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What would happen...??

Imagine a call being made of a fire in a home...maybe a family member or a friend...and there were one or two firefighters who could answer the call. Unimaginable? Without volunteers within our department...it could happen. Become a Reserve Firefighter and you can make all the difference. To find out more, please feel free to give us a call here at the fire station 359-5552. We invite you to come by the station and apply TODAY!~

Most Recent Calls

Mon. -June 23rd

Incident #2199
19:25
Grass Fire
@ Hwy 6 West.

Incident #2198
14:52
Medical Assist
@ 28th and Mariner Rd.




Incident #2195
02:22
Structure Fire
@ 2301 Oak St.

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Trenton Fire Department History

The first fire company was organized in Trenton, April 2, 1873, with 38 members and was called “Trenton Fire King”. In June the same year, the organization had sixty members on the rolls, the limit being eighty. The reason for so many members at this time was necessitated by the “Bucket Brigade” method of firefighting.

The Fire King became defunct and was forced “to abdicate”, but a new company soon took it’s place, being organized under City Charter, July 2, 1889, and for many years was known as the “Rough and Ready Fire Company”. The equipment of the company at it’s inception consisted of a hook and ladder wagon “Rough and Ready” and two hose carts. The membership was limited to fifty, with thirty actual firefighters – inferring that it was a more exclusive organization than it’s predecessor. Actually fewer men were needed, because in 1886 a Water Works was established with fire hydrants in the city, enabling the hose cart crews to replace the Bucket Brigade.

In 1908, the department was composed of a Fire Chief and a volunteer company of fifteen men, it was equipped with a team of horses, drop harness, hook and ladder wagon, and a hose cart with 2,200 feet of hose.

When “Old Prince” the fire horse died in 1916, the City fathers were confronted with the problem of purchasing another horse, or investing in one of “them new-fangled motor-wagons”. But when the new 40-horsepower Buckeye, a chain-driven fire wagon, arrived April 30,1916, placed a hose in the old well at Five Points and threw a stream of water almost as high as the flag pole, the populace fell back in amazement. The fire wagon was purchased.

The Buckeye was traded for a “White” in, 1918, after only two years of service.

In 1925 the company was reorganized with seven members forming the nucleus of the new organization. Three years later, in 1928, the city purchased a G.M.C. 500 gallon pumper for $6,000. A siren replaced the fire bell in January of 1931. The first blast of the siren came at 1:30 p.m. on July 27, 1931 when the Riggs Creamery caught fire.