Fred Tarquinio was a visionary, best known for implementing new technologies for the fire service. He brought the Beverly Hills Fire Department its first integrated radio communication system, helped develop the electronic siren and radio headphones used on fire engines and implemented the first preventative maintenance program for fire apparatus. In the 1960s, Fred teamed up with engineers from General Motors to revamp the two-stroke diesel engine and put it into an old Beverly Hills fire engine, an innovation that has become a fire service standard. He passed away from job-related spinal cancer.