Frank Massengale
Fallen Hero’s Hometown and State: Fort Worth, TX
Branch of Service: Fort Worth Fire Department
Rank: Captain
Captain Frank Massengale was a volunteer fireman and became one of the first paid firemen in Fort Worth in 1893 at Station 18. He was killed while fighting a fire at a stable where the Fort Worth Stock Show is now held. He encountered an electric line carrying 2300 volts while standing in water. As he fell, a wooden wall of the building fell on him.
Massengale was a hard worker both as a volunteer firefighter and as a paid firefighter. He instilled in his family the meaning of service and patriotism. He earned the rank of Captain before leaving for another business opportunity. But he missed the fire department so much, that he returned to the Fort Worth Fire Department at an entry level position, only to be killed in the line of duty.
Frank’s legacy has lived on through the generations of volunteers who serve the Fort Worth fire department.
Age: 60
Date of Death: June 13, 1927