Oskaloosa Fire Department Celebrates 150 Years Of Service
People of all ages took part in the many different things to do at the 150th Anniversary of the Oskaloosa Fire Department.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Many kids grow up imagining they are in a big red truck, rushing across town to battle a fire or save a life.
On Saturday, the Oskaloosa Fire Department opened its doors to allow kids and their families a chance to see those big red trucks, talk with firefighters, and learn more about what those men and women do.
Adam Haroldson was one of the firefighters who helped plan the day of activities that included a dunk tank, Sno-Biz, bounce house, and an opportunity to practice putting out a fire with a genuine fire hose.
Saturday was also a chance for Oskaloosa Fire to celebrate 150 years of serving the community.
The responsibilities of firefighters have changed over the years, from steam-operated pumps to today’s large ladder trucks.
The equipment that goes along with firefighters has also changed over that time. With those changes came the need for more space for the larger equipment that is in use today.
But the department hasn’t forgotten its roots and still utilizes its original station as part of the recent addition, making Oskaloosa the second oldest working firehouse west of the Mississippi River. Only one other firehouse in California has served longer.
Those traditions run deep with firefighters, and Haroldson said, “We’re proud of our traditions and our history.”
Tim Nance is a former captain on the Oskaloosa Fire Department, and he shared his memories with Oskaloosa News in an interview earlier this year.
Nance said that when a call would come in during the night, they’d have to jump up and get dressed, slide down the pole, and hurriedly put on their gear that was usually sitting next to the truck.
Nance remembers riding the tailboard of the fire trucks as they raced across town.
“If you were going to be one of the guys riding the tailboard, you’d put your bunker pants on, suspenders, put your coat on. By then, the guy driving the truck was already in the truck and ready to go. So you’d jump on.”
Firefighters then wrapped their arms around the bars located on the back of the truck.
The intersection at A Ave and Market is still known today as a wild ride for those on the tailboard of the trucks, with riders raising several inches off the tailboard of the truck as they went through the intersection. “You had to be hanging on,” says Nance.
Nance, who’s been retired from the fire department for six years, says firefighting is about the same, but the equipment is different. “A lot of the gear has gotten more safe.”
Today’s firefighters enjoy listening and learning from the retired firefighters when they come to visit. Haroldson says that firefighters today listen to those folks, “they can teach us so much.”
“It’s just crazy to think about how they used to fight fire and how much more fire they used to fight than we do now,” says Haroldson, pointing towards fire prevention measures now in place.
Firefighters are also there for other rescues, such as grain bins or hazmat situations today. They also arrive to rescue people during motorized vehicle accidents.
The tools and techniques have changed immensely for those types of rescues over the years as well.
When hydraulic rescue tools like the ‘jaws of life’ were first introduced to the public in the 1960s, they found their way into the fire service.
Those early units were large and bulky and ran on hydraulics. Today’s tools are much lighter and more powerful, allowing rescuers quicker access to injured individuals.
Looking back at his career with the fire service, Haroldson started to realize that he may be becoming one of those “old-timers” and can now help those new firefighters with his experience.
Ultimately, the day was a “great team-building exercise for our department,” added Haroldson. “We haven’t historically done very many events like this in the past, but with this being successful, we can hopefully do this a lot more often in the future.”
