CALAIS FIRE DEPARTMENT EST. 1851

THE CALAIS FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN SERVING THE CITIZENS OF CALAIS SINCE 1828 WITH THE START OF THE “ CALAIS FIRE CLUB”. THE MEMBERSHIP WAS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF 110 MEMBERS IN 1863. WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO STATIONS, CENTRAL STATION ON NORTH STREET AND ARTHUR CHISHOLM STATION IN THE RED BEACH SECTION OF      CALAIS.   WE PROVIDE FIREFIGHTING, RESCUE, TECHNICAL RESCUE, AND EMERGENCY AND TRANSFER AMBULANCE SERVICES.  WE ALSO HAVE A AUTOMATIC AID AGREEMENT WITH THE TOWN OF ST. STEPHEN NB, AND SEVERAL MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS WITH MANY TOWNS IN THE ST. CROIX VALLEY.  OUR AMBULANCE PROVIDES EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR CALAIS, ROBBINSTON, AND VANCEBORO, AND ALSO HAS SEVERAL RESPONSE AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER AREA AMBULANCE SERVICES      

HISTORY OF CALAIS FIRE DEPARTMENT

THE FIRST 100 YEARS

BY CAPT. DALE PURTON AND FIREFIGHTER WILLIAM TOWNSEND  (R.I.P)

  On November 3, 1828 a group of people led by James Pike, decided to form the first organized fire department called the “Calais Fire Club”. This was made up of thirty-three members and William Goodwin was elected as the Captain. All members were given two leather buckets and canvas bag.

  One of the members Edward Monroe, who lived near Monroe and Main Street today, donated a bell and tripod that was set upon his property, due to the central location, and thus became the “Fire Alarm Bell”. When the alarm sounded the men would grab their buckets and canvas bags and run to the fire. Arriving at the scene the members would form a line to the nearest spring or well and the buckets of water were passed down the line and thrown onto the fire. Other members would take their canvas bags and enter the building and gather up belongings until the bags were full. There were few buildings saved from destruction once a fire started as too little water could be applied by this ineffective method.

    In 1832 the town decided to increase its fire protection by purchasing a hand operated fire engine. This engine was called “Frontier” and within the next few years the town bought two more hand pumps called the “Calais” and the “Extinguisher”. These pumps proved to be better than the buckets, and for most of these pumps could only pump water not daft water. The members still had to from lines to feed water to these pumps.

  The town fathers set up “Fire Wards” throughout the town. These wards, the hand pump companies would compete with each other at fire scenes. In each ward one man was in charge and had the power to require the assistance from any citizen of Calais. Any person refusing to help or obey the order of the ward officer would be fined the sum of ten dollars.

  In the year 0f 1851 Calais had grown to be a very busy port and lumbering area. The population in 1850 was 4749 and growing. The town of Calais filed to become a city and was approved by the legislature in 1851.

  In 1859 the City of Calais purchased a “Button” class 1 squirrel tail hand operated pumper and named it the “Washington”. This pumper was different in many ways. One was that it had a large water box (tank) that looked like a piano box. This biggest advantage of this pumper was it did not need to be feed water by buckets; the pump could be taken to a water supply and daft from the supply. Because of this the city installed some wooden tanks under the streets to keep them freezing. These tanks held 200-500 gallons of water.

  In the “Calais Advertiser” dated April 16, 1863 it stated that Calais Fire Department was well organized with three engines, five horse carts, and two engine sheds, 110 members. The sheds were located on Boardman Street in Milltown, where the Extinguisher #2 Companies was housed and the Washington# 3 and Young America# 4 Companies operated out of the Lowell Street location. Although the exact record has not been located there is evidence that Calais and St. Stephen (Dover in this time period) had some type of mutual aid agreement since 1830.

  On Saturday August 27, 1870 at about noon time it is said that two young boys were playing on Sawyer Avenue that ran from North to Church Street. The boys were playing with a wooden crate near an out building that contained dry straw. For some unknown reason the boys set fire to the crate and quickly spread to the straw filled building.

  The first report of the fire came from the St. Stephen side seeing smoke coming from the Main Street area. Calais Fire Department was called into action and upon arrival found the rear of the J.G. Beckett block in flames. It is said the new St. Croix Ladder Company was also put into service and was probably the largest fire it responded to. This ladder was horse drawn wagon that carried many sizes of ground ladders and was housed with the Washington#3 at Lowell Street shed. Captain William Taylor of Washington #3 who also was Chief of the department kept moving the fire companies to try to get in front of the fire, but due to lack of water and the men growing exhausted, the fire continued to grow.

  On Sunday August 28, 1870 the fire had finally been controlled with no more buildings being lost. In total damage from the fire was estimated at half a million dollars with one human life lost.

  On September 30, 1870 the city purchased two horse drawn steam powered fire engines. The first was named St. Croix #1 and was assigned to the Monroe Street shed along with St Croix ladder #1. The second one was assigned to Milltown shed and was given the name Eagle #3.

  Another change took place in 1873 when city decided to build a new fire house on Church Street, just up from Main Street. In the summer of 1874 the Fire Department moved into the new house which was modern for its time. In 1874 it was named St. Croix #1. The name was chosen due to the fact the steamer St. Croix and St Croix Ladder Company were housed here.

  In 1876 the city purchased a modern hose cart and fourteen firefighters were assigned to run the cart for a salary of twenty five dollars per year per man. This would be the beginning of the paid on call division of the fire department.

  Calais fire department would again come under change during 1887. The city had a new water works completed, which meant the citizens of Calais for the first time would have a water supply.

  In1894 the city purchased a new horse drawn hose wagon at a cost of $368.00. This was modern cart with heavy construction to carry large loads of equipment and hose bed that carried 1000 feet of 2 ½ inch hose.

   In 1895-1896 the city put into place a state of the art “Gamewell Alarm System” consisting of 18 alarm boxes. The citizens only had to pull a lever and the alarm was transmitted to the fire station. With this system each box had 2 or 3 digit numbers that would “tap in” at the station. This tapping system made up of receiver would pass a one inch strip of paper though, while punching the box number in the paper. Example if box 55 was transmitted the tapper would punch five holes in the paper, and then a space and then five more holes would be punched. Firefighters had a bell in their home to receive the alarm when the station got the alarm. The fire department also installed a bell system on the hose towers in both stations. With the bells the full time teamsters could ring out the box number. This bell system was installed for $540.31.

  The most major event that changed the operation of the fire department was in 1924. The department received its first gasoline motor powered fire engine. The truck was a new 1924 “Reo” chemical engine that was stationed at the Church Street station.

  In 1928 the city moved another step closer to phasing out horse drawn apparatus when it purchased a 1920 gasoline motor powered “American La France” ladder truck from the City of Portland, Maine. This ladder truck would replace the last of the front line horse drawn apparatus. Although the city did keep some of the horse drawn units in reserve it is unclear how long the apparatus was kept, or where it went.