Dayton's Volunteer Fire Department

Dayton's Volunteer Fire Department. . Dayton suffered two devastating fires in the early decades of the 20th century. The first took place in 1913 on Railroad Avenue (Depot Street today). It burned or damaged many businesses that were constructed of lumber. A second fire in 1929 burned the same block and destroyed many of the same buildings that had rebuilt after the 1913 fire. There was no fire department during those times and the need for one was very apparent. Dayton City Council passed ordinances governing fire zones in 1927 and 1929. Mr. J.V. Lawrence was made Manager of the City Water Works in 1929 and Council voted to purchase a fire truck that year., By April 3, 1930, Lawrence had been named Fire Chief, presumably due to the fact he was head of the Water Works Dept. At meetings thereafter, Lawrence was referred to as Fire Marshal. He dropped his title of Fire Marshal after Tom Collins was elected Fire Chief by the firefighter volunteers who were often referred to in Council minutes as the "fire boys.", The DVFD held fund raisers to acquire much needed equipment and to help toward the cost of trucks, but needed a structure in which to house them. The first fire station was a lean-to building/shed located on Bryan Street. It was equipped with a complete kitchen and small living quarters. Storage for the trucks and equipment changed locations from time to time and the City helped with expenses involved., A combination City Hall / Fire Station was built in 1937 facing Church Street. The north side of the building facing Cook Street had two bays for fire trucks. This structure served the needs of the City until the 1970s. In 1974, a generous gift from the J.D. Hunnicutt Family helped alleviate the situation. They donated two lots to the DVFD on which to build a new station. Fire Dept. minutes of January 16, 1975 read, "Captain [Bob] Martin made motion that the Chief and Secretary execute a deed of Fire Department lot in Block 4 lots 9 and 10 to the City of Dayton for the construction of a new fire station, motion caried." By February, one of the lots was sold to Bell Telephone Company, generating funds to help equip the new station which was built on the remaining lot at the corner of Winfree and Cook Streets. Minutes of April 10, 1975 read "Chief reported that the new building had been inspected and approved, and that we could move this coming week." An open house for the new facility was held June 1, 1975., Many selfless individuals have volunteered to serve in this organization over the decades and have carried out their duties with distinction to a grateful community., Captions , Upper Left: 1936 Fire Station Firefighters are l-r: Frank Dobbs, Jim Sterling, Rusty Wilson, Bennett Jackson, Homer Sims, Bill Merritt, Harold Barclay , Upper Right: 1950s fleet outside the fire station located at the side of the 1937 City Hall. Note the fire siren on the tower beside building.