Palmer Fire School

The school was named for the man most responsible for its construction, William Hendrix Palmer (1884-1955), a forty-four-year member of the city fire department and its chief from 1927 to 1948. Chief Palmer began his fire service with the city in 1904, and through the years held nearly every job in the department. Recognized internationally as a progressive innovator in firefighting, the York County, South Carolina native had, among other distinctions, credit for “designing and promoting the manufacture of the first enclosed fire truck in America” that went on to become standard equipment throughout the country. Its design was prompted by the death of a firefighter riding on the side of a fire truck, and Charlotte was the first city in the country to adopt the new equipment. Twice elected president of the North Carolina Firemen’s Association, Palmer also helped organize the North Carolina Fire Chiefs Association and became its first president. In 1940, he was elected to the most prestigious post of his profession, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. 

Continued modernization of firefighting equipment and techniques, and the department’s enlargement as Charlotte grew, necessitated more and better training for the crews. The earliest records of Charlotte Fire Department training date back to 1930 when forty-eight of the overall 190-member department received Red Cross instruction. Regular training drills lasted 30 days and included all aspects of equipment handling. The first request for a fire drill school and practice tower was presented to the city in 1930. Repeated requests failed until, in 1938, the fire training school and six-story brick drill tower were approved as a project for the Works Progress Administration, the federal government agency established by the Roosevelt administration in 1935 to put people to work on a wide variety of government-funded public works projects. The project was approved with an estimated cost of $54,000. 

Building materials were salvaged from an old onsite incinerator and an abandoned tannery on Burton Street and hauled to the site by local firefighters. Fire crews also dug out the basement, landscaped the five-acre property, and crafted much of the furniture. In addition to training, the Palmer Fire School served as a clubhouse and social center for fire personnel, with activities ranging from square dances to barbecues. The hall was also rented out to civic groups, and the proceeds allowed the hall to be self-sufficient in maintenance. The Charlotte Fire Department’s training division moved to a new fire/police training facility in 1976. Ownership of the property was transferred to the City Parks and Recreation department and the facilities continue to be used by a wide range of civic groups.