1870 Austin had a population of 5,000.

1871 The City Council purchased the first fire steam engine.

A third company, Colorado Fire Company #2, was organized. Austin's third-oldest company had a long and brilliant record.

1874 A fire in the State Capitol on Feb. 14, 1874, burned completely through the floor between the second and third floors. According to fire department records, "It was owing only to the timely arrival of several members of the Hook and Ladder Company that the building was saved." The City Council approved the hiring of an engineer to operate a new $6,000 engine. He was on duty at all times and was paid a monthly salary of $100.

The City Water Company installed the first hydrant system on Austin's two main streets: Congress Avenue and Pecan Street.

On March 23, a new city ordinance provided for an Assistant Chief, recorder, and fire and police commissioner, in addition to the Fire Chief.

1875 Central Engine Company #3 was established with a chemical engine at 4th Street and East Avenue. The chemical engine proved to be unsatisfactory and the company disbanded in 1877.

The Hope Hook and Ladder Company #2, also established in 1875, lived a short but glorious existence. Hope's main claim to fame was a State Championship race won in 1878. It was disbanded in 1882.

1877 A fire on Nov. 9 at the Blind Asylum injured several firefighters. Foreman E.T. Deats died as a result of his injuries on Jan. 20, 1878.

1878 Hook and Ladder Company #3 was organized and later became Protection Hose Company #3.

1879 Hook and Ladder station house burned while firefighters were battling a fire in the second ward (Avenue Hotel). Efforts to save the house were futile.

The City's expenditures for the fire department were $7,504.39. The department was comprised of two engine houses and one hook and ladder house.

1881 The State Capitol was destroyed by fire on Nov. 9. The 16th and 17th Legislatures had failed to approve funding for hydrants; there was insufficient water or water pressure to mount an effective attack on the fire. An entry in fire records by department recorder A.H. Robinson, noted " . . . the pressure, however, was not sufficient to throw water even a few feet. The economical solons (sessions) of the sixteenth legislature and so, too, the seventeenth, refused to appropriate enough money to supply the Capitol building and the grounds with hydrants and water. Today, we gaze upon the blackened walls of a burnt state house as the monument to their penny-wise and pound-foolish policy."

In the same year, a tribute to Austin firefighters appeared in the Texas Siftings: "In no city in Texas that we know of, or elsewhere, is there so large a proportion of the best men in the community connected with the fire department. The most prominent bankers, merchants, and professional men in Austin are firemen."

1882 On July 6, the City Council budgeted $346 per month for salaries of engineers, rent of rooms for engines, hose carriages, hook and ladder trucks, and other expenses.

1886 The fire alarm system at this time included an approximately 4,000-pound, spring-clapper, general alarm bell at city hall and bell towers at two other firehouses. All companies were connected by a special phone system. When a report of fire came in, the alarm was sent to central; central then pressed a button and all companies were notified of the fire and its location (six rings for sixth ward, for instance). The officer on-duty at city hall was notified by central over the phone and rang the alarm bell, indicating location by number of taps. Each company had a prescribed district for first alarms. All companies turned out for second alarms.

East Austin Fire Company #4 was established. Its fire hall was located between 10th and 11th, on Lydia Street.

1895 South Austin Fire Company #5 located on South Congress was established.

1896 North Austin Fire Company #6 was established. Originally located at 30th and Rio Grande streets, a permanent hall was built at 3002 Guadalupe St. The fire hall filled both the occupational and social functions of the community. The ground level was the maintenance shop and the second story consisted of one large main room with a stage. The volunteer firefighters' band would play as community members danced and socialized. The volunteers ran the house until 1916 when they turned it over to the city government, which hired professional firefighters. The structure was used for many years as a maintenance shop for the Austin Fire Department. It has since been restored and preserved for future generations.

1897 For the fiscal year ending Nov. 30 the value of property in the department owned by the city totaled $25,511.75. The value of property in the department owned by the companies totaled $13,148. The number of company members was 324 whereas the number of members on City payroll was seven. Companies responded to 70 alarms, which resulted in $27,157.15 in property damage.

Austin ranked at the head of the "second class" insurance rating. To have "first class" status, the department had to have full-time paid firefighters, macadamized streets and electric fire alarm systems.

1899 The building that was utilized as the temporary State Capitol (following the 1881 fire) and later used as Austin High School, burned on Sept. 30. It was located on the southwest corner of Congress Avenue and Mesquite (11th) Street.

1905 West Austin Company #7 was organized on Feb. 16, 1905, at 1000 Blanco St. This fire station is the oldest still standing and occupied as a fire station, now AFD Station 4.

1908 Tenth Ward Fire Company #8 was organized on May 26 at a meeting of citizens on the steps of the First Methodist Church.

1911 Adolf Schutze was elected Chief of the Austin Volunteer Fire Department. He barely had pinned on his Chief's badge when his first alarm sounded. He hitched a ride on a ladder truck instead of going to the fire in the wagon provided by the City.

1912 The first motor-driven vehicle was purchased at a cost of $4,200 from Webb Motor Fire Apparatus Company.

1913 The last of the volunteer companies to be organized was Rescue Hose Company #9 on May 21. The fire hall was located on East Avenue south of 24th Street.

1915 During the flash floods and storms of April 1915, Firefighter Thomas Edward Quinn was killed in the line of duty on April 22 while attempting a rescue from flood waters on Shoal Creek.

1916 Voters approved to change to a fully paid fire department in May, which began operations in June 1916 with 27 men. Clarence Woodward was appointed Fire Chief.

On July 23, 1916, the new department experienced its first major fire in the Kreisle Building. Four firefighters were seriously injured. Firefighter James T. Glass had his spine crushed. He lay paralyzed at Brackenridge Hospital until his death more than one year later. His badge number was "13" and that number was permanently retired in his memory.

1917 By the end of the year, there were 35 firefighters, five pieces of motor apparatus, one Chief's car and three pieces of horse-drawn equipment. A hoseman was paid $70 per month and the operating budget for the year was $43,740.

1921 The earliest State Board of Insurance record of Austin's fire insurance rate was listed at 23 cents. Austin had a 15 percent good fire record and a 32 percent fire ratio loss, which reflected an excellent record of fire prevention and protection.

1923 Austin firefighters worked either a 10-hour day or a 14-hour night, seven days a week.

1925 The fire department's communication system consisted of two telephones, one of which was a magneto with a hand crank. People would call in a fire on the regular phone and the dispatcher would crank the magneto. There were no radios. When a fire company went out on a call, the dispatcher no idea what was going on at the fire until somebody at from fire could get to a telephone to replay the information.

1926 John E. Woody served as acting Chief of the department from Dec. 15, 1926 to Feb. 1, 1927. He was then appointed Chief on Feb. 1, 1927, and remained so until Oct. 1958. Chief Woody died on Dec. 21, 1987.

The old bell that had called the members of the Austin Fire Department to so many fires since 1887 was removed from its tower in 1926. It had hung at the top of a tower in the rear of the old City Hall. Weighing 3,597 pounds, the bell was said to be one of the purest-toned bells ever turned out in this country. The bell was sold to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1206 E. 9th St., and still is hanging in its church tower heralding services.

1929 Fire Station 9 at 100 E. 43rd St. opened on Aug. 1.

1931 The six-story brick drill tower located on Town Lake was constructed for training purposes, at a cost of $6,200.

1932 On Nov. 20, Fire Station 2 was opened at 506 W. Martin Luther King Blvd. The original Station 2, located at 1614 Lavaca St.,was built in 1878. It housed Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 3.

On Oct. 15, Fire Station 6 was opened at 1705 S. Congress Ave. Station 6 replaced the old wood frame structure that was built in 1895 to house the South Austin Fire Company No. 5.

In 1932 the fire department responded to 613 alarms with a total expenditure of $123,882.66.

1938 The Fire Department continued to grow along with the City of Austin. New fire stations were constructed and older stations were remodeled. The depression years slowed the growth of the department somewhat, but in 1938, a new central fire station was constructed downtown at 401 E. 5th St. and Station No. 10 was built and opened on the far west side of Austin at 3009 Windsor Rd.

An alarm system of an entirely new design was installed in all Austin fire stations and fire apparatus. Austin was one of the first fire departments in the South to have an alarm system that featured a loud speaker system connected to its 10 stations and two-way radio communications with all apparatus, including 13 fire trucks and four official automobiles. The personnel of the Fire Department consisted of the Fire Chief, Assistant Chiefs, District Chiefs, Captains, and Privates. The 166 men in the Department worked on 24-hour shifts changing at noon.

1940 The Austin Fire Department responded to 1,246 alarms. On April 10, Fire Station 7 at 201 Chicon St. was opened, replacing the old Tenth Ward building located at 111 E. 1st St.

1941 The Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Law was passed by the 45th Legislature in 1937 and Austin firefighters voted to become members in 1941. This retirement system is state-approved but locally administered. Today, Austin firefighters enjoy one of the finest retirement systems in the country.

1947 A bill authorizing Civil Service classification for firefighters and police officers was approved by the Texas Legislature. Austin voters approved the classification to become effective in May 1948. The vote passed 10-to-one in favor of the firefighters. Never before or since has an election passed with a 10-to-one favor.

1948 Shortly after Civil Service Law was voted in, Austin firefighters became organized as Local 975 of the International Fire Fighters Association. Only a few firefighters did not join. Firefighters were prohibited by law from striking, but general sentiment was that no one wanted to leave the city unprotected. The main focus of the organization was to pass amendments and improvements to the pension laws.

A building inspection program was initiated to foster fire prevention, which is still being carried out by inspectors and in-service fire companies.

1949 World War II had slowed the growth of the fire department, but in 1949 the fire department was recovering and beginning to make progress. Fire Station 11, located at 1605 Kinney Ave., was completed and placed in service on May 5, 1949. Station 12, located at 2109 Hancock Dr., was completed and placed into service on June 14, 1949. At the end of the year, fire department personnel numbered 171.

1950 In this year, the Austin Fire Department responded to 2,293 alarms.

1952 The Austin Fire Department employed three black firefighters, the first blacks to be hired under Civil Service law in the state of Texas. The three were Willie Ray Davis, who retired as a Captain; Nathaniel H. Kindred, who died of a heart attack in 1977 while at a fire scene; and Roy D. Greene, who resigned.

Also this year, crash truck apparatus were placed at newly completed Station 14, 4305 Airport Blvd., to provide fire coverage for the Municipal Airport complex. Fire Station 14 was completed and placed in service Sept. 26, 1952, providing firefighting and crash rescue operations for incidents involving aircraft. Fire personnel and equipment serving the airport operate under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.

1953 Station 15, located at 829 Airport Blvd., was opened on Feb. 24.

1954 Beginning in 1954, the Fire Prevention Division had a new job and title to add to its line of command. The City Council voted to amend the Civil Service Ordinance to create the new Chief Inspector position.

1956 The City Council approved the purchase of four pumpers and a 65-foot aerial ladder truck for a total of $75,027 from the firm of Peter, Pirsch, and Son, which provided the lowest of eight bids.

1957 On Feb. 1, Fire Station 3 at 201 West 30th St. was opened. The new station cost an estimated $66,000. Station 3 replaced the old fire hall at 3002 Guadalupe St. that was built in 1906 and housed North Austin Hose Co. No. 6. On Feb. 7, Fire Station 16 at 7000 Reese Lane was opened.

1959 Robert H. Dickerson was appointed to the position of Fire Chief on June 19. He remained in the position until March 15, 1968.

1962 During the Cuban Crisis, interest in Civil Defense increased in Austin and public fallout shelters were designated throughout the city. In 1964, City Manager W.T. Williams was appointed Director of Civil Defense. The Fire Chief was designated Chief of the Fire and Rescue Services, which included agencies assigned to this emergency service. The Fire Department's role in the civil emergency operation was to provide emergency fire prevention, fire control, rescue support, and facility decontamination support. In 1973, the Civil Defense operation was merged into the Fire Department.

1963 Joe Villareal was the first Hispanic firefighter employed by the Austin Fire Department. He served until his retirement on Jan. 1, 1992.

1965 On Jan. 15, Fire Station 18 at 6311 Berkman Dr. was opened. In March, the City's Fire Prevention Division opened its newly completed building at 1621 Festival Beach Rd. Located just east of the Interregional Bridge on the north shore of Town Lake, the 10,000-square foot, two-level structure cost $170,000.

1966 Austin accepted delivery on its newest piece of firefighting equipment, a $50,000 Snorkel truck. It featured a basket-type platform on a jointed hydraulic boom that could be raised 75 feet in the air, extended 39 feet horizontally, and rotated in a complete circle in either direction. Straight or fog type water streams could be pumped at a rate of 1,100 gallons per minute from a four-way maneuverable nozzle on the platform.

1967 On Oct. 1, Fire Station 19 was opened at 5211 Balcones Dr.

1968 Ed S. Kirkham was appointed Fire Chief on Sept. 27. He resigned from the position in Sept. 1982.

1969 In March, Fire Station 5 at 1201 Webberville Rd. was opened. This station replaced the fire hall that housed East Austin Fire Co. No. 4 at 1005 Lydia St. originally built in 1886.

Firefighters received new uniforms consisting of navy blue slacks, light blue shirts, ties and Eisenhower jackets. Officers wore white shirts and caps to set them apart. After being outfitted with new uniforms, Austin firefighters were considered by many to be the best-dressed firefighters in the state.

1970 Fire department applicants underwent 12 weeks of training before being admitted to the force. The first six weeks involved classroom training in which they were taught standard approaches for responding to and fighting fires. Fire department discipline and basic Civil Service also were part of the compulsory curriculum. The second six-week program was on-the-job training, where the potential firefighter was assigned to a truck and worked under observation.

A new airport crash truck was purchased for $68,000. It held 1,500 gallons of water for making foam. The truck could spray its load in five minutes at a range of 150 feet.

The Salvation Army Canteen, staffed by Claude and Leona Rutledge on a volunteer basis, began responding to major alarms to provide firefighters with refreshments, cool towels, a place to relax, and words of encouragement. The Rutledges quickly were adopted by the firefighters and continued to provide this most appreciated service until 1987. Claude Rutledge died Sept. 13, 1995. Several fire trucks lead the procession at the funeral.

1971 The City Council recommended closing the station located at 43rd and Speedway, but a delegation of Hyde Park residents descended upon the council and the plans were canceled. This same scenario has been repeated two times since.

1972 In February, Fire Station 8 at 8989 Research Blvd. was opened. It originally was located at 21st and East Avenue, which was the home of Rescue Hose Company No. 9, the last volunteer company to be formed (May 21, 1913).

On June 17, Capt. James L. Buford died in the line of duty while attempting to rescue a 15-year-old boy, who also drowned in the Shoal Creek flood waters.

1973 Willie Ray Davis was promoted to the rank of Captain, the first black firefighter to achieve the Captain's badge in the Austin Fire Department, as well as in the state of Texas.

1974 The Fire Department accepted delivery of three diesel pumpers and one diesel aerial ladder truck. This was the first diesel fire apparatus to be purchased for firefighting in Austin. In the following years, all new engines and trucks were diesel-fueled.

AFD began training in its new six-story fire drill tower located at 517 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. On Jan. 23, Fire Station 20 at 6601 Manchaca Rd. was opened. On Feb. 26, Fire Station 21 at 4201 Spicewood Springs Rd. was opened.

1975 On April 3, Fire Station 22 at 5309 E. Riverside Dr. was opened. May 24 was declared Firefighter Recognition Day by Austin Mayor Jeffrey M. Friedman. The Hyde Park neighborhood again waged a successful fight against the City's recommended closing of Fire Station 9.

It was decided that Emergency Medical Services would be a separate City department beginning Jan. 1, 1976. Prior to this decision, Austin Ambulance was the franchise-holder for ambulance service within the city. The Fire Department began active recruitment of women to serve as firefighters.

AFD History 1976-2002