history

West Wyoming Hose Company #1 was organized on May 6, 1908. J.I. Hunlock and a small group of citizens met to form the volunteer fire department. The fire company’s first officers were J.I. Shoemaker, president; J.E. Durland, secretary; and W.J. Fowler, treasurer. In June of 1908, a committee was appointed to raise funds to purchase the first piece of firefighting equipment. On June 17, 1909, the fire company was formally organized with 65 chartered members and J.I. Shoemaker as president. Within a year the committee raised enough money to purchase fire apparatus at $120. A two wheeled cart with 1,000 feed of hose, several buckets and axes composed the first apparatus. The first volunteer fire crew to use the new equipment consisted of Harry Schooley, fire chief; John B. Halpin, assistant chief; John Robinson and Cleveland Safford, pipemen;Daniel Halpin, Edward E. English, and John Troy, axemen; William Boland and P.F. Herert, nozzlemen.

The first fire fought in West Wyoming was on October 1911. The crew responded to an alarm when the Pollock Hotel was destroyed by fire. The copany called this “Our First Fire.” Due to the recognized efficiency of the fire company, insurance rated in the borough have continually reduced.

Today, the West Wyoming Fire Station #1 is located on Shoemaker Avenue in the geographic center of the Borough of West Wyoming. It houses a 1999 Pierce Dash 1750gpm pumper, a 1978 International Hackney roll-up rescue, a 1995 Freightliner/Wheeled Coach Ambulance (West Wyoming Community Ambulance), and a 1989 Ford Ambualnce (West Wyoming Community Ambualnce). Shown above is Station 1 back in 1998 with our 1980 Ward LaFrance pumper which has since been retired.