7275584508.jpg &&& FORT WORTH — Retired Battalion Chief James Noah was the Fort Worth Fire Department’s history book.Mr. Noah, one of the department’s first public information officers, died Friday. He was 80.He was a firefighter when wages were low and firefighters spent more time in the firehouse than they did at home. Mr. Noah’s career spanned several decades. During that time, Mr. Noah captured hundreds of images of Fort Worth firehouses, events and personnel."Not only did he keep a nice collection of photographs, he had knowledge of people who worked at the different stations that no one else knew," said Lt. Kent Worley, the current Fire Department spokesman. "You’ll have people asking for a relative who worked back in the 1960s, and he would be the only person who knew them."Worley said Mr. Noah encouraged him to move from fire training to public relations.Mr. Noah was born April 24, 1928. He joined the department in 1952, following in his father’s footsteps. He spent years at Fire Station No. 10 on Lipscomb Street. His jobs at the department included equipment manger, fire safety, public information officer and district fire chief.To supplement his income, son George Noah said, his father delivered drugs on a three-wheeler for a drug company and was a part-time cartoonist at the Star-Telegram.Mr. Noah retired from the department in 1989.During the 1980s, the Star-Telegram ran his comic strip featuring Billy the Panther, the Panther Engine, the Panther Company and the Panther Engine Company. He also brought "Fireman Jim" to KTVT/Channel 11, where he taught fire safety to children.George Noah said he remembers at the age of 12 accompanying his father on late-night fire calls."That was back then when television news cars had 12 antennas on them," he said. "He thought it would be better to let them know what’s going on than for them to scurry around trying to piece together a story."Other survivors include wife, Virginia; brother, Bob Noah; son Mark Hukel; 23 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Funeral 2 p.m. today at Christ Chapel Bible Church, 3740 Birchman Ave., Fort Worth. Burial: Greenwood Memorial Park.