“Engine Four” is a documentary style-movie based on the story of a breakthrough in North Carolina history. Eight black Winston-Salem firefighters faced racism, made life-changing decisions and risked their lives to help their community overcome the boundaries of segregation.
The movie covered many aspects of the lives of the firefighters who were stationed at Fire Station No. 4. They faced adversity and risked injury or even death while also dodging racial bullets. They were put to the test and expected to fail. As a result, they were put through extensive training classes in hopes that they would be unsuccessful.
The firehouse’s bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen were segregated until a sense of brotherhood was formed. They began to overcome the racial limitations in the firehouse, and it eventually spread throughout the community. People respected the firemen for their work ethic and heroism.
By eventually breaking the mold and forcing people to overlook their skin color, they began to gain respect for their community work. In the movie, the “Engine Four” firefighters give personal testimonies of their experiences on and off the job.
“Engine Four” thoroughly covers a great deal of what a good story is supposed to be with a very good ending. Overcoming a great amount of boundaries, Winston-Salem became the first city to house a non-segregated firehouse, with the help of Marshal Kurfees and Kenneth R. Williams board members who fought for Black firefighters to work at “Engine four”. This story was created and made possible making Engine Four a part of Winston-Salem history.
A production of WSTV-13