Louisville’s 1st Black firefighters in the 1920s paved the way for generations

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On 13th Street, just south of West Broadway in Louisville's California neighborhood, a century-old old brick building sits as a symbol of the city's segregated past.

In December 1923, it became home to Louisville's first eight Black firefighters.

"Their footprint is forever a part of the Louisville fire service," Louisville Fire Capt. Donovan Sims said Wednesday.

Old Louisville Firehouse — Engine Eight — On 13th Street, just south of West Broadway in Louisville's California neighborhood, a century-old old brick building sits as a symbol of the city's segregated past.

Those eight pioneers fought fires alongside their white colleagues but they were separated at Engine Eight, at 725 S. 13th St.

"They were doing something that was just unheard of," Sims said. "It was bold. They were coming into a service that there was no one that looked like them."

Engine Nine started soon afterward, another Black firehouse. And that one is still functional today, Sims said.

They worked for decades with "unequal equipment, fewer chances for promotion and heavier workloads." Integration didn't come until the mid-1950s. Around that time, Larry Bonnafon joined the department. He was just 18 years old, the youngest recruit in LFD history.

Bonnafon quickly rose through the ranks. In 1979, he became the department’s first Black chief.

"He was a great leader. He was compassionate," Sims said. "First and only (Black chief) still today. Stepping up to the plate in the 70s, there were still a lot of things going on at that time."

Bonnafon retired in 1986. His leadership — and the legacies of Engines Eight and Nine — paved the way for dozens more African American firefighters, including Sims.

"How can I not be thankful for someone taking that chance?" Sims said Wednesday.

Thier impact lives on, in every station and shift within a department that now employs more than 500 firefighters, so every child and community member can see themselves in the uniform.

"We want to embody what our what our city looks like," Sims said. "They can see, like, 'Hey, there's somebody who is like me that is here to help me.'"

Rising costs, pandemic impact force popular Louisville fried chicken restaurant to close

WKU plans nearly 1,000-room residence hall after multiple dorms closed