200 years ago today, a village vote formed Ithaca’s first volunteer fire company
The earliest precursor of the Ithaca Fire Department can be traced to June 6th, 1823, when leaders in the Village of Ithaca “voted to purchase a hand pumper, twenty-seven feet of leather hose, a nozzle, and rope to pull it all by hand,” according to IFD public information officer Assistant Chief James Wheal.
Until that first piece of fire apparatus arrived, a used hand pumper ordered from New York at a cost of $350, “the only action citizens could take was to form a bucket brigade and carry water from the nearest creek, flume, or well” whenever a fire broke out, says Wheal in a statement.
That had proven inadequate in November 1819, when a fire started in a blacksmith shop on Owego Street, now known as State Street, between Aurora and Tioga Streets. The year before, a fire at the corner of Aurora and Seneca Streets had brought neighbors running with leather buckets, and the quickly organized bucket brigade, moving water from the flume running along the base of East Hill on the east side of Aurora Street, made quick work of the fire at John Whiton’s cabinet shop, according to Bob Robinson’s history of the Ithaca Fire Department.
In the 1819 fire, though, Miles Seymour’s shop, his barn, and two other buildings were destroyed, and, tragically, village resident David Booth Beers was injured fighting the fire and died from his injuries.
Ithaca was incorporated as a village in 1821, and early efforts to provide a reliable water supply for firefighting ultimately led to the fateful 1823 decision that brought about Ithaca’s fire service.
Early horse-drawn fire apparatus and firefighters. Photo courtesy Ithaca Fire Department.
“In the 200 years that have passed since that formative vote, Ithaca has benefitted from the service of thousands of members. Ithaca Fire has adapted to the needs of the community and continues to do so,” says Wheal in a statement marking IFD’s 200th birthday. “Today, career firefighters provide fire, rescue, medical, fire prevention, and many other services to the residents, workers, students, and visitors of both the Town and City of Ithaca. Volunteer fire police provide support services at the scenes of fires and other significant incidents.”
That first hand pumper ordered from New York, which arrived near the end of the summer of 1823, already had “Company Number 2” painted on it, Wheal tells 14850 Magazine, so the first fire company in Ithaca was dubbed #2.
Over time, the Ithaca Fire Department has had numerous homes for its fire companies, including several fire station buildings that remain standing but have become other things, including in Fall Creek, Collegetown, and Downtown Ithaca.
Four active fire stations remain: IFD’s headquarters or central fire station at 310 West Green Street, Station #2 at 309 College Avenue in Collegetown, Station #3 at 965 Danby Road on South Hill, and Station #4 at 1240 Trumansburg Road on West Hill.
Ithaca Fire Department’s Collegetown station, currently #2, was previously Station No. 9, and its current building was built next door to the original station building, which later became a restaurant dubbed “The Nines.”
Related: Fight for the Nines: Discussing the fate of a Collegetown icon
“Please take a moment to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the past and present members of the Department who have responded to calls for help every single day and night for the last 200 years,” Wheal suggests. “We honor and recognize the Department’s members that lost their lives in service during these 200 years and all those who have devoted their life’s work to this Department.”
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