The Gainesville Fire Department is proudly celebrating 140 years of service to the citizens of Gainesville. Please join us from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. on Thursday February 18, 2016, at Gainesville Fire Department Station 1 located at 725 Pine Street.
On February 18, 1876 the "Gainesville Eagle" reported that a “committee from the Gainesville Hook and Ladder Company notified the (City) Council of its organization and the election of officers; and asked the Council for equipment for service. Alderman Banks moved that the thanks of the Council, in behalf of the citizens, be tendered to the Gainesville Hook and Ladder Company for its organization.”
By 1902, newspaper stories referred to the firefighters as “the Gainesville Fire Department”. Between 1902 and 1903, the Gainesville Fire Department became an all-paid fire department. The first paid fire chief assumed his duties in 1903.
Beginning in 1921, the Gainesville Fire Department received an ISO rating of 7 and has progressed through the ISO rankings and to the current Class 1 ranking, which is the highest rating possible, allowing for lower insurance premiums for the citizens and businesses within the city limits.
For more about the department, go to http://www.gainesville.org/fire-department or call 770-534-3612.
XXX
