75 Years
From hand-carried buckets of water used by bucket brigades to fight fires in the early history of Robbinsdale, the Robbinsdale Volunteer Fire Department has grown into a modern department with sophisticated equipment available to fight large and small fires.August, 1984, marks the 75th anniversary celebration of the Robbinsdale Volunteer Fire Department which was formally organized in 1909. Actually, the long history of the fire department began in 1894, under the supervision of J.J. Coulter, the first fire chief of Robbinsdale. At that time, fire fighting equipment consisted of a two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart equipped with ladders, pails and axes. The village had no water system so fires had to be put out with water pumped from nearby cisterns and was mixed with soda.
The most disastrous fire recorded in Robbinsdale at the end of the 19th century, was the fire at the Lutheran College on Regent Ave. in 1895. The bucket brigade which was normally used, did not work at such a large fire and the building was completely destroyed. The college was never re-built. The first fire department was disbanded, but in August, 1909, three men were appointed by the village council and three by the Robbinsdale Commercial Club to organize a fire department. This was done and at the next council meeting, the department was formally recognized. Under Chief H. W. Roger’s direction, this newly incorporated department had 30 meinbers. The next year, 1910, the first benefit, an ice cream social was held. Profit from the event was $2.40.
In 1909 a hand-drawn chemical rig operated with soda and acid was purchased. Two companies were formed-the chemical outfit and the hook and ladder company. For incentive to get to a fire quickly, a sum of two dollars was given to the first company to arrive at a fire. Howard Hommes, a volunteer firefighter from 1927 to 1962 recalled that the chemical rig had a 50-gallon tank and the thing was hand-cranked to mix the acid and soda. lie said the rig was supposed to be pulled by horses but when there was a fire, it was much easier to get eight men together and they ran down the street with it. Francis (Bud) Gallagher said that while he was growing up in Robbinsdale, he, too, remembered the chemical rig. Gallagher was a volunteer firefighter from 1931 to 1968.
Walter Sipe, a volunteer firefighter from 1926 to 1952 said most of the fires were fought by volunteers who were also business people. Me said the department tried to get as many men as they could within a two-block radius on West Broadway so in case of fire, the men could respond within a minute or two. In 1912 and 1914, Chief Ringer of the Minneapolis Fire Department, offered Robbinsdale the use of their horse drawn Chemical 5, providing it was properly housed. This rig had two chemical tanks, one was charged while the other was in use. Robbinsdale accepted Ringer’s offer and in 1914 the rig was housed in the village hall. The treasury7 of the department for 1914 amounted to $9.60.
Also, in 1914, a Relief Association was formed to provide aid for disabled firemen, aided in paying funeral expenses for families of firemen and provided for pensions for retired firemen. On the first relief association were: G. Nash, Sr., William Rogers, N. L. Nash, T. P. Howard, J. V. Ruble, R. L. Sayre, J. Bloberger, Sr., Ben Knoll, F. A. Harvey, J. A. Trump, W. D. Bartlett, W. S. Randall and Perly Hoff. The association was incorporated on May 2,1914. This started the tradition of giving financial assistance to firefighters injured in the line of duty and the pension was a way of thanking the retired volunteers for their years of service to the city.
George Nash got the city council to install an electric siren in the village hall in 1914. Prior to that time, the village was divided into four districts with the hell in the village belfry ringing out different signals to indicate the location of the fire. One stroke meant the fire was in the business district, for example. When the bell rang eight times, it meant a regular or special meeting of the fire department was called. In 1919 a pay rate of $1.50 was established and this rate continued for many years. Up to that time, the only water supply in the business district w;’s a double hand pump in the village hall yard. A pump and two cisterns were installed on the Trump land on Hubbard Avenue. The people of the town voted down a proposal to buy a motor-driven pumper in 1921.
The young fire department fought its first major fire in 1925 when a half block of the business district in Robbinsdale caught on fire. The flames were contained to four businesses, which were completely destroyed by this tire. Water had to be pumped from Crystal Lake and the cisterns. Seven pumpers came from Minneapolis and were spotted as relays along the half-mile to the lake.
The first motor-driven apparatus was purchased in 1926, a W. S. Nott, a fire truck which was built in Luverne, Minn. It is still in the possession of the fire depanment today and is used for parades and special events.
This fire truck served Robbinsdale for years and years and a second vehicle was purchased in 1937. Other vehicles were purchased in 1949 and 1956. The rig purchased in 1937 cost about (5,000 and the last pumper purchased cost the city some $106,000. One of the major fires in the 1930’s was a dairy farm on old Medicine Lake Road. Hommes said Sipe drove the truck to the farm but by the time the fire fighters arrived, the barn, filled with cattle, was engulfed in flames. Robbinsdale had the only fire department for miles around, and fought fires in Crystal, New Hope, Golden Valley and Plymouth.
Another problem in the 1930’s was peat fires in the Cyrstal Lake area. Peat was down 10 to 12 feet and one time firemen covered the area with water and thought the fire was out. When they returned the next day, the fire was still burning. Hommes said there were a good many fires on farms in the 1930 s. He also recalled a fire in 1937 when Sipe1s oil tank burned. He said the fire department was able to contain the fire to the tank and other property was spared. The fire burned itself out. Under the leadership of Hommes, a mutual aid system with the communities of Osseo, Anoka, Columbia Heights and Elk River were formed in 1948. This system assured assistance from the communities’ fire departments in case of a large-scale fire or community emergency. Today, Robbinsdale is a member of an 18member Mutual Aid Association. No department charges another for its services.
During the Great Depression Years, firefighters used to go out on Monday nights to collect cardboard and papers. With the money raised, the men bought food for those in need. World War II brought other needs. Firemen were known as the “good guys” who were always called upon to give blood. Many belonged to the “Two Gallon Club.” Some of the volunteer firemen were deputized and were called on to assist in police work, according to Gallagher. Their time was donated. The Fire Department also began to provide numerous community services such as flooding of skating rinks, patrolling high school football and basketball games, and performing some janitorial services at city hall.
It was in the 1940’s that the department was dispatched directly from the city hall. During those years, two big fires occurred in Robbinsdale. The first, a fire at the Howard Lumber Yard in 1940 and a year later a bowling alley on the corner of 41 st and West Broadway burned. Hommes said there were lots of fires started by rags, oil, gasoline and kerosene. He said that in those days, if a firefighter could stand the smoke, he could go in. Now, he said, there are too many plastics and chemicals in homes which make it unsafe to go in without masks.
Gallagher, Hommes and Sipe also recall their work as rescue teams when there were drownings in Ctystal Lake and Twin Lakes. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, the volunteer firemen used the funds they had raised from dances and carnivals to buy baskets and clothes for the needy. The very first dance held at Sacred Heart School was a loss of $3.15 but things improved after that and money was raised for charitable purposes. Gallagher said Robbinsdale makes its community safer during the winter months because three firemen sleep at the station during the winter months, from December through March. This is done to insure getting to a fire quickly.
Notable fires in Robbinsdale included the and in 1973 the old Sacred Heart Catholic Church was destroyed by fire on Nov. 3. In 1962, with monies raised from various fire department events, a rescue van and resuscitators were purchased. The firefighters also furnished a room at North Memorial Medical Center and a plaque has been placed at the hospital in recognition of the donation.
The most recent piece of firefighting equipment was purchased in 1967. A 75-foot Snorkel aerial fire truck was bought to facilitate rescues and fires in buildings which are more than three stories high. In 1981 an Ainerican La France diesel was added to the department. Gallagher said that in the early days, the fire department trained its own men. Now they are trained at Hennepin Vocational-Technical School as well as by taking classes at the University of Minnesota, and also by our own Instructors.
Firefighters in Robbinsdale in 1984 donate time to educate children about the dangers of fire. They go to the schools and present a program call “Stop, Drop and Roll”, things a child should remember if on fire. Today the fire chief in Robbinsdale is Tom Ripe, the son of Walter Sipe. Under his leadership, the department is made up of 30 active volunteers, ready at all times to risk their lives in saving others in fires as well as property. From its early formation to the present day, the Robbinsdale Volunteer Fire Department has shown its care and concern for others.
Contributing writers for this article were Margaret Chuba, Linae Enockson and Kay Godfrey.
I remember when Hollingsworth died. I was in elementary school. I remember sitting at the Crystal Lake service. I have very fond memories of my childhood. I am mentally ill these days but still loved the town as a kid.