Firefighting in Roanoke

By Rhett Fleitz and Roanoke Fire Fighters Association

The Roanoke Fire Department's history began in 1882 when the first firefighters were organized by the newly chartered City of Roanoke. The volunteer fire companies such as the Vigilants, Juniors, Friendship, and Alerts provided protection against fire for the city. Roanoke began paying firefighters in about 1903; they were usually drivers to get the horses and steam engines ready for when the volunteers showed up. In 1907, the last of the volunteers disbanded in a show of solidarity to the city, and the Roanoke Fire Department became fully paid. The department doubled in size in 1936 when a second platoon was added and grew again in 1972 when the third platoon was added. The Roanoke Fire Department continued to protect the citizens and visitors of Roanoke City up until 1995 when it merged with Roanoke City EMS to form the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. In Firefighting in Roanoke, the history of this 125-year-old local service tradition is told.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Dec 6, 2006
• ISBN: 9781439617519

Rhett Fleitz

Author Rhett Fleitz is a lieutenant with the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department and currently the secretary-treasurer of the Roanoke Fire Fighters Association. Rhett was hired in 1999 and moved to Roanoke from Richmond, Virginia, to work for the department. His inspiration to write this book came from the compassion and dedication of the late Roanoke Fire Department historian Capt. Maurice Wiseman. Rhett lives in Roanoke with his wife, Becky, and their two children.

Book preview

children.

INTRODUCTION

Firefighting in Roanoke celebrates the history of fire service in the city of Roanoke, Virginia. Our history begins with the volunteers of the late 19th century and continues to the current Roanoke Fire-EMS Department 125 years later. The city of Roanoke will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2007, and the firefighters have a lot to celebrate. The year also marks 125 years of organized firefighting in Roanoke: February is the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fire Station No. 1, while March marks the 100th anniversary of a fully paid fire department.

Roanoke’s fire service has changed quite a bit since the days of hand-pulled hose wagons and makeshift alarm bells. Being a Roanoke firefighter has always been an honorable profession. In the beginning, only the well-known businessmen and upstanding citizens were allowed to be firefighters. Most of the firefighters were also members of local societies. While the quality of our firefighters has never changed, the make-up of our department has certainly seen milestones. In the 1960s, Roanoke welcomed its first black firefighters, followed by its first females in the 1990s. The Roanoke Fire Department, now the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department, continues to be the most progressive department in southwest Virginia.

The hard work and dedication Maurice Wiseman put toward our history is a tribute to the approximate 1,200 firefighters who have protected the City of Roanoke. The stories of the last 125 years have been passed on generation to generation, some good and others bad. The stories are told to relate our past, to teach the history, and to learn for the future. This book celebrates the Roanoke firefighters.

One

THE VOLUNTEERS

The town council minutes of April 13, 1877, gives first mention of establishing a fire department in Big Lick, Virginia. On March 7, 1882, the first fire official was created. A fire marshal was sworn in to inspect flues of houses and report to city council. Later that year, on November 16, 1882, the Roanoke Leader published this article: "We have been requested to publish the following notice, which we do with much pleasure: A meeting will be held in the Town Hall on next Monday evening, at half past seven o’clock, for the purpose of organizing a Fire Department. All persons in sympathy with the movement are requested to attend."

Fourteen days later, the Roanoke Leader reported: A meeting of the Fire association was held in River Hall last Monday night and the organization begun on Monday, the 13th inst., was completed. Mr. Craig was elected 3rd and Mr. Reynolds 4th Lieutenant of the Company, and it was Christened ‘Roanoke Fire Company No. 1.’

On August 3, 1891, the constitution and bylaws of the Fire Department Board were created to provide rules and regulations for the various volunteer fire companies. These guidelines went into effect January 1892. The ordinance outlined the regulations of the chief engineer and assistant engineers. The constitution and bylaws were created to provide leadership of the Fire Department Board of the city of Roanoke. They governed the requirements of the officers of the board, as well as the agenda of the mandated monthly meetings.

The first officers of the fire board were Pres. John Engleby, Sec. Llewellyn Lookabill, Chief Engineer James G. Knepp, First Assistant Engineer Joseph T. Engleby, and Second Assistant Engineer James McFall. In effect, James Knepp became the first chief of the fire department of the city of Roanoke in 1892. The Alert Fire Company later joined the fire board to protect the Virginia Brewery and the growing southeast quadrant of the city.

Fire Station No. 1 was built at the northeast corner of Jefferson Street and Kirk Avenue in 1888. The firehouse shown here in 1888 was near completion, just four years after the Vigilant Steam Fire Company was organized. This firehouse remained in use until the new Station No. 1 was opened in 1907 on Church Avenue. After closing its doors permanently in 1907, the building’s facade would change many times. Over the next 70 years, the former Station No. 1 was occupied by several businesses before being razed in 1977. The final tenants were Hanover Shoes and Stein’s Clothiers. The site is currently a courtyard next to the chamber of commerce. (Courtesy of Norfolk and Western Historical Photograph Collection, (NS 5765), Digital Library and Archives, University Libraries, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.)

In 1890, the members of the Vigilant Steam Fire Company No. 1 pose in front of the bay doors at Fire Station No. 1. The Vigilantes were the first volunteer fire company in Roanoke. The company was housed in an old carpenter’s shop located at Campbell Avenue and First Street prior to having their firehouse built. When there was a fire, a firefighter would strike an old circular saw with an iron rod to