History of the Fire Department

The Oregon Area Fire/EMS District (OAFED) has a history that spans over a century, illustrating its growth from humble beginnings to becoming a vital emergency service provider. 

Thanks to Richard Anderson for preparing some of the information on this page which was donated by the Anderson family in 1998. 

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Early Documented Fires

• Autumn of 1864 – The building that housed Gilbert Johnson’s business and residence on the Main Street square burned to the ground. 
• Spring 1870 –  The post office, general store run by Huntington and David Tipple, and another general store run by B.W. Beebe burned.  
• July 4, 1873 – A large fire destroyed five buildings on North Main St. The three one-story and two two-story buildings were owned by Frank Nott, Patrick Nangle, and C.W. Netherwood.
• September of 1873 – The R.P. Main house (formerly owned by John D. Tipple) burned to the ground. The Portland Hotel – J. Olson Corner later occupied this site. 
• Summer of 1874 – The Thomas Zook house in the Southern part of the village burned down.
• May 28, 1880 – Three buildings on South Main street were destroyed. How Brothers and H.J. Smith owned these buildings. They were occupied by Isaac Howe’s Drug Store, H.J. Smith’s furniture store, and Case and Warner general merchandise.
• Early 1880s – This decade saw many large fires in the Village. The old hotel, the hotel barn, and the Netherwood building on Main Street burned down. The freight near the depot, the Wischhoff Corner, the old Brewer house west of the Presbyterian Church, the Will Robinson house on Janesville Street, and the P.C. Peterson and Page homes on South Main Street were also lost to fire. 

At the time, the Village was experiencing a period of growth. The increase in population and the increase in fires confirmed the need for a better and more systematic form of fire protection. Around 1886, the Village invested $150 in a number of fire extinguishers. They were placed in protective boxes on street corners, thus making them accessible to the public in case of a fire emergency.

Early Beginnings (1888-1919)

In February 1888, the first reference to Oregon’s fire department appeared in the village minutes, marking the purchase of basic firefighting equipment, including ladders, pike poles, and ropes. By March 14, 1894, the Oregon Engine Company No. 1 was formally organized with Hartley Criddle as the first fire chief, who also operated the Portland Hotel. Other officials included: William Soden, Bob McGill, Reuben Graves, C.W. Netherwood, E.G. Booth, and W.E. Runey. Their duties were to “watch horses and horse carts and to get help to pull them.” Steward Barney McDermott was responsible for furnishing refreshments at fires. A constitution and bylaws were inacted. Membership was limited to 50 men.

Part of an old wooden school house was moved to the present site of Maria’s Pizza in 1895 and became Village Hall. The Fire Department occupied the downstairs of the building. The belfry held the bell to sound the alarm for fires.

A hook and ladder company and a chemical company were organized in 1896. The village was divided into fire wards. The hook and ladder were useful in fighting small roof fires, but following a few more uncontrollable fires, a large hand pumper operated by 12 men was purchased.

In this photograph, Emmett “Shorty” Erfurth is shown in front of a water cannon purchased in 1910 and a 12-man Niagra hand pumper purchased in 1895. By frequently changing the crew, the firemen were able to throw a pretty strong hose stream of water from especially prepared and tank-and-team-filled cisterns scattered over the Village. These cisterns were replenished after every fire. Previous to acquiring a 12-man pumper, the department used individual hand pumps.

The department grew quickly. In 1897 George Theobald was elected fire chief. Fire fighting services were updated when a system of pipes was laid. A contract was made with the Badger Cycle Company, the owner of the well on site of the present downtown water tower, to draw water when necessary from three newly installed hydrants. 

The new fire department battled two large fires in 1898, the Netherwood Building located on the corner of North Main St and Jefferson Street, and an elevator. When the elevator fire occurred, the City of Madison sent fire equipment to Oregon on railroad flat cars.

The tower and water mains system went into effect in 1898 and 1899. A no. 6 hose cart was purchased in January 1900 from the New York Hose and Packing Company. A major fire occurred in May 1906 when the Oregon Hotel, located at the present site of the Oregon Area Historical Society & Museum burned to the ground.

In 1911, an automatic fire alarm system was installed and operated from the Oregon Telephone Company. Volunteer firemen, many of whom were local businessmen, dropped what they were doing and raced to the fire station when the fire whistle signaled there was a fire in the vicinity.

The old Village Hall and fire station building (at the site of Maria’s Pizza) moved to the present community building in 1915. At the time a fire siren was mounted on the cross beam of the water tower. It also was operated by the telephone company. This siren was removed in 1941. In 1918, the fire department attend four fires, and in 1919 the firemen fought two fires.

Expanding Equipment and Capabilities (1920-1959)

The 1920s saw tremendous growth in both the size of the department and the sophistication of its equipment. The department’s first fire truck was purchased in 1925, a Dodge chassis equipped with a 300-gallon tank. This was the first fire truck in the county. In 1926, a Chevrolet ladder truck was purchased and the following year another truck for ladders was purchased. In 1928, Roy Pease was elected fire chief and Pirsch triple-combination pumper in with a 150-gallon tank and a 500 gallon per minute pump was put in service in 1929.

In 1933, the Oregon Fire Department took on a new role as a community leader by helping to establish a swimming pool, which was dedicated in 1934. This pool, operated by the firemen for 27 years, became a central part of the community.

Rural fire services also expanded, with a Ford tank truck purchased in 1939 to better serve farm areas.

After a fire destroyed the John Sholts house in early 1939, an effort began for a tank truck to use especially for fighting rural farm fires. The Oregon Fire Department presented this idea to four adjacent townships. Ivan Rasmussen and Pat Morrissey, agricultural teacher were instrumental in helping Norton T. Ames sell the idea. Under the direction of John Dueking, Erving Gallagher, and George Ingraham, a For chassis and tank were purchased to be owned by the townships.

The 1940s were another era of expansion, with a new Village Hall that included fire and police stations. During the summer of 1942, as a ware measure, county training was started. The instructors traveled about the county on war-rationed gasoline.

The department continued to innovate, purchasing their first oxygen masks in 1947. In 1948, and in cooperation between the Village and neighboring townships, the Fire Department expanded again. A GMC truck in 1948 equipped with a 900-gallon tank and 500-gallon-per-minute pump was purchased. The Village paid one-third and the townships two-thirds of the cost. This was the first tank truck for the fire department service in rural areas in Wisconsin and the first tank truck outside of Milwaukee County. 

In 1949, Oregon firemen gave the first demonstration of wetter water. This is a wetting agent added to water to break down the surface tension. Oregon was one of the first Class A approved rural fire departments in the state, which gave the department credit on rural fire insurance.