Remember When: Anderson Fire Department

Photo by Michael Woodward, Reporter

ANDERSON'S FIRST FIRE HALL: Still standing, Fire Hall #1 at the corner of East Center and Ferry Streets, was built in 1903 for around $90 with used lumber and nails.

One of the first significant fires in Anderson was in 1887, when a fire erupted between the Palace Saloon and Farrel’s barber shop. The citizens’ bucket brigade managed to stop the fire, but not before most of Anderson, including two of the three hotels was destroyed.

The fire area was rebuilt mostly with bricks from the Holt and Gregg Brick Company organized in 1866. Many of the older homes and buildings in Redding were constructed with bricks from this brickyard.

The old brickyard was located at the present location of Sierra Pacific. Many of our older residents still remember the tall chimney that remained until it was torn down on Dec.15, 1947. We have some newspaper clippings about the demolition in Tom Blaco’s book, which he had donated to the Anderson Historical Society

When Anderson was rebuilt it needed to form a Fire Department to insure that the town would not burn down again. On Oct. 9, 1889, twelve of Anderson’s early residents met at the old Bedford and Wright’s Store (which still stands) at the corner of North and East Center Streets for the purpose of establishing the first fire company. Known as Anderson Hose Company No. 1. It soon went into service with twelve buckets, four axes and three sections of hose. A hand-drawn hose cart was purchased in January 1890 and an outside rope was attached to a nearby church bell for the purpose of sounding the fire alarm.

Fire Hall #l, still standing at the corner of East Center Street and Ferry Street, was completed in 1903 at the cost of around $90 for used lumber and nails. Now there was a building next to the permanent bell, which was set on top of a 40-foot tower. The bell weighed 244 pounds and had been ordered from San Francisco in 1902. The building was built with two floors — the downstairs for the hose cart and upstairs for meetings. The building still stands today, although the upper floor has been removed. Two old fire engines are housed in the building.

On Sept. 11, 1909, the Anderson Fire Protection District was established. It encompasses all the City of Anderson and extends north of the city limits as far as Verde Vale.

In the early days when the bell was rung all the volunteer firemen who were available would rush to the fire station, some businessmen tearing their aprons off as they went, looking for smoke to locate the fire. The actual location of the fire was written on a board in the firehouse so everyone would know where it was. Later a siren was used which was eventually hooked into the phone system. Paul and Audrey Jolly remember how the different toots of the siren would tell the location of the fire. One of the early volunteer fire chiefs was Walter Kane.

The first motorized fire equipment was a 1924 Dodge chemical truck, purchased used from the Carson City Fire Department in Nevada. It was sold for scrap for the war effort in 1943. The first pumper, a Van Pelt, was purchased in 1941; it has been completely restored, including a new engine, and is used for parades. A nearly identical Van Pelt was purchased in 1946. Both of these fire engines are now stored in the old Fire Station #1.

In 1959 the Department moved into its present quarters on Howard Street — Fire Hall #2, which is next door to City Hall. The Department acquired its first paid personnel in 1959 with long time volunteer George Williams (1908-1976). He became the first paid Fire Chief. Williams was succeeded by Fire Chief, Ross Phipps Jr. in 1974, who retired in 1995, followed by Don Matheson who retired in 2006. The Fire District Board is presently selecting a new Fire Chief.

Our present fire district has engine #46, a 2006 Hytec Engine (the biggest engine with 4 doors); a 1500 gallon-per-minute Van Pelt; engine #346, a 200l Pierce; engine #446, a 91 Pierce (all are heavy structure rigs); two wildland attack engines; a 3000 gallon water tender and a ADF breathing support rig for filling compressed air bottles. The new engines were purchased through the parcel tax placed on land within the fire district.

Emergency medical services are provided by a rescue squad. District firemen and volunteers are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians. Life support ambulances from Redding hospitals back them up. The Anderson City Police Department also answers the emergency calls.

A complete network of automatic and mutual aid agreements ensure that all area departments and agencies assist each other when the need arises.

These agencies worked closely together on several major incidents, including the derailment of the Amtrak passenger train “Coast Starlight” across from the Shasta District Fair Grounds in 1973 and the explosion and fire at Champion International Novoply plant in March of 1976 and wild fires.

In 1890, Anderson’s first firemen answered five fire alarms. In 2006, they answered 2,028 emergency and fire calls and the calls are climbing every year.