Fire Home

  

Home
History

The History of Warrensburg Fire Department

dept1915.jpg (12343 bytes)
Tony and Mack - Well Loved team of fire horses, standing in front of Fire Department No. 1 at the city hall.  The driver is a Mr. Donaldson with him on the seat is Mr. McClain; standing on a step at the rear left is S.P. Tyler the city clerk and at right is Love Fountain a blacksmith here.  The picture is believed to be taken around 1910.

Our first appropriation of fire equipment came in September of 1892, when the vote was passed for $890 to purchase a hose cart, fire engine, and hook and ladder wagon. Our first station was located on Pine Street, in the building between The Loft and "Those Were the Days". If you enter the old station house today, you can still see where the mule’s harnesses hung.

The station moved in the early 1900s to the corner of Market and Maynard Streets, in city hall. They shared the station with the city officials and the police department.

The county and city ran together as one department until early 1970s when the county court took over the county fire department and established a fire protection district.

Bought Fire Horses

Sam Caldwell, the well known horse dealer of Knob Noster writes as follows: to the Leeton Times with prefacing remark that it is not often fire horses are sold out of Johnson county:

"the horse owned and sold by Uncle Martin Mohler at the Lee James sale to Kemp Heironymus for $197.50 was again resold to a gentleman from Shenandoah, Iowa, at a high figure, and having no mate for the horse, Heironymus and the Iowa gentleman made a quick trip to Warrensburg Friday and from there drove to my home in an auto and purchased a mate to the Mohler horse from me paying $220. Saturday the animals were loaded out for Shenandoah, Iowa, where they will be used for fire-purposes. They were half brothers, both being sired by Boli, owned by J.G. Callison"

A "Move Up" at the Fire Department

Sam Burge has tendered his resignation as chief of the city fire department to Mayor H.R. Garrison to become effective following the meeting of the City Council Tuesday night, it was announced Wednesday by Mayor Garrison.   Chief Burge in commenting upon the action stated he had other plans which he does not care to reveal at the present time but that he will remain in Warrensburg.  Mayor Garrison will recommend to the councilmen Tuesday night that Harry Staley, assistant chief, to be promoted to chief and that Elbert Stump, full time fireman, be made assistant chief, driver of the truck, and part time fireman. Lee Walbridge, former traffic officer, is to be recommended as full time fireman.  This arrangement can be made without any increase in expenses, Mayor Garrison pointed out. It is subject to confirmation by the council.

dept1930s.jpg (13718 bytes)
dept1953.jpg (12828 bytes)

Under this plan, Stump will continue to live at the station and Walbridge will move with his family to the station to the station instead of the chief. In past years the chief has lived at the station but under the proposed arrangement with Stump as assistant chief and driver it is not believed this will be necessary. Burge has been chief fir the past nineteen months and has been a member of the department for approximately four years. Under his leadership the loss by fire has been kept at a minimum. There were fewer fires for several months of this year than in previous years, according to the records at the station.

Zimmerman Turns in Resignation as Fireman Here

Dennis Zimmerman, driver and radio dispatcher for the Warrensburg Fire Department resigned effective as of last night, Fire Chief C.R. Copas said today. Claude Jones, junior fire chief, has been named in the position on a temporary basis, Chief Copas said.

Zimmerman has been with the fire department the past two and one-half years. He served in the fire department at Whiteman Air Force Base four years until becoming a full-time employee with the local department in October of last year.

At that time he replaced Eugene Green as driver-dispatcher when Green resigned to accept a position with the Hickman Mills Fire Department.

dept1968-ish.jpg (13413 bytes)
 Department Picture - 1960s

dept1972-ish.jpg (12758 bytes)
 Department Picture - 1970s

Hit Counter