City of Grass Valley

A Message from the Fire Chief

Jim Marquis
Fire Chief

This past year has been one of change, challenge and achievement for the Grass Valley Fire Department. It’s been ten months since I took the reins from former Fire Chief Hank Weston, and in those months I have come to know and deeply appreciate what makes this department such a good one.

Because we’re relatively small, I had the luxury of extensively interviewing each member when I first came on the job last summer. It was my goal to see the Fire Department through their eyes; to understand how each member viewed what was best about our department, as well as what we could change to be even better. There was a clear consensus among the firefighters about our two best attributes: our people, and the way our department is so well supported by this fine community.

Residents were recently asked to rate the City’s performance in 10 key service areas, and we are proud to say the Fire Department’s service was rated highest overall. It is just that kind of support and appreciation the firefighters were speaking of in our interviews.

We also recognize that there will always be room for improvement as we continue making “be the best we can be” our unending goal. “To the next level” is the way we summarize it, and more tangibly it means continually expanding the professionalism of our service and our mission readiness through increased emphasis on training, development of standardized operations and procedures, and seeking out new opportunities to serve. We have made solid progress in these areas over the past year, and thanks to the dedication of our people and the support of our community, we will continue to do so.

From the Archives

If one is a true lover of history or of rich traditions past, he or she need look no further than the Grass Valley Fire Department. There you may learn of the tails of true heroes that have left a permanent impression on the city they loved, and the effects of their devotion to duty on the generations of citizens to follow. Since 1853—eight years before the first shot was fired in anger at Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil war—the members of the Grass Valley Fire Department have taken oaths to protect the lives and property of this city we have the privilege to live in and be a part of.

That commitment was not without price. In the 153 years the Fire Department has served this community, there have been three who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This article highlights the first, but is devoted to all three that have fallen in the line of duty, whose selfless acts were given without hesitation in order to save the lives of others.

In the dark, early morning hours of February 3, 1936, a fire was reported on South Church Street. Tragically, occupant Tim Nelson was still trapped inside. Newly elected Fire Chief Harold Whiting was first at scene and confirmed heavy fire conditions in a two-story wood frame residential structure. Firefighters were quick to the scene but hopes of a successful rescue were soon lost.

During the incident, Chief Whiting noticed several firefighters working within the potential collapse zone of a burnt-out chimney stack. Fearing for their safety, he and Firefighter James Oliver entered the collapse zone to evacuate the endangered firefighters. Ensuring they were safe, he and Firefighter Oliver turned to exit the collapse zone. Suddenly a loud noise was heard throughout the fire ground, causing Firefighter Oliver to look back over his shoulder. It was then that he observed Chief Whiting lying under the collapsed chimney.

Chief Whiting lay unconscious under the debris while firefighters worked frantically to extricate, then transport, him to the Jones Memorial Hospital just across the street. Chief Whiting never regained consciousness and soon died from a depression fracture to the skull. For the first time in Grass Valley Fire Department’s long history, station bells tolled at 10:20 pm on February 3, 1936, mourning the loss of the fallen 32-year-old firefighter.