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HomeMy WebLinkAbout725Copy of an article, 7 pages, written by Tom Hammond, Claremont, c.1980, about the history of the Claremont Fire Department. "History of a Rural Fire Department Having arrived in the Village of Claremont 1918, just before the end of World War 1, it has been my privilege to witness and participate in the growth of the fire protection service in this hamlet of some six hundred residents. My first memory is of a Chalmers touring car which was cut off behind the front seat and two soda and acid chemical tanks being mounted, each holding some twenty gallons of water. At this time there was no one designated to take this equipment out. It was who ever got to were it was kept. At first the alarms were mostly received by telephone at the local telephone central. Then the alarm would be sounded by ringing a large school bell mounted at the front of the pump works located just south of the four corners. Most of the calls consisted of chimney fires as everybody had wood or coal burning stoves. In many cases long strings of pipes which if not taken down and cleaned every so often, would catch fire and create some anxious moments. Along about 1923, two maiden ladies who lived at the corner of Wixson Street and what is now known as Central Street, donated a small parcel of land to the village for the some of one dollar. Upon this land was to be built a building to serve as a library and fire hall. In 1924 this building was erected, the west side for the library and the east side for the fire equipment. In 1937 a major fire occurred when the hotel, livery stable, and blacksmith shop were destroyed. At this time there was still no organized fire department, but in 1941 the Village Trustees purchased a one ton Chevrolet truck from Mr. Charles Cooper to be" "Page 2 made into a fire truck. The result was a 200 gallon oil tank such as is used to-day for oil furnaces being mounted up-right directly behind the cab. Pressure was supplied from a small pump driven by a power take-off from the transmission. Also mounted behind this tank were the two soda and acid tanks taken off the old Chalmers car. Both of these units were attached to the same discharge hose with a rather complicated set of valves. If you were not familiar with these valves, you had problems getting the water from the tanks and onto the fire. At about this time a volunteer group was formed to act as a fire department. Mr George Constable was elected chief and Mr. Dick Cooper was secretary/Treasurer. No serious fires occurred for some time, other than grass fires. At this time I would have to say that although our fire engine was referred to as something from Juniper Junction, it still did a mighty good job. Maybe we didn't always save the building but the lot was always saved so that the owner could rebuild. Although fire fighting is a very serious business, there are never the less some things which happen that have a funny side to them, like one day in the middle of summer a quite severe thunder storm came up, and, after it had passed over, the sun came out, and the fire alarm sounded. The word was that there was a fire two miles north of town. So off we go and upon arriving at the scene sure enough it did look as though there was a brush fire. But, on" "Paqe 3 closer examination what looked like smoke blowing across the road, turned out to be fog or steam. The storm had dropped about two inches of hail stones in a thicket of evergreens which had been planted as a wind and snow break, and, when the sun came out the hail stones melted and created fog or steam which was drifting across the road. At this time it was suggested that we should get a siren in place of the old bell. By putting on dances and raffling off dolls dressed in $1 bills, enough money was raised to purchase an old air raid siren from army surplus for the sum of $30.0.00. It was erected on a stand on the roof of the garage at the four corners, and the garage operator would activate it every day at 12 o'clock noon to make sure that it was operational. As time went on it was felt that the village needed better equipment, but there never seemed to be any money available. Many meetings were held and proposals made as to how we might raise money to purchase a regular fire engine. The Village Of Claremont was what is known as a Police Village. As such the township council allowed the trustees, who were appointed each year by the residents to set a mill rate for the purpose of maintenance in the village such as sidewalks, repairs to the fire truck and gas and oil to operate it etc. The money raised in this way was kept in a fund by township council and administrated by them. By 1958 this fund had been built up" ....... Pana a se that the trustcas felt it Ives possible to erect A new fire hall. Thus in 1959, the present fire halt was built. It is a cement block building with brick front and two overhead doors antl two bays larva Annual to house a regulation fire truck and tank trul large cistern was built mMor the floor with a capacity of around 13,000 q -1110 W, of water. Thla is filled by rein run off fron the roof and also the roof of the Community Halt which is adjacent to the fire hall. Around 1060 tlq Township of Pickering adopted a ward system for the purpose of electing a ree • deputy reeve, and, three councilors. It was found that under this system there could be no longer a police village. so Claremont is now n vernal by township council. Later when regional government w.s established Pickering Township became the 'loan of Pickering. As A result there is no tagger n Claremont Fire Department as it is now called Hall No. a Sown of Pickwring Fire Department. When the township took over from the vitltne, we began to receive more equipment such as regular fireman s boots, coats, and helmets. also, A resucitator and breathing apparatus. Under the naw set-up a training program was arranged comprised of the first Monday And the third Wednesday of each month. Also, A pay rate was set for all Persons attending training and fires. The rate of pay was governed by the number "Page 5 of years you had served. Another asset to the fire department war the acquisition of a used tank truck for the purpose of transporting water to the scene of the fire. This truck carried 2,200 gallons of water, and , an auxiliary pump was mounted at the back of this and was used to pump water to the fire truck if it was'nt possible to get close enough to draught directly from the tank truck. The next improvement was the installing of two way radios in the pumper. At first the Pickering Township Police acted as dispatcher and activated each halls siren and informed who ever answered the alarm of the location of the fire and, kept in touch with the fire department until they returned to their station. This radio equipment was a great benefit as it saved time if help was needed. In 1956 the Ontario County Mutual Aid Association was formed. The purpose of the association was just what the name implied, if any one department had a major fire, they could call on the nearest department for assistance. I think this association has proven its worth beyond a doubt. I know we have bad the occasion to call upon it several times and it has prevented a much greater loss than would have occurred had it not been for the help it has given us. The Association has a President or Chairman rnd a Secretary/Treasurer. These officers" "Page 6 keep office for one year and are chosen from the departments which belong to the association. At first mutual aid took in all of Ontario County. A meeting was held once a month and was rotated around the different fire halls. It was the host departments responsibility to provide the programme and lunch. The programmes included guest speakers on fire fighting technique and when possible a film would be shown. Topics included artificial respiration, first-aid, the use of breathing apparatus, and, what to look for to try and determine the cause of a fire. When the weather was favourable exercises were set up outside in the use of fog nozzles using just water and also with different types of foam. In 1968, a new King Seagrave pumper was purchased for Claremont. It has a 625 G.P.M. pump operated by the truck motor and also a 500 gallon tank. There are 4-2/1/2"", 2-1/1/2"", and 1-3/4"" reel type discharge lines. It has one 36' three section aluminum extension ladder, one 12' roof ladder plus a folding attic ladder. We have had two fires with fatalities and in each case the victims were two children. Sad to relate that these two fires occurred in the month of December but four years and a day apart. The old International Truck became rather ancient and began to break down quite often. Also it was rather slow on the road. This in turn brought about the purchase of several new tank trucks for the Town Of Pickering. Each of these trucks had a 1500 gallon tank and were equiped with an auxilliary pump" "Page 7 mounted at the rear and also a fast discharge valve for dumping water into a portable tank. Claremont being a rural area, the lack of a town water system means there are no hydrants where tank trucks can be filled. Thus a run from seven to tens miles each way is necessary in order to fill-up. In 1977 the Town had the truck stationed in Hall 4 equiped with a power take-off pump so that it can draught from a pond or creek if one is handy. This is basically the history of the fire service in this locality. by Tom Hammond Claremont"