A Brief History of the Rockwell Fire Department

The Rockwell (City) Fire Department began in 1939 with the installation of the Town of Rockwell’s
 Water / Sewer system. The Board of Aldermen saw a need at this time to form a fire department and
 thus appointed G. Hoyle Moose as its first Fire Chief. There were approx. 12 charter members of the
fire department. In the beginning the department was supplied with a trailer that consisted of 800’ of
 hose, a chemical can, an axe and was pulled by a department member’s vehicle. A utility pickup truck
 was purchased in the early 40’s and the first new fire truck was purchased in 1953. It was a Ford /
Oren fire truck that was capable of supplying 500 gallons of water per minute and carried 500 gallons
 of water. At the time it was state of the art and cost approx. $12,000. This truck served the
community well until it was retired in the early 1990’s. In 1975 a new fire truck was added to the
 department. It was a cab over Ford pumper able to pump 1000 gpm and could carry 500 gallons of
 water. Additional hose capacity was added and new breathing equipment was purchased. The cost
of this vehicle, $46,000. Several utility vehicles were purchased following this truck and the
department saw the formation of a First Responder (Medical Responder) program evolve. The
 department saw a need for a truck that could provide an elevated stream in the event of a fire in
the larger, taller buildings in town and in 1989 a custom fire apparatus with seating for six
firefighters was purchased that had a 50’ TeleSqurt on it. This truck could pump 1500 gpm and
carried 500 gallons of water. The cost of this apparatus $216,000. This truck continues to serve
 the department well. In 1995 a replacement vehicle for the 1975 Ford was purchased. It too was
 a custom fire apparatus with seating for six firefighters and the ability to pump 1500 gpm and
carried 500 gallons of water. Its cost approx. $220,000. The latest addition to the department is
 a 2003 custom fire apparatus with seating for six firefighters and the ability to pump 1500 gpm
and carries 500 gallons of water. The cost $236,000.

The original location of the fire department was adjacent to the current Town Hall on E. Main Street.
 This municipal building was constructed in 1952-53 and housed not only the Fire Dept. but the town’s
 library. This location served us well until we outgrew the space and a new Fire Department was
constructed on S. Cherry Street in 1984. This location continues to serve the Rockwell Community.

 

DEPT. CHIEFS

G. H. Moose        1939 – 1943    

L. C. Barringer    1944 – 1967   

A. L. Linker         1968 – 1976   

H. W. Bost, Jr.   1977 – 2000   

T. C. Linker       2001 – Present

 

DEPT. DEMOGRAPHICS

Area Served: We serve an area approx. 2 square miles from one station which covers
 the entire city limits while offering mutual aid to all county departments and especially
 our neighboring department, Rockwell Rural Fire Dept.

Population Served: We serve a population of 2003.

Call Volume: In the early years calls were few and far between. You could count the number
 of calls in a year’s time on one hand. Now we average 250 – 300 calls per year. This past
year calls for service ran 272 (this includes Fire, EMS, Rescue, Vehicle Accidents, etc.).

Membership: In the beginning as stated previously there were 12 charter members. We have
 seen ups and downs in membership being an all volunteer department, but seem to average
 between 25 – 30 members. We currently have 28 members on roster. We began in 2003 to
hire part-time staff to man our station during the daytime due to the decrease in volunteer
 members being able to leave their jobs and respond to calls. This has been a welcomed
addition. We have seen as everyone else has nationwide that the day of the volunteer
firefighter has come to an end.

Services Provided: Fire, Rescue, EMS (First Responders), and Hazardous Materials

 

DEPT. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • One of the first departments to offer First Responder, EMS to its citizens.

  • One of the first municipal departments to use 5" LDH (Large Diameter Hose).

  • One of the first departments to upgrade to the Hazardous Materials Operations Level.

  • The FIRST ALL VOLUNTEER fire department to attain a Class 3 ISO rating.

  • One of a few departments to have approx. 90% of its members with Firefighter II and EMT certifications.

CURRENT DEPT. OFFICERS

CHIEF – TIM C. LINKER

DEPUTY CHIEF – JEFF T. WILSON

ASST. CHIEF – TERRY L. BEAVER

CAPTAIN – JACK B. WHITE

CAPTAIN – TIM HENDERSON

LIEUT. – KEVIN KELLOUGH

LIEUT. – CHAD WALKER

 

NOTABLE FIRES:

Rockwell Feed Mill     1954

Sides Lumber Company     1976

Cozart Lumber Company      1989

Cannon Mill Fire       1991