Salem’s Paid Fire Department:

Horse Era to Steam Era (1893 to 1919)

Original Paid SFD Roster:

  • Chief engineer W. S. Low
  • Assistant Chief Engineer W. F. Duncan
  • Engineer of Steam George Hastings
  • Assistant Engineer of Steam F. A. Welch
  • Driver of Fire Engine John Duncan
  • Driver of Hose Wagon R. H. Price
  • Hoseman Arthur Glover
  • Hoseman J. W. Thompson
  • Hoseman J. G. Lieurman
  • Hoseman Andrew Cross
  • Hoseman Albert Smith
  • Hoseman Mark Savage
  • Hoseman P. G. Norgan
  • Hoseman W. H. McOscar

Salem Fire Department began its move from a volunteer force to a paid force in 1893. The beginning of the end of the volunteer era actually began in 1883 with the introduction of Salem’s first steam fire engine. After the introduction of horses to Salem Fire Department in 1889, there was no longer the need for a 220 man force. Because of the labor savings achieved by steam and horse power, the 220 man force was reduced to 14 paid firefighters and a handful of volunteer “call men” in 1893.

Volunteer check numbers:

Alert Hook & Ladder Company No. 1: 40 firefighters

Capital Engine Company No. 1: 60 firefighters

Tiger Engine Company No. 2: 60 firefighters

Salem Engine Company No. 3: 60 firefighters

Total Volunteer Force: 220 firefighters

In 1893, Salem’s first paid firefighters were paid:

Chief Engineer: $75 per month

Assistant Chief Engineer: no pay

Engineer of Steam: $75 per month

2nd Engineer of Steam: $20 per month

Driver of Steam, Engine: $60 per month

Hose Men: $10 per month

From 1863 to 1921, Salem firefighters were on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 1921 a two-platoon system was established so that firefighters would work every other day, an 84 hour work week. In 1953, Salem established the three-platoon system it uses today, a 54 hour work week.

The first fire that the new paid fire department responded to occurred on March 15, 1893, at the residence of J. L. Wilson at Center Street and Liberty Street. The fire was caused by a defective flue and caused $5 damage.

Salem Fire Department responded to 10 fires in 1893, and two of those calls were false alarms. The 1893 dollar loss in the City of Salem due to fire was $110.

The first large fire for the paid department occurred on November 18, 1895, when the woolen mill at 12th and Trade suffered $65,000 in damages. The building was insured for $20,000.

Two large fires occurred in 1899. The first fire occurred on February 21st 9:40 P. M. when the Court House suffered $69,695 in damages from a fire caused by a defective flue. On September 22nd, the second large structure to burn was the flour mill at Front St. and Mill St. which caused $57,000 in loss to the S. F. Milling Company and $44,640 in wheat belonging to “many farmers.”

In 1904 a “Fire of incendiary origin” caused $100,000 in damages to Willamette Valley Flouring Mills at Front and First St in North Salem. The mill owned by T. B. Wilcox suffered $50,000 in damages and the flax in the mill owned by Eugene Bosse was valued at $50,000. There is a note in the station log about the fire: “No water in mill ditch at time of fire, engine had to be taken down the bed of the creek to bridge or gravel barr on Commercial & Division Sts. but owing to length of line the stream was no good.”

In 1915, Chief Hutton began listing members of the fire department in the station log.

Paid members of Salem Fire Department in 1915:

  • Harry Hutton: Chief, started service on Jan 1, 1915
  • W. H. Phillips: started service on Jan 1, 1899
  • W. M. Ivan: Captain, started service on May 1, 1907
  • Earl Beck: started service on Mar 12, 1912
  • Robert Muths: started service on Apr 12, 1912
  • Glme Gupton: started service on May 10, 1912
  • Ray Cooper: started service on Aug 2, 1912
  • L. R. Murphy: started service on Jan 1, 1913
  • Dooley Johnson: started service on Mar 10, 1913
  • Roy Hixson: started service on Dec 4, 1914
  • F. G. Anderson: Engineer, started service on April 1, 1911

Volunteer “Call Men” of Salem Fire Department in 1915:

  • Claude Jorgenson: started service on Jul. 5, 1907
  • Emert Johnson: started service on May 1, 1917
  • Frank Filbert: started service on June 4 1907
  • Thomas Thrapp: started service on April 10, 1915
  • Joe Bernardie: started service on Jan. 2, 1915
  • Herbert Savage: started service on Feb. 4, 1916
  • Elmer Smith: started service on Jan. 4, 1916

The end of Salem Fire Department’s horse-drawn era is chronicled in the Salem Fire Department station log with the entry:

Motorized Fire Department

June 5 – 1919

=== No More Horses ===

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This article originally appeared on the original Salem Online History site and has not been updated since 2006.