Firefighting in Richfield Early 1900s
Although
there are no written accounts in firehouse records describing the
details of early 1900s firefighting in Richfield, WI, it is easy to
envision what it would have been like. Picture a hot August night, a
flurry of sparks and cinders threatening a sleeping family. Out for a
late evening walk, two neighbors view black smoke billowing into the
night air. One neighbor frantically runs to the house to alert the
occupants, while the other screams "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE" as he runs toward
the firehouse. Others soon take up the chant in shrill and compelling
voices.
The bell in the tower of the engine house sounds a continuous ring shattering the stillness of the night. A team of horses, from the livery stable is hooked up to the hand pumper. The once blackened street now is illuminated by countless lanterns of panicking friends. Heartbeats pound that gut-wrenching beat only felt when unmistakable disaster is at hand. Intoxicated on adrenaline, fire fighters mount the hand pump engine. Hoofs pound the ground as horses race to the checkered flag of heroism.
The
two hose carts are pulled to the fire with the strength and sweat of
additional fire fighters. The newly excavated cistern on the north end
of town serves as a 25,000 gallon reservoir of hope. A suction
(drafting) hose is lowered into the cistern as the foreman commands,
"all hands on the spritz". Six men stand on each side of the hand
pumper, their attention fixated on the task at hand. Firmly grasped
onto the hand rail, they began the teeter-tottering motion to pump
water through the hose.
Like a giant torch, flames soar to the heavens as the wood frame is eaten alive by the famished fire. The crackling and roaring of the blaze echoes above the cries of the town. There is no calming the inferno giant until every last timber is destroyed. Without turnouts the fire fighters have no protection against the scorching evil they battle. Could a medieval warrior ever conquer an army without a suit of armor? Charred faces and singed overalls retreat from the battlefield. Despite genuine commitment to the cause and every bit of strength the town could muster, defeat is at hand.
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