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Citizens
Hose Company
Organized
1889
24 West
Drullard Avenue
Lancaster,
New York 14086
716.683.2602
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Firematic
Leadership
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Administrative
Officers
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Fire
Chief
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Scott
M. Kuhlmey
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President
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Leonard
Campisano
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Captain
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Kevin
Herzog
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Vice
President
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Andrew
Gangloff
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First
Lieutenant
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Daniel
E. Rinow
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Secretary
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Gary
Heim
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Second
Lieutenant
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Michael
Johnson
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Treasurer
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Shawn
Marshall
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The Citizens Hose Company is one of
four companies that make up the Lancaster Fire Department. The Company operates
a 2005 American LaFrance Rescue Pumper out of Station # 2.
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History
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The need for a fire protection unit
north of the four railroad grade crossings on Central Ave. was the underlying
reason for organizing a fire company in the north end of the Village
and providing it with apparatus heavy railroad traffic on the tracks of
the New York Central, Lehigh Valley, Delaware Lackawanna, and Erie
Railroads frequently shut off highway traffic on Central Ave., for many
minutes at a time, delayed downtown apparatus on its way to fires in
the north end of the Village, and left areas north of the railroads
unprotected until the crossings were cleared. With horse-drawn
apparatus, these delays were sometimes disastorous.
With motorized apparatus, their effect was to slow down the response to
fire calls for many minutes, to increased danger to life and property.
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The Citizens Hose Co. was organized in
1889 and incorporated in 1899. Incorporators were Joseph Heigl, Charles Diemert,
D.C. Lynch, Martin Sturm, Eli Sturm, and Fred Handel. The first
apparatus used by the Citizens' was a slightly used hose cart, which
had been handed down from the Fuller Hose Co. to the Eagle Hose Co,
from the Eagles to the Alert Hose Co., from the Alerts to the
Protective Hose Co., and then from the Protective to the Citizens Hose
Co. The first new apparatus used by the Citizens Hose Company was a
horse drawn supply wagon, built by William Rusher of Lancaster for
$345.00, in 1902. It was stored in a shed owned by Frank Barnhardt on Central Ave and the original Citizens
Hose Co. firehouse was built in 1913 by Samuel Helwig
of Lancaster for $2,856.00.
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A proposition to appropriate
$1,250.00 for the first piece of motorized apparatus was approved at
the Village Election in March 1916 and in June 1916 a Buick truck was
purchased from Klepfer Bros. of Depew for
$1,250.00. This first motorized unit in the Lancaster Fire Department.
It was assigned to the Citizens Hose Co., and the old horse drawn
Citizens supply wagon was later offered for sale. In March 1917 a 40
gallon copper chemical tank and hose reel were added to the Buick truck
for $365.00
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In 1927,a
proposition by the Village board to appropriate $8,800.00 for 600 gpm pumper was defeated at the annual Village
Election. Also in 1927 the government of the Village was changed from the
charter form, which had been in effect since 1849 to government under
the General Village Law of the State of New York. Under the provisions
of this law, in September 1928, the Village Board determined to spend
the sum of $8,000.00 for a 600g.p.m. fire pumper and for an electric
siren to be mounted on the North End Fire Station. No opposition to
this determination developed, so in October 1928, after considering
four bids, a contract was awarded to the Buffalo Fire Appliance
Corporation for the truck and siren for a cost of $7,975.00. The truck
was assigned to the Citizens Hose Company, and was a conversation piece
for years because of the bright yellow color selected by the North End
Company.
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Specifications for the truck and siren
had been prepared by a committee from the Hose Company, and the new
Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works. Instead of a
chemical tank, the truck had a 300 gallon booster tank and hose, which
quickly proved their worth. And a few months after the new unit was
delivered in 1929, the Protectives requested
that the chemical tank on their pumper be replaced by a booster tank.
This was done in 1929, with considerable difficulty because of
construction problems, by the Lancaster Department of Public Works.
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Elimination of the Central
railroad/grade crossing became a post-war project in 1950. Among the
many landmark buildings which were razed or moved to new locations to side
streets off Central Avenue to permit construction of the underpasses
was the original 1913 fire hall, which was moved from Central Avenue to
a new location on West Drullard Avenue. Prior to moving the building to
its new location, the recreation hall attached to the rear of the
building which had been built by the Citizens Hose at company expense,
and later dedicated to the Village as a community center, was detached
from the main building and moved to a vacant lot on Pearl Street where
its new owner converted it to a two family dwelling.
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Another casualty of the grade
crossing elimination project was a neighborhood park and playground,
built during the Depression and largely financed by Citizens Hose, on the
front of the American Malleables Company
property on Central Avenue.
Ruins of the American Malleables
buildings, which were destroyed by fire in 1927, were cleared away to
permit construction of the project, and proceeds from scrap metal
salvaged by the firemen were used to purchase playground equipment and
beautify the grounds. In 1950,
the land occupied by the playground was acquired by the State of New
York to permit the construction of slopes at Central Avenue and Pearl
Street, where the original streets were widened and lowered.
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In 1953, the 1928 Buffalo was
replaced by a new 750 gpm pumper built by
Young Fire Appliance of Lancaster for $17,000.00. On July 29th, 1968 ground was broken for
the construction of a new North End Fire Station to replace the
original 1913 building. The new building which we now occupy was built
next to the old one, which was demolished. Combined cost of demolishing
the old one and building a new one was $89,784.00.
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In 1973 three identical 1250 gpm pumpers were purchased from Ward LaFrance for
$145,440.00, plus $2,256.00 for additional equipment added by the
Lancaster Fire Department, for a total of $148,000.00 or about
$49,500.00 per truck. The old Engine 5 was kept in service and
designated Engine 6 for a number of years and later
decommissioned. In May 1986,
Engine #5 was refurbished by Young Fire Equipment for $86,000.00, it included a fiberglass module body,
hydraulic pump panel, a 600 gallon tank, a rebuilt engine and a rebuilt
pump.
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On June 9th, 1989 the Citizens Hose
Company celebrated its 100th anniversary with a party at Salvatore's
Italian Gardens. In December of 2004, the Citizens Hose Company decommissioned
the refurbished Ward LaFrance and replaced it with a new American
LaFrance Rescue Pumper. Today, the Citizens Hose Company roster stands
at approximately 35 firefighters, making it the largest Fire Company in
the Lancaster Fire Department.
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Apparatus of the Past:
Citizens Hose Company
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1973 Ward LaFrance
- Refurbished by Young Fire Equip. in
1986
- 1250-gpm
- 600-gallon water tank
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1953 Maxim
- Model 1417
- 750-gpm
- 300-gallon water tank
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1928 Buffalo Fire Appliance
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1917 Buick
- The first motorized fire truck in
Lancaster
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Cayuga Hand Pumper
- Received
from the Cayuga Engine Company which disbanded August 5, 1886
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Picture Coming Soon
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