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History of the Salt Lake City Fire Department
1851 - The first fire protection for Salt Lake City was organized in 1851 and consisted of residents with buckets in individual neighborhoods.
1853 - The first official organization was the formation of the Fire Brigade. To outfit the brigade, 36 leather buckets were purchased and 21 wooden ladders built. The brigades were organized into fire companies within each ecclesiastical ward, all adopting the motto: "We aim to aid and work to save." Late in 1853, James and Thomas Higgs of Salt Lake started construction of a piston type, manually operated pump. This pump was named "The Volunteer" and was reputed to be the first pumper west of the Mississippi River. "The Volunteer" is still-'around today, being stored in the Veteran Volunteers Hall (renamed Ottinger Hall) in the mouth of City Creek Canyon.
1856 - On October 17, the Volunteer Fire Department was organized and "The Volunteer" was placed in service.
1871 - A steam pumper was purchased from the Silsby Manufacturing Company. This pumper was the largest steamer built to date and was so big that by the time the firemen pulled it to the fire, they were too exhausted to fight the fire. 1871 also saw the first fires of any importance; several barns burned with a total estimated fire loss of $1,000.00.
1875 - This was the bleakest year for the Volunteers as $312,863.00 went up in smoke. The fire at Hussey's Bank lost $200,000.00 (the Silsby steamer failed at the fire and was a large factor in the high fire loss that year).
1879 - The City Council voted to pay the volunteers 25 cents per hour for fire duty. This continued until September of 1883 when the firemen made a unified demand for 50 cents per hour. The City Council decided it would be cheaper to have a paid department, so on September 30, 1883, the Volunteer Fire Department was disbanded. The last fire fought by the Volunteers was at 5:15 p.m. on the 30th of September, 1883. It was in the store of G. F. Culmer & Company on 2nd South and Commercial Street.
1883 - October saw the organization of the paid department with 40 men as "Call Men." The first horse was purchased and the equipment at this time included: The Volunteer, a ladder truck, a hose cart, a Silsby Steamer, a hose carriage and a new hand pumper.
1889 - The Gaynor system was the first fire alarm system placed in service in Salt Lake City. The first alarm was transmitted from Box 52 at Third Avenue and "F" Street for a chimney fire.
1892 - This was the end of pay for the "Call Men." The men would only be paid when ordered into service by the Chief or his Assistant. By the end of 1892 the fire department had expanded to 17 horses, with two additional in reserve. The department answered 146 fire calls that year.
1896 - The International Association of Fire Engineers held their convention in Salt Lake City. In demonstrations for the engineers, the department members showed that they could hitch and move the apparatus 36 feet in 5 2/5 seconds and could hitch a double team in 2 seconds. The city also boasted of 877 working hydrants.
The fire service has gone through many transitions since those early days and from 1896 on our Department grew rapidly. The introduction of motorized apparatus took place, more men were employed, more equipment was purchased and new stations built. At the present time Salt Lake City covers approximately 97 square miles, has a population base of 200,000 with an additional commuter influx of approximately 300,000 from surrounding cities.
The city is diverse and ranges from residential foothills, to a heavily populated, built-up highrise district. It also includes two large industrial and manufacturing areas. Salt Lake City is protected by 12 strategically located stations, which are divided into Battalion One (East side) and Battalion Two (West side). These Battalions currently provide 7 EMT Engines, 6 Rescue Engines, 3 Ladder Trucks, Hazardous Materials Unit, 4 Airport Fire Rescue Units and many other support vehicles.
Today, Salt Lake City Fire Department's total manning is 393 personnel. The Department is divided into two major divisions, the Support Services Division and the Operations Division.
