The History of the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department
History of the Equipment
On October 11th, 1926, the following is taken from the minutes of the Cedar Grove Town Board:
Town Board met in special session in regard to fire engine. Motion was made by August Herbert and seconded by Will Fliehman to purchase from Boyer Apparatus Company the chemical fire system for the sum of $539 F.O.B. Ceda
r Grove. One dozen extra charges were also ordered for $25.00. A fire extinguisher was donated by Boyer Fire Apparatus Company. Town Board Members: August Herbert, Thomas Doerflein, and Will Fliehman. Charles C. Jonas: Clerk-Treasurer. That was the first piece of fire equipment used in Cedar Grove, other than the bucket brigade. There was no organized fire department at that time. This piece of equipment was a chemical outfit with wood wheels. It was kept in the town hall building and was pushed by hand to a fire. Later it was mounted on rubber wheels and eventually mounted on a 1950 Ford pick-up. For years this piece of chemical fire equipment served the town well, for with it many fires in town were brought under control. The present fire department was organized in the early 1950’s. One day in 1958, George Burris, the city engineer for the city of Greendale, Indiana, was in town. He said that Greendale was getting a new fire truck and their old one would be for sale. He said if Cedar Grove could use it, he would see that they got it. The Cedar Grove Fire Department felt that it was an improvement over what they had and decided to try for it. This was a pumper mounted on a 1936 Dodge chassis. A delegation of Cedar Grove Firemen, headed by Bob Brown, attended a meeting of the Greendale City Counsel and put in a bid for the Dodge truck. They were over bid by an outfit that did tree trimming work for the City of Greendale. It was made known to the tree trimming outfit by George Burris that if they wanted to get the tree trimming job in Greendale in the future, they better let Cedar Grove have the Dodge pumper. As a result, they withdrew their bid and Cedar Grove got the truck for $150. That proves the value of knowing the right people. That was the first motorized pumper used in Cedar Grove. The 1936 Dodge pumper was used until a new Ford pumper was purchased in 1961. The chassis was bought from Harrison Motors and the pump was added by the American Fire Apparatus Company. Paul Becker was the salesman. This pumper cost approximately $12,000. Keith Brown and Charles Jonas went to Knightstown, Indiana to pick up this new pumper. It took them two days to get back with it. Also in 1961 a used Ford tanker truck was added to the department. This Ford was replaced in 1970 with a new International with a larger tank. In 1969, a four-wheel drive GMC pick-up was bought and equipped to fight brush fires. A new GMC pumper was purchased by the department in 1982 from the Indiana Fire Apparatus Company in Mays, Indiana. This new pumper cost almost $57,000. In 1982 a GMC tank truck equipped with a 1,500 gallon tank and a 500 gallon per minute pump was built and sold to the department by the S&S Tank Company of Fairmount, Indiana. It cost over $42,000. The newest additions to the department’s fleet include Engine 23, a 2007 E One Typhoon Engine purchased in October of 2008. Also included is a new tanker that was purchased in the fall of 2013 from Rice, Minnesota and replaced the 1984 GMC tanker which was traded as part of the deal to purchase the new truck. The new tanker is a 2006 International Durastar Tanker and remains as Tanker Unit 24. It is equipped with a 466 Navistar turbo diesel with 220 horsepower and an Allison automatic transmission. It has a 2000 gallon tank and a 500 gallon per minute pump. History of Buildings
The Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated in 1959 with a limit of 30 members between the ages or 21 to 70. (This has been currently been updated to the ages of 18 to 70) In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, extensive fire training was given by the Indiana Volunteer Fireman’s Association. Many members also attended school given by the State Fire Marshal’s office, conducted by Harvey Hacker, who later served two terms as State Fire Marshal. The original fire house was built in 1959. Most of the members of the department helped in the project. It was agreed to build the new fire house on the site of an old church on public ground. The church had to be removed, and on October 11th, 1959, the Graf’s poured the floor in the new building. The cemetery in the back of the new fire house had grown up in brush. The firemen cleaned it up, and it has since been kept clean by the town. In time it became clear that the department needed to expand. So in 1966 the Al Metz property was purchased. Ten years later in 1976 the current fire house was built. This new building was needed to house the several pieces of equipment the department had acquired and an EMS unit was also based in the building. Also at that time, part of the land not needed by the fire department was sold to Fohl & Hoop Roofing. History of the Festival
Don Brown came up with the idea of having the first festival as a means of raising money to further finance the department. Through Don’s efforts and leadership, the first festival was held in 1958. This first festival was held in town on Central Avenue with fish served on Friday and barbeque chicken on Saturday. The meals were served in Julius Sacksteder’s hall and on Saturday night a dance was held in the same hall. This festival was a success, and every year they became better as improvements were made and mistakes corrected. The festival was held on the street in town for two years, and then it was moved to the area around the previous firehouse on south 4th street. Meals were served in the firehouse and the property across the street owned by Bob Brown was also used. The festival was held in this location for several years even after Jim Betscher and Joe Verkley lived there. In 1970, the festival was moved to the Holy Guardian Angels parish grounds. With this move, more room was available both for the stands and for serving the meals. In 1978, a contract was drawn up with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the firemen concerning the construction of a permanent open-sided pole shelter located behind the school building. The contract was for 15 years, as the festivals would be held on the church grounds for some time in the future. In 2000 the current firehouse was expanded in preparation to accommodate the festival grounds being moved to its current location. The expansion included a new bay with a kitchen, a walk-in cooler, indoor restrooms, and an attached porch area to fry chicken. The festival was moved to its current location at the firehouse on 2nd street in 2001, and a new shelter was built to accommodate the festival. It has been held there since and in 2009 the 50th anniversary was celebrated, and included a $50,000 super grand raffle drawing. In 2012 an additional shelter was built with donations from the Cedar Grove Conservation Club and its many members. The festival celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2014 and continues to be successful due to the many volunteers in the community that donate their time and talent. The festival is the primary means of funding to cover annual operating costs and allows the department to provide fire and rescue services to Cedar Grove and the surrounding area free of charge.
