|
Year |
Fire Department |
Company Name |
Remarks |
|
1678 |
Boston, MA |
Boston Fire Department |
First paid (call) municipal fire department
organized. Thomas Atkins was the first Fire
Chief. The department had one engine house.
By 1715 they 6 engine companies. The present
Boston Fire Department was organized in
1837. This makes Boston the oldest
continuously operating fire department in
the country. |
|
1752 |
Mount Holly, NJ |
Relief Fire Co.1 |
The Relief Fire Company No. 1 IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY serving volunteer company in the United States. Originally formed on July 11, 1752 as “Britannia” they later changed their name so the department would have a more patriotic name. Their
original firehouse, built in 1752, sits next
to the current firehouse built in 1895. |
|
1764 |
Haddonfield, NJ |
Haddon Fire Co.1 |
On March 8, 1764 the Friendship Fire Company
of Haddonfield was started. Today known as
Haddon Fire Co.1 it is the 2nd oldest fire
department in operation in the country. The
current station was built in 1952. |
|
1784 |
Carlisle, PA |
Union Fire Company 1 |
The Union Fire Company boasts a proud history of over 215 years. The Company was organized in 1789 and later became incorporated by a special act of Pennsylvania legislature in 1840. It still operates today under the same name and charter as when the Company was established.
|
|
1824 |
Buffalo, NY |
Buffalo Fire Department |
The first regular fire company was organized
in Buffalo on the 16th of December, 1824. |
|
1831 |
Portland, ME |
Portland Fire
Department |
No information at this
time. |
|
1848 |
Madison, IN |
Washington Fire
Company 2 |
Built in 1848, this
station is considered to be the oldest
operating firehouse in the United States. |
|
1851 |
Marysville, CA |
Marysville Fire Department |
The 2nd oldest fire department West of the
Mississippi River. |
|
1853 |
Cincinnati, OH |
Cincinnati Fire Department |
Organized April 1st, 1853. The Cincinnati
Fire Department also placed into service the
1st functional steam fire engine called the
"Uncle Joe Ross". |
|
1853 |
Grass Valley, CA |
Grass Valley Fire Department |
The Grass Valley Fire Department was first
organized in 1853 with the establishment of
the Grass Valley Hook and Ladder Company. It
is the third oldest active fire department
West of the Mississippi River. |
|
1855 |
Peabody, MA |
Peabody Fire Department |
Originally known as South Danvers and
started in 1855, the town changed its name
in 1868 to Peabody after philanthropist
George Peabody. Peabody's headquarters
station was built in 1873 making it the 2nd
oldest continuously operating firehouse in
the United States. |
|
1857 |
Mechanicsburg, PA |
Washington Fire Co.1 |
In 1856 Mechanicsburg Gas and Water Company put into service a new pumping station. For the first time the borough had a water system sufficient to support organized fire protection in Mechanicsburg.
Though the borough had a fire engine it lacked the organization to use it effectively The borough fathers purchased a new pumper
to complement the improved water supply. It
arrived in the borough on December 29, 1857.
That evening the Washington Fire Company was
organized.
|
|
1858 |
Louisville, KY |
Louisville Fire Department |
On the evening of May 27, 1858, the General Council organized the Steam Engine Fire Department of Louisville, to be effective June 1, 1858. The Division of Fire consisted of three fire stations. Louisville's First Fire chief ( A. Y. Johnson) with the aid of 65 men, 23 horses and 5 newly purchased steam engines, provided fire protection for the 70,000 inhabitants of the city. |
|
1860 |
Detroit, MI |
Detroit Fire Department |
In l860, the city fathers hastily hired Detroit's first paid fire fighters, an engineer, five hosemen, two drivers and a foreman to operate the first steam fire engine. The engine cost the city $3,l50 and was delivered from the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, N.H. |
|
1861 |
St. Charles, MO |
St. Charles Fire Department |
In 1836, the City of St. Charles began taxing its citizens for the purpose of purchasing a fire engine and firefighting buckets. By 1853, each of the city wards had been mandated to keep at least two side ladders and two roof ladders on hand for fire protection purposes. In answer to the need for more organized fire protection, the Union Fire Company was formed in 1861.
|
|
1863 |
Carson City, NV |
Warren Engine Co.1 |
Warren Engine Co.1 was organized on June 17,
1863, in Carson City, then a part of Utah
Territory. |
|
1865 |
St. Joseph, MO |
St. Joseph Fire Department |
The St. Joseph Fire Department was established in 1865 when the community passed a bond to purchase the city’s first steam powered fire pump. The pump was named the “Blacksnake”. Most fire equipment was given personalized names in this time period. The “Blacksnake Company” was staffed by former members of the Union Army and a team of horses pulled it.
|
|
1866 |
San Francisco, CA |
San Francisco Fire Department |
Changing from a volunteer system that lasted
for 16 years, San Francisco became paid in
1866. The worst fire and disaster to strike
the city occurred in 1906 during the San
Francisco Earthquake. |
|
1878 |
Wabasha, MN |
Wabasha Fire Department |
No information at this time. |
|
1882 |
Charleston, SC |
Charleston Fire Department |
Started January 1st 1882 as a result of a
want for better fire protection from the
Volunteer System. The Board of Firemasters
and the City of Charleston purchased the
equipment from a majority of the volunteer
houses and manned them as paid. This went on
until 1886 when the Charleston Earthquake
destroyed many of the stations and new ones
had to be built. For more
information on Charleston Fire Houses, go to
Mike Legeros site. |
|
1891 |
Rome, NY |
Rome Fire Department |
The paid department consisted of a new
Chief, four drivers, two stokers, and two
engineers. The first paid firefighters
worked six straight 24 hour shifts, going
home only for meals and getting the 7th day off.
The six volunteer companies were still in existence. |
|
1895 |
Mt. Holly Springs, PA |
Citizens Fire Co.1 |
The first company meeting was held on July 29, 1895. On August 6, 1895, the company's first piece of equipment was purchased. |
|
1896 |
Yonkers, NY |
Yonkers, NY |
At the Yonkers Fire Commissioner's Board
meeting held on Aug. 6, 1896, it was decided
to appoint six men for the Firehouse on
Palisade Ave. There were twenty-three
applicants for the position, but only
seventeen actually appeared for the
examination, and only six were finally
selected. |
|
1899 |
State College, PA |
Alpha Fire Company |
No information at this time. |
|
1904 |
Berkeley, CA |
Berkeley, CA |
After a disastrous fire in the Berkeley City
Hall a paid fire department was organized in
September of 1904. |
|
1909 |
Mason City, IA |
Mason City Fire Department |
No information at this time. |
|
1916 |
Austin, TX |
Austin Fire Department |
Voters approved to change to a fully paid fire department in May, which began operations in June 1916 with 27 men
and Clarence Woodward as Fire Chief.
On July 23, 1916, the new department experienced its first major fire in the Kreisle Building. Four firefighters were seriously injured. Firefighter James T. Glass had his spine crushed. He lay paralyzed at Brackenridge Hospital until his death more than one year later. His badge number was "13" and that number was permanently retired in his memory.
|
|
1922 |
Phoenix, AZ |
Phoenix Fire Department |
After thirty four years of volunteer FF's
the PFD finally went paid in 1922. |
