The town report of 1869 stated " The town now owns 1 fire house and lot, 2 fire engines, 12 leather and 11 wooden buckets, 600 feet of hose, 2 torches, 1 lantern, 4 fire hooks, 4 ladders ; all in good condition, for the relief of any portion of the community that may be invaded by the calamity of fire ". One of these engines, the "EAGLE", is now in the historical museum with two of the original leather buckets. The other engine and the rest of the equipment has long since disappeared. These engines of "tubs" as they were called were built by William Hunniman, an apprentice of Paul Revere, in Boston in 1821. The "EAGLE" was found under a pile of old lumber in the cellur of the old sail-loft building in the early 1930's and was restored by the local firemen. These engines served the town for a number of years, one of them being stationed in the village and the other in the east end in a small building near the William C. Dexter store on Prospect road.
The town appropriation for the fire department at this time was fifty dollars per year. Article 14 of the town warrant of 1868 read "To see if the town will raise the compensation of firemen to five dollars per year" No report is made of the number or type of fires during these years but it is safe to assume that the usual house, barn, chimney and woods fires occured. I do find a notation under date of March 8, 1888 - House, value 900 dollars and barn, value 100 dollars, property of O.W. Holmes Jr. totaly destroyed-.
In 1880 the town purchased eight fire extinguishers that were placed in various homes in the town. The appropriation had now gone up to 200 dollars per year. About this time the City of New Bedford was in the process of changing from hand engines to steam pumps and in 1886 Mattapoisett purchased the " Little Mechanic # 6 ". This was an Agnew engine built in Philadelphia and one which had given very good service in New Bedford. It was a double decker and required about fourty men to operate it. It could be pulled to the scene of the fire by hand or by a pair of horses. A hand drawn hose reel and ladder wagon was included. The price of this equipment was five hundred dollars. This engine could draft water from a pond, a well, a brook or from one of the wharves on the water-front.
To provide protection for the center of the village two cisterns or reservoirs were dug, one at the corner of North and Church streets and one at Church and Cannon. The town also purchased several hundred feet of canvas covered fire hose. At this time the engine house was located on Church street near Baptist. On July 4,1890, this engine took part in a muster held in New Bedford in which they won second prize. The trophy and a list of the crew is now in the present fire station on County road.
In 1897 the present town hall was built and the fire department moved into the rear part where quaters had been built for them with the doors opening on Church street. A bell to be used for a fire alarm was purchased and hung in the tower of the town hall.
In 1913 the town water system was started and hydrants were installed. This more or less retired Mechanic #6 except for fires in the outskirts. A short time later a hose-house was built at Cresent Beach where hose could be stored in case it were needed there or at Point Connett.
A committee was appointed in 1918 to investigate the question of obtaining motor fire apparatus but no action was taken. This same year the town appropriated 200 dollars as their share of the cost of erecting a fire tower in Acushnet. The cost of building and manning these towers is now paid by the state and county. They are in operation from early spring until fall or during the season that forest fires can be expected.
In 1922 the town voted to purchase and install an electric siren to be used as a fire alarm. The siren was placed in the tower of center school and the operating equipment in the telephone office. In case of fire a call to the operator and she would sound the alarm and notify the department of the location.