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Leominster Fire Department
Fire Department History
Click to EnlargeThe first known fire in Leominster was in 1744 on Page Ave. A woman had been sweeping the area around her fireplace and swept up a hot ash, and the broom started on fire. The entire house was destroyed.
 
In 1819, the town bought 2 small fire engines for $400. These small engines were no bigger than a kitchen chair, and it took one person to pump the water through a nozzle mounted on it. The engine was filled with water by a bucket brigade.
 
In 1828, a group of men formed a Club; known as the Leominster Fire Club and set up it’s own rules. One of them, was that in case of a fire, every person in town shall have 2 fire buckets ready, with the first letter and last name, of the resident, on them. The townspeople would make them available by throwing their buckets into the streets where the boys and men, running to the scene would pick them up and form a bucket brigade.
 
In 1846, the town purchased a hand tub, which was called Torrent Engine #1. The men of the department pulled the hand tub, to the scene. This hand tub was about the size of a small car and is currently stored at the fire station on Central St. To operate this hand tub, it took 60 men to work it. Six men stood on each side of the tub and operated its pump handles or “brakes” as they were called. These 12 men, would pump these “brakes” as hard as they could for 15 seconds, and then the next 12 men would take over, and then the next 12, and next 12, and then the first 12 would start again. These 48 men were known an enginemen. Today, one man using this modern fire engine can do what it used to take 48 men to do. The remaining 12 men were to find water supply, as there were no fire hydrants at this time, and lay hose into the stream or pond and draft water. The first fire hydrants didn’t appear until 1873. Then they could go to work and put out the fire. During practices, these men could do all the above in about 1 minute and 24 seconds.
It was in 1846, that the town first chose firefighters. Six men were chosen to Fire Engineers and control the fire department. The first chief was Emery Tilton. In 1848, they bought another hand tub for North Leominster and the Union Engine Company #2 was born. This company took 55 men to operate. The department then adopted a code of rules, and the Leominster Fire Department was first organized. They were paid $5 per year for their service.
 
In those days, they had no portable radios, or telephones, so horseback, and runners in the streets, as well as the church bells sounded an alarm. It wasn’t until 1864, that a fire bell was bought and installed in the Old Town Hall. When the men heard the call, they ran or rode to where the hand tub was stored. In those days the engines were kept in a barn in different parts of town, and rant to the scene with the hand tubs.
 
It wasn’t until 1870, that a fire station was built for the sole purpose of the firefighters and their equipment. That fire station was directly across the street from here. They also purchased their first Steam fire engine, which was drawn by horses. This steam engine was called the “Aurora”. The truck had a firebox, much like a furnace, and was always kept full with wood and ready to go. When a call was received, the firemen would light the fire in the box, and hitch u the horses, and by the time they got to the scene, the machine had built up enough steam pressure to pump the water through it’s hoses.
 
In 1876, these two hand tubs were retired, and hose carriages were bought in their place. They were four wheeled carriages with a big reel on them filled with hose. At the fire, they would pull the amount of hose needed from the reel, put a nozzle on one end, and hook the other to the Steamer “Aurora”.
 
In 1897, it was agreed that the town had outgrown the old fire station, and the current Head quarters was built. It opened in March of 1898 and cost $21,508.00. By that time, horses pulled all the carriages. The horses were kept in the rear half of the truck room floor. Hanging from the ceiling were the harnesses and when an alarm was sounded, the doors would open, the horses ran to their positions in front of their carriage and the harnesses were dropped down and hitched up. Then off they went. At this time, in this station, there were 2 hose wagons, the steamer and a hook & ladder truck. It wasn’t until 1912 that we got our first motorized fire truck, but this first one was destroyed a year later when it was hit by a train at the Mechanic street crossing.
Eventually all the old carriages were retired, and modern fire engines were bought. The old horses however never gave up. There are many stories in town, of children riding an old fire horse on their farm and the sound of the fire bell would cause their horse to run to the fire station. There was nothing they could do except hold on for the ride.