Kaysville Fire Department

Currently we don’t have any records of how the early firefighters fought fires.  It is assumed they used the standard bucket brigade, having every citizen show up with buckets of water and try to extinguish a fire.  Since there weren’t many streams or irrigation ditches in Kaysville to supply water, few structures were saved. 

-October 10, 1892: The City Council discussed plans of what to do in case of a fire. 

-August 4, 1910:  The prices of hose and a hose cart reel were discussed.  Hose line would be 90 cents per foot and sold in 500 foot intervals and a hose cart could be purchased for $75. 

-March 16, 1911:  City Council member George Swan stated that a fire station was installed on the Relief Society grounds on Main Street.  The fire station had previously been a small shed that the city used to store tools.  The shed was brought down and painted and the hose cart was stationed here. 

George Swan was instructed to organize an official fire department for Kaysville and to report back to the city council in a few months. 

-May 4, 1911:  George Swan reported back with the names of the members of the Kaysville Volunteer Fire Department: 

Chief: Earnest C. Blood                          Secretary: Myron W. Phillips

Assistant Chief: James Chipman             Treasurer: Leroy Shelby 

Also on the department were 16 volunteer firefighters. 

-1920:  A huge fire took place at the Kaysville Milling Company.  The Fire Department responded with a hand cart and 250 feet of hose.  Our city leaders knew this was inadequate to only operate that one piece of equipment.   

-March 6, 1922:  Ernest Peterson presented a list to the City Council with 79 names of willing tax payers who had agreed to be taxed for the purchasing of new apparatus for the Fire Department.  Later in September Peterson was appointed Fire Chief of the Kaysville Fire Department.  Chief Peterson and Joe Galbraith together made a fire engine out of an old Hudson car.  It had a tank, pump system, and fire hose. 

-1929:  The Fire Department got rid of the Hudson car and purchased an American LaFrance Pumper truck.  This was a great day for the city of Kaysville and the Fire Chief, Sirl Davis.  The old fire station was sold to a Mr. Pehrson for $8.00.   

In June of 1929, the Kaysville Fire Department moved into a new fire station located at First North between Main Street and First East.  This station was a two-story building.  This station served the Kaysville Fire Department for ten years. 

-1939: The city was in the process of building a new city building, but due to World War II the construction was delayed. 

Because of this, the city offices and the fire station were located at the William’s Building on the corner of Main Street and First North until the other building was completed. 

The next make shift fire station was built.  This fire station housed three pieces of fire apparatus from 1947 until 1969. 

-1969:  The first fire station built from the ground up specifically designed to be a fire station was completed and housed the Kaysville Fire Department until the new station was built in 2000. 

- 2000: The Kaysville Fire Department moved in to the new Station 61.  The Fire Department also changed over to a new radio system.  The new radio system allows the Fire Department to communicate with emergency responders in seven counties in the state of Utah.  

-2001: The Fire Department replaced a thirty year old engine with a new state of the art engine, Engine 62.  The Fire Department also added a new brush truck to their apparatus. 

-2002: The Fire Department made one of the biggest changes in it’s history, by adding the ambulance service.  This allows the Kaysville Fire Department to have two firefighters at the station twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year.  In addition it added double the number of ambulances available to our city and reduced overall response times.  The Fire Department also received a $58,000 federal grant to replace all of their Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and increase firefighter safety with the newest technology. 

-2003: The Fire Department upgraded their ambulance service from EMT-Basic to EMT-Intermediate.  This has allowed the Fire Department to offer a much higher level of medical service and better medical care.  The Fire Department is now capable of administering several life saving drugs and better airway management.  Also in 2003 the Fire Department bought a Hazardous Material trailer with a Homeland Security grant.  The grant included thermal imaging cameras, combustible gas detectors, radiation detectors, and personal protective equipment. 

-2004: The Fire Chief’s position was changed from part-time to full-time, allowing closer and better management of the department.

-2005: The Kaysville Fire Department created five new engineer positions.  The engineer is assigned to drive and pump the apparatus.  The new fire engines are very complex with increased computer technology.  Because of this, the Fire Department needs individuals with the expertise to operate them.  Each engineer had to take many hours of training and become state certified. 

-2006:  The Fire Department ordered a new engine to replace a thirty year old engine.  The new engine, Engine 61, was delivered in August of 2007 and has greatly improved the Fire Department’s capability to provide faster and better service to the community. 

-2007:  The Fire Department accomplished two great things.  First, they assisted with MDA by doing “Fill the Boot.”  Together they raised $1,500 for this worthy cause. 

Second, in December, they sponsored a small family Sub-for-Santa.  Each firefighter gave of their own personal time and effort in purchasing gifts.  The Fruit Heights family is destitute – they have three small children, one a brand new baby born the second week of December.  They had no home and were living in a relative’s home who was serving an LDS mission.  They had no furniture or vehicle.  The Fire Department was pleased to sponsor them and were overwhelmed by their tears of gratitude as they delivered the gifts.  It was a touching experience for the Fire Department as well as for them. 

The Fire Department plans to do other service projects in the community.  Not only did these projects benefit the community, they brought the Fire Department closer together as a fire-family.