Edwardsville Fire Department

Edwardsville Fire Department providing fire suppression, EMS, rescue and public education to the City of Edwardsville, Illinois. Responding to the needs of a growing community, civic leaders founded Edwardsville Fire Company #1 in 1874. The early fire department quickly proved its worth, and the organization flourished both as a service and a social institution. Gala New Years Eve balls and summer parades and picnics were social events eagerly awaited by townsfolk. All the early fire fighting equipment was pulled to fires by the firefighters and then powered by their muscles. Some of the actual vehicles used by these hearty volunteers are still on display at Fire Station #1. Horse drawn apparatus displaced human powered equipment when the fire department purchased their first team and pumper at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Horses were used for the next two decades until the first motor-driven trucks were added in the I920's. As time passed and the needs of the growing city changed, the fire department also continued to evolve. Rescue service and a first aid squad came into being in the 1930's. New equipment and more career firefighters were added throughout the years, and a second station was built in Montclaire in 1969. One of the most sweeping changes occurred in 1974 when the ambulance service was added to the fire department's duties. Once again, civic leaders had identified a need, and the fire department was proud to meet a new challenge. Thanks to the generous endowment by the late Mrs. Ella Tunnel and other patrons in the community, the ambulance service was upgraded to the paramedic level in 1983. As the 21st century begins, the fire department stands ready to serve our community to the best of our ability.