Theodore Ector, one of Atlanta’s “Original 16” Black firefighters from the early 1960s, says the memory of his first call is still vivid in his mind.
“I was on the floor crawling and trying to get out of the smoke and the heat. And I was wondering, ‘what in the hell have I gotten myself into,’” Ector recalled. “But after that and a few more fires, you got used to it.”
Ector was one of 16 Black firefighters hired by the city of Atlanta in 1963. Those men, along with seven Black women who would join the fire department a decade later, are being honored with a new mural. It was revealed Friday morning at Fire Station 16 in Vine City where they worked.
The mural and a community basketball hoop nearby are part of a grant awarded to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation by the Atlanta Hawks and the NBA in commemoration of the league’s 75th anniversary.
Current fire chief Rod Smith said those who integrated the Atlanta Fire Department changed the course of history.
“We have a few of those legends with us here today and I would like to take a moment for them to stand and to be recognized,” Smith said. “It was not for you, I would not be standing here.”
The mural features the station’s slogan “First in Courage, Last in Fear” and 23 stars commemorating those trailblazing firefighters, including battalion chief Liz Summers.
