Although it just seems like yesterday that it was built, Macomb, Illinois Fire Station One will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. The station at 219 West Jackson Street will be rededicated at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 27.
A Macomb Daily Journal article from March 1976, shows a photograph with Macomb city officials and officials from fire departments throughout the state attending the dedication of Macomb’s new Fire Station One, which cost around $600,000 to build. Keynote speaker J. Patrick Ward, commissioner of fire and safety of Springfield, stated, “It’s one of the finest of its kind anywhere in the United States. We have nine stations in Springfield and none of them compare to this.” Ward also told the audience that “Firefighting was the most dangerous profession with more deaths annually per 100,000 workers than mining or law enforcement.”
At that time in 1976, there was talk of Macomb station becoming a regional training center for firefighters. Ward noted that the Macomb department under Chief Herb Pollock had already gained national recognition. The Macomb Fire Department developed an attack method for fighting fires in high-rise buildings, such as those on the Western Illinois University campus. That procedure was documented in training manuals throughout the United States and Europe.
Mayor Robert Anstine spoke at the 1976 dedication, outlining the history of the Macomb Fire Department. Prior to 1896, the first team of horses to reach the station was paid $5 to pull the horse-drawn engine to a fire. In 1896, the fire department purchased their own team of horses. The station west of the new facility was first occupied in 1912, and included storage space for horse-drawn fire apparatus and a stable. Motorized fire equipment was purchased in 1918 and the city took over operation of the fire department two years later.
Macomb’s council had approved the construction for the new facility in November 1974. The construction was paid for through revenue sharing funds and existing fire tax revenues. At the time of the dedication in 1976, 21 men were certified firefighters, three were advanced certified and 16 had qualified as emergency regular firefighters.
Miss Macomb Kathy Fritz, and the county’s Bicentennial committee, participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. It was during that dedication in 1976, that Macomb Station One received a Dalmatian puppy donated by Ron Purdum. The pup was named “Herbie” and was the mascot for the new fire station.
Credits; Macomb Journal Macomb: A Pictorial History, John Hallwas The Macomb Fire Department book, Capt. Rod Vaughn Lt. Taylor
