The Town of Wilbraham was incorporated on June 15, 1763. It was not until May 3, 1828, that the town made its first decision to organize a fire company for fire protection in the village, northwest part of town, located near the Jencksville section of Ludlow. The Springfield Manufacturing Company, a cotton mill, which was located in Jencksville offered a "good fire engine" for public use in case of fire. The same offer was also made to the towns of Ludlow and Springfield. A contract was drawn up between the Springfield Manufacturing Company and the Wilbraham Selectmen. It stated that the town would appoint "engine men" and form a fire company.
Many years later in 1855, the town voted to raise a certain sum of money to defray the expense of procuring its hooks, ladders, ropes, chains, fire engines, and other articles to be used in the case of fire. In addition, there would be the building of firehouses for the safekeeping of such equipment in each of the parishes, Wilbraham (Center Village) and South Wilbraham (South Village), the latter being Hampden. Wilbraham housed the Wilbraham Hook and Ladder Company and South Wilbraham housed the South Wilbraham Fire Company. The Hook and Ladder Company house was located on the southwest corner of what is now Crane Park in Wilbraham and the South Wilbraham Fire Company house was located in the area of the South Wilbraham Manufacturing Company, presumably where the driveway area of the Hampden REC is located today.
In those early years, two memorable fires occurred in town. The first being on June 24, 1877, in which seven buildings burned in the Center Village. This was the biggest fire in history that Wilbraham experienced at that time. One of the buildings that was destroyed was the town's own Hook and Ladder Company. The men of this company went into action saving property and tearing down buildings in the wake of the fire's path to stop the conflagration. A call for help was flashed over the wires to the City of Springfield for the prompt response of men and apparatus. Spare Steamer and Hose Cart No. 5, Hose Cart No. 1, and a detachment from Hook and Ladder No. 1 responded by using a special train that transported equipment and men to Collins Depot, in the north end of town. There, teams of horses were used to bring the mutual aid companies to the scene.
This fire started in the basement of the Congregational Church. According to records, a mischievous boy crawled through the basement window. He then got up on a chair and reached for the can of matches that were high up in a cupboard. He lit some papers in a stove nearby, but the stove was not connected to the chimney. As the fire ravaged the church it soon spread north as there was a strong wind coming from the south. The next building to suffer this fate was the Post Office building, owned by Mrs. William Lyman. Then the other buildings followed, the house occupied by Thomas Morton with an unoccupied store connected, W. Lee Collins livery stable, Hotel, occupied and owned by Mrs. E. M. Allis, home and store of Joseph French, and the Hook and Ladder Company barn. The barn that was torn down to create a fire break was owned by J. B. Crane. Two other buildings suffered some fire damage, the home of Mrs. S. West, just south of the church, and the dwellings of Dr. Foskett and Edward Brewer on the opposite side of the street.
The Congregational Church was rebuilt and on July 5, 1911, disaster struck again, a fire tore through this third Meeting House which was caused by a lightning strike from a passing wind and electrical storm. The fire started at the very top of the highest spire and worked its way down until the entire building was destroyed.
On February 15, 1888, The Collins Manufacturing Company suffered a great fire loss which destroyed the main five-story structure. The loss is over $325,000 and is only insured for $208,000 through the Boston Manufacture’s Mutual Company. The mill produced six tons of fire writing paper a day and had over 200 people employed.
The fire was discovered by Engineer Fogarty in the rag room on the third floor at about 2:40 in the morning. About fourteen men were in the building at the time, most of them employed in tending the beaters and paper machines which are kept running all night long. Fogarty was in the engine room directly under the rag room and saw the gleam of fire through the space between the floor and the brick partition wall and immediately gave the alarm. A stream of water was put on the fire within three minutes and in five minutes two streams were playing while the automatic sprinklers did their share, but it was too late. The fire spread easily up the elevator wall nearby and soon enveloped the fourth and fifth stories.
The local fire department could not handle a fire of this magnitude so help was requested from the City of Springfield. Springfield Fire Department Steamer No. 2 was brought out by a special train and arrived on the scene at 5:00 am ready for work. More help was requested from the city and Steamer No. 8 arrived at 11:00 am. By that time the roof and two upper floors of the main building had completely fallen in. The Palmer Steamer arrived soon after and did good work, although an accident rendered it useless for some time. Water streams kept playing away all afternoon. Many of the firemen escaped near death from the brick walls collapsing all around. The cause of the fire is unknown but it’s presumed that it was the spontaneous combustion of materials stored in the rag room. Congressman Whiting, the president of the company, was in Washington DC at the time of the fire. He arrived in town by train shortly after to survey the damage.
It was about the turn of the century when all information about these early fire companies faded into history. Very little is known at this time about what happened to the existence of these first organizations.
On February 3, 1919, the town held its annual Town Meeting and voted the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars to be taken out of the resources of the town for a chemical engine and hose cart. Also voted, Joseph M. Perry, Charles C. Stewart, and F.A. Warren acted as the first Fire Engineers for the Town of Wilbraham. Another town meeting held on July 5, 1919, voted that the town authorize the Selectmen and Fire Engineers to build a single-stall engine house on the library lot on Boston Road, at the present-day fire headquarters, the new addition to the west. The sum of twenty-five hundred dollars was also to be appropriated from the resources of the town to build the station and furnish fire equipment. When the new fire station was completed, it was dedicated to the memory of George M. Kingdon, who was the only Wilbraham man to be killed in action during World War I. Over the station's front doors was a sign saying "George M. Kingdon Fire Company." On the wall inside the station was a painting of George himself in his full military uniform. A later version of the original sign is now hanging up inside the present-day fire headquarters. This sign was taken down just before the old station was demolished in 1952. As a tribute to Mr. Kingdon, our 1994 Engine 1, now retired and our current 2005 Engine 2, displays his name on the front of the vehicles. The townspeople intended to have his name live on for generations to follow with the fire department. United States Army, Private First Class George M. Kingdon, 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, died on October 16, 1918. He is buried at Plot A, Row 36, Grave 37 at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France.
A newspaper article, which appeared in the Springfield Daily News shortly after the department was organized stated, "After 125 years of dependence upon surrounding communities for fire protection, the town has purchased a modern Reo fire truck and it is being manned by a capable crew".
The new piece of apparatus is a double combination, having two chemical tanks and two hand-operated extinguishers. The chemical hose is carried in a removable metal basket just above the tanks. An extension ladder, water hose, axes, and crowbars are among the rest of the equipment. The body was designed by D. C. Raymond Jr., of the REO Springfield Company and was built by J. B. Richards under Mr. Raymond's supervision. The chassis is that of the stock "Speed Wagon" which has been found particularly suitable for this kind of work.
The department's first Chief was Andrew D. Macauley and the other officers were Assistant Chief Augustus F. "Gus" Friend, Captain Edward Lachance, Lieutenant Charles A. Backus, Chauffeur and Chief Mechanic Charles Fletcher, and Clerk James Garvey. One of the first fires the newly formed fire department responded to was in the spring of 1920 "Patriots Day" in North Wilbraham. The fire started in the area of Grassy Hollow, the present-day Transfer Station. The fire was driven by high winds spread west in the back of the Auto Inn located on Boston Road just west of Railroad Avenue. The fire also spread south of Boston Road and caught the roof of Mr. Perry's barn, located on Maple Street, on fire. It was later determined that a passing train from the Boston & Albany Railroad was the cause of that fire.
In 1921, the town appropriated $500.00 to pay all active members of the fire department. This year was also a notable time regarding the department, because of the amount of work done with a comparatively small force and one apparatus. The total number of alarms answered was eighteen.
A first aid kit was purchased in 1922 from the Winchester Square Pharmacy store in Springfield. This was the beginning of responding to medical emergency calls. In addition, a new gas mask from Maynard Rubber Company was purchased for the safety of the firefighters when entering a hazardous environment.
In 1927, when the start of the town's first municipal water system was placed in service for parts of the community, a special appropriation of $7, 500.00 for the purchase of a new Maxim 500-gallon-per-minute pump and hose truck was made. The equipment on this vehicle included a booster tank and 2,000 feet of double jacket two-and-a-half-inch hose for the newly established water system, utilizing fire hydrants, and is also capable of drafting water from ponds and rivers. The 1919 REO truck did not have an onboard water pump that could not utilize the new municipal water system, nor ponds or rivers.
The new fire engine was housed in the Boston Road fire station and the 1919 REO was garaged in Wilbraham Center in quarters, which the town rented a barn from Gideon Dickinson, presently a home, located at 5 Burt Lane. Also in 1927, the first fire siren was purchased and installed on the roof of the library, next to the fire station on Boston Road. For many years before the siren, ten blasts of the Collins Manufacturing Company mill whistle were the alerting alarm for fires. Several firefighters were employed at the paper mill and were allowed to leave their jobs with no loss of pay to fight fires.
In 1935, the Board of Fire Commissioners recommended for the coming year a new 500-gallon per minute centrifugal pump, which could be purchased and installed on the 1927 Maxim truck for $1,440.00.The repair of the present rotary pump would have cost $500.00. The heavy use of that vehicle in the years past, due to the increase in fires presented problems with breakdowns. The money was approved for the Maxim in 1936.
Some notable fires in 1935. The first is October 15th., The Manchonis Club at Nine Mile Pond was a total loss and the second fire on November 13th destroyed the Worlds Inn on Burleigh Road.
The town agreed to pay the Ludlow Manufacturing Associates in 1937, two dollars per month for electric current to operate the two fire alarm boxes located in the northwest corner of Wilbraham which had been installed many years prior by the Ludlow Company and which activated signals in the company's own fire department since that date. The fire alarm system has been changed to signal the Town of Ludlow's firefighters and the payment is now made to the Town of Ludlow. By a reciprocal arrangement, Ludlow answers emergency calls from the northwest portion of Wilbraham, while Wilbraham services the Miller Street section of Ludlow. This was due to the locations of both fire stations in each town.
A special appropriation of $3,800.00 in February 1938 was made for the purchase of a new fire truck. The town received bids from eight different fire equipment companies. The order was finally placed with the Sanford Motor Truck Company of Syracuse New York and the equipment was built by that company on a Sanford Special REO two-and-a-half ton truck chassis, with a one hundred one horsepower engine. The truck is equipped with a five hundred gallon centrifugal pump, a one hundred fifty gallon booster tank, a sixteen-foot roof ladder, a twenty-eight-foot extension ladder, and carries one thousand feet of two-and-a-half inch hose along with three hundred feet of one and a half inch hose. The completed truck was delivered on July 1, 1938. This new truck replaced the old 1919 REO, which was converted into a water-carrying unit, and it remained in service for several additional years.
The 1938 hurricane and flood emergency in September created even more work for the fire department. The department needed to lay three thousand three hundred feet of fire hose to connect the town water main system, due to a break in the main under the river. The hurricane also damaged the new 1938 REO fire truck, which created unexpected expenses of slightly over $300.00, which was paid from the budget of that year. Side Note: When this truck was being restored by a private collector in 2017, it was discovered that the original repair in 1938 could be seen once the layers of paint were removed.
In 1941, the Auxiliary Fire Department was formed due to the National Emergency, of World War I. Twenty-three members were appointed.
One of the worst tragedies up to this date for the fire department was on November 6, 1944, when an automobile carrying a family of five was involved in a motor vehicle crash. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the tire blew out. The crash resulted in the vehicle catching on fire and all members of this family perished in the fire. The father was 34, the mother was 29, the daughter was 8, and the two sons were 3 and 2 years old.
The year 1945 brought several major developments that happened within the fire department. One change is a result of thorough and successful tests made by the United States Army and Navy in fighting fires with fog nozzles and foam equipment. The department provided each fire truck with a combination fog nozzle for the booster lines. In addition, they have fog nozzles for one-and-a-half-inch and two-and-a-half-inch hose on the 1927 Maxim truck at North Wilbraham. A portable foam unit has been added to the equipment on the North Wilbraham truck, which will be of great assistance in extinguishing gasoline and oil fires.
On December 19, 1945, the Chief of the department announced that all townspeople become acquainted with a special signal that would alert firefighters to a fire. Sirens have been installed at two locations in town. The first being at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Springfield Street in Wilbraham and the second at the Boston Road fire station in North Wilbraham. In addition to alerting firefighters to fires, the sirens were also used for school cancellations.
In April of 1946, the Wilbraham Fire Department was featured in the magazine "Firemen" published by the National Fire Protection Association. The article contained the story of advancements that the fire department was utilizing with this new technology with fog nozzles. Included in the article were photographs of a recent house fire of Mr. Harold E. Morgan of Wilbraham. The fire was extinguished effectively with two 3/4" booster lines equipped with SG-40 Rockwood water fog nozzles.
A new hydrant has been installed at the entrance to the North Wilbraham fire station. It provides a standard hydrant for training firefighters in making hose connections on present and new equipment, and a convenient connection for wetting down five thousand feet of fire hose, which should be done every three months. In addition, the refilling of booster tanks on the fire trucks. The new hydrant installation can be used in connection with fires on the properties located on the north side of Boston Road between the fire station and the railroad underpass. This reduced the chance of laying hose lines across the state highway and holding up traffic for a considerable length of time.
Also in 1946, three women were appointed fire dispatchers. Fire phones were installed in their homes along with controls for sounding the siren. In the past with this arrangement, the siren button was located in the North Wilbraham telephone exchange and was pushed by whichever operator was on duty. Many complications arose from this setup, which was no reflection on the operators themselves.
The Selectmen in 1948 eliminated what had long been a problem in town by combining the duties of the Forest Warden with those of the Fire Chief. Before that time the Forest Warden with an assigned crew was responsible for extinguishing all grass and brush fires. It only made sense to have one person in charge of both departments.
On April 18, 1948, a flash fire caused $100,000 in damage to the paper mill. The flash fire was caused by several explosions when a drum of Solvay Peroxide fell off a forklift in the storage room on the third floor at about 1:30 in the afternoon. A series of five explosions followed the initial blast filling the storage room with fire and smoke. The automatic sprinkler system poured thousands of gallons of water on the fire. The fire department arrived with two pumpers and supplied six attack hose lines to the fire which extinguished it in about three hours.
On May 31, 1948, the Fire Chief and two of the Commissioners attended a meeting of the New England Fire Chief's Association, in New Haven, Connecticut. The meeting was to exhibit modern methods for combatting fires and related equipment. The New Haven Fire Department was selected as they were regarded as one of the finest and best-equipped departments in the East. The local delegation came away fully convinced that Wilbraham's department, though small by comparison, has been using equipment that the New Haven firefighters claim is the most up-to-date in use.
In 1949, the town purchased from Oren Roanoke Corporation a three-stage high-pressure pumper with a water carrying capacity of eight hundred gallons. The cost of the new pumper was $16,500.00. It was put in service and designated as Engine No. 3. It was assigned to the North Wilbraham to replace the 1927 Maxim. The new truck was purchased through Zabek Motor Sales of Palmer, an authorized dealer of Oren Roanoke Corporation.
November 27, 1949, over 150 representatives of fire departments from cities and towns all over Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island gathered at the North Wilbraham fire station, for a public demonstration of this new pumper which arrived the previous day. The reason for this large gathering is that this new pumper is the first of its type to come into the New England area. It is regarded by engineers as the most modern and adaptable fire truck for rural sections ever built and also has features that make it adaptable where there is a town water system. The demonstration will include both hydrant operations and drafting from the nearby Nine Mile Pond. The public bathing beach at the pond will provide a large reviewing area for the public to see.
In March 1950, the Wilbraham Lions' Club presented the town with an automatic resuscitator during a ceremony held at Wilbraham Academy, in Fiske Hall. In addition to this lifesaving equipment, the Wilbraham Fire Department is the only department in the Springfield area that has its members certified in both the regular and advanced phases of first aid. Eugene H. Wassels, director of Safety Services for the Red Cross in the Springfield area, who presented the certificates stated "I am proud of the opportunity to be part of this ceremony which makes the Wilbraham Fire Department the first group of its type in the Springfield area to be so honored."
At the Town Meeting held on March 15, 1952, an appropriation of $30,000.00 was voted for the construction of a new and larger fire station at North Wilbraham to replace the station built in 1919. Immediately thereafter, the Board of Selectmen and Board of Fire Commissioners engaged the services of Mr. Wallace E. Diddie, architect, to prepare plans and specifications for a building to meet present needs and provide for future expansion. The new station has the possibility for expansion by adding a second floor, when needed, for a full-time fire and police department. The contract for building the fire station was awarded to T. A. Pearson Associates of West Springfield Massachusetts for $27,300.00. The contract for the construction of the driveway was awarded to Alton E. Gleason of Springfield Massachusetts for $588.00.
Numerous gifts were received in January 1953 for the fire department's new station. They included a piano, several pieces of furniture, an electric clock, and the promise of numerous other items that would bring comfort to the firefighters. Hope was expressed that a ping-pong table will be included in the gifts forthcoming.
A long ambition of the Fireman's Relief Association was fully realized in 1952 through the purchase of an emergency vehicle presented to the town by the Wilbraham Grange No. 153. The vehicle is fully equipped to handle all emergencies. The new emergency ambulance and the two fire trucks, the 1927 Maxim and 1949 Oren are housed in the new fire station at North Wilbraham. In addition, the department stores a spare fire truck owned by Zabek Motor Sales of Palmer, Massachusetts that is constantly available for the fire department's use.
In the report of the annual town meeting held on March 5, 1955, the town's people unanimously voted that the town raise and appropriate the sum of $9,500.00 to be expended under the direction of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the purchase of a new fire truck to be garaged at the North Wilbraham Fire Station to meet current needs. The finance committee recommended this action. Mr. Chapman, a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners gave statistics substantiating the need and said there has been an increase of 106 % in fire calls. The new truck was purchased from Zabek Fire Apparatus, Incorporated. It was a 1955 Dodge with the 500-gallon per minute pump from the old 1927 Maxim. This is why the cost of the new truck was kept at a reasonable price. The 1927 Maxim was now taken out of service. At the same time, the department also put in service a new chief's car which was a 1955 Plymouth sedan. The new truck was designated as Engine No. 4. Not long after being in service, this new truck was involved in a serious accident on Butler Hill in which the vehicle rolled over due to a brake malfunction. Chief Ralph Tupper was driving at the time of the accident as a Captain from Chicopee Fire Department was riding along so that he could see how the vehicle was handled. His department at this time was also looking into purchasing a new pumper truck. That accident was so severe that both men suffered a great injury, that a priest was brought to the scene to administer the "last rights."Fortunately, both men survived that accident.
The foresight on the part of the fire commissioners in covering fire trucks with collision insurance enabled the department to replace the truck that was involved in the accident, with one more modern and better equipped at a total cost of $250.00. The replacement truck was a 1955 Ward Lafrance Fireball. It contained a 500-gallon-per-minute pump and a 500-gallon booster tank. This truck was designated as Engine No. 5 and placed in service in 1956. At that time, it was a bad omen to reissue the same number as a previous truck involved in a serious accident. As you will see many years later, a new truck that was designated Engine No. 4 had a similar fate. Also in 1956, a two-way radio system was placed into operation along with a 5000 KW emergency generator for the north station to cope with power failures.
To cooperate with the town's civil defense department in 1956, the fire department reported that they had twenty-four auxiliary firefighters, not counting the call department firefighters. All the auxiliary firefighters are well trained and equipped with helmets, coats, boots, and 60-watt two-way radios, plus the 60-watt base station and antenna at the North Wilbraham station. All this equipment, including the emergency generator, was purchased by matching funds through M.C.D.A.
The appointment of the first full-time firefighter was that of the Fire Chief, Ralph Tupper, in 1957. In October of this same year, the state's civil defense mobilization plan was exercised, called Operation Rollaway. This drill involved the Sector 4A Civil Defense Fire Battalion. The towns and cities that were part of this extensive exercise were, Wilbraham, Three Rivers, Monson, Springfield, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Palmer, Bondsville, Chicopee, and Hampden. The drill included 30 pieces of fire apparatus and 150 men. Auxiliary police units handled any traffic issues as the American Red Cross volunteers manned a mobile canteen unit that dispensed coffee and doughnuts to the personnel. The purpose of this drill was to determine how mobile sector fire apparatus would perform in the event of an emergency. Thousands of people that day viewed the battalion convoy units as they moved from their hometown bases to the target assembly point at Legion Field in Palmer. Wilbraham’s hometown base assembly point was at Memorial School on Main Street. The drill was declared a “sweeping” success by the State Civil Defense officials.
A new fire truck, a 1958 Ward Lafrance designated Engine No. 6, was placed in service. This truck had a 750-gallon per minute three-stage 800-gallon pump with an 800-gallon booster tank. The total cost of this truck was $22,000.00. Also in 1958, the fire department demonstrated Yankee ingenuity when they purchased, for the price of a dollar, a 1944 four-wheel drive fuel truck and converted it to a 1,000-gallon water tanker. The reconstruction of the ancient vehicle took considerable time and effort on the part of many volunteer craftsmen. The cost of the project was just under $800.00 with most of the costs for material and equipment being donated.
It was in the year 1959 that a new fire station was built on Woodland Dell Road at Wilbraham Center. The old barn, which was now owned at that time by Wilbraham Academy, and served as a fire station for many years needed to be replaced. The cost of the new station was $29,311.17. The 1938 REO, Engine No. 2, and the new 1958 Ward Lafrance, Engine No. 6 were now garaged at the center station. It was the generosity of J. Loring Brooks who donated the land to the town to build this new station.
The fire chief was the only full-time firefighter, so the town appointed two more full-time firefighters in 1960. At this time the town started to grow in population which necessitated the need for more full-time staff.
In 1962, the town purchased a new Cadillac ambulance, and the old Dodge ambulance that the Wilbraham Grange donated to the town ten years prior, was made over into a rescue vehicle. The new 1962 ambulance was delivered in July. It was custom-built by Miller-Meteor Motor Car Division in Piqua, Ohio. It was designed to carry four litter patients. It can also transport a patient in a wheelchair.
This concludes the history of the Wilbraham Fire Department from 1828 to 1962. The second part of this story will be from 1963 to 2019 when I retired as Fire Chief and proudly served for over thirty-seven years with the George M. Kingdon Fire Company.
Wilbraham Fire Chiefs 1919 - 1962, George M. Kingdon Fire Company
Andrew Macauley, Charles Lachance, Charles Fletcher, Clifford Bradway, Charles Backus, Paul Tupper, Harold Murphy, and Ralph Tupper.
Wilbraham Board of Fire Engineers 1919 - 1932, George M. Kingdon Fire Company
Joseph M. Perry, Charles C. Stewart, F.A. Warren, W. Dempsey, F. Green, T. Bowers, F. Putnum, C. Vinton, C. Backus, J. Baldwin, H. Green, C. Fletcher, R. Sackett, H. Thomas, and C. Bradway.
Wilbraham Board of Fire Commissioners 1933 - 1962, George M. Kingdon Fire Company
John Ashe, W. Chapman, D. Muir, F. Reidy, J. Fitzgerald, W. Dale, Dr. J. Sigsbee, E. Pederzani, W. Knowles, and R. Shultz.