History of the Covington Fire Department
Over 100 Years of Service to the
City of Covington and
Surrounding Alleghany
County
"Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow!"
So it has been with the Covington Volunteer Fire Department.
The little acorn was planted March 4, 1902, when the Covington Volunteer Fire Department was organized with 34 members.
Although it took some time for the little acorn to sprout, at over 100 years old, the Covington Volunteer Fire Department stands as a proud, mighty oak.
Today, the Covington Volunteer Fire Department is housed at two locations - Its main station at 435 W. Hawthorne Street and its second station at 719 W. Edgemont Drive.
The creation of the Covington Volunteer Fire Department was inspired in 1901 by fires at three of the city's finest homes on Hawthorne Street, owned by J.R. McMunn, W.E. Allen and Captain G.H. Allen. In November 1901, a mass meeting was held at the Alleghany County Courthouse and, within a few minutes, 32 men had signed applications for membership.
Officers elected at that meeting included J.C. Campbell, president; J.H. Overholt, vice-president; H.B. McKiney, secretary; F.M Turner, treasurer; Fred C. Jesser, chief; W.C. Wright, assistant chief, and Dr. A.C. Jones, surgeon.
The formal organization of the Covington Volunteer Fire Department took place on March 4, 1902.
The first hydrant in Covington was located at the courthouse, where the well had a pump for attaching at 1 1/2 inch hose that could throw water a stream of water to the top of the building. The town had aa small water system on a few streets, but no fire alarm system. When a fire occurred, citizens rushed out ringing bells, yelling, which made a general noisy alarm.
When available, the yard engine on the C&O yard shrilled the fire alarm.
After the organization of the Covington Volunteer Fire Department, the town of Covington furnished the new firefighters with two reels of almost new hose, 250 feet to a reel, which had just been bought, because the new water supply in the town burst the old hose.
One reel was kept at the Mayor's Office (which is now owned by the Alleghany Historical Society) located opposite the Hawthorne Street bridge. The other reel was placed on a parking lot then used by the town, which would be at the corner of the present-day Mid-City Mall parking lot.
The first fire the new firemen were called to extinguish was at Griffith's Studio on Maple Avenue, just three days after the department was organized. Chief Fred Jesser appeared before Covington Town Council that same week and requested a fire alarm bell be ordered and installed at the Mayor's Office.
At the same council meeting, arrangements were made for the temporary use of two rooms of the old three-room schoolhouse, which as located at the west end of the old Jeter School lot (now the Mid-City Mall parking lot).
In the early days of the department, firefighters raised funds by holding benefit suppers an various entertainments.
At the September 5, 1902, fire department meeting, only nine months after the department was organized, members discussed forming another fire company in the east Covington section of town. The town was divided into two wards and this No. 2 Company would serve that area of town. It was agreed that the Covington Fire Department (Hose Company No. 1), which was housed near the old Jeter School, would let Hose Company No. 2 use the building and have access to some of the firefighting equipment.
The new Hose Company No. 2 was located in the 200 block of East Walnut Street.
On July 23, 1903, Hose Company No. 2 accepted members, with G.P. Humphries appointed as the company's chairman.
Hose Company
No. 2 functioned until July 5, 1909, when the Covington Fire Department and
Covington Town Council mandated the two merge back into one building and under
one membership.
In February
of 1915, the Covington Volunteer Fire Department, with the support of the town
of Covington, bought its first piece of motorized rolling equipment. It was
purchased from the American LaFrance Company and was a No. 10 Chemical
Combination Fire Truck. Also, that same year, the department bought a city
service truck which was used to do many tasks, mostly carrying men and/or hose
equipment.
In 1917, realizing the need for more room to operate and store equipment, the Covington Fire Department moved into a modern two-story structure which included a bell tower that overlooked the downtown Covington area.
In 1923, a
few years after the membership moved into its new quarters on Hawthorne Street,
the department found a need for more motorized equipment. That year, an American
LaFrance Chemical Combination Truck was put into service.
Again, in 1927,
a new fire engine was ordered. This truck was an American LaFrance 1000
gallon-per-minute pumper. This meant the truck could hook up to a water source
and pump at capacity, flowing 1000 gallons of water a minute, while carrying 90
gallons of water in a tank on the truck. This particular truck was named
"Hezekiah" and remains in the ownership of the Covington Fire Department. Today,
Hezekiah is used as a showpiece for the department, making appearances in local
parades and public gatherings.
In 1932, Chief Jesser returned from a fire chief's convention Los Angeles, Calif., bringing back with him the idea of the fire department starting a volunteer first aid crew to work in conjunction with the fire service.
In 1933, the Covington Fire Department First Aid & Life Saving Crew became a reality. That year, money was raised and a 1934 Buick ambulance was bought. In 1980, due to increasing demands on rescue personnel, the fire department and rescue squad split into two separate organizations. Housed in the same building, the rescue squad and fire department continue to work together for the citizens of the city of Covington. Today, several of the fire department's members are also members of the rescue squad.
In 1948, with
the town of Covington growing with over 10,000 residents, the need was realized
for an aerial ladder truck to access taller buildings and improve the city's ISO
(Insurance Service Organization) rating. The year after, the company received a
1949 American LaFrance, 65-foot, open cab ladder truck. This was a quint-like
truck, meaning it could not only provide a 360-degree rotation hydraulic ladder
reaching 65-plus feet into the air, it also carried extra ground ladders of all
sizes, carried fire hoses and other firefighting equipment. It had a pump with a
150-gallon water tank.
In 1988, the
ladder truck was completely reworked, with a new 100-foot ladder installed along
with new cabinets, a closed cab, a diesel engine, hydraulic outriggers and an
automatic transmission. The pump and water tank were removed.
For over 50 years, an air horn with a Gamewell street alarm box system alerted firefighters and rescue squad of fires and emergencies. In the late 1960s, a Federal "Ten-Ten" Home Radio Alert System was installed to alert firefighters and rescue personnel.
In the late 1960s, the department converted a 1953 military Jeep into a brush truck to be taken over the bridge into the Idlewilde and Indian Valley area. The bridge's weight restriction prevented other fire apparatus from crossing over into the Idlewilde area. The Jeep was fitted with a pump, water tank, lights, siren and other firefighting equipment. It served in fighting brush fires and was critical during the time when the weight limit was lowered on the steel bridge.
After the bridge was replaced in the late 1970s and a new mini-pumper purchased, the Jeep was sold to a local resident. In 2003, the members of the department voted to purchase the Jeep back from the resident's estate. Today, the Jeep is housed in the three-bay addition at Station 1.
The mini-pumper that replaced the Jeep was a 1977 Ddoge 300 gallon-per-minute mini-pumper that carried 250 gallons of water as well as foam capabilities. The 1977 Dodge mini-pumper was replaced by a 2000 Ford mini-pumper, which is still in use.
Growth also pushed the fire department to create a second fire station in the Edgemont area in 1982. Today, Station 2 houses Engine 23, a 1995 Quality Spartan pumper and a rescue squad ambulance.
A few facts and interesting tidbits about the Covington Volunteer Fire Department:
- During
their tenures of service, Covington No. 1 had 26 members, while Covington No. 2
had 23 members.
- Longtime member Clyde Overholt was a lantern boy from the
time the department was organized until he joined the department in 1906.
- The Covington Volunteer Fire Department has never lost a
firefighter in action.
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©2009 Covington
Volunteer Fire Department
Covington, Va.