The heritage of the Carson City Fire Department dates to 1863. From 1863 to 1964, the fire department was all volunteer in nature. In 1964, the department converted to a mix of volunteers and paid firefighters as described below. The Carson City Fire Department traces its roots back to the time of America's Civil War with the formation of Warren Engine Company No. 1.

Mission

The mission of Warren Engine Company No. 1 (WECO) is to provide a well-trained, all-volunteer company that supports the Carson City Fire Department with the functions of fire suppression, emergency medical services, and related services to Carson City.

Overview

WECO was organized on June 17, 1863, in Carson City. The company is the oldest volunteer fire company west of the Mississippi River. Nationwide, WECO is probably the oldest continuously operated fire company, having provided uninterrupted service to this community since its inception. WECO adopted its name from the Revolutionary War hero, General Warren. WECO purchased a Hunneman hand pumper, two hose carts, and 300 feet of fire hose. This original equipment is now on display in our fire museum that is located at Fire Station No. 1.

It was very prestigious to be a member of a fire company in those days, and the pride of being the first company to get water on a fire held the highest esteem. The fact that there were two other volunteer fire companies, Curry Engine Company No. 2 and Swift Company No. 3, in the area only increased the competition. Throughout the years, WECO firefighters have been striving to keep pace with the changing times in firefighting techniques, equipment, and keeping the ever present threat of fire in check. Even to this day with all of the modern technology and the vast science of fire behavior, our men and women still heed their sworn motto to the people of Carson City, "Where Duty Calls - There You'll Find Us."

WECO is still an all-volunteer organization that assists, trains, and works beside other firefighters and paid personnel of the Carson City Fire Department when called to duty. Our members receive no pay for their services; however, our uniforms, protective clothing, state-mandated medical physicals, training requirements, and insurance are provided for by the City through a portion of the Carson City Fire Department's budget.

The fund-raising efforts of the company augment any shortfalls that Carson City cannot provide to the members and go to supporting the social and historical functions of our organization. One example of fund-raising is the standby we provide at car and motorcycle races held in Carson City.

In 2006 we celebrated 143 years of continuous service. The fire museum at Fire Station No. 1 houses our history and artifacts and has been open to the public now for over four years. It is a unique thrill to view the pictures of the past and the equipment of yesteryear. Those were the "glory years" in the fire service; however, a short distance across the main station is the awesome reminder of the progression that WECO and the Carson City Fire Department have made together in this past century.

WECO operational members respond to ‘Working Incident Requests." We are notified with pagers that are activated through a tone alert sent out by the Carson Dispatch Center after a determination has been made by the Incident Commander that there is a need for additional equipment or personnel. All of our members have made prior arrangements with their employers so that when our pagers alert us during working hours, we can respond to the call for help. The majority of our members are employed by local businesses in Carson or with the State of Nevada. The members also have the understanding and the support of their families when summoned to duty at night.

The heritage of the Carson City Fire Department dates to 1863.  From 1863 to 1964, the fire department was all volunteer in nature.  In 1964, the department converted to a  mix of volunteers and paid firefighters as described below.  The Carson City Fire Department traces its roots back to the time of America's Civil War with the formation of Warren Engine Company No. 1. 

A year older than the State of Nevada, Warren Engine Company No. 1 was formed on June 17, 1863, with twenty members comprising the original group. Humor and pathos, seriousness and horseplay, all are blended in the century plus history of one of the nation’s foremost volunteer fire-fighting units.

The Curry Engine Company No. 2 was organized May 24, 1864. It was named after Abraham Curry, one of the earliest settlers of this section, who laid out the city and planned that the plaza so often mentioned in the pages that are to follow, would some day become known as capitol square. He built the fire house and was known as the "Fire Boy's Friend." The Curry’s motto was: "Our aim---the public good."

In 1873 the S.T. Swift Company No. 3 was formed, taking its name from S.T. Swift, another Carson pioneer and sheriff of Ormsby County for a number of years. It caused much trouble for the other companies and its existence was short.

The original members of Warren Engine Co., eager in their desire to give Carson a real department, met enthusiastic support from their fellow townsmen and $2,000 was collected the day following the meeting.

The Warren Engine Company No. 4 of Marysville, California (both departments adopted their name from the Revolutionary War hero, General Warren, who fell at the Battle of Bunker Hill) agreed to sell its apparatus to the new Carson Company and a deal was completed whereby the local firemen were to pay one thousand dollars in thirty days. James D. Winters, P. Hopkins, and D.J. Gasherie agreed to act as bondsmen, but it was not necessary as A. Lewis and M. Mendelson solicited more than the required amount with apparent ease. As soon as the money was collected, telegrams were sent to Marysville for the engine and to San Francisco for three hundred feet of hose "both to be here before July Fourth."

When the Warren Engine Company was organized it had the usual officers, although the man now termed "Chief" was known for many years as the foreman.  First officers of the department were: D.J. Gasherie, foreman (Chief); A. Lewis, First Assistant; C.B. Slicer, 2nd Assistant; R. Logan, Secretary; P. Hopkins, Treasurer; J.D. Winters, E. Smith, and Mr. Kelly, trustees.

Enthusiastic then as now, the Warrens held their first ball on July 3, 1863, less than three weeks after organizing.

The men were ordered to appear in full uniform which included bright red shirts. Tickets were six dollars and supper was furnished by the ladies. A banner, which hangs in the museum, was presented at the ball by a group of young ladies.

Equipment

The first equipment of the Warrens was a Hunneman hand engine of a capacity of two 2½ inch hose lines.  The eagerly-awaited engine from Marysville, arrived on schedule and was the object of considerable attention both on its arrival and during its entire existence. The little engine, first fire-fighting equipment in the state of Nevada, had 2½ inch hose lines and one two-wheeled hose cart, with a capacity of five hundred feet. The "tub" as it was familiarly called, was manufactured in Boston and came around the Horn to California.

 

On the tool box of this tub was a large brass No. 4. The Warrens cut off a portion of the triangle in the figure 4 and left the figure 1.  The old tub was shipped from the manufacturing company in Boston, Massachusetts by boat and came around the Horn.

There was a four wheeled carriage purchased around 1892 by the Warrens from the San Francisco Fire Apparatus Manufacturing Company.  A two wheeled hose cart and 800 feet of 2½ inch hose was purchased previous to the four wheeled carriage.

The first equipment of the Curry’s was purchased from the City of San Francisco, and comprised on hand engine known as Knickerbocker No. 5 in 1864, also one two wheeled hose cart with a capacity of 800 feet of 2½ inch hose and later or probably about 1884, a two wheeled hose cart was built by W.D. Torreyson of Carson for the Curry’s. It was a magnificent piece of work, not especially beautiful, but built for strength and sturdiness. It is the property of Carson City, and is stored in the fire house museum.

 "The Little Giant" (Silsby Steam Fire Engine), came from Seneca Falls, New York, and cost $4,500. Her one thousand feet of 2½ inch hose cost $750, and the freight $642. Most of the money was raised by public subscription. On the arrival of "The Little Giant" in September, 1873, a controversy arose over the management of the new engine, in which the Appeal took a prominent part, advocating a city engineer to manage the fire department.

The result was the formation of a third company, namely the S.T. Swift Company No. 3, mentioned before. Until this company was formed, "The Little Giant" or Silsby Steam fire engine was housed in a shed west of the Ormsby House.

On the formation of the new company, the Curry Engine House was divided into two parts, separated by a walled partition, and the rear portion of the house, housed the S.T. Swift Company, and the new engine. John Mack had charge of the steamer on its arrival. When later it was under the care of the S.T. Swift Company No. 3, the engine was in charge of Frank Hall, Jonathen Saffel, William Cowan and John Mack.

As long as the Swift Company existed, there was friction between them and the Curry’s on account of the division of the building, and the entrance and exit for the new company on the west side, near the rear of the building. When the Warren’s took the building over, the steamer was there and was later sold to Ab Ambrose.

When the Curry’s had full control of the building it was partitioned off into several sleeping rooms beside the main hall. In 1875 the house was under the charge of Jonathen Saffel and dwelling within its walls were several questionable characters. There had been a number of suspicious fires. The townspeople were highly incensed at the many outrages, and suspicion finally centered on the aforesaid questionable residents of the fire house. They were warned to leave town. Six of them heeded the warning, but the seventh, Tom Burt, remained and one morning in December, 1875, he was found hanging over the cemetery gate with a "601" sign on his silent bosom. People who were here at the time have said they had doubts of his guilt, however the fire bug was inactive after this display of revenge.

The first engine house was located just east of the Chronicle office on the site of the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Brady. A bell and tower already stood in the yard and the shed in the rear was remodeled to house the new piece of equipment.

On August 17, 1863, A.W. Waitz was elected secretary. The notes taken by Waitz at the many meetings that followed are a history in themselves. Detailed and meticulous, the minutes of the early work of the department had interesting sidelights on the development of Carson City.

There were no paid fire companies in the old west. Even the rich metropolis of San Francisco, which was always burning down, didn’t have a paid fire department until 1873; and membership in the socially correct fire brigade was the highest honor in any American community for many decades. The Warren’s members boasted the finest engines, the most ornate uniforms, and the most splendid entertainment anywhere between Chicago and the Pacific coast. Tickets to their first ball in 1863 cost six gold dollars apiece, so you will see that the Warren Company was very grand indeed from the very outset.

Now five months old, the enterprising firemen on October 16, 1863 decided to show the public what they could do in the way of fire fighting, stressing the power and capacity of the engine. The county exhibition took place at the county fair on the plaza, site of the state capitol. While wide-mouthed spectators looked on with amazement, the little engine threw a stream of 209 feet through a ½ inch nozzle and 100 feet of hose, and then two streams of 166 feet through a 5/8-inch nozzle and fifty feet of hose. The climax came when a perpendicular stream was shot 155 feet in the air.

It was one of the first steam pumpers ever seen in the West and it quite outshone in beauty the old piano style hand pumper with its buffalo hide hose held together by copper rivets. A show was planned in The Plaza, as the open space around the Capitol was known, and the Warren men boasted loudly that the new engine would throw a stream right over a two-story pavilion that fronted on Carson Street.

Picture the consternation of the Warren foreman and his socially prominent hose men and engineers, when after having been fired up the fine new engine achieves pressure enough only to throw a sad and faltering stream a dozen or so feet from the nozzle. Truth is, there isn’t pressure enough. The engine could perform splendidly if only there were a better fire in its grate. The green cottonwood with which it has been fired has fouled the flues. Suddenly a resourceful member of the company has an inspiration and dashes off down Carson Street. How red are the faces of the magnificently uniformed Fire Company! How loud are the shouts of laughter from the Carson townsfolk assembled for the great exhibition.

Soon the resourceful fireman returns, his arms piled high with a dozen or more pounds of fat bacon. This will fetch a fire under any crown sheet! And sure enough, soon after the bacon begins to roll forth from the engine stack, the pistons flash more rapidly in their guides and soon the stream of water is cascading triumphantly over the roof of the pavilion in a manner to put out any conflagration which might threaten the town.  The day was saved because the Warrens didn’t save their bacon from the flames.

Elaborate plans were made for the first anniversary celebration on June 17, 1864, and 6,000 feet of lumber was purchased to enlarge the pavilion for the occasion. On June 16 the bar of the pavilion was leased for fruit and refreshments with the provision that no intoxicating liquor be served. The company expended more than $700 on the affair and tickets sold for $5.00.

The Warrens moved into a new house on November 9, 1865. They rented the house from Israel Crawford, paying $30 per month. Later they moved to the Old Kitzmeyer building across from the Wells Fargo office in what was the Fior D’Italia Cafe. On July 15, 1908, the City Trustees authorized the department to take over the Curry House which was built by Abe Curry, 1st Warden of the State Prison. This house had been the department’s headquarters for forty-two years and had undergone many improvements.

During the next few years there was the usual run of small fires, although two of major consequence were reported. It is interesting to note that virtually all of the old records end with the terse notation "Incendiarism." The suspected arson and the lack of water were the two greatest obstacles in the early fire-fighting days. On August 18, 1865, fire destroyed a whole block between Carson and Fall streets, and Fourth and Fifth streets with a loss estimated at $25,000.

On May 1, 1867, a fire alarm came from the State Prison at 9 p.m. The flames had made such progress that it was impossible to save the building, all but the walls being consumed. The Warrens however, managed to save the new addition to the prison, as well as the adjoining Warms Springs Hotel. A fire at the pavilion on June 29, 1867 was promptly extinguished, with a loss of only $300. The pavilion was owned by Peter Cavanaugh.

Permission was granted on November 3, 1877, to a "certain group of young men" to organize a juvenile hose company. A small bell for their cart was secured for $3.50 from C.M. Maish. On April 13, 1894, the following juniors became members of the senior company: William Cleary, H.M. McClasky, John Epstine, Pete Crow, Edward Peterson, Mose Catlin, Oliver Brule, Henry Burlington, Charles Clark, William David, Henry Decker, Harry Gifford, Paul Grey, Harry Kitzmeyer, George Kitzmeyer, Jr., Dan Morton, E. Mayo, W. M. Masher, Harry Muller, Gus Sheean, Louis Veiso, Fred Wilson, James Egan, Edward Cleary, William Epstine, Les Ross, and J.M. Wright.

This history would be incomplete with some notice being given to the water company. Thompson and West state that on February 29, 1860, the water company was organized with Wellington Stuart as president. In 1859, the forest extended down through a portion of the Harry Anderson ranch, and small trees and little rivulets of water ran through the little settlement. One or two wells had been dug at that time and more followed as the population increased.

The second water company was owned by Ed Sweeney. The reservoir of this system was situated about one half mile north of the old Heidenreich ranch on the Kings Canyon road. It was conveyed to the town through wooden pipes and stored in wooden cisterns for fire purposes. The water system in the early days consisted of ten cisterns and 15 plugs. Plugs were known by the names of the individuals who lived nearby. These cisterns were about 14 x 16 feet with a depth of four or five feet. When pumping water from them, the steamer and hose would fill with mud. A cistern would be emptied with twenty minutes if full, which they seldom were. Later, Helm and Rice installed an improved water system. As it is now, it was necessary to conserve the water. So many people would let the water run at night, and the watchman was ordered to turn it on when the fire alarm sounded. One night neither Mr. Helm nor the watchman heard the alarm. The result was a destructive fire. After this experience the water was kept turned on at all times.

On June 17, 1913, the 50th Anniversary of the department was celebrated in grand style. Five months later on November 13, the city trustees purchased a fire engine for the department which was the first motorized equipment in the state. The engine, a Seagrave, is still in perfect running order despite its quarter century of service. Since 1913, more equipment was added, including a new engine and an engine purchased from the Reno Fire Department.

Also included in the department equipment was an up-to-date first aid ambulance. The ambulance proved its worth in times of emergency.

Members of the department were selected in a unique manner. Firemen watched young men at fires and observed how they cooperated in combating a blaze and their general aptitude for the work. If a person was considered qualified, that person was recommended by the three top officers and a secret vote was taken and, if accepted, a letter was sent telling of the acceptance. After serving twenty years, a member could be placed on the exempt list if he so desired.  

Bells

The history of the first Warren bell is unknown, but it was a Sheffield bell cast in England. It was cracked at the time of the fire in the Dr. Fox residence in 1890 when the thermometer registered 30 degrees below zero. The Curry bell was cracked at the same time. Efforts were made to repair the Warren bell but these proved of no avail. The city finally purchased a new Blymer bell for the Warrens and afterward removed the same to the Curry House. Then the Warrens bought a new bell through public donations.

The city bell is now in the Warren Engine Company museum, and the Warren bell was sold to the city of Elko after the Warrens moved.  When the Curry’s disbanded the first time on November 25, 1876, they gave their bell to the old Carson Public School. When the new schoolhouse was built it was placed in the belfry of that building. When that building was afire, the bell fell through the roof.

The serious demeanor that characterized their devotion to duty has been, and still is, the symbol of Warren Engine Company No. 1. The early motto of the company still holds good. It is: "Where Duty Calls, There You’ll Find Us."

Modern Times

In the 1930s and 1940s, members of the fire department were summoned to duty by a unique system of blasts on the fire horn mounted at the station in back of Meyers Hardware. Firemen went to the city locations determined by the number of blasts on the fire horn; men located near the downtown location of the station drove the apparatus to the scene and met a number of firemen at the scene, together with half of the townspeople.

This system worked well until the 1950s when radios were introduced. The location horn blasts were discontinued and firemen could be directed to the scene or to the firehouse as necessary or as directed by the "Order of the Day."  In 1954, the Warrens moved across the street to a new 3-bay, 2-story building, which was the headquarters station.

Carson City was growing.  In 1964, the Carson City Fire Department converted to a mix of volunteers and a staff of paid firefighters, including the city’s first paid Fire Chief, Les Groth, a member of Warren Engine Company No. 1. Prior to this conversion, only the three station men, Burd Lindsay, Louie Nelson, and Elsmore (A.B.) Riehl, were paid while Warren Engine Company No. 1 volunteers fought the fires.  Data in the table  below illustrates the operations of the fire department during the 1950s and 1960s.

Fire Calls	Losses - Ormsby County	Personnel	Budget
1956 - 75	1959 - $16,990	1959 - 3 paid; 22 volunteers	1960-1961: $36,971
1959 - 127	1965 - $102,400	1966 - 12 paid; 25 volunteers	1965-1966:$100,297
1964 - 222
1966 - 350+

 

Assisting Les Groth was another Warren Engine Company No. 1 veteran, Bernard Sease, who became a paid Fire Captain and went on to become Fire Chief. The first six paid firefighters came on board in 1965, with these six split into three two-man shifts. Many of these first paid firefighters came from Warren Engine Company No. 1 ranks.

In 1967, additional paid firefighters were hired to man the department’s four engines. Firefighters from Warren Engine Company No. 1 continued to respond to emergencies. Off duty firefighters were called back to respond to incidents as necessary. The late 1960s saw the department’s apparatus inventory include two hose trucks, two brush trucks, and a snorkel.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s volunteers continued to provide the bulk of incident response. These well-trained, experienced firefighters were brought up on practical involvement in "hands-on" firefighting as opposed to theory. To hone skills, drills were prevalent. A drill week, a series of stations involving fire situations such as structure fire, vehicle fire, brush fire, propane fire, and smoke drill, was conducted in the evenings and included participants from other Northern Nevada community fire departments. After training, a social event followed and participants enjoyed the camaraderie.

In 1969 six more firefighters joined the paid force, and during the next several years, more paid firefighters were hired, usually at a rate of 2-3 each year. In 1971, a Federal grant program paid for two firefighters. As the paid department continued to increase in size, the number of volunteers declined slightly.

Wages and working conditions remained at status quo with no real increase in wages given the risk involved in firefighting. In 1972, the Fire Department developed a five part program to enhance pay and benefits and presented its proposal to the Board of Supervisors. The supervisors rejected this proposal and, as a result, the paid force unionized under the International Association of Firefighters in 1973. 1998 marked the 25th anniversary of Local 2551, the Carson City Firefighters Association.

During the period 1980-1982, the first paid firefighter/paramedics were hired. The paramedic program was instituted by the shift personnel after approval by Fire Chief Bernard Sease. Prior to the advent of paid paramedics, the city’s emergency medical service was provided by private ambulance service. 

During the 1940s and 1950s and into the early 1960s, a local mortician, Art Kvam, using a privately owned ambulance, responded to emergency medical calls. Because only one ambulance served the community, service was on a first come, first served basis. During the 1960s Warren Barber ran an ambulance service in Carson City. Again, service was limited to one ambulance.

Aides Ambulance Service came to Carson City and operated in the 1970s. The city subsidized this service. In the early 1980s, Medic 1 put an ambulance at Station 1 to replace the service provided by Aides. $15,000 in matching funds was provided to buy a new ambulance, a 1980 Ford F350. This vehicle was outfitted as a Rescue rig.

In 1974, the city added two new stations, Stations 2 and 3, located on College Parkway and Snyder Avenue, respectively.

This enhanced geographical coverage throughout the city and aided in decreasing response time. Station 1, Warren Engine Company, continued to support the central city, as it had since 1952, from its location on the corner of Curry and Musser streets.

 

In 1994, Station 1 moved to its present facility at 777 South Stewart Street.

Bernard Sease retired in early 1990 and Ted Berrum functioned as Acting Fire Chief until Fire Chief, Louis Buckley, was hired in August, 1990 and retired on December 31, 2004.  On January 1, 2005, current Fire Chief Stacey Giomi assumed duty.

The present department is multi-faceted and always challenged to meet the needs of growth in the city and surrounding rural areas. With a paid force currently numbering 63 personnel (including support personnel) augmented by a 32-member volunteer force from Warren Engine Company No. 1, the Carson City Fire Department continues to provide premium emergency service in the protection of life and property of the citizens and visitors of Carson City, Nevada.

The members of Warren Engine Company No. 1 have been very diligent in the preservation of their heritage.   The Company maintains a beautiful fire museum containing apparatus, equipment, photographs, and other memorabilia that extends back to that first meeting in 1863, including all of the written record books.  The museum is located in the main fire station at 777 South Stewart Street, Carson City, Nevada.  Please come by and visit.  You are always welcome!