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41-608: The 1985 MOVE bombing , locally known by its date, May 13, 1985 , was the bombing and destruction of residential homes in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States, by the Philadelphia Police Department during an armed standoff with MOVE , a black liberation organization. As Philadelphia police attempted to evict MOVE members from a house, they were shot at. Philadelphia police then dropped two explosive devices from

82-522: A helicopter onto the roof of the occupied house. The Philadelphia Police Department allowed the resulting fire to burn out of control, destroying 61 previously evacuated neighboring homes over two city blocks and leaving 250 people homeless. Six adults and five children were killed in the attack, with one adult and one child surviving. A lawsuit in federal court found that the city used excessive force and violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure. In 1981, MOVE relocated to

123-405: A City Fire Department which was a voluntary association of independent fire companies which, in return for subsidies, accepted the direction of City Councils. An ordinance of 29 December 1870, established Philadelphia's first fully paid and municipally controlled fire department, administered by seven commissioners chosen by Councils. The PFD officially entered into service on 15 March 1871. In 1887

164-626: A civil trial brought by residents seeking damages for having been displaced by the widespread destruction following the 1985 police bombing of MOVE. A jury awarded them a $ 12.83 million verdict against the City of Philadelphia. In November 2020, the Philadelphia City Council approved a resolution to formally apologize for the MOVE bombing. The measure also established an annual day of "observation, reflection and recommitment" on May 13,

205-461: A federal jury ordered the city to pay a $ 1.5 million civil suit judgment to survivor Ramona Africa and relatives of two people killed in the bombing. The jury had found that the city used excessive force and violated the members' constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure . Ramona was awarded $ 500,000 for the pain, suffering and physical harm suffered in the fire. In 2005, federal judge Clarence Charles Newcomer presided over

246-544: A large service main under Broad Street. Additional expansions were made to the original system to cover the area from the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers from Girard Avenue to South Street. The expansions grew the original 26 miles network of pipes to 56 and also included more pumping stations. The High-Pressure Fire System was officially decommissioned in 2005 after falling into years of disrepair. Chief Engineers Fire Commissioners The Philadelphia Fire Department

287-559: A memorial. Since the bombing, the bones of two children, 14-year-old Tree (Katricia Dotson) and 12-year-old Delisha Orr Africa, were kept at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology . In 2021, Billy Penn revealed that according to the museum, the remains had been transferred to researchers at Princeton University , though the university was unaware of their exact whereabouts. The remains had been used by Janet Monge , an adjunct professor in anthropology at

328-579: A middle school) is located at S.58th St & Walnut St. and West Philadelphia High School . In 2011 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced the closures of St. Cyprian Catholic School , as its student numbers had declined. Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch at 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway at the intersection of 59th Street and Baltimore Avenue. The branch opened in 1925 and

369-619: A refrigerated area of their office containing the un-cremated remains. As of 2021, Mike Africa Jr. stated that the Africa family have not yet decided what to do with the remains. The sisters' remains from the Medical Examiner's Office were released to their surviving brother in August 2022. Although the bones used by Monge in the "Real Bones" course were given to the Africa family in 2021, accounts differ regarding how many remains were at

410-653: A row house at 6221 Osage Avenue in the Cobbs Creek area of West Philadelphia. Neighbors complained to the city for years about trash around their building, confrontations with neighbors, and bullhorn announcements of political messages by MOVE members. The bullhorn was broken and inoperable for the three weeks prior to the police bombing of the row house. The police obtained arrest warrants in 1985 charging four MOVE occupants with crimes including parole violations, contempt of court , illegal possession of firearms , and making terroristic threats. Mayor Wilson Goode and police commissioner Gregore J. Sambor classified MOVE as

451-408: A speech the following year, he said that he was made a "surrogate" by Goode. In 1986, Philadelphia artists Ellen Powell Tiberino and her artist-husband Joseph created a seven-foot relief sculpture depicting their interpretation of the bombing. Titled “The MOVE Confrontation,” it depicted people engulfed in flames, Mayor W. Wilson Goode, a Death mask and horrified spectators. It created controversy in

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492-467: A terrorist organization. Police evacuated residents of the area from the neighborhood prior to their action. Residents were told that they would be able to return to their homes after a 24-hour period. On Monday, May 13, 1985, nearly 500 police officers, along with city manager Leo Brooks , arrived in force and attempted to clear the building and execute the arrest warrants . Water and electricity were shut off in order to force MOVE members to move out of

533-591: A total of 26 miles of pipe supplying 434 hydrants. The system maintained a pressure of 70psi and could be increased to over 200psi upon demand. The system proved to be so successful that in approximately 1909 the city expanded the system to cover the Textile Mill District which was located in the North Philadelphia, Port Richmond, and Kensington neighborhoods. This expansion also included a reservoir located at 6th & Leigh Avenue fed by

574-477: Is responsible for regulating all public and private ambulance services within the city. Lastly, the department enforces all state and federal hazardous materials (HAZMAT) regulations within the city, and coordinates the response to such incidents. The IAFF local is 22. The PFD is the largest fire department in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and also has the busiest Emergency Medical Services division in

615-655: Is the sponsoring agency for Urban Search and Rescue Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PA-TF1), one of twenty-eight FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in the nation and the only one in Pennsylvania . Below is a complete listing of all fire station and equipment locations in the city of Philadelphia along with their Division and Battalion. There are three divisions and 13 battalions in the department. Division 1 consists of 5 battalions and 23 fire stations while Division 2 has 4 battalions and 17 fire stations and Division 3 has 4 battalions and 21 fire stations. In November 2019,

656-501: The University of Pennsylvania and a visiting professor in the same subject at Princeton University, in videos for an online forensics course named “Real Bones: Adventures in Forensic Anthropology,” as case studies. Present-day MOVE members were shocked to learn this, with Mike Africa Jr. stating "They were bombed, and burned alive ... and now you wanna keep their bones." The city stated the remains had gone unclaimed by

697-749: The 1985 bombing of the MOVE headquarters at 6221 Osage Avenue spread to 64 other buildings in the neighborhood. The destroyed homes were hastily rebuilt by the city, but were later condemned after years of attempted repairs to the shoddy construction. Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Holmes Junior High School and Walnut Park Plaza Hotel . The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. Andrew Hamilton Elementary School located at S.56th St. & Spruce St., Sayre High School (formerly

738-509: The 61 buildings were not up to code. The city government attempted further rehabilitations before giving up by 2005 and offering $ 150,000 to residents to leave; over two-thirds accepted the deal, leaving the houses abandoned. In 2016, the city government committed to rebuilding the block again; in January 2023, a member of MOVE and great-nephew of John Africa, Mike Africa Jr., bought the house at 6221 Osage Avenue, with plans to turn part of it into

779-820: The Department announced plans to staff and reinstate four previously disbanded Engine Companies. Engine 1 in Center City, Engine 8 in Olde City, Engine 14 in Frankford and Engine 39 in Roxborough were restored on 23 November 2019. Ladder 1 in Fairmount/Francisville was restored on 11 December 2023, upon receipt of $ 22 million FEMA grant. Ladder 11 was restored on 6 April 2024, utilizing the same grant. There are over 60 medic units spread across

820-550: The Department of Licenses and Inspections. Investigation of the origin and cause of fires remains with the PFD fire marshal's office. Today, there still remains one volunteer fire company, the Philadelphia Second Alarmers, which provides rehabilitation and refreshment support. As the 1800s came to an end, Philadelphia's regular water supply system had become unable to supply the needed water to fight fires in

861-526: The Penn Museum. Nine forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology disagreed with the claims published by Penn's legal team and agreed with those of the City of Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia also questioned whether all the remains of Katricia Dotson which were at the Penn Museum were given to MOVE in 2021. In November 2024 further remains were found at

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902-601: The United States with a single ambulance, Medic 2, responding to 8,788 calls in 2013 and Medic 8 responded to 9,011 calls in 2018. One of the oldest established fire departments in the United States, the PFD traces its origins back to early volunteer companies, specifically the Union Fire Company , established on December 7, 1736, led by Benjamin Franklin. Ordinances of 1840, 1855, and 1856 established

943-470: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and whether all bones from MOVE bombing victims at the museum were returned in 2021. A legal team hired by the University of Pennsylvania stated that the bones of Delisha Orr were never at the Penn Museum. However, an investigation by the City of Philadelphia disagreed, and stated that there was evidence that remains of Delisha Orr were at

984-474: The University of Pennsylvania. They were thought to belong to Delisha Africa. Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia Cobbs Creek is a neighborhood located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States, named for the creek which forms part of Philadelphia's western border. Cobbs Creek is generally bounded by Market Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to

1025-553: The anniversary of the bombing. By late fall 1985, the city government and a private developer had begun to rebuild the residential block that the police department damaged with the MOVE bombing. However, the homeowners who moved back in found the construction to be of poor quality, and in 1995 the Ed Rendell administration summoned the United States Army Corps of Engineers to inspect the buildings; they found

1066-401: The city and produced headlines across the country. In 1985, Philadelphia was given the nickname "The City that Bombed Itself". The MOVE Commission issued its report on March 6, 1986. The report denounced the actions of the city government, stating that dropping a bomb on an occupied row house was unconscionable. Following the release of the report, Goode made a formal public apology. No one from

1107-634: The city government was criminally charged in the attack. The only surviving adult MOVE member, Ramona Africa, refused to testify in court and was charged and convicted on charges of riot and conspiracy ; she served seven years in prison. A lawsuit appealing a judgment against the police and public officials was filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on November 3, 1994 Africa v. City of Philadelphia (In re City of Philadelphia Litig.), 49 F.3d 945 (1995) and

1148-529: The commissioners were abolished and the department placed under the control of the Department of Public Safety as the Bureau of Fire in compliance with the 1885 Bullitt Bill and enabling ordinance of 1886. The fire marshal, first appointed on 1864, was a member of the Bureau of Police until 1937 when his office was removed from it and placed directly under the Director of the Department of Public Safety. In 1950 it

1189-519: The families after the bombing, but in May 2021, the city of Philadelphia's Health Commissioner, Thomas Farley, resigned under pressure after it was revealed that in 2017 he ordered the cremation and disposal of victims' remains without either identifying them or contacting members of the family. A day after Farley's resignation, staff at the Medical Examiner 's Office found the box labeled "MOVE" in

1230-676: The house, six adults and five children: John Africa , Rhonda Africa, Theresa Africa, Frank Africa, Conrad Africa, Tree Africa, Delisha Africa, Netta Africa, Little Phil Africa, Tomaso Africa, and Raymond Africa. 61 neighboring homes were destroyed by the fire, leaving 250 people homeless. Mayor Goode appointed an investigative commission called the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission (PSIC, aka MOVE Commission), chaired by William H. Brown, III . Commissioner Sambor resigned in November 1985; in

1271-401: The house. At 5:35 a.m., Sambor read a long speech addressed to MOVE members that started with, "Attention MOVE: This is America. You have to abide by the laws of the United States." They were given 15 minutes to come out. When the MOVE members did not respond, the police decided to forcibly remove the people who remained in the house. Inside the building were seven adults and six children. There

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1312-405: The house. Police initially said that two men had also run out of the house at the same time and fired at them and that police had returned fire. Ramona Africa said that police fired at those trying to escape. Police said that MOVE members moved in and out of the house shooting at the police. The fire department later declared the fire under control at 11:47 p.m. The fire killed 11 of the people in

1353-614: The increasingly larger and higher buildings of the central business district. After the Insurance Companies raised premiums and eventually refused to write new policies in the Downtown section of Philadelphia the City finally commissioned the installation of the High-Pressure Fire System in 1901. This would be the worlds first major city high-pressure water service dedicated for firefighting. The system

1394-410: The police referred to as "entry devices") made of Tovex , a dynamite substitute, combined with two pounds of FBI -supplied C-4 , targeting a fortified, bunker-like cubicle on the roof of the house. The bombs exploded after 45 seconds, igniting the fuel of a gasoline-powered generator and setting the house on fire, which was left to burn. Officials later stated that this was to let the fire burn through

1435-407: The roof and destroy the "bunker", so police could then drop tear gas into the house and flush out the occupants. Thirty minutes later, firefighters moved in to control the fire but there was gunfire and the firefighters and police were ordered back as the fire spread to neighboring houses down the street. The only two MOVE survivors, Birdie Africa, who was 13 at the time, and Ramona Africa, both escaped

1476-522: The south South 50th Street, Whitby Avenue, Angora Subway System, and Cobbs Creek Park In 1998, the Cobbs Creek Automobile Suburb Historic District was created, with Cobbs Creek Parkway, Spruce Street, 52nd Street, and Angora Street its boundaries. The District protects 1049 buildings, with Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow/Craftsman architectural styles contained within the district. Fires from

1517-535: Was an armed standoff with police, who threw tear gas canisters at the building. The MOVE members fired at them, and a gunfight with semi-automatic and automatic firearms ensued for 90 minutes. One officer was hit in the back in his flak jacket but was not seriously hurt. Police used more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. At 2 p.m., Sambor ordered that the compound be bombed. From a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter, Philadelphia Police Department Lt. Frank Powell proceeded to drop two 1.5-pound (0.75 kg) bombs (which

1558-415: Was decided on March 6, 1995. The court decided that the plaintiffs did not have a Fourth Amendment claim against the city because there was no seizure when the defendants dropped explosives in the plaintiffs buildings, city officials and police officers had qualified immunity under 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983, but the city did not have qualified immunity from liability despite its officials being exempt. In 1996,

1599-411: Was designed to encompass the area of Delaware River to Broad Street and Race Street to Walnut Streets. The system would be supplied from a pumping station located at Race Street and Delaware Ave utilizing a total of seven 280HP natural gas powered fire pumps. The total cost of the proposed system at the time was estimated between $ 625,975 and $ 702,539. Once completed in November 1903 the system encompassed

1640-404: Was renamed in 1990 after an area activist. 39°57′10″N 75°14′09″W  /  39.952912°N 75.23592°W  / 39.952912; -75.23592 Philadelphia Fire Department The delivery of emergency medical services now generates more than seventy percent of the department's total calls for services. Furthermore, the department's Regional Emergency Medical Services Office

1681-539: Was transferred to the Bureau of Fire. In 1886, the department hired its first Black firefighter, who served with Engine Company 11. In 1919, Engine Company 11 was designated the department's all-Black unit. Later Fire Boat One was also an all-Black unit. The Department began to desegregate in February 1949. The City Charter of 1951 abolished the Department of Public Safety and established the present Fire Department. At that time its inspection duties were transferred to

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