IFLODD: Firefighter Memorial


Firefighter Record

Firefighter Details

Name Carl Altgilbers
Agency Quincy Fire Department
Rank Driver
Type of Firefighter Career
Age Range 51 to 55
Sex Male
Date of Birth 9/29/1887
Date of Death 10/17/1939
Cause of Death Stress/Overexertion
Nature of Death Heart attack
Attribute of Death [not applicable]
Type of Duty Post-incident

Incident Details

Incident Name N/A
Incident City Quincy
Incident State IL
Incident Date 10/17/1939
Incident Location [Unknown]
Incident Attribute Fires

Incident Summary

Carl Altgilbers was born September 29, 1887 and lived in Quincy, Illinois, for his entire life. Altgilbers worked for the Otis Elevator Company prior to joining the Quincy Fire Department. When he became a firefighter, he was assigned badge #30.

On Tuesday, October 17, 1939, at 2:20 AM, an alarm came in for a garage fire on Jersey Street in Quincy. Three garages, located at 1008, 1010 and 1012 Jersey were burned, as were two automobiles and two railroad cars near the Swift and Company Storage Plant on 10th Street.

Firefighter Altgilbers was the driver of Pumper #1 out of Central Station at 9th and Vermont. After the fire on Jersey had been extinguished, he drove his pumper back to the fire station and placed clean fire hose on his truck. He then helped the other firefighters change the hose on their pumpers when they returned to the station. When this chore was completed, Altgilbers complained of feeling ill. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital where it was determined that he’d had a heart attack. He died less than two hours later. Altgilbers was an 18-year veteran of the fire department. He was 52 years old and was survived by his wife Anna and daughter Joan.

Summary by James Pioch, Quincy Fire Department.

Citations:

"156 Years of Smoke, Sweat, and Courage: The History of the Quincy Fire Department" by Marcia Kuhlman Cray


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