Tamara Markard
Greeley Tribune, Colo.
(TNS)

Jan. 27—If you really want to see how a city or town has grown and developed over the years, take a look at the history of its fire department.

As with police departments, fire departments were one of the first public services formed in fledgling communities.

Back in the day, many fire departments were manned by volunteers hauling buckets of water or pushing hose carts to the site of a fire or emergency before hiring on full-time firefighters and transitioning to engine-powered fire trucks and state-of-the-art gear.

The city of Loveland is one of these cities that has witnessed a variety of transitions and changes in its fire department over the years.

Visitors to the Loveland Fire Exhibit can take a trip back in time to see just how far the Loveland Fire Departments have come through a collection of photos, artifacts, models and more.

The exhibit showcases information and history on some of the area’s largest disasters, including the Big Thompson Flood of 1976, the 2013 flood in the canyon and the Big Thompson elevator that exploded in 1973.

“The Big Thompson elevator explosion took place two weeks after I started with the fire department as a volunteer,” Exhibit President and retired Loveland firefighter Fran Lyons said. “I never worked a day in my life when I joined the fire department. I enjoyed it so much, it wasn’t work.”

Prior to its opening at the Beet Education Center, 201 E. 5th St., items from the exhibit sat packed in boxes for the past six years.

“We opened up in September and we are part of the museum,” Lyons said. “We’ve collected artifacts through the years and put it on display now.”

The Bartholf Hose Company No. 1 and the Loveland Hook and Ladder No. 1 are believed to be Loveland’s first fire stations, Lyons explained. The station was founded in 1890 and functioned up to 1909.

“Frank Bartholf was a businessman and philanthropist and I think he kind of started the company to protect his own stuff,” Lyons said, chuckling. “In 1911, the hose company and the hook and ladder company combined to form the Loveland Fire Department.”

The station was located along the 400 block of B Street, which would be on the west side of Cleveland Avenue between 4th and 5th streets today. The cost to build the station at that time was $989 — mere pennies compared to the cost to build fire stations today.

In 1909, the city replaced the original hose house with a new station, costing $9,215 to build. The city also placed an order for its first motorized fire truck to replace the old hand-drawn horse cart.

At the time, the new station housed not only the fire department, but also the police department and city administration.

As Loveland grew, so did its fire rescue.

“In 1967 the Loveland Fire Sirens, made up of wives of firefighters, formed to support their husbands by raising money for equipment that the rural district and city couldn’t provide for them,” Lyons said.

In 1974, the city added its second station and its third station in 1980. To date, the Loveland Fire Rescue has ten fire stations across Larimer County.

“Rural and the city fire departments have combined to form the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority,” Lyons said. “So this is just a small token of the stuff that we have.”

In addition to the artifacts, photos and models, the organization owns several vintage and antique vehicles, including a 1925 American LaFrance pumper, 1939 Ford one-ton panel van and a 1928 Ford Model A roadster.

Barry Eberling
Napa Valley Register, Calif.
(TNS)

Today, Unit Chief Mike Marcucci & Deputy Chief Jason Martin were joined by @CountyofNapa Supervisors Joelle Gallagher, Belia Ramos & former Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Carneros Satellite Station 210. pic.twitter.com/JvXYYYFrFE

— CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) January 26, 2023

Jan. 26—Napa County’s rural Carneros region finally has a bigger, better fire station located in an area southwest of the city of Napa that has had some high-profile emergencies.

This is the area where the 2017 Partrick Fire raged. Busy Highway 12/121 linking Napa and Sonoma counties has had some road-shutting accidents requiring fire department response.

No longer will firefighters use what looks like a small metal shed for a station. The new $2 million, 1,900-square-foot station is also basic, but has things the old station lacked — two bays instead of one for fire engines and equipment, as well as an office and a restroom.

“It’s a beautiful station,” said Michael Marcucci, who is both county fire chief and unit chief of the Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.

The county on Wednesday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new station, which is at 5260 Old Sonoma Rd. a short distance from the old one.

This is an area that is both busy and sleepy. The new station is near Carneros Resort and Spa and the traffic of Highway 12. It’s also near rolling hills with vineyards. Next door is a pasture.

“We have the cows here to keep us company,” Marcucci said as several wandered a short distance away.

Volunteer firefighters won’t stay at the new station at all hours. Rather, they will go there during an emergency to get a fire truck and equipment.

This new station for the Carneros Volunteer Fire Department is a satellite station. Another station is located a few miles away along Milton Road at Edgerly Island, where levees hold back the waters of the Napa River.

The 2007-08 grand jury noted that the Edgerly Island station is on the western boundary of the service area, rather than centrally located. Also, most volunteers lived in the Browns Valley region, resulting in long drives to the station and slower emergency response times.

But having a Carneros satellite fire station located in the metal shed didn’t prove to be the ideal solution. County officials for years have wanted something better. A failed idea in 2008 was for the county and city of Napa to build a combined Browns Valley station.

The new station came about when the Carneros Resort and Spa needed a new water supply and wanted to make other changes. The resulting deal with the county included having the resort provide a site for the new, replacement satellite station.

Napa County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Belia Ramos was among the speakers during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“This is our third fire station we have opened in five years,” Ramos said. “That is a great success and it’s also a reflection of our commitment to giving the highest level of public safety service to our residents.”

The other two county stations opened in recent years are at Berryessa Highlands and Berryessa Estates near Lake Berryessa.

Also speaking during the Wednesday

Felman Production, a New Haven-based metallurgy manufacturing company, recently presented a $15,000 donation to the New Haven and Community Volunteer Fire Department, WVNews.com reported.

The department plans to use the funds to purchase new equipment and upgrade old equipment, including 10 new portable radios, the report said.

In November, Felman Production provided donations to the Bend Area Food Pantry, Mason County Homeless Shelter and Bend Area C.A.R.E. to help hundreds of local families in need at Thanksgiving, according to the report.

The company also recently provided financial support to New Haven Elementary School for new basketball equipment, and provided assistance to local veteran organizations along with additional support for the Mason County Veterans Memorial, the report said.

Ed Richter
Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio
(TNS)

Jan. 27—The local ambulance district that serves the city of Carlisle and the unincorporated areas of Franklin Twp. recently received approval to move forward with plans for a new station and headquarters that will also be shared with the volunteer Carlisle Fire Department.

The Carlisle Planning Commission approved the Joint Emergency Medical Services final development plan at 495 Central Ave., across from the Dairy Queen.

JEMS Chief Jesse Madden said the joint ambulance district is projected to break ground in mid-April, and the new station should be completed by February 2024. He said the total project cost, which will be financed by JEMS, was being determined by the project’s design and construction team.

Last year, Carlisle City Council approved the sale of nearly 4.3 acres in the Carlisle Business Park off Ohio 123 for $125,000 to build a new 14,000-square foot station and headquarters for the JEMS District and the Carlisle Fire Department.

City Manager Julie Duffy said at the time that the idea is to have a shared facility that could also house the Carlisle Fire Department from its current firehouse on Lincoln Avenue. She said council took that into account in the selling price with the hope of developing an attractive space that can be used for cross-training, she said.

The new facility will four bays for JEMS vehicles and Carlisle fire apparatus; eight dorm rooms; a training room; combination day room, kitchen and dining area; showers and bathrooms; a decontamination shower and changing area; a fitness room; a laundry room; shared office space for both agencies; storage rooms for EMS supplies, fire hose, self-contained breathing apparatus, and turnout gear.

The JEMS District needs to move its facility from its Franklin location on East Sixth Street next to Community Park off Ohio 123 because of the upcoming construction of the new Franklin High School campus across the road and the new roundabout that will require some of the current JEMS property.

Duffy said once the new station is completed, the plan is to move the city’s Public Works Department to the Carlisle Fire Station on Lincoln Avenue. Currently, the Public Works Department shares a facility with Carlisle police on Fairview Drive.

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