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Not Even A
Bucket Brigade!
By Mary Fran Meekison
Portions
edited/updated
Politically proud, the
early settlers of Napoleon determined that
their village be recognized as the county
seat as early as 1835. Yet for the next 37
years, the council fathers provided no
protection against the ravages of fire that
constantly threatened to wipe out the
rapidly growing settlement. If a house or a
store caught on fire in those days, the
owner had one recourse, to scream for help,
hoping that a bucket toting, friendly
neighbor would hear the cry and come running
to help douse the flames. Prior to 1870,
Napoleon had no fire fighting organization
or apparatus of any kind – not even a bucket
brigade!
In November of 1879,
however, when an incendiary fire ate up an
entire block of homes and business houses,
including a school (located on East Clinton
about where the telephone exchange building
is today), the town council finally became
concerned. Some wanted a hand engine and
homemade ladders. Others held out for
something more efficient, a steam pumper,
hook and ladder truck. They finally
contracted for a steam pumper and 300 feet
of hose for $4,600.00. “Old Betsy Jane” was
the name of the first steam engine. On
April 17, 1880, the firemen’s group, with 22
members, was organized. It called itself
the Hope Hose Co. A year later another
group of 15 members formed the Independent
Hose and Ladder Co.
The second home of the
Napoleon Fire Department was a large,
three-story, red-brick building located on
East Washington Street where the Henry
County Bank stands today. On top of the old
building was a large fire bell, the first
bell used by the department in 1870. The
old fire bell has been preserved by
thoughtful citizens and some day may be used
as an historical city monument.
In early days, the
third floor of the old fire house was used
as a recreation hall, where the Firemen’s
Auxiliary gave many dances. Charles Bales,
Fire Captain for 38 years, lived with his
family on the second floor until the
department moved to its next location at 115
West Main. The lower floor was used for
storing fire apparatus, including a team of
horses, and several jail cells.
Today, in our
fast-paced, mechanized world, it is
interesting to recollect the “snap into
action” procedure that Charlie Bales, fire
wagon driver, had to operate in order to get
his fire wagon and team of sorrel horses off
to a fire in record time. The horses were
tied in individual stalls, side by side. A
large chain ran from the front of the fire
wagon to each stall. In the center of the
branching chain was a pull ring. When Bales
pulled on the ring, the doors of the fire
station flew back and the snaps on the
stalls opened for the horses to move into
action. The harness was hooked from the
ceiling. After Bales hooked the horse
collars together, the harness dropped and
the horse, wagon and driver were ready for
action. A long whip was set to lash out at
the team to spur them on, but this whip
seldom touched the Napoleon fire horses as
they were so well trained at the sound of
the alarm to spring out of the station and
race down the rough, brick street.
On one occasion when
Bales driving his team to a fire at the hoop
mill, the horses in the habit of turning
right at the bridge, refused to follow the
driver’s orders to turn left towards the
fire. The result was that the ladder wagon
turned over in the canal and one horse was
caught under the swinging canal bridge and
was killed. While the crowd was gawking at
the wreck, the engine and two wheeled carts
were taken to the fire by drays. Mill
hands, however, had the fire out when
apparatus arrived. After the fire, Bales
purchases a new fire team.
When the fire
department was first organized, it could
only boast of a fire wagon. The department
was not rich enough to purchases horses for
it. When there was a fire, someone would
have to go out on the street and rent horses
or mules for $2.00. In 1905 the fire
company passed a motion stating that if any
member missed three monthly meetings, he was
automatically ousted. In those days, a
volunteer fireman was paid $1.00 for going
to a fire – whether it lasted a few minutes
or many hours. If a fireman missed a night
call, at that time, he had to pay the
department .50 for being absent.
In October 1975, a
portion of the floor on the West Main Street
Fire Station fell through to the basement.
City Council became alarmed and they
requested that the firemen remove all
equipment across the street to a city
parking lot. For about six weeks, it
remained there until the equipment could be
removed to the new fire station at 265 West
Riverview.
The townspeople,
especially the firemen, felt that the new
building was a palace compared to the West
Main Street location, which originally was
constructed for use as a furniture store.
This new firehouse,
which was made possible through federal
grant, has a 65’ x 110’ apparatus room (8
bays), a room for mask tanks and a
compressor, a room for oxygen, a storage
room, a hose washing and drying room, the
Chief’s office, a dispatch office, a
Captain’s office, and a day room, with
kitchen facility, all on the first level.
On the second floor,
there is a bunk room with showers for the
on-duty firemen, plus a large meeting room
with a kitchen facility. This area,
furnished by the volunteer firemen, is
claimed by them.
In December, 1975, a
new 1500 G.P.M. Ward-LaFrance pumper was
added to the present equipment. In April,
1977, a Sutphen 85 ft. aerial tower, with
1500 G.P.M. pump, was added. This unit was
purchased by Henry County. The city signed
an agreement to house, man, and maintain the
aerial unit for 20 years. In August, 1976,
a Dodge Rescue Unit with a Braun body was
purchased to replace the 1957 Dodge car used
previously. The latter is now equipped for
use at fires with air tanks. Also, this ’75
Dodge could be used as a back-up rescue
unit.
The fire department, in
November, 1976, received a 1952 Jeep from
the Civil Defense, and the firemen,
volunteering their time, converted this Jeep
into a grass fire unit. A water tank and a
new pump were installed and painted. This
handsome unit, the firemen claim, has been a
great asset to the department.
In April, 1983, the
City of Napoleon decided that the 1957
standby rescue unit should be updated. They
purchased a refurbished 1977 Ford Chassis
with a Braun unit. Since the department has
been getting about 350 rescue runs a year,
this rescue unit was a welcome addition.
The fire department at
Napoleon is manned by four full-time firemen
and 20 volunteers. The department’s
jurisdiction includes the City of Napoleon
and, through contracts, three townships:
Napoleon, Harrison and Freedom. Presently
there are mutual aid contracts with Bryan,
Defiance, Florida, Holgate and Wauseon, plus
a county-wide aerial contract.
When Captain John
Fruchey, a veteran of 32 years, retired in
March 1983, he was replaced by Captain
Marvin “Mike” Weller, a veteran of 17 years.
In addition to Captain
Weller, the other full-time firemen were Tom
Bergstedt, Dennis Edgar and Sherman Smith.
When on duty, they work a 24-hour shift,
with 48 hours rest, an average of 56 hours a
week.
The volunteers come
from many backgrounds, and are employed in a
wide variety of occupations. Their
occupations include mechanics, factory
workers, delivery men, and carpenters.
Volunteers are paid per hour. Certainly it
is not the money that beckons these
dedicated people. They welcome the
opportunity to serve and help their
community. They enjoy a certain comradeship
of working towards a common goal. There is
an element of pride and joy in their work as
they serve their community.
In 1979, the State of
Ohio passed a law requiring all emergency
units to respond with three people, two whom
must be certified Emergency Medical
Technicians Ambulatory (EMT-A). To qualify
as an EMT-A, it is necessary to successfully
complete and pass this course. The EMT-A
service is run on three shift basis per
day. Each call is answered by three people,
the driver on duty and two others scheduled
for the shift. Persons on call are alerted
through use of “pagers”, with tones being
sent out by the driver on duty.
The Napoleon Fire
Department has the reputation of being
efficient, alert and always willing to offer
quick assistance. From the time an alarm is
sounded, the firemen are out of the door
within 30 seconds. The community walks with
confidence by day and the people rest easier
at night because Napoleon is fortunate to
have such a great group of experienced fire
fighters and EMTs.
In 1989 the city
purchased a 1979 Mack truck, which was made
into a 3000 gallon tank truck. A new squad
was purchased to replace the old squad,
which was a 1976 Dodge/Braun. The city in
1991 hired its first full-time chief to
replace retiring Captain Marvin (Mike)
Weller, Chief Scott Highley, who came from
Cleveland, Ohio. To help him were Bob
Burditt, Tom Druhot and Mike Mohring. In
1991 the city gave the Firefighter test to
help the full-time staff grow. Tony Druhot
made the test, as did Tom Bergstedt, Dennis
Edgar and Lenny Talmage.
On January 27, 1992 at
12:05 a.m. the department was called out to
one of the biggest fires, to the New
Wellington Hotel. Over 120 firefighters
responded and eight ambulances. The
departments involved were Napoleon,
Ridgeville Corners, Florida, Liberty Center,
Malinta, McClure, Holgate, Archbold,
Defiance and Wauseon. It was the first
recorded deaths in years. Two men and a
little boy lost their lives. With the best
efforts of the department a job well done
was put forth. The city honored 11 firemen
with a letter of commendation and 7 firemen
received Distinguished Service for their
heroic acts during the fire. It was also
recognized what an outstanding job the
Napoleon Fire and Rescue Squad did. As a
result of the fire we came up with a project
to have a Fire Safety House for kids’ fire
safety. Donations and pancake breakfasts
were made to get the house. The trailer
came from Walter’s Travel Trailer of
Napoleon.
In 1993 Chief Highley
moved on to Sharon Township Fire Department
in Columbus, Ohio. On May 9, 1994 the City
of Napoleon hired Chief Allen Woo from
Twinsburg, Ohio. In 1994 the City purchased
a Heavy Duty Rescue truck, which replaced a
1957 Dodge light truck and a 1956
American-LaFrance pumper. In 1995 the
department started offering
paramedic-advanced services.
In 1999 Lynn Hancock
was Appointed Chief until 2004 when he
accepted a position in southern Ohio.
In 2005 Robert Bennett
was appointed chief.
For the past 137 years,
the City of Napoleon has been served by
dedicated men and women from varied walks of
life who have comprised the Napoleon Fire
Department. Their dedication and pride in
work of the department is evidenced by the
condition of the facilities and equipment.
A special camaraderie exists among the
members of the department. These people,
who have given unselfishly of their time and
talent, are to be commended for their
loyalty to, and concern for, the citizens of
Napoleon.
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