Born in 1887 in Tennessee, Noah McGaha migrated to Northern California after having served in the U.S. Army.  He settled in Oakland and soon thereafter, he joined the fire department in September of 1917.  Noah felt that he needed to give back to the nation for taking care of him and he believed that he could achieve this best by becoming a part of the local fire service.  Noah was known to be true to his heritage in Tennessee; he loved to play the banjo and often went hunting and fishing in the Mt. Shasta area.  He remained a faithful member of the Oakland Fire Department until his death in 1943.