A century of service: Holyoke Volunteer Fire Department marks 100 years

As Holyoke Volunteer Fire Department celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is important to look back and remember that over 450 different people have volunteered to put the safety of their community first from its first meeting on June 23, 1921, to the present.

“To have a volunteer organization around for 100 years is an amazing thing,” HVFD Chief Stacy Rueter said.

He added that more fireworks than usual are planned for July 4 to help celebrate, and there is also a family fun day planned for Sunday, Aug. 1. Festivities for that day include a rib cook-off and potentially an antique firetruck show.  

Mayor Orville Tonsing spent 21 years on HVFD, serving as chief and in every chair position. He also served seven years on the executive board of the Colorado State Firefighters Association, including one year as president. In addition, he served four years on the tournament committee.

“It has been a continuous service to the people of Holyoke and the surrounding area,” he said of HVFD. He added that it speaks to the dedication of the people in the area, pointing out that a volunteer firefighter has to be very dedicated to get up in the middle of the night if the whistle blows.

He said this is just one example of the ways volunteer firefighters put their community first.

“The biggest satisfaction is knowing you’re being of service to your community,” Tonsing said. “It was just a rewarding experience.”

Department sees many changes over last century

When fires broke out in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, nearby friends and neighbors responded, forming bucket brigades to try to keep the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

Mayor G.W. Garland asked for members of the community to volunteer to form a fire department in 1890. The council voted to purchase a fire bell for $95.10, as well as three extension ladders to allow firefighters to reach the second floor of buildings.

Hoses and hose carts were also purchased, and they sometimes had to be manually pulled to the scene of the fire if the dray man was unavailable to pull it with his team of horses.

A new firetruck was delivered in July 1920. This followed an editorial in the Enterprise stressing the need for an organized fire department and additional equipment.

The first day of action for the new firetruck was reported in the July 16, 1920, edition of the Enterprise.

The prior Monday afternoon, the pump at the power station broke. “Soon the whole town was absolutely dry,” the article reads. “Just after supper time a fire alarm was turned in to central from the court house ... and word was delivered that the Trego house was on fire.”

The article continues, “The new fire truck was rushed out, and a crowd of autos followed to the scene of the supposed fire. The would-be firefighters found the Trego family calmly sitting on the front porch, wondering as to the cause of all the excitement.

“The practical jokers showed very good judgment in picking out about the only place in town where there was water, for the Trego home is one of the few which has a windmill. The alarm is thought to have been turned in from a semi-public phone which is located upstairs in the court house.”

Even though the call was a false alarm, the firefighters soon got to test their mettle in a real fire.

In 1921, volunteers responded to a fire on the railroad bridge spanning the Frenchman Creek east of Holyoke.

The nearest fireplug was at the Burge Hotel, and the firefighters were still several hundred feet short of the bridge after their hose was fully unwound. They still formed a bucket brigade and saved about half the bridge, but the need for an organized fire department and better equipment was becoming more apparent than ever.

Harry Kinnaman was appointed the first fire chief. He was instructed to call for 30 volunteers, and the first organizational meeting was held June 23, 1921, at the old Bell house located a half block east of the main intersection in Holyoke.

Twenty-two men volunteered initially to get something organized started. They began meeting weekly for training.

The first committee appointed was to formulate a set of bylaws for the department. The committee included F.A. Hethcote, D.R. Waln, George F. Garland and Jack Beck. The bylaws were adopted at the June 30 meeting, and arrangements were made to have their first entry in the July 4, 1921, parade.

In his history of the early years of the department, historian C.L. Smith said the men were divided into groups of 10 known as hose companies. Each company chose a night of the week to devote their time to learning how to use the equipment and practice getting faster using it.

In July 1921, the department received their charter from the Colorado Firemen’s Association, and in September of that same year a team of 12 was sent to the state tournament in Loveland. They worked almost every evening on the races to get their times better.

Smith wrote, “In the races, Holyoke held their own among old timers at these games.” He also noted that in all contests they entered, “they were up among the front ranks” but did not make any prize-winning runs.

However, the team did not return empty-handed. They were awarded the Delegation Cup, given to the largest member team, and they were recognized as the delegation having come the farthest distance to participate.

Smith wrote that the companies kept practicing through the summer of 1921 and 1922, which saw many contests between the companies. These contests were “enjoyed by everyone and are now the fond memories of those who took part in them.”

This sentiment is similar to what Tonsing expressed about his time in the department. He noted that he made a lot of friends from all over the state and even nationally in his time as a firefighter.

Through technological changes in equipment, vehicles, communication and more, the shared sentiment of Holyoke volunteer firefighters has been the willingness to put community first and answer the call for help when the whistle blows.