Harold B. Hairston
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Harold B. Hairston
Harold B. Hairston ( December 8, 1939 - November 1, 2016) served as the first African-American Fire Commissioner for the Philadelphia Fire Department from 1992. Hairston was appointed head of the fire department by Mayor Ed Rendell and served until retirement in 2004. In his next life, Hairston worked for the CBS network Eyewitness News team as an expert on public safety and the Philadelphia Fire Department. He died at home in West Mount Airy on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. He was 76 years old. With his wife, Anne, Hairston had three children, and was married for 41 years. Early career His career with the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) spanned 40 years. He joined the department in 1964 after three years in the Army. During that time he was assigned to the West Point Army Academy as a weapons instructor. After being one of the first blacks to integrate the PFD, he was promoted to Fire lieutenant in 1971 and captain in 1978. He made battalion chief in 1981 and went to deputy chief ...
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Philadelphia Fire Department
The Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) to the city of Philadelphia. The PFD's official mission is to protect public safety by quick and professional response to emergencies and through the promotion of sound emergency prevention measures. This mandate encompasses all traditional firefighting functions, including fire suppression, with 58 Engine companies and 29 Ladder companies as well as specialty and support units deployed throughout the city; specialized firefighting units for Philadelphia International Airport and the Port of Philadelphia; investigations conducted by the Fire Marshal's Office to determine the origins of fires and to develop preventive strategies; prevention programs to educate the public in order to increase overall fire safety; and support services such as: research and planning, management of the Fire Communications Center within the City's 911 system, and operation of the Fire Academy. The del ...
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Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Ivy Hill Cemetery is a public cemetery and crematorium located at 1201 Easton Road in the Cedarbrook, Philadelphia, Cedarbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1867, it is 80 acres in size and was originally named the Germantown and Chestnut Hill Cemetery. It was renamed Ivy Hill Cemetery in June 1871. The gatehouse is a grand gothic archway and contains a farmhouse chapel. One cremation unit was installed in 1985 and the number has been expanded to include six cremation units. One of the notable monuments in the cemetery is of Melville H. Freas. He fought in the American Civil War as a member of the 150th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and commissioned a life-size statue of himself in his military uniform to adorn his grave. Notable burials * H. W. Ambruster, H.W. Ambruster (1879–1961), Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers University football coach * Willie Anderson (golfer), William Law Anderson (1879–1910), professional golfe ...
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Burials At Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. A funeral is a ceremony that accompanies the final disposition. Evidence suggests that some archaic and early modern humans buried their dead. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life. Methods of burial may be heavily ritualized and can include natural burial (sometimes called "green burial"); embalming or mummification; and the use of containers for the dead, such as shrouds, coffins, grave liners, an ...
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African-American Firefighting Organizations
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. African Americans constitute the second largest ethno-racial group in the U.S. after White Americans. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. In 2023, an estimated 48.3 million people self-identified as Black, making up 14.4% of the country’s population. This marks a 33% increase since 2000, when there were 36.2 million Black people living in the U.S. African-American history began in the 16th century, with Africans being sold to European slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere. They were sold as slaves to European colonists and put to work on plantations, particularly in the southern colonies. A few were able to achieve freedom through ...
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21st-century American Firefighters
File:1st century collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Jesus is crucified by Roman authorities in Judaea (17th century painting). Four different men (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian) claim the title of Emperor within the span of a year; The Great Fire of Rome (18th-century painting) sees the destruction of two-thirds of the city, precipitating the empire's first persecution against Christians, who are blamed for the disaster; The Roman Colosseum is built and holds its inaugural games; Roman forces besiege Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (19th-century painting); The Trưng sisters lead a rebellion against the Chinese Han dynasty (anachronistic depiction); Boudica, queen of the British Iceni leads a rebellion against Rome (19th-century statue); Knife-shaped coin of the Xin dynasty., 335px rect 30 30 737 1077 Crucifixion of Jesus rect 767 30 1815 1077 Year of the Four Emperors rect 1846 30 3223 1077 Great Fire of Rome rect 30 1108 1106 2155 Boudican revolt ...
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African-American History In Philadelphia
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. African Americans constitute the second largest ethno-racial group in the U.S. after White Americans. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. In 2023, an estimated 48.3 million people self-identified as Black, making up 14.4% of the country’s population. This marks a 33% increase since 2000, when there were 36.2 million Black people living in the U.S. African-American history began in the 16th century, with Africans being sold to European slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere. They were sold as slaves to European colonists and put to work on plantations, particularly in the southern colonies. A few were able to achieve freedom through ...
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Commissioners Of The Philadelphia Fire Department
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to include a variety of senior officials, often sitting on a specific commission. In particular, the commissioner frequently refers to senior police or government officials. A high commissioner is equivalent to an ambassador, originally between the United Kingdom and the Dominions and now between all Commonwealth states, whether Commonwealth realms, republics or countries having a monarch other than that of the realms. The title is sometimes given to senior officials in the private sector; for instance, many North American sports leagues. There is some confusion between commissioners and commissaries because other European languages use the same word for both. Therefore titles such as ''commissaire'' in French, ''Kommissar'' in German and ''comis ...
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2016 Deaths
This is a list of lists of deaths of notable people, organized by year. New deaths articles are added to their respective month (e.g., Deaths in ) and then linked below. 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 Earlier years ''Deaths in years earlier than this can usually be found in the main articles of the years.'' See also * Lists of deaths by day * Deaths by year (category) {{DEFAULTSORT:deaths by year ...
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1939 Births
This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Germany of: *** The Protection of Young Persons Act (Germany), Protection of Young Persons Act, passed on April 30, 1938, the Working Hours Regulations. *** The small businesses obligation to maintain adequate accounting. *** The Jews name change decree. ** With his traditional call to the New Year in Nazi Germany, Führer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler addresses the members of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). ** The Hewlett-Packard technology and scientific instruments manufacturing company is founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard, in a garage in Palo Alto, California, considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley. ** Philipp Etter takes over as President of the Swiss Confederation. ** The Third Soviet Five Year P ...
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IABPFF
The International Association of Black Professional Firefighters (IABPFF), founded in 1970, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters. It represents more than 8000 fire service personnel throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, organized in 180 chapters. History In September 1969, black and minority fire fighters of all ranks from municipalities across the United States met in New York City for two days of discussion on various problems and injustices affecting African-American firefighters: the recruitment of black youth into the fire service, firefighters-community relations with special emphasis on relations with the residents of neighborhoods inhabited by blacks, inter-group relations and practices in fire departments, and the need to improve fire prevention programs in the areas of greatest need. The meeting resulted in the founding of the ''International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters''. In October 1970, the first convention of Black ...
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Ed Rendell
Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2001, as mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000, and as District Attorney of Philadelphia from 1978 to 1986. Born in New York City to a Jewish family from Russia, Rendell moved to Philadelphia for college, completing his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. He was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia for two terms from 1978 to 1986. He developed a reputation for being tough on crime, fueling a run for governor of Pennsylvania in 1986, which Rendell lost in the primary. Elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1991, he inherited a $250 million deficit and the lowest credit rating of any major city in the country. As mayor, he balanced Philadelphia's budget and generated a budget sur ...
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