Iowa City Fire Department marks 150 years of service – Radio Iowa

Iowa Metropolis is celebrating the a hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its fireplace division with occasions all through the summer season.

Lieutenant John Crane says there have been some volunteers who fought fires means again in 1842. Issues then began changing into extra organized when the State Capitol was moved to Iowa Metropolis and the Outdated Capitol constructing was underneath building.

“They usually figured they’d have some want some hose and another tools to type of shield that. After which type of for subsequent 30 years, there have been type of some — I don’t need to name them ragtag — however some volunteer corporations that type of shaped to offer some fireplace safety all through town of Iowa Metropolis,” Crane says.

As town continued to develop, the necessity for extra everlasting fireplace safety grew to become evident. “In March of 1872 there was a giant fireplace downtown and destroyed the Clinton Home Lodge. And there’s quite a lot of growth in Iowa Metropolis at the moment, quite a bit occurring downtown,” he says. “They lastly thought they’d sufficient of fires destroying property in downtown Iowa Metropolis, so that they, town type of determined they wanted a hearth division. So by metropolis ordinance on Might 20, 1872, they established what was referred to as the Iowa Metropolis Fireplace Division.”

Town offered 500 {dollars} of substances to a hearth safety firm made up of a bunch of volunteer firefighters. The fireplace firm needed to report again to town on its actions. The volunteers offered fireplace safety till 1912 when three paid firefighters have been employed — together with a chief. That yr additionally noticed the division purchase two white fireplace horses from a farm in Keota named Snowball and Highball — which grew to become a giant curiosity locally.

“They weren’t the primary horses within the Iowa Metropolis Fireplace Division, as a result of there have been another horses earlier than them,” he says, “however they have been the primary white pair of white horses. So, they grew to become fairly photogenic and so they additionally got here across the time the place images happened. So quite a lot of footage have been taken of a Snowball and Highball.”

The 2 white horses have been initially housed on the Alert Hose Firm station on the identical block the place the Hamburg Inn is now on North Primary Avenue. Crane says the division additionally purchased its first motorized fireplace truck in 1912. Crane isn’t positive what number of calls firefighters obtained again then — however he does know issues have picked up dramatically within the final 50 years.

“We do know on the One centesimal-anniversary celebration in 1972, the hearth division ran lower than 1,000 requires emergency requires service. In 2021, ran over eight-thousand, and I believe we’re on tempo now to run over nine-thousand.,” in response to Crane. “So the decision quantity has elevated dramatically. And that’s as a result of we’ve change into kind of an all hazards division, quite a lot of fireplace departments have, or what we name all hazard departments, which suggests you go on EMS calls, emergency medical calls, fireplace calls,”

He says the variety of workers hasn’t elevated fairly as a lot because the calls. That they had 52 individuals within the division on the 100-year celebration in 1972, and now have 64 individuals. One different factor that has modified is the Clinton Home which burned down in 1872 was solely three tales.

With the College of Iowa in Iowa Metropolis, there are buildings which are 20 tales. “The one factor about these buildings the place they do have actually superior fireplace safety methods, you understand, early warning methods and sprinkler methods. So the possibilities of one thing I assume the possibilities of a giant occasion occurring are decrease,” he says. “But when one thing does occur to the place it requires a hearth response, it’s a problem, a problem to have sufficient personnel on scene and the correct tools on the scene to deal with that, getting all of the tools as much as these high flooring.”

They are going to be celebrating the anniversary with open homes on the 4 fireplace stations all through the approaching weeks. In addition they have a show of historic footage and gadgets from the hearth division on the Iowa Metropolis Public Library