More than a century ago, the building that houses Bowlby's Gun and Pawn once represented a technological advancement in firefighting in the West.
North Yakima Fire Department Station No. 1 was home to the first fully mechanized fire department in the Western United States, according to fire historians. When it was built in 1912, the department was using gasoline-powered apparatus at a time when other fire companies, including Seattle’s, were using literal horsepower to move pumpers and hose wagons.
Prior to 1905, North Yakima’s fire department was an all-volunteer unit, starting first as a bucket brigade and turning professional in 1905, a year after 22 volunteers walked off the job in a dispute with the city. A new cadre of volunteers was recruited, but the city decided to make the department fully professional.