| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country | US |
| State |  Massachusetts |
| Town |  Dedham |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1858 |
| Employees | 68 (2023) |
| Annual budget | $7,925,821 (2023) |
| Staffing | Career |
| Fire chief | William F. Spillane |
| IAFF | 1735 |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 2 |
| Engines | 3 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| IAFF website | |
The Dedham Fire Department is the fire department for Dedham, Massachusetts.
A vote of Town Meeting to purchase a bell for the meetinghouse was made in 1648, [1] but a bell was not hung until February 1652. [2] The bell was rung not only to alert residents of a fire, but also to announce the start of public meetings, to announce a death, and to signal the start of church services. [3]
In the 1600s, each resident was cautioned to keep a ladder handy in case he may need to put out a fire on his thatched roof or climb out of harm's way should there be an attack from the Indians. It was also decreed that if any man should tie his horse to the ladder against the meetinghouse then he would be fined sixpence. [4]
In 1796, a new company was charted by the General Court granting Calvin Whiting the right to deliver water from Federal Hill to houses in the High Street and Franklin Square areas using hollowed out pine logs. [5] The water cost $5 a year and was transported to homes in pipes made of hollow pine logs. [6] The flow was not sufficient to bring it into the second story of a house, or to put out a fire. [6]
A fire truck made by Paul Revere was purchased by a group of citizens and donated to the Town in 1800 as "a public utility and a very great security against the calamities of fire." [7] [5] It was known as Hero No. 1. [7] [5] [8] It was stationed at the Connecticut Corner firehouse. [5]
A firehouse was constructed on Westfield Street, near High Street, in 1906. [9] [10] The lower level had horse stalls, a stable room, a hose wagon, and engine room, and an opening to the paddock in the rear. [10] The second story had a sleeping room, a company room, a lavatory, a bath, and a hay and grain room. [10] The building housed horse drawn steamer engines. [10] It went out of service sometime in the 20th century, but still exists as a private residence. [9] [10]
A second hand tub, the Good Intent No. 2, was purchased in 1802 and stationed in the central village. [11] [8] The third engine, the Enterprise, was purchased in 1826 for the central village. [8] In 1831, Town Meeting purchased eight more engines, including the Niagara and Water Witch, for the central village. [12]
The central fire house was built at the corner of Washington and Bryant Streets. [10] It housed Steamer Number 1, Hose Number 1, and Hook and Ladder Number 1. [10] Both Hose Number 1, which carried 1,000' of hose, and Hook and Ladder Number 1, were drawn by two horses. [10]
A firehouse in East Dedham was constructed in 1846 on Milton Street near the Old Stone Mill. [13] [lower-alpha 1] It was used until 1897, when the firehouse on Bussey Street was constructed. [13] Hose Number 3 [lower-alpha 2] was purchased by the town for the Milton Street station in 1891 and then moved to the Bussey Street location. [13] That building also housed a supply wagon. [13]
Hurricane Carol knocked down the East Dedham firehouse's 80-foot bell tower on August 31, 1954. [14] It flew across the station and landed on 219 Bussey St, the house next door, where Maria Guerriero was feeding her one-year-old son, Joseph. [14] It also crushed three cars parked on Bussey St. [14]
In the early days of fire services in Dedham, each engine had its own company of men attached to it and keen was the rivalry existing between the organizations. [12] The Norfolk House was often selected for the annual meetings and dinners of the different companies. [12]
In 1858, the Fire Department was first organized. [15] The first steam engine was purchased in 1872. [16] [15] The Dedham Water Company was founded in 1882, and provided hydrants for firefighters to use. [15] Prior to their introduction, those attempting to put out fires were dependent upon private wells, small town reservoirs scattered around town, and streams and rivers. [15]
Starting in 1905, the Dedham Fireman's Relief Association starting hosting an annual fundraiser at Memorial Hall to benefit firefighters who were injured or killed in the line of duty. [17] [lower-alpha 3] The first professional fire chief was appointed in 1920. [18] Prior to that there was a four-member Board of Fire Engineers who had charge over fires. [18]
Chief Henry J. Harrigan oversaw the changeover from horse-drawn apparatus to motorized trucks in 1919. [19] Firefighters began wearing uniforms in 1906. [13]
As of 2016 [update] , the department still used a telegraph system to report instances of fire. [20] Each of the several fire alarm call boxes has a unique number associated with it and the department may sound a horn to announce the location of the fire, or other information. [20] If the horn sounds box 2-2-2-2, that means the Dedham Public Schools have been canceled due to snow. [20]
Today, the department has two stations: one in Dedham Square and one in East Dedham.
After most of the Town's administrative offices move into the Ames Schoolhouse, the town hall was demolished and a combined public safety building for both the Dedham Police Department and Fire Department was built.
On March 5, 2021, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place for the new building. [21] The new building at 26 Bryant Street was opened for the first time on March 12, 2023. [22] The public was invited to take tours following the ribbon cutting. [22]
Inside the statue of William B. Gould are three photos of the ribbon cutting of the Public Safety Building. [23] [lower-alpha 4]
In 1994, a difficult fire broke out on Rockland Street. A woman was trapped inside, and was rescued by members of Engine Company 3. The Henry J. Harrigan Medal of Honor was established to honor the members of the engine company for their bravery. [38] The medal was awarded for a second time in 2015 to Lieutenant William Walsh and Firefighter Jared Blaney for "going above and beyond the call of duty and putting themselves at extreme risk" by entering a burning building on Harding Terrace to save a victim trapped inside. [39]
A plaque was unveiled in Harrigan's honor outside the main firehouse on October 18, 2015, the 75th anniversary of his death, in a ceremony organized by Deputy Chief John Fontaine. [45] [37] [19] [46] [lower-alpha 7]
Both Harrigan and Joseph C. Nagle, who pulled Harrigan from the blaze, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. [37] [19] [46] Harrigan's granddaughter, Joan Sullivan Gray, accepted the award on his behalf. [45] [19] Nagle's daughter, Ellen Rea, accepted the award on his behalf. [19] The ceremony was attended by three former fire chiefs, several retired members of the department, as well as six selectmen, a state senator, a state representative, and the assistant town manager. [19]
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Located on Boston's southwest border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 census.
Mother Brook is a stream that flows from the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, to the Neponset River in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts. Mother Brook was also known variously as East Brook and Mill Creek in earlier times. Digging the brook made Boston and some surrounding communities an island, accessible only by crossing over water, making Mother Brook "Massachusetts' Panama Canal."
The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1800 to 1899 saw growth and change come to the town. In fact, the town changed as much during the first few decades of the 19th century as it did in all of its previous history.
The O.H. Booth Hose Company is a former firehouse along Main Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was in use for roughly a century, from the late 1910s to the mid-2000s, when the city's police and fire departments consolidated their operations in a new building across the street. A local firefighters' group has proposed turning it into a local fire museum.
The Central Fire Station is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and serves as the headquarters of the Davenport Fire Department, as well as the downtown fire station. Built from 1901 to 1902, the original building is the oldest active fire station west of the Mississippi River. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department (BMFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York and its hamlet Scarborough. The volunteer fire department also serves unincorporated areas of Ossining and Mount Pleasant. The fire department has three fire companies, two stations, and four fire engines. Its engines include three pumpers and a tower-ladder; the department also maintains other vehicles, including a heavy rescue vehicle. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Ambulance Corps provides emergency medical transport with two ambulances. The fire department is headquartered at the Briarcliff Manor Village Hall, with its other station in Scarborough, on Scarborough Road.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts from 2000 to present includes several large commercial and residential developments, the Town's 375th anniversary, municipal building projects, and changes to the Charter.
The Dedham Community House is a house on the banks of the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, owned and operated by the Dedham Community Association.
The Norfolk House also known as the Norfolk Hotel, was a tavern in Dedham, Massachusetts originally built in 1801 and located at 19 Court Street. It hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal Church in Dedham, Massachusetts
The Phoenix Hotel was one of the most popular social spots in Dedham during the 19th century. It was located on the northwest corner of the High Street-Washington Street intersection in modern-day Dedham Square. Among the distinguished guests of this hotel were Andrew Jackson and James Monroe.
Temperance Hall was an assembly hall in Dedham, Massachusetts associated with the temperance movement. It previously served as the Norfolk County Courthouse.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts in the 20th century saw great growth come to the town. It played host to the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, saw the Endicott Estate and a number of schools constructed, a great deal of economic development, and growth in the number of services provided by the Town.
This is a timeline of the history of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.
19 Court Street is an historic building in Dedham, Massachusetts that was originally built in 1801 as a two-story, Federal-style single-family home. It was soon thereafter converted into a tavern, and hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. In the 2010s it was converted into apartments. It has more than 15,000 square feet of living space.
Engine House No. 10 is a Columbus Division of Fire station in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The original firehouse was built in 1897, while its neighboring replacement, also known as Station 10, was completed in 2008.
Henry J. Harrigan was the first permanent fire chief of the Dedham Fire Department in Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Dedham Police Department is the municipal police department for the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1876, it is currently led by Chief Michael D'Entremont and is housed in Dedham's Public Safety Building.
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