Our History

Our History

The burning of our beautiful three-story school kindled the fire of determination in the hearts of Farmingtonians to have a volunteer Fire Department and City Water Works.

Prior to this time, the church bells tolled out the alarm and the residents grabbed whatever water containers were available and joined the so-called ”Bucket Brigade”. Water was supplied by the nearest pump. Other fires had brought disaster to various parts of the business block and few people carried insurance in those days, so the losses were tremendous.

On the evening of June 13th, 1895, Amasa Clark invited 32 men for dinner at old Capp’s House and organized the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department. Amasa was elected to be the Department’s first Chief.

The first equipment purchased by the Department was two hand-drawn hose carts and 800 ft. of hose. Later they had a horse drawn hook and ladder wagon with a team of horses available at all times.

The first call to duty was on the evening of July 4, 1895 when Miller’s barn caught fire and the blaze was put out with slight damage.

The firemen met evenings to practice laying hose, making and breaking couplings and that was the foundation for one of the fastest hose cart teams in the county, participating in numerous tournaments in various cities, winning prizes and otherwise bringing honors to the old hometown. They won the State Championship, both in racing and coupling, later taking part in National Tournaments. Their photo hangs in the firehouse to this day. Today the department trains on the wide variety of tools and techniques at our disposal, such as auto extrication, truck and hose training, live fire training, and emergency medical training.

The first motorized equipment was purchased by door-to-door solicitation by the firemen from Hanna City to London Mills around 1917. The first truck was an Oldsmobile. As the years passed, trucks have been added to the fleet. Today, we have ample protection for both the county and the city. The newest truck in the Department is a top-of-the-line 2021 Pierce Enforcer, badged as 1101. In the late 1960’s, Central Illinois Light Company donated a truck which was put into service as an emergency vehicle. Fire trucks have come a long way in technology, capability, and complexity since the early days.

The ”Fireman’s Fair” was a tradition for many years, bringing fine entertainment to the people of Farmington and drawing huge crowds. They also held pastry sales and other means of procuring funds to keep the Department in operation. The pastry sale sign still hangs in the department. The gracious people of the community have been most generous in supporting our firefighters and deserve much praise for their kindness and generosity. While the ”Fireman’s Fair” is no longer held, the Department has been involved in many other community and fundraising endeavors. For several years, the department was involved with Italian Fest and then Summer Fest. They also cary Santa in the ”Santa Stroll” parade every year. In addition to that, for the past 12 years, the Department has held an annual Chicken Fry in February. That has been a great event where the firehouse has been transformed into a restaurant for an evening. On typical years, the trucks have been pulled out and the bays have tables set up where members of the community can sit together and visit. Meals are also delivered to folks in town. Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Department has went to a pick-up and delivery only system that works pretty well.

When there became a need for a two-way radio system such as other Fire Departments possessed to assist firefighters in their work, the Rotary Club came to the rescue and held a public auction in which everyone donated freely. Today, this radio system plays a vital part in providing communication between members of our Department and that of other districts. Today we use the radios for inter-department communication on a scene as well as communication with mutual aid departments, other agencies, and LifeFlight.

Due to the need for equipment and other problems which existed in regard to mutual aid of other outlying, tax supported Fire Protection Districts, it was voted in 1967 to form a Farmington Community Fire Protection District at which time three trustees were appointed to govern the district.

From 1902 until 1969, the fire station was located on the ground floor of the newly built Farmington City building at the corner of Fort St and N. East Street. The Department has the original town fire bell purchased in 1902 from McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland. The bell was in the possession of the Ernest Linzi family who graciously donated it back to the Department. The solid brass bell weighs 750lbs. It hung in a tower on the roof of the city building and was used to alert the members when there was a fire. When the bell was rung for a fire, it would be rung one additional time for Ward 1 and twice for Ward 2. This signaled the members where the fire was located. The bell was used until the 1920’s when the city purchased a siren. The bell was then used to alert people that the fire had been put out. When the new station was built, it was removed from the city building and installed on a trailer that has been used in parades and some home high school football games.

In 1969, a new firehouse was built at it’s current location, 49 N. Cone. Having the new station made it possible to keep all fire equipment under one roof where the firefighters have everything in readiness to serve the community at all times. A metal shed was later added to the back of the building as more room was needed. In 2015, a group of high school art students painted a beautiful mural on the south side of the building for all to see.

In 1972, Emergency Medicine was added to the capabilities of the District by the creation of Rescue 1100. Doctor Reed was instrumental in getting this service off the ground and would ride along on some calls early on. Rescue 1100 is staffed with volunteer EMT-B and Fire Responder personnel, responding to medical emergencies for our district. Rescue 1100 is housed within the Fire Protection District at our station.

Down through the years, many men and women have faithfully served the Fire Department and Rescue 1100 and today we pay tribute to each and every one of them for their excellent work in this capacity. As of the 125 year anniversary of the Department (2020), there have been 16 Chiefs and 11 trustees. That is a low number of people to do those jobs over 125 years and is a testament to the dedication and longtime service this Department has seen through the years. Since the start of Rescue 1100 in 1972, there have been 65 members obtain their EMT-B license.

In the time the department has been providing service there have been many notable events. Some of the largest scenes the Department has been involved in are the Harvester Fire in Canton (1997), a tornado causing damage on the south side of Farmington (1998), the bowling alley fire (2003), the Elmwood tornado (2010), the Washington tornado (2013), the old high school fire (2015), the downtown fire (October 2016), and the gas line explosion in Canton (November 2016). Most recently, the Department handled the Whiskey Dixie’s fire as well as the Asher’s Bar and Grille fire which both happened 3 days apart in November 2021.

Fire Protection and Emergency Medical assistance is only a 911 call away. Security and peace of mind is yours for the asking. It is the privilege of the Farmington Community Fire Protection District and Rescue 1100 to serve you in any way possible in your hour of need.

Prepared by Mrs. Don Saunders (1970), updated by Deputy Chief Jacob Johnson (2021)