Department History
Talk of organizing a fire department was the topic of village meetings dating to 1886. A tentative Addison Fire Company was established, but fell through in December that year on account of little support from the merchants.
The first Addison fire wagon was purchased for $400 in 1899 and was the pride of the village. It was painted red, with a shiny brass bell that would be rung on the way to the fire, and 80 feet of hose could reach all flames. In May of 1899, Willis H. Bertram’s livery was on fire just outside of town, and the wagon was hauled to the scene. The chief got out and hollered to his men, “Just put ‘er alongside there, boys.” Soon the fire got to be too hot, and in haste the men retreated from the heat, abandoning their cart parked right next to the burning walls. The fire destroyed the livery stable and the truck, and no wagon was purchased for 20 years after. The village opted for long hoses connected to the mill pump.
In April 1923, the village council approved the purchase of a modest fire apparatus, as buying a fire truck fell through because of exorbitant price tags on truck models. The two-wheeled wagon had a 40 gallon chemical drum with 50 feet of hose. The wagon was set up with a trailer tongue for easy hook-up to any vehicle to be towed to a fire site. It was also constructed in almost all steel, making it fire resistant. The village purchased two wagons and set them up on opposite sides of the village. One would be used on fires with the other as backup, or two available tanks with two separate hoses would be available whereas a regular two-tank truck of the period only had one hose.
The Addison Fire Department was organized November 15, 1927 under newly appointed chief George Cleveland. A total of 22 men, each paid a 25-cent stipend per month, were ready and able with their fire equipment and new fire department, which had been built that summer. A rural truck was purchased to protect area farmers’ properties, with over 100 subscriptions collected for the purchase.
The department was reorganized in 1930 and 14 men were counted as members. To avoid confusion when out on fire calls, each man was assigned a certain job. The men were paid a small gratuity twice a year. Residents of the Addison fire district paid a small yearly fee of $25 each for fire protection. At this time, in 1931, there were two trucks in service: a Chevrolet pumper truck and a chemical tanker to supplement the other fire truck’s limited water-carrying capacity. Approximately 118 area residents signed up for fire protection at a cost of $25. Chief Mosher declared in 1932 that the fire department had not lost one building since the department’s reorganization that was not fully engulfed by the time the fire trucks could reach the scene. A telephone exchange operator manned the station 24 hours a day, and the siren atop the building could be activated by the operator. This would speed up response time.
A fund drive was established on July 21, 1946 to purchase a new truck for the district. The truck was delivered October 29 and served the department until its replacement in 1961. By the 1960s, the old station was obsolete and unable to house the every-growing fire service. More trucks were added to the fleet, and the present station was built starting in 1967.
In 1973, a van was purchased in the hopes that it would be equipped with a rescue outfit. The community was asked for donations to the cause, and with 100% response, the fire department offered its first ambulance later that year. A $50 per call fee charged to local units of government failed, and the department instead changed to a subscription fee of $20 per family per year.
Fire station No. 89 built its first extension in 1979 upon the arrival of a new 1,000 gallon pumper truck. Later, in 1984, a 1972 truck was obtained, and a full-time EMT was added to the staff. The primary ambulance was equipped with an advanced life support package in June of 1994. Later that year, talks were underway to equip the second ambulance with ALS. Putting this equipment into the ambulances saved calling a second ambulance from outside the district, eliminating extra response time expense.
In 1995, Cement City accepted a trial one year fire contract for fire and rescue service, and in 1996 Hudson looked to the department to help provide ALS service for their area as well. This became reality February 10, 1997, and plans were in the works to temporarily station one of Addison’s ambulances in Hudson until their new vehicle arrived. In addition to all the changes going on, the Addison Fire Department built another extension onto their building in the fall and winter of 1996 to accommodate a new fire truck delivered that year.
History provided by Mr. Dan Cherry