Rosenberg Fire Department volunteers with one of the first fire trucks.
A LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY
By Joan Frances | Photos courtesy of the Rosenberg Fire Department.
The man who created the concept of a volunteer fire department helped draft and signed the Declaration of Independence, invented bifocals and among other things, studied electricity. Benjamin Franklin began the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia in 1736. Some famous Americans who served as volunteer firefighters were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Barry, Aaron Burr, Benedict Arnold, James Buchanan and Millard Fillmore. With such an impressive list of patrons, the Fort Bend County firefighters are proud to be a part of this legacy.
The City of Rosenberg originated in 1880. As a result of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad extension, Rosenberg became a town. Once a depot and courthouse were built, the community began to colonize. During the early days, most of the residents lived in tents. Growth continued when Wells Fargo opened an office and Mrs. Ebell’s Hotel and Boarding House was built. By 1912, 56 businesses including banks, real estate firms, loan and land development companies, merchants, doctors and lawyers occupied the downtown Main Street Rosenberg area. Then, on September 10, 1914, the Rosenberg Fire Department was established.
The first Rosenberg fire station was built in 1915 and torn down in 1928 at Avenue H and 4th Street.
Mayor H. A. Meyer presided over the meeting for the first volunteer fire department at the J.H.P. Davis and Company Bank Building in Downtown Rosenberg. Twenty-six men committed to protecting the residents from devastating fires. The City purchased a two-wheel, hand-drawn hose reel and firefighting supplies that were stored at the City water tank. A second hose reel was purchased in December for volunteer company number two. These reels carried about 500 feet of hose, and it took 10 to 12 men to pull them to the fire. When possible, a horse or Model T car was used to pull the reels, speeding up the travel time. During the summer of 1915, the first fire station was built, a small framed building that was barely large enough to store the hose reels. Joe Catron became the first fire chief of the city.
As time went on, the fire department had its share of problems. World War I and the draft seriously depleted the volunteers. After the war, Chief Catron reorganized the department, and 18 men joined. The city continued to grow, but during construction, no safety code was implemented. As a result, fires were inevitable.
Rosenberg’s major fire at the Turicchi Construction Building in 1949.
In 1949, the largest fire in the history of the city occurred. The Turicchi Construction Building in Downtown Rosenberg burned to the ground taking with it The Eagle Hotel, Eagle Café, Howard’s Drug Store and Green’s Recreation Hall. Four hours and five fire departments from Richmond, East Bernard, Wharton, West Columbia and Houston were called to help extinguish this massive blaze.
Today, under the leadership of Fire Chief Wade Goates, the Rosenberg Fire Department employs 45 suppression personnel with eight administrative staff. They have a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters who provide fire, rescue and first responder services, along with rope rescue, hazardous material, water rescue, collapse and cave-in rescue and vehicle extraction for about 80 square miles of territory in the city and county.
On September 13th, the Rosenberg Fire Department celebrated 100 years of “answering the call” for the public at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenberg. During the ceremony, the music of bagpipes and ringing of bells honored those lost in the line of duty. The fire department exhibits a sense of pride and devotion to continue keeping the community safe, just as our ancestors did one hundred years ago.