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History of Deerfield
Township Fire Rescue
Deerfield Township was established May 10, 1803. In
April of 1835 the village of Palmyra became the Village of Mason and
was incorporated in 1839. The first fire equipment was purchased in
1859. It consisted of 2 ladders, hooks, and buckets. In June of
1889, a wagon was built to carry the fire equipment. In 1892, a new
fire engine was purchased from the Howe Pump and Engine Company for
$848. That same year in March a resolution was passed to adopt a
constitution and bylaws to govern the fire company. J.M. VanDyke
was appointed Chief and the fire department name was to be The Mason
Fire Department.
In 1893, a two story wooden building was constructed
and became the first Fire Station as well as the Town Hall and
Jail. The first floor and tower was the Fire Station and Jail, the
second floor was the Town Hall. It was located at the corner of Main
& Northwest Streets. In 1902, the secretary of the fire company
began a new record book with the name listed as The Mason Volunteer
Fire Engine, Hose and Ladder Company. In 1916, a hand drawn pumper-ladder wagon was purchased. In 1922, a Model-T Ford truck
was purchased with chemical tanks, hose reel and ladder hooks and
used to pull the fire equipment. In 1928, the volunteer fire company
adopted the name Mason Community Fire Department and was trying to
operate as a separate entity. An agreement was drawn up which
stated that the firemen “will on or about the 28th day of
April in the year 1928 furnish the Village of Mason fire protection
for a period of one year for the sum of $450”. In late December of
that year, the village council was busy trying to organize its own
fire department. This same year, a 1928 GMC Fire Truck was
purchased (later to be called OLD BETSEY).
In 1937, firemen received $1.00 a month wage. In
1938, the old Town Hall/Fire Department building was sold, torn
down, and the new administration building was built on the same
property. In 1939, the firemen moved the equipment into the new
administration building where it remained until 1964 when the fire
company moved into its own facility at Mason-Montgomery Road and
Church Street. In 1948, there was again talk of separating from the
village but again postponed. That same year incorporation of the
fire company was finally completed and James Knott was elected
President of the volunteer company. In 1949, the firemen started
keeping two set of books, one labeled Mason Village Fire Company and
one labeled Mason Volunteer Fire Company. Both departments had the
same members. In 1953, the fire company received its first
Artificial Respiration Training and their first Scott Air Pack. In
August, a 1947 Cadillac Ambulance was purchased and Francis Girton
was named Squad Captain. In 1954, a new Fire Truck was purchased
from Howe Fire Apparatus. In 1956, the volunteer fire company
purchased a new Cadillac Ambulance from Meteor Corporation for
$8,600. In 1958, twelve women joined together to form the fireman’s
Auxiliary. The fire company responded to 36 fires and 269 ambulance
runs in 1959.
In March 1961, George Spaeth secretary of the fire
company quoted the mayor (in the company records) “from this time
forward there will be no Mason Village Fire Company; it will be
called The Mason Volunteer Fire Company. At this same time, James
Knott was the new Fire Chief.
In July 1962, the first talk of a fire company in 20
Mile Stand came up with a meeting of men in that area. In August,
the Life Squad won first place in the Ambulance division of the
State Fire Convention. In October, the land at Mason-Montgomery Road
and Church Street was purchased for a fire station. Plans were
accepted for $55,563. The new fire house was opened on June 8,
1964. In 1965, the Life Squad again won first place in the State
Fire Convention.
On July 20, 1973 The Mason Volunteer Fire Company
dedicated its second fire house (the first outside of the City of
Mason) on Townsley Drive in 20 Mile Stand. It is now known as
Station 57. It was built at a cost of $76,000 and leased to the
fire company for $1.00 per year. Prior to the station being built,
the southern part of the Township was protected by the Maineville
and Loveland Fire Departments under an agreement with the Mason
Volunteer Fire Company. On July 30th of that year, the fire company
ordered a 75 foot Aerial Tower Truck from the Sutphen Corporation at
a cost of about $200,000. It was delivered in 1975 and one of the
first big emergencies the aerial tower responded to was the rescue
of patrons on the Sky Ride at Kings Island. High winds caused the
cables to jump the track at the towers, stranding patrons 75 feet in
the air over buildings and a lake.
The first Paramedic unit was established in 1980. The
unit was a Jeep Commander. It responded with a crew of two medics
along with the ambulance. One of our Battalion Chiefs, Doug Koch,
was on the first medic run made.
In 1983, land on Snider Road was donated by the
Hockmouth Family and the fire station built there was named after
the family. The Station was the third station for the fire company
and is now known as Station 56. That same year an addition was
built on Station 57 at Townsley Drive to house the Township
Administration Offices. That office space now houses the Fire Chief
and the Battalion Chiefs.
Unlike many townships, Deerfield Township formed a
Fire Prevention Bureau. The Bureau conducted fire safety
inspections, fire investigations and fire prevention education to
the citizens and businesses in Deerfield Township and the City of
Mason. At one point, the Bureau was staffed by six inspectors who
were also firefighters for the private fire company. Many of the
inspectors were also Paramedics or EMT’s.
Mason Volunteer Fire Company (the private company)
was operated solely by volunteers until part-time staffing was added
at Station 57. In 1985, a full-time fire chief, Bill Ennis, was
hired and remained the Chief until June 30, 1995.
Because of the fact that the costs of insurance and
workers compensation were so high for a private company, it was
decided to approach the Township with the concern. The Volunteer
Fire Company, the Township and the City of Mason decided to form a
Joint Fire District to reduce costs. On September 1, 1995, the Mason
Deerfield Joint Fire District was formed under the leadership of the
new Chief Billy Goldfeder.
In the fall of 1998, Mason and Deerfield Township
political leaders agreed to dissolve the Joint Fire District and
create separate entities. The Deerfield Township Fire Rescue
Department was established on the first day of October, and went
into operation under the new name and a new Chief, William Kramer.
In 2000, land was purchased in the Kings Mills area
at the corner of Columbia Road and Kings Mills Road (formally the
location of a Gulf Oil Station). A three bay fire station was
constructed to cover Kings Mills and the Northwest area of the
township. This station, Station 58, is the third fire station in
the Township.
Fire Chief William Kramer, a retired Assistant Chief
from the City of Cincinnati and former Fire Chief of the
Indianapolis Airport was Deerfield’s first Fire Chief. He was
hired after his consulting firm, Kramer and Associates, helped the
Township create the Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Department.
Chief Kramer’s Deputy Chief Nathan Bromen was
appointed as the second Fire Chief on January 1, 2006 and served until December 31,
2007. Chris Eisele
was then appointed the new Chief and currently serves in that
position.
Deerfield Township Fire Rescue continues to provide
fire protection and emergency medical service to the township
residences, businesses and visitors with full-time and part-time
fighters who are cross trained as Paramedics and EMT’s. There are
98 firefighters who are cross trained in the emergency medical
field. We employ 35 career fire
fighters-Paramedics and 51 part-time firefighters who are Paramedics or EMT’s. The Chief, three Battalion Chiefs, mechanic
and administrative personal complete the organization.
References: All information in this history was
taken from the following:
Newspaper articles from the Western Star & Pulse journal
Deerfield Township Web Site
Fire Chief Article (State Fire Marshal Robert Rielage)
Book: Around Mason, Ohio, a story by Rose Marie Springman |
