History

The following are excerpts of our history from a book we published for our 100th celebration in 1987. We thank Robert Sheffer for his dedication in keeping track of events that have shaped our organization.

The Badge of a Firefighter is the Maltese Cross. The Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. It’s story is hundreds of years old.

The Dalmatian has been the fire dog since the fire department used horses. Dalmatians were bred for endurance and stamina. Dalmatians are not fast dogs but are able to run for long periods of time without rest. Dalmatians were trained to escort the horse drawn engine to the fire scene and prevent stray dogs from interfering. The spotted Dalmatians were easy for the horses to distinguish from the other dogs. Once at the fire scene, Dalmatians would continue to protect the horses from other animals.