Sullivan Volunteer Fire Department

The Sullivan Volunteer Fire Department was started in 1947 by a group of interested citizens who concluded that we needed quicker fire protection than was available from neighboring departments. Eight men met with the trustees in early 1947 and decided to form a volunteer fire department.

A list of charter members included the following names: E.L. Barone, Charles Bennett, Otis Blessing, Merle Bryner, Lee Clinker, Morton Cole, Chester Elliott, Delbert Elliott, Otto Elliott, Quentin Farnsworth, Chester Foster, Robert Handley Kenneth Haulk, Richard Hawley, Harlan Keener, Durward Kirkpatrick, Raymond Marshall, Marshall McAdoo, Homer McQuen, Henry Mengerink, Albert Patton, Howard Richards, Aubrey Ringler, John Ringler, Jr., Max Sooy, Orville Swope, Mervin Styer, Herbert Skeeles, and Glenn Wright. Chester Foster is still an active volunteer fireman₁.

The original equipment of the department in late 1947 included a ball hitch trailer and six ball hitches issued to six fireman. The trailer contained a portable pump, 500 feet of hose and a nozzle. A siren was also purchased.

During the winter of 1948-49 the fireman took their first formal training in fire fighting. The course was sponsored by the Department of Agriculture. In 1948 a second hand Model A Ford Fire Truck was purchased from the Wakeman Fire Department. It carried 500 gallons of water and was housed in the Kirkpatrick barn for the winter. In 1949 the fireman's carnival was started to raise money for the equipment and supplies and was held yearly until 1956 when a fire destroyed the township house where the carnival equipment was stored. _2-3

A building was erected in 1949 to house the fire truck and to serve as a room for public meetings. A kitchen was added and in 1966 a levy was passed to expand the building to include a community meeting room.

In 1947 Mr. & Mrs. E. L. Heilman donated 1.5 acres of ground of Short Street for a pond which the trustees had dug. A large volume electric pump as installed thus affording a quick supply of centrally located water even in bad weather.

A new ford engine was purchased in 1951. Shortly there after a used 1300 gallon white tanker was secured and an equipment carrier was added. Two-way radios have been added throughout the years.

In 1968 a different tanker was purchased. In 1971 a new IHC engine was purchased and a used 4-wheel drive jeep pickup was purchased from Ed Allgire to fight grass fires and other off the road emergencies. This brought our pumping capacity to a total of 1000 gallons of water per minute with 300 gallons of water ready to roll.

The emergency squad was begun in early 1972 because some of the fireman were embarrassed to see neighboring trained departments called into our area to do tasks that we should have been doing. In early 1973 we completed out-fitting our ambulance and started answering calls. Some of the fireman had taken first aid, CPR advanced aid and 60 hours of Emergency Victim care. The very first squad run was made by by Ron Atkinson and Jerry Bauer to the old Vaughn Cole farm. The present Sullivan volunteer fire department numbers thirty one members with Clarence Swope as Chief, Assistant Chief Jerry Bauer, Squad Captain Gary Keener, and president Dwain Parks. Other members are: Don Miller, Leslie Handley, Chester Foster, Michael Canfield, Earl Flickinger, Vernon Burkett, Aubrey Ringler, James Richards, Don Brockway, Ken Twining, Dan Clinker, Thomas Canfield, Arlan Handley, John Heath, Ronald Blessing, Guy Vaughn, Ted Harris, Walter Sprinkle III, Frank Algire, Bill Cowhick, Henry True, Roy Twining, and Don Harris.

Among our more disastrous fires was one on March 21, 1950 with four store buildings on North Main Street destroyed. The Congregational Church Fire was November 15, 1953 and the Christian Church fire was on January 30, 1955. On February 17, 1960 the Masonic Hall and store burned on East Main Street.

While we have had our share of disastrous fires we are continually striving for better equipment, better training, better inspection and quicker reporting of fires.

One of the more amusing incidents that has occurred is the time we inadvertently left one of our fireman, Morton "Jeff" Cole, behind with an Indian Firefighter when we returned from a large woods fire. He finally found his way home anyway and still claims to be in the process of forgiving us.

On reflection it seems that a goodly number of years spent on a volunteer fire department probably does the fireman even more good and gives more satisfaction to him than the people he has assisted.

The Auxiliary of the Sullivan Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1949 and has been most helpful in raising funds and providing refreshments when the need arises.

This history was complied in the early 1970s by Jerry Bauer with the help of Vivian Cole and Arlan Handley.