With new
equipment and house came the expansion of local "fire companies," common in
larger eastern cities. By 1876, activities of these fire companies were frequently
reported in the Shelby County Democrat: Tawawa Hose Co. # 1, the Valley City Hose
Co. # 2, the Niagara Hose Co. # 3, and the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Co. After the Monumental Building was
completed and outfitted for the fire department, a fire alarm system was developed. A
succession of rapid taps of the fire bell atop the building signaled a fire. These taps
would be followed by location taps: First Ward, one tap; Second Ward, two taps; and Third
Ward, three taps, a system greatly expediting response.
Sidney voters in 1872 approved a water
system complete with a waterworks, underground pipe, fire plugs, and reservoirs, a
significant factor in improving fire protection. Sidney was one of the first small cities
to have a waterworks. Use of underground cast iron pipe, instead of hollowed out wooden
logs, greatly improved reliability of the water system. More than 4 miles of main pipe in
the ground, 42 fire plugs, and 147 hydrants for private use were in place by 1883.
Arriving at the scene, hose companies hooked their hose to the fire plug or sometimes
dropped their suction hoses into small, open reservoirs. Water pressure from the water
main, usually quite strong, traveled through the hose to the nozzle to be directed on the
fire. Firemen could also use the Anderson Fire Engine to pump water by hand from a
reservoir.
Local fire companies were also social clubs, with prominent citizens as members.
Monthly meetings were announced in the local newspapers and the election of officers was
always well publicized. Fund-raisers were common. The Tawawa Hose Company sponsored a
masquerade ball at Singe Hall on Easter Monday of 1877, with the local newspapers asking
the public to "give them a goodly number...proceeds for benefit of the fire
company and make our fire department more efficient." Sidney’s firemen
celebrated Independence Day, including a parade around the courtsquare.
Sidney’s Monumental Building was completed by 1876. The Tawawa Hose Company and
the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company moved in, while city offices were established on the
second floor.
FIRES SHOWED NEED FOR
CHANGE. A winter-time fire in
1879 set the stage for a big change in the operation of Sidney’s fire protection. A
midnight fire in the Yinger dwelling at the southwest corner of Main and Court sent the
fire companies scrambling to the scene. "...hose reels soon arrived and in the
intense cold the firemen worked like beavers," the Shelby County Democrat
reported. "...let us say it was demonstrated beyond a doubt that the services of a
chief is wanted as every person at the fire was boss and for this reason considerable
damage...was through the lack of proper management."
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