In The Line Of Duty: BCVFD Chief Hoobs

In The Line Of Duty: BCVFD Chief Hoobs

Courtesy of the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department

Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department Chief Christian Hoobs and his wife. Chief Hoobs is the only known member of the ‘Volies’ to die in the line of duty.Courtesy of the Wagner familyIn an amazing coincidental turn of events, being that on Saturday, Feb. 28, as we marked our 110th anniversary, we just returned from a wonderful sit down with the Wagner family. Patricia Wagner specifically, whose maiden name is Hoobs. She is the great granddaughter of Chief Christian Hoobs.

Chief Hoobs died on Thursday, June 14, 1917, after collapsing from a heart attack while running to a fire near his family’s hotel, Hoobs Pavilion.

He was halfway through serving his fourth term as chief of department. He was only 48 years old.

He is the only member in our history, to our knowledge, to die in the line of duty. After years of research, we could not find a photograph of Chief Hoobs.

That is, until today. Not only did the Wagner’s have a photo of Chief Hoobs, but also, in a beautiful red velvet case, they had his original firefighters badge from when he joined the department.

Chief Hoobs was a member of the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department from the day of its inception in 1905. Both he and his father are the ones who built the firehouse in 1908, the very firehouse we still occupy today in 2015.

February 28 was an unbelievably fortuitous day for both BCVFD and Broad Channel history, on this, our 110th anniversary.

Here is the obituary from The Wave on June 15, 1917.

“Christian Hoobs, aged 48 years, a resident of Broad Channel for the last 14 years, died last evening suddenly when he responded to an alarm of fire near his place. He is survived by a widow, one son and a nephew, who resided with him.

He was a member of the Tyrian Masonic Lodge of Brooklyn. The funeral will be held from his home atBroad Channel on Sunday afternoon at five o’clock, the Rev. John C. Green, pastor of the First Congregational Church, of this place, officiating. The internment will be on the following day inEvergreen Cemetery.”

Plans would be changed at the last minute however; as Chief Hoobs would be laid out for additional viewing in the apparatus room of the firehouse he built and would finally be laid to rest on June 18, 1917. His Deputy Chief, Conrad Young, would take over as Chief.