If you're able, take a few minutes to stop by Jefferson City's Fire Museum, 911 E. Miller St., at 1:30 p.m. today to celebrate the birth of our city's Fire Department.
You can enjoy light refreshments and have a chance to tour the museum, located in the city's historic Fire Station No. 2, which celebrated its own 80th anniversary in 2015.
For 175 years now, the Fire Department's members often have worked long shifts, weekends and holidays to wait for an alarm - an alarm that could mean running into a burning building when everyone else is running out.
It was an alarm sounded by human voices on Nov. 15, 1837, that helped push the city to form its first two fire companies. Those "alarms" alerted lawmakers and residents to a fire at the first Capitol Building in Jefferson City, located on the grounds now occupied by the Governor's Mansion. But no fire company had been formed and the building was destroyed.
Ten days later, the city's newspaper, the Jeffersonian Republican, called for the formation of the city's first fire company.
On Jan. 26, 1842, resolutions were presented to the city by several people, including a colonel and general in the state militia, creating two fire companies that, to this day, govern the Fire Department.
Another big thrust in starting the companies was to provide protection to the city's then-bustling river port.
As the times have changed, so has our Fire Department's role.
With advancements in technology, our structures are generally safer from fires and are equipped to alert us to them sooner. That, coupled with advancements in fire-suppression technology and better awareness by the public, has resulted in fewer serious structure fires.
Now, one of the department's primary roles is as a first responder. In that capacity, they're dispatched to accidents and other emergencies. So, as the department's role continues to evolve, its members still deal with life-and-death situations daily.
We honor the sacrifices and celebrate the victories won by our local firefighters, both past and present, as we commemorate the 175th anniversary of the fire companies that led to our modern-day Jefferson City Fire Department.
News Tribune