A Brief History of the
Maynard Fire Department

Prior to the organization of a Fire Department the only firefighting equipment owned by the Town were a couple of ladders stored in a shed owned by the Mill, located on the site of the present Post Office. These were chained and padlocked together to prevent unauthorized use.

Special Town Meeting of January 1, 1890, voted to formaaly organize a Fire Department and voted to expend $6,000 dollars for a building and $2,000 dollars for equipment. The orginal appropriation was to equip the Fire Department with a Hose Wagon and a Ladder Wagon, fully equipped, both fitted out to be drawn by hand or with horses.

March 19, 1890, a Hose Company was organized consisting of 15 men.

April 29, 1890, a Hook and Ladder Company of 20 men were organized.

May 30, 1890, the Hose Wagon was delivered. As the station was not ready, it was stored in a shed owned by the Mill, located on the site of the present Post Office.

On August 29, 1890, when the Ladder Wagon was delivered the Hose Wagon was moved to a shed in the rear of the Congregational Church and the Ladder Wagon was put in the shed owened by the Mill.

The new station on Nason Street was occupied on January 29, 1891. Present site of the Paper Store.

During the first few years, the wagons were pulled by hand with ropes. Gradually, livery stable horses were hired. By 1900, a single horse pulled the Hose Wagon and a pair of horses for the Ladder Wagon. Drop harnesses were installed in the station at this time.

In 1903, Tony Collins was appointed permanet driver of the Hose Wagon and the horse was bought for $250 dollars.

On February 4, 1914, our first motor fire truck was delivered at a cost of $5,158 dollars.

On January 2, 1924, the motorized ladder truck was deliverd at a cost of $6,500 dollars.

In 1934, the Farrar Company (Hopkinton, MA) delivered a 1934 International Pumper with a 400 gallon-per-minute front mount pump.

On November 19, 1937, a 1938 Peter Pirsch Ladder truck with a 60 foot aerial ladder was delivered. This was one of the first metal aerial ladders ever built. The cost was $9,800 dollars. On October 23, 1963, this truck was sold to Lyndonville, Vermont for $3,000 dollars.

On August 8, 1949, the Farrar Company delivered another International Pumper with a 600 gallon-per-minute front mount pump. This truck was sold to Digital Mill Complex in 1972 for a dollar. To this date, the truck belongs to a private collector in Northboro, MA.

Town meeting on November 15, 1954 appropriated $166,000 dollars to build a new building to house the Fire and Police Departments. Total cost when finished was $144,115.44 and was dedicated on October 4, 1955.

In 1957, the Farrar Company delivred another Internation Pumper with a 750 gallon-per-minute midship pump for $14,475 dollars. In 1978, this truck was donated to the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Stow, MA. It survived the fire at the Academy in the early 80's. Its whereabouts is unknown today.

On October 17, 1963, the Peter Pirsch Company delivered a Ladder Truck with a 85 foot aerial Ladder. The cost was $40,900 dollars. In 1986, the ladder was traded to Greenwood Aparatus of Middleboro, MA and then re-sold to the Town of Sudbury, MA. This was Sudbury's first Ladder Truck. Today it is housed at the Route 20 fire station.

On May 8, 1968, George F. Whalen was appointed the first permanent Fire Chief of the Maynard Fire Department.

On November 21, 1968, the Farrar Company delivered a 1968 Ford with a 1000 gallon-per-minute midship pump for $19,933 dollars. Today this truck is called Engine 3 and it is stationed in the bay along Acton Street.

On January 10, 1972, the Peter Pirsch Company delivered a custom made Pumper with 1,250 gallon-per-minute midship pump for $42,000 dollars. Today this truck is called Engine 2, and it is mostly seen with the ambulance on medical emergencies.

On May 29, 1976, the Maynard Fire Department began providing emergency medical services with a fully trained Emergency Medical Technicians and placing a 1976 Ford Modulance Class 1, Type 1 Ambulance. This vehicle was replaced with a 1983 Ford and again with a 1989 Ford Wheeled Coach Ambulance.

On June 28, 1978, the Farrar Company delivered a 1,500 gallon-per-minute Pumper built on a Hendrickson chassis for $78,000 dollars. Today this truck is called Engine 1, and responds to most of the calls.

On September 8, 1980, a 1980 Ford one-ton, four-wheel drive pick-up truck with a slide-in portable pump with 250 gallon tank unit for fighting grash and brush fires was placed in service. This truck was replaced on August 8, 1988, with a GMC Chassis and reusing the slide-in mount. Today the 1980 Ford is used by the Maynard DPW, and the GMC is called Engine 4.

On May 20, 1986, Emergency One delivered a Ladder Truck on a custom chassis with a 100 foot aluminum aerial ladder for the sum of $240,900 dollars. Today this truck is called Ladder 1. This makes the fourth motorized ladder truck in Maynard's history.

As of August 1, 1990, all Emergency Medical Technicians have been trained and approved to use our new semi-automatic defibrillator used in life-saving treatment of cardiac patients. The funding to purchase this valuable piece of lifesaving equipment was provided by the Digital Equipment Corporation.