A History of the Naugatuck Fire Department, Part 2

Editor's Note: To view the first part of our history column, .

The dawn of the 1900’s brought changes to the Naugatuck Fire Department.

With the relocation of the New Haven Railroad tracks in 1906, the town sought to relocate the Water Street station. In 1910, the Maple Street Fire House was formally dedicated. It was a fine and striking building, among its many attributes was the very latest version of the Gamewell Alarm system.

The whole town was in gala attire for the dedication with patriotic decoration not only displayed on public and business buildings but private residences as well. Red, white and blue buntings and ribbons adorned buildings and people alike. Visitors numbered in the thousands, coming via train, trolley and carriage, some to march in the parade and some to witness the event. The rat- a- tat-tat of the drum began resounding as soon as the first train arrived.

The Naugatuck Daily News reported among the most coveted souvenirs by the street vendors were the little rubber boots which represented Naugatuck’s principal industry. At the Fireman’s Field, borough women spent the morning setting up tables and unloading wagons of food arriving from all parts of the borough, enough to feed the 1,800 fireman they were expecting to feed in the afternoon following the parade.

The fire company was like family not only with each other but also with other companies in the area. There was an equal amount of respect as well as a playful sense of competition.

By 1905, They had begun competing with other fire company’s in events such as hose-laying. They organized a baseball team and proceeded to purchase land along the Naugatuck River on the south end of town which they named Fireman’s Field. It had the reputation of being one of the most outstanding sports arenas in the Naugatuck Valley. 

At this time, horse drawn equipment and carts pulled by manpower were still being used to reach the towns fires. In the book Naugatuck Stories and Legend’s, Author William Leuchars describes what our firefighters were up against when an alarm went off,

“The volunteers would leave their jobs or homes, then would have to run to the firehouse, grab onto the lines of a jumper and run to the fire, dragging their equipment behind. Fire horses to pull the hose carts, heavy apparatus and pumper's, were usually rented and if the horses were used for other work at the time of an alarm, there could be a delay in getting equipment to the fire.”

Imagine dragging this heavy equipment up the hilly streets of Naugatuck, that were typically muddy, dusty or icy depending on the season. Often citizens would run into the streets to help the firemen pull the equipment up the hills. In 1914, the town purchased our first gasoline truck and by 1916, had their first full-time firefighter.

Fires were more common at this time due to overheated stoves, over worked fireplaces, and the use of kerosene lamps. Even the trains were not immune.

The following story was reported in the Daily News on Jan 7, 1904,

“A loss of several thousand dollars was caused on the New York, New Haven, Hartford Railroad last evening when 2 passenger coaches on the train leaving Waterbury on the Naugatuck division at 6:15 were entirely consumed by fire.”

“While speeding on the way to Bridgeport one of the kerosene lamps in the first coach exploded and the rear coach became one mass of flames. The wind which was blowing toward the north swept the flames into the rear car. As soon as the explosion occurred the air brakes were applied but before the train stopped, both rear coaches were in flames. These cars were detached from the rest of the train and left to burn. By the quick action of the employees on the train, a panic was adverted and all passengers escaped without injury.”

There were many notable fires in the borough through the years.

White and Wells box factory located on Rubber Avenue caught fire on April 1902, having the potential to bring down all surrounding buildings if not for the amazing work of our firefighters. Considered the most disastrous fire, which hadn’t occurred in Naugatuck since July, 1893, when J. M. Page & Co. was burned, it destroyed the building, the stock which it contained and most of the machinery. More than once it was thought that all the surrounding buildings on Church Street were doomed, as a strong wind was blowing and a shower of sparks were falling on the roofs of several of the buildings northwest of the burning factory.

At the following morning, Rev. Sheridan remarked before giving his homily what an efficient job was done by the Naugatuck Fire Department in extinguishing the blaze. He was quoted as saying in the News that “the fireman were deserving of great praise, and that God alone knew what the conditions would have been Sunday morning but for the heroic and successful fight made by the fireman. He advised his parishioners to always keep their houses and furniture insured as a safeguard against total loss in case of fire.”

Many citizens were not insured and it seemed a fairly common practice for folks to begin removing their furniture and possessions even if a fire was close by. Another practice was to store cash in the cold cellar or freezer to protect from fire hence the term “cold cash.”

When fires occurred during freezing weather it presented a whole new set of circumstances to contend with.

One of the most dramatic occurred in on Jan 30, 1952 when the infamous Alcazar Theater, a Naugatuck institution since 1913, caught fire in the middle of the night. The subzero temperatures and heavy smoke wreaked havoc with the firefighters, who’s gloves, rubber coats and helmets were stiff with ice and icicles hanging from them. The Naugatuck News reported the cold was so intense it immediately put their own camera on the scene out of commission when the shutter froze.

A young boy, Charles Carn of Maple street made his way from fireman to fireman with hot coffee. Firemen also found comfort in the adjacent Lincoln Lunch room, which remained open all night making urn after urn of coffee.

Sam Mariano of the Naugatuck Street Department was on hand to spread sand over the roads. The roads were a sheet of ice on North Main and Oak Streets but no matter how fast the sand was spread a new layer of ice would form over it.

In spite of all the challenges of this seven-hour blaze, none of the surrounding building had significant damage although the Alcazar was completely destroyed. Five firefighters were injured or frostbitten. It was reported that many of the volunteer fireman who were seen working the fire all night were observed making their way to their regular employment after the fire.

Citizens relied on the fire alarms for other information other than a fire warning. The signals were as follows,

Two blast at 8 p.m., Test Alarm; Two blast, Fire out or under control; Five blast calls entire company to the fire house for special duty; Red Cross Call and C.D., seven repeated blasts, four times; Ten blast at 7 am, No public school in any department; Three blast, repeated four times, Boy Scouts.

Our current Chief Kenneth Hanks recalls as a child the alarm going off every night at a certain time signaling kids it was time to go home.

At some point in time, the firehouse on Maple Street was in need of repairs. In an effort to save money it was decided to remove the brick arch at the top of the building. If you happen to go to the Milestone Inn on Neumann street in the borough and enter at the bar area, you will find yourself walking under that very arch!

The fire department of today faces many new challenges, which require extensive training, but just as their brothers of the 1800 and 1900's, saving lives and property is first and foremost. The Maple Street Firehouse and East Side Firehouse continue to give countless hours of service coupled with dedication, courage and integrity.

We all hope we never need them but if we do, it is comforting to know it is there skillful hands and compassionate hearts that will greet us in our moment of need.

It is impossible to tell all the history and recite all the stories waiting to be told in the confines of these brief articles. I encourage you to visit the upcoming display of The History of the Naugatuck Fire Department at the Naugatuck Historical Society or perhaps inquire at the Fire House about a tour of the facility.

Until next week when we find another place in Naugatuck History, a simple prayer for our firefighters is always in order that their safety and blessing will abound.

Credits: Special thanks to Fire Chief Ken Hanks for his time and info for these articles; The archives Naugatuck Daily News; Naugatuck Stories and Legends by William G. Leuchars