The Jefferson City Fire Department is celebrating 100 years of full-time service, and kicked off the celebration Sunday with a special ceremony and the hanging of celebratory flags throughout the downtown area.
Capt. Tim Young said Sunday marked 101 years to the day since the Capitol building burned down for the second time. It was that fire, caused by a lightening strike in 1911, that led to the creation of a full-time paid city fire department.
He said though the first paid fire department did not begin until 1912, the city had established a small volunteer department beginning in 1842, just a few years after the first Capitol fire.
Firefighters and their families gathered at the corner of High and Monroe streets, the location of the first city fire department, for a ceremony that included a presentation by Lorraine Adkins, president of the Cole County Historical Society. Adkins presented a ceremonial trumpet, to be loaned to the department for the year, to Chief Bob Rennick. The trumpets were used in the early 20th century for both speaking and ceremonial purposes.