier for me, although I still took some grief when I was hired," recalled Deputy Chief Maria Walker, the fourth woman in the department and the first to attain her rank. There have never been more than six women at a time among the ranks of the 260-member department. Firefighting is a tradition-bound brotherhood that gradually, albeit slowly, embraced women and minority members.

Tobler wants the museum to tell the story of Chief Michael J. Fleming, who joined in 1892 in the horse-drawn era and died on the job at age 98 after 75 years of service, including one-half century as chief. A North Carolina car collector has restored Fleming's 1932 Packard Phaeton, his old chief's bright red car. He has considered selling it if an Albany Firefighters Museum becomes a reality. It is identical to a black Packard that Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt used in Albany that the State Museum owns and that Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently restored and drives on ceremonial occasions.

More Information Gala benefit What: Albany Firefighters Museum 150th anniversary gala When: 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 Where: Albany Capital Center Info.: Tickets are $125 or $250 to become a founding member of the museum. Call 453-9748 or email afd@albanyfirefightersmuseum.org for tickets. Gala benefit What: Albany Firefighters Museum 150th anniversary gala When: 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 Where: Albany Capital Center Info.: Tickets are $125 or $250 to become a founding member of the museum. Call 453-9748 or email afd@albanyfirefightersmuseum.org for tickets. See More Collapse

"I've heard stories from old-timers who often saw the chief's Packard and FDR's Packard parked side-by-side at the Saratoga Race Course during the summer," Abriel said. "Wouldn't it be nice to see those two Packards back together again?"

Paul Grondahl is director of the NYS Writers Institute at the University at Albany and is a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com