| By
Don Cook and Greg Barhite (1991)
In an attempt to update a portion of the
history of the Medina Fire Department we are adding to some of the earlier
writings historians have left for us. Most of these old time articles
begin with the village incorporating in March 1832 and carry the firemen's
activities from this beginning to the turn of the 20th Century.
You will notice many dates recorded -
hopefully those doing research on firefighting in the future will be able to
utilize these to possibly cover some events or purchases in further detail.
Much here is from the daily newspaper,
The Medina
Journal-Register, that at this period of time has bound volumes
from 1931 to about 1978. After this date the paper has has recorded
their pages on microfilm. Earlier editions were destroyed by a fire
circa 1930.
When firemen began phasing out the
village alarm system (and boxes) October 4, 1974 and completed on April 28,
1982, it was learned that this operation all began late in the 19th century.
The Gamewell Fire Alarm & Telegraph Company of New York City entered into a
contract with the Village of Medina on January 30, 1896. Mayor Seelye
A. Cook signed the contract that called for nine alarm boxes. This
system eventually built to 30 alarm boxes. The original cost in 1896
was $1002.00. This cost probably included batteries and wire, and
possibly installation.
Village Historian Russell J. Waldo in
his "Medina Hitching Post Days" article in the July 7, 1953 edition of The
Journal-Register gives a look into the early years of firefighting in the
village. In 1972, Cecilia White, at this time Village Historian, also
gives an early look at our fire department. Both of these writings
feature a photograph of Fred Board Sr. and "Dunk" O'Brien with a team of
horses in front of the old City Hall, believed to be taken just after the
turn of the 20th Century.
"Old" City Hall, built of wood, burned
in 1906 and a new one currently standing, built of Medina Sandstone was
constructed in 1908. Apparently at this point of time two or three
drivers were paid fulltime to care for the horses that were housed on the
west side of the ground floor. A bedroom was built over the truck room
and firemen slept there. When remodeling was underway in the early
1980's, the firemen's bedroom was converted to office space. One
fireman's locker had writing in pencil that stated, "Sat. Sept. 25, 1909
moved into a new city hall." A brass pole stood there for firemen to
slide down to save precious time. (The pole was finally removed
October 7, 1989 after it was damaged. By this time, however,
firefighters were no longer sleeping in City Hall.) The firemen were
alerted by alarm or someone running to City Hall by foot. Few, if any,
had telephones in this era.
Things began changing a decade later.
A photo taken from the Medina newspaper highlights a 1915 auto fire truck
with Chief Mahar and five firemen. The horse drawn fire engines are
now on their way into the history books. This open-air rig cost the
village $6,500.
A bill of sale still in evidence with
the fire department states an American-LaFrance Brockway combined city
service (pump and ladder) truck was purchased April 25 1918 for $5,000.
An interesting note is that the bid specification calls for an electric
start.
It is believed that with Chief Mahar,
firemen worked six days a week, went home for meals, and put in close to 125
hours a week. There were no radios or television to while away empty
hours.
In the early 1920's, four callmen were
added to the staff. They received a small token of pay and were
summoned when a bell in the Baptist Church tolled off the alarm box number
closest to the fire. The church still stands today at the corner of
West Avenue and West Center Street.
Sometime in the early or mid-1920's a
Brockway pumper was added to the fleet of trucks. The next vehicle
purchased was a 1933 American-LaFrance GMC pumper. This truck was
capable of 500 gallons per minute pumping, and was purchased in 1934.
This was a unique apparatus for it had been on display during both the 1933
and 1934 World's Fair in Chicago, by the American-LaFrance company.
The depression years hung heavy in
much of America in the mid-1930's. Medina Firemen, with time on their
hands, collected toys that some kids had outgrown or broken. Many of
the broken ones could be repaired and painted. Welfare officials
passed out the refurbished gems to many needy families at Christmas.
Many a kid had something for the holiday season, that otherwise would have
been sad indeed. This was considered one of the greatest community
endeavors. Plastic and unrepairable toys ushered into our world -
along with diminishing work hours for Medina Firemen - put the "kibosh" to
this popular project. Today the MAAC (Medina Area Association of
Churches) continues in this vein, but their efforts are primarily aimed at
passing out food to the less fortunate, a task which Medina Firemen help do.
Firemen had their hours changed in
February 1943 when the "two platoon" system was inaugurated. Four men
on a shift, two shifts, and they worked every other day (24 hours on, 24
hours off). Chief Ralph Whiting was a ninth fireman and worked Monday
though Saturday days (8am-5pm) unless someone was on vacation or sick.
Then he worked the regular shift for the fireman who was off. Four
callmen still responded to emergencies. Prior to this time, firemen
were allowed to go home for meals. Now with the new shifts, a was
kitchen provided and firemen at their meals in the basement of City Hall.
Incoming shift firemen and outgoing personnel ate their breakfast at home.
Both regular and call firemen now have a bell in their home. If an
alarm came in a disc was placed in the alarm box at City Hall and triggered.
This rang a box alarm number. All off duty firemen could head straight
for the scene. The bell in the Baptist Church tolled off the number if
you were in the village, but not at home.
Prior to 1942, if there was a bad
accident in the area, one of the local funeral directors would be summoned,.
They would stop by City Hall and pick up a fireman and transport the
victim(s) to Medina's hospital. In December 1942, the Elks Club of
Medina donated a 1931 Reo that was converted to an ambulance. An
accident at the village 4-corners in May of 1943 rendered the old vehicle
useless.
In September 1943 the Elks Club
purchased a 1936 Buick Hearse in Rochester, NY and had it remodeled into an
ambulance - donating it to the Medina Fire Department. It served the
towns of Shelby, Ridgeway, Yates, and village of Middleport until July 4,
1954 when Lt. Darwin Ehrenreich suffered a fatal heart attack returning from
an accident and the ambulance was wrecked beyond repair. Thankfully
those riding were not too severely injured.
Sometime in the mid-1940's the village
purchased a 1940 GMC hose and ladder truck, and on October 16, 1947 a new
500 GPM Mack pumper was purchased for $9,000. This pumper served the
village until May 15, 1982!
Civil service entered the scene in the
mid-1940's and firemen were now required to pass a written test, as well as
a physical. In October 1953, two-way radios were installed in three
pieces of equipment - the Mack pumper, the ambulance, and the chief's pickup
truck. More were added in 1954 and 1955. In 1960 a base two-way
radio was installed that could reach out and contact fire apparatus wherever
they may be involved in county matters.
The year 1954 saw the emerging of
volunteer fire companies in Ridgeway and Shelby and now all firefighting
outside the village limits would be discontinued unless these companies
required mutual aid. Also that year two new rigs appeared on the
scene. On October 19, 1954, the village purchased a Ward-LaFrance 750
GPM pumper for $19,000. This served the village until it was auctioned
off in October 1990!
The firemen were also the proud owners
of a new Cadillac ambulance on November 2, 1954 when a community drive
collected nearly $9,000 needed to purchase the big red beauty.
In December 1955 the old bell in the
Baptist Church was discontinued and a siren was placed on the roof of City
Hall.
Talk of a volunteer fire department in
the village provoked quite a bit of interest in the early summer of 1957.
This all came to a screeching halt, however, for on July 25, 1957, the
Village Board of Trustees authorized Chief Ralph Whiting to hire 16 more
callmen, bringing the total to 20. Firefighting training also began at
this point. Prior to 1957, the only training firemen received was at
the scene of an actual fire!
With the beginning of 1958, firemen
saw their working hours reduced by New York State law. It wasn't until
1971, however, that they were lowered to 40 hours a week. This
discontinued most of the sleeping on duty at City Hall.
In the early 1960's, another important
change occurred. City Hall central heating was switched from soft coal
to natural gas. With coal, during the sub-cold nights of winter,
firemen would have to get up during the night and fill the hopper with coal
- or else the furnace would burn itself out of fuel and the building would
be cold at the beginning of the next work morning. In cold winter days
during this era, black smoke was often seen emerging from City Hall's
chimney, belching the cloudy soot skywards.
December 30, 1965 was another red
letter day for village firefighters as they received a new Cadillac
ambulance and the 12-year- old model was retired. Medina Junior
Chamber of Commerce members led the fund drive that raised the $10,895 for
the purchase.
On November 29, 1966 one fireman now began monitoring the police radio,
answering the phone, and handling the radio calls. November 12, 1968,
one fireman began sitting up all night to answer the police phone and
monitor. October 11, 1971, firemen began dispatching from the Public
Safety Office around the clock. Today, all dispatching is performed by
the Orleans County Sheriffs Office Dispatch Center.
A new pumper was added on September 5, 1968. An American-LaFrance
1,000 GPM pumper was purchased for $34,000 and remained in-service until
September 1994.
A committee was appointed on April 23, 1969 by the village board to look
into the possibility of a volunteer fire company. These members only
met twice -- apparently feeling the idea couldn't be sold to the taxpaying
village resident.
June 1969 saw the Taylor Law passed by the New York State Legislature and
the Governor. Now firemen could negotiate with the Village Board of
Trustees for their wages. Prior to this, wages were doled out by the
"village fathers" and firemen (and policemen) had to accept whatever the
board members felt like giving.
(To be continued...)
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