The creation of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) can be traced back to July 6th, 1876, when the all-volunteer Seattle Engine Company No.1 was organized. In 1883, the City Charter was amended to create and fund equipment, but not staff, for a centralized municipal fire department. The volunteer-based system persisted until pressure from the insurance industry and citizens after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 forced the city council to reform Seattle's seven volunteer companies into a paid, professional unit of 32 men organized into five district fire stations.

In this image the members of a hose team, or group of firefighters assigned to a particular engine, from Seattle pose together in honor of a tournament held in Tacoma. The men appear to be wearing athletic attire rather than uniforms, although it is unknown what form the competition took. Several of the men have ribbons attached to their shirts, perhaps indicating success in the tournament.

Standing in the back row, second from the left, is George Gibson Startup (1865-1949), the driver of the first horse-drawn fire wagon in Seattle. During Seattle's Great Fire, the same year as this picture was taken, Mr. Startup drove his wagon onto the city dock to put out the fire, only to have the dock burn out from underneath them; fortunately the firefighters escaped by jumping into Puget Sound. The town of Startup in Snohomish County is named for Mr. Startup, who owned a lumber mill there.

Printed on mount: LaRoche & Co., Photo, Seattle. Queen City Hose Team, Tacoma Tournament, 1889. 1 G. O. Dodge. 2 G. W. Perry, Nozzleman. 3 Alexander Allen, Coupler. 4 G. G. Startup. 5 Wm. Murphy. 6 R. G. Johnson, Leader. 7 Billy Baxter, "Mascot." 8 A. Hamlin. 9 H. F. Johnson. 10 W. H. Lake, Plugman. 11 J. J. Crawford. 12 C. H. Albertson, Captain. 13 J. C. Breckenridge.

Handwritten on verso: Queen City Hose Team. #190, 2 in. margin, Tuesday
Caption information source: "George G. Startup Funeral," The Seattle Daily Times, June 26, 1949, p.32.