Bellevue Fire Department
The Bellevue Fire Department was formed in 1886. Previously two fire companies had been in operations from the mid 1880s; Peerless Company and Summit Company. They had equipment which included man powered hose reels.
By 1900 Bellevue had horse drawn equipment. In 1918 the first motorized fire engine was procured, an Ahrens Fox. By 1920 they had moved to a new station in the 300 block of Fairfield. In the 1940s the department moved to the present location on Van Voast Avenue and added a second truck, a Buffalo. In 1944 the organization voted to purchase an electric siren and it was mounted on the building.
Bellevue 1949 Fire Department Volunteers
In 1965 the purchased a Snorkel for high rise use and that truck remained in service until 1985. In 1983 a Sutphen Pumper was purchased, a 1250 GPM. The second pumper is a 1000 GMP Maximum Custom.
Early funding included "tin banks" left in homes and later collected. Collecting these banks took six days. The Bellevue Department is a combination volunteer career department, meaning the chief and three shift captains are used in addition to volunteers. Except for salaries all other expenses are raised by the volunteers.
Some of the fire chiefs from the past include Charles Bright, Red Schessmer, Gus Bosch, Bud Moore, Dick Moore, Jack Krogman.
Read more about the history of the Bellevue Fire Department