Fire Chief Gill fought hard to protect Marsh Creek area
Many residents remember the Morgan Fire of September 2013, which burned 3,100 acres on the east side of Mount Diablo.
A bullet from a gun struck a rock and the spark set the mountain aflame; photos taken that night show Mount Diablo looking like a fiery volcano.
In 2002, Bob Doyle, one of the founders of Save Mount Diablo, said there had been more than 100 fires on the mountain since record keeping began in 1891.
The largest of these fires raged in 1931. Spring that year had been wet. At one point, an April cloudburst left hundreds of cars stuck in the mud as folks made their way to the dedication ceremony for the new Mount Diablo State Park. When the lush vegetation dried in hot summer weather, it provided ample fuel for fires.
The fire began on July 7 and burned 25,000 acres on three sides of the mountain over five days. Seven hundred men fought the fire, including many prisoners from the county jail in Martinez. On July 28, 300 men and all the prisoners worked after the fire reignited.
It became obvious that using lines of men forming a bucket brigade and setting down “wet trails” to keep the flames from spreading was outdated and extremely inefficient. Tanker trucks carrying water weren’t much better. Even when empty, they would lumber slowly down the hill to be refilled – then slowly inch back up the hill.
Gerould “Jerry” Gill, proprietor of the Marsh Creek Springs Resort, never forgot how close he came to losing his property. He became president of the Marsh Creek Fire Patrol & Improvement Association, established in the fall of 1931. The organization built miles of fire trails, but there was still no organized method for fighting fires.
By 1939, his resort had expanded and was hosting 225,000 visitors every year for swimming and picnicking. He and other area residents had been trying to organize a tax-supported fire district, which the voters finally supported in 1947.
As fire chief from 1947 to 1960, Gill set about making changes. A high priority was how to get men, equipment and water to fire locations quickly, so he established his “Jeepster Fire Fighters.” He stationed eight jeeps, each capable of carrying 100 gallons of water, at various ranches – with 6-10 men at each jeep station. He added Dodge Power Wagons that could carry 300 gallons of water to the armada, and connected all the vehicles via shortwave radios.
Gill declared at the time, “I’ve proved the value of light equipment for range land and canyon country. My jeeps will go anywhere a horse can go.”
People like Gill are still making innovations for fighting wildfires as we seek to live safely in our fire-prone landscape.
Debbie Eistetter is membership chair of the Clayton Historical Society. Visit claytonhistory.org or come to the museum on Main Street, open 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays. Admission is free. Call 925-672-0240.