Dedham Fire Department

The Dedham Fire Department is the fire department for Dedham, Massachusetts.

History

Early history

A vote of Town Meeting to purchase a bell for the meetinghouse was made in 1648, but a bell was not hung until February 1652. 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.

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.

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. The water cost $5 a year and was transported to homes in pipes made of hollow pine logs. The flow was not sufficient to bring it into the second story of a house, or to put out a fire.

Connecticut Corner

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." It was known as Hero No. 1. It was stationed at the Connecticut Corner firehouse.

A firehouse was constructed on Westfield Street, near High Street, in 1906. The lower level had horse stalls, a stable room, a hose wagon, and engine room, and an opening to the paddock in the rear. The second story had a sleeping room, a company room, a lavatory, a bath, and a hay and grain room. The building housed horse drawn steamer engines. It went out of service sometime in the 20th century, but still exists as a private residence.

Central village

A second hand tub, the Good Intent No. 2, was purchased in 1802 and stationed in the central village. The third engine, the Enterprise, was purchased in 1826 for the central village. In 1831, Town Meeting purchased eight more engines, including the Niagara and Water Witch, for the central village.

The central fire house was built at the corner of Washington and Bryant Streets. It housed Steamer Number 1, Hose Number 1, and Hook and Ladder Number 1. Both Hose Number 1, which carried 1,000' of hose, and Hook and Ladder Number 1, were drawn by two horses.

East Dedham

A firehouse in East Dedham was constructed in 1846 on Milton Street near the Old Stone Mill. It was used until 1897, when the firehouse on Bussey Street was constructed. Hose Number 3 was purchased by the town for the Milton Street station in 1891 and then moved to the Bussey Street location. That building also housed a supply wagon.

Hurricane Carol knocked down the East Dedham firehouse's 80-foot bell tower on August 31, 1954. 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. It also crushed three cars parked on Bussey St.

Modernization

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. The Norfolk House was often selected for the annual meetings and dinners of the different companies.

In 1858, the Fire Department was first organized. The first steam engine was purchased in 1872. The Dedham Water Company was founded in 1882, and provided hydrants for firefighters to use. 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.

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. The first professional fire chief was appointed in 1920. Prior to that there was a four-member Board of Fire Engineers who had charge over fires.

Chief Henry J. Harrigan oversaw the changeover from horse-drawn apparatus to motorized trucks in 1919. Firefighters began wearing uniforms in 1906.

, the department still used a telegraph system to report instances of fire. 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. If the horn sounds box 2-2-2-2, that means the Dedham Public Schools have been canceled due to snow.

Modern stations

Today, the department has two stations: one in Dedham Square and one in East Dedham.

Public Safety Building

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. The new building at 26 Bryant Street was opened for the first time on March 12, 2023. The public was invited to take tours following the ribbon cutting.

Inside the statue of William B. Gould are three photos of the ribbon cutting of the Public Safety Building.

Notable fires

1800s

*October 30, 1832 – A fire broke out in the stables of what would become the Phoenix hotel and destroyed both.
*January 7, 1834 – There was another fire in the stables at the Phoenix Hotel.
*Dedham station burned down in 1837, destroying a great deal of rolling stock in the process, and necessitating a temporary return to horses instead of steam engines.
*A second fire at Dedham station occurred in 1849, leaving only the walls standing.
*January 7, 1850 – A third fire broke out at the Phoenix Hotel.
*December 25, 1880 – The final fire destroyed the Phoenix Hotel.

1900s

*For most of the 20th century, youth would steal (and later construct their own) farm wagons and burn them in Oakdale Square to celebrate the 4th of July. The fires would often grow so large and so intense that windows in the Square would crack and tar would melt.
*A 1904 fire burned the home of Henry Bradford Endicott on East Street burn to the ground. The fire department was not able to get to the estate in time as they were dealing with three other fires simultaneously, including one at the fire house.
*In 1905, arsonists set Ashcroft station ablaze twice in two weeks.
*The dry meadows fire in 1923 burned for weeks.
*Ashcroft station was destroyed by arson on June 29, 1937.
*At the 1940 Log Cafe fire, Chief Henry J. Harrigan was killed when the floor he was standing on collapsed.
*After the Rockland Street fire in 1993, the Henry J. Harrigan Medal of Honor was established to honor the bravery of the members of Engine three. One of the recipients was William Spillane, who would go on to become chief of the department.

2000s

*Following a 2015 fire on Harding Terrace, two more members of the department, Lieutenant William Walsh and Firefighter Jared Blaney, were awarded the Harrigan Medal of Honor.

Chiefs

*Augustus Bradford Endicott was the first chief of the department.
*George A. Guild, circa 1899
*Everett J. Winn
*Henry J. Harrigan, −1940
*John O’Brien
*Jack Donovan
*John Hartnett ~1960s

*Robert Cullinane
*James Driscoll
*William Cullinane
*William Spillane, December 29, 2014–present

Henry J. Harrigan Medal of Honor

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. 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.

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.

Both Harrigan and Joseph C. Nagle, who pulled Harrigan from the blaze, were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Harrigan's granddaughter, Joan Sullivan Gray, accepted the award on his behalf. Nagle's daughter, Ellen Rea, accepted the award on his behalf. 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.

Notes

References

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{{Dedham

Fire departments in Massachusetts
Government of Dedham, Massachusetts
History of Dedham, Massachusetts