In February of 1874, citizens meeting held with the purpose of “securing a fire apparatus for fighting fires”. By March, the group had decided upon purchasing a hand-pump style fire engine at a cost of $1,600 from the L.M. Rumsey & Co. of St. Louis. On May 15, Mr. Rumsey himself visited Perryville to give a trial demonstration on how to properly work the machine. 

Though the new fire truck had arrived, the town was still without an official fire department, but by the following day, a crew of about 10 men was appointed the safekeeping of the city.

The men, though new to the job, began practicing immediately. The first recorded practice was published in The Union newspaper on May 15, 1874. The men were reportedly “out with the machine” at 6 p.m. for practice by order of the foreman, and again were out practicing the middle of June. Soon after that, the first fire engine house was ordered built on the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn, near to where the Republic-Monitor office sits today.

The fire station on Friday installed a 4-kilowatt solar system that will provide it with full power, including its communications system. The station has been without reliable power since Hurricane Maria struck the island on Sept. 20.

"Putting this in is the difference between life and death in this community," Capt. Richard Birt told CNBC by phone.

Birt, a Las Vegas firefighter who is assisting with the installation, said fire officials in San Juan told him that re-establishing the communications infrastructure was the top priority.

At 26,000-square-feet, the new fire station is about the same size as the Fayetteville fire station. The new station is situated on a 4 1/2 -acre site.

The front lobby will feature a history room with the antique fire engine, the old fire pole and other artifacts, clippings and photos. There is a large community/meeting room, a day room for firefighters with a kitchen, tables, counter and card table, a conference room, fitness rooms, locker rooms with showers, training rooms and more.

Washington Township will be tearing down the old fire house on Bedford Road and replacing it with a new 62x80 metal building. It will include four bays for emergency vehicles, a separate bay in the rear for maintenance, restroom, storage, small kitchen and meeting room facilities.

“This will give us a lot more usability and viability,” said Wichman. “It will allow us to redistribute our trucks, provide space for our fire fighting equipment, give us a secure place for some of our high-end and communications equipment, provides us a maintenance area to keep our vehicles operating and gives us a place for a second command center if we need it.”

The project, which was organized by the fire board, former Fire Chief Butch Weedon, and a separate steering committee of local residents, started in 2010.

Overall, about $250,000 of services, materials, and money were donated to the project. 

According to Royce Shipley, former chairman of Gore Hill Fire Service Area, more than 250 residents and around 20 businesses contributed to the project.

Shipley added the station will shorten the fire response times for fires near Fox Farm and Big Bend.