Corning Volunteer Fire Department celebrates 100 years

B.L. Wilbourn was a printer, J.W. Kaehler a wool grower and S. A. Wheeler was a plumber when they joined the Corning Volunteer Fire Department 100 years ago — along with more than 40 other men ready to serve the community in which they lived.

That was Feb. 14, 1912, and the Corning Trustees, after completion of a dedicated water system, held a town meeting for the purpose of forming a "first class firefighting machine," to ensure the protection of life and property for the town's citizens and businesses, states a resolution to honor the Corning Fire Department for 100 years of service.

The resolution will be presented during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Under the leadership of Fire Chief A. H. Marshall, three hose companies were formed, each commanded by a captain.

The Corning Observer printed at that time, "The fact that the City Trustees have invested in three hose carts and some 1,500 feet of hose with which to fight fire has stirred the ambition of a number of Corning's young men and they propose to organize an efficient fire department."

Since then, 11 fire chiefs have led more than 350 men who have served as volunteers in the department.

About 100 people attended the newly formed department's first meeting, the newspaper reported, at which time it was decided Hose Company No. 1 members would cover the "territory lying east of the Southern Pacific tracks; Hose Company No. 2, all the territory lying between the Southern Pacific tracks and Fifth Street, and for Hose Company No. 8, all that territory west of Fifth Street within the city limits."

Of that first meeting the Corning Observer wrote, "There was plenty of harmony of the right sort, and from the very start the friendly rivalry that will make each hose company formidable in its work was apparent among the younger members."

While a lot has changed in the department over the past 100 years, the harmony of the right sort and friendly rivalry has remained a constant.

Today the department has 35 volunteers, four full-time dispatchers, one chief, one squad unit, two brush units, three engines, one aerial ladder engine and one utility unit.

Volunteers respond to approximately 1,000 calls for service annually, participate in countless hours of training and support and participate in local community events.

One of the department's long standing community service projects is its Christmas Basket Project, in which the department gathers, organizes and delivers new toys and the makings of a holiday meal to about 80 families every Christmas.

The department's fire hall, first located on Fourth Street, is now located at 814 Fifth Ave., where one of the department's 1960 fire engines still sits and is often featured in parades.

Corning Fire Hall is getting a bit of a facelift, as its volunteers get ready for the official Centennial Celebration planned for April 28, and will include a pancake breakfast at the fire hall, followed by a parade, statistic displays, a muster, and will conclude with a dinner, said Fire Chief Martin Spannaus.

"This celebration is going to be about the 350 volunteers who have served this community for 100 years," Spannaus said. "Technology has changed and we are pretty well equipped today, going from hand-pulled carts in the beginning, to our current aerial ladder truck and motorized engines, but the dedication of our volunteers has never changed, that remains the same."