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History
The Media Fire & Hook & Ladder Co., No. 1 was formed in 1891
by a citizens concerned about the lack of an organized group to respond
to fires in the town. Although the earliest efforts lacked equipment,
funding and a permanent station, the dedicated volunteers persevered.
The founding members sponsored fundraising fairs, contributed their own
money and used their own properties to held establish the first fire
company. Over the years they purchased a steam engine and a hose cart.
Adding more equipment and upgrading through the years, the Media Fire
Company later added an ambulance division and eventually a ladder truck
to their compliment. Today the Media Fire Company operates two engines,
a truck company, a rescue, two basic life support ambulances and two
advanced life support vehicles with an active crew of more than 35 members. |
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1880s:
In 1886, Borough Council provided a hand engine pump that was kept in
a stable on Jasper Street. However, there was no group organized as
a fire company, and it was up to all the residents to assist in an
emergency. In 1889, the Delaware County American, a weekly newspaper
published in Media, called attention to the need for an organized body
of men to fight fires. |
1890s:
In September 1890, a meeting was held in Borough Council Chambers to organize
a fire company, but little was done at that time. The hand pump was housed
wherever there was space. Later that year another meeting was held to
organize the Media Fire Protective Association, which took charge of
the hand pumper. |
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In 1891 an application was made to the Delaware
County Court for the incorporation of the Media Fire and Hook and Ladder
Company, No. 1. The charter was granted on October 6, 1891. The company
first had quarters on Jasper Street and then Plum Street, before moving
in 1893 to the new Borough Hall and Fire House at State and Jackson Streets,
where it remained until 1969. The Company purchased for $2,900 an American
LaFrance Piston Steam |
| Pumper, which was kept in service until 1922,
when it was donated to the newly formed South Media Fire Company. Later
in 1891, the Company ordered a hook and ladder wagon for $640. Media now
had a first class fire company. |
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1900s:
In May 1900, the largest firemen's parade in the town's history was held
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Media Borough's founding - more
than 1,000 firemen marched with their apparatus.
1910s:
In March 1911, the Company became the 23rd member of the Delaware County
Firemen's Association, and hosted the County Convention and Parade in
1913.
In 1914, the Company became motorized with the purchase of a Mack chassis,
upon which was placed a horse-drawn chemical apparatus. Also that year,
the Company discussed purchasing an ambulance, but the first ambulance
was not
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aid was administered from fire engines, which carried a small first aid
kit and a stretcher. |
1920s:
At the beginning of 1920, the membership of the Company was 501 members.
In 1923, the first Packard ambulance was placed in service, and the fire
bell was moved to the top of the firehouse roof. In 1924, a Hale Fire
Truck with two 35-gallon tanks attached was purchased for $2,790. Because
of the fast speed of the new truck, a speedometer was placed on it. By
the end of 1928, the Company had answered 106 alarms for the year. |
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On August 19, 1929, the most serious accident
in the history of the Media Fire Company occurred. While answering an alarm
on Mt. Alverno Road in Middletown Township, the 1925 Seagrave Pumper, in
turning from Elwyn Road onto Middletown Road, at the bridge over the railroad
tracks, missed the turn and dropped about 50 feet onto the tracks. The
driver of the truck, Marion Baker, and fireman Morgan Wood were killed
instantly, and several others on the truck were injured. A committee reported
that repairs to the truck were not possible, and a new 1929 Seagrave Pumper
was purchased for $9,150. The Media Fire Company maintains the 1929 Seagrave
to this day. |
1930s:
In 1932, the heart of the great depression, the Company was forced to sell
Liberty Bonds in which it had invested in order to maintain the expenses
of the Company. In 1939, the Media Borough Council purchased a fire siren,
ending longstanding complaints by firemen of not being able to hear the
fire bell. The siren was still in use until a few years ago. The old
fire bell, which had been in use since 1895, is now on display alongside
the fire station.
1940s:
In 1941, the Company celebrated its 50th anniversary and hosted the huge
Delaware County Firemen's Association Convention and Parade. In April 1943,
due to a shortage of firefighters caused by World War II, the Company enrolled
25 junior members.
In 1945, the 1915 Seagrave Truck was sold to the newly formed Lima Fire
Company for $100. In 1947, there were 105 fires and 309 ambulance trips.
In 1948, an organizational meeting was held to re-establish a Ladies Auxiliary
for the Fire Company.
In 1949, the Company investigated the purchase of a piece of land along
Jackson Street between Front and Jasper Streets for the construction of
a new fire house. Although the Company was favorable toward the purchase,
it would be 20 years before a new fire house was realized on the site. |
1950s:
In May 1950, a new firefighting device was demonstrated: the Scott Air
Pack. It would be used to enter burning, smoke-filled buildings for rescue
work and firefighting.
During the winter of 1949-50, the Company worked hard to purchase
new uniforms for Media's Centennial celebration in 1950. |
| In 1950, the Media Lions Club presented the Company with
a portable iron lung, the only one in the County, for use in transporting
polio patients. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the polio epidemic
raged throughout the country. Media Fire Company was one of the only companies
in Delaware County to transport polio patients. Only single men, all volunteers,
were permitted to transport these highly contagious cases. |
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| In 1953, a new American LaFrance Aerial Truck
with a 65-foot ladder was delivered. In 1954, Media's ambulances assisted
in moving patients from the old Lankenau Hospital in Center City to the
new facility on the Lincoln Highway near City Line Avenue. |
1960s:
The topic of a new fire station had come up repeatedly during the early
1960s, and in 1964 Media Borough Council arranged to have a referendum
placed on the May ballot for a new fire house. The Company had leaflets
in favor of the referendum delivered to every house and apartment in
Media. The referendum was passed by a wide majority. |
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In 1966, the Company agreed to operate under the new county
radio and numbering system. Also that year, plans were approved for the
new fire house. The new fire house was dedicated on October 4, 1969.In
December 1969, the Company approved the purchase of a 85-foot Snorkel for
$88,296 - the new Snorkel was delivered in March, 1971. |
1970s:
In March 1971, the Company agreed to go on the new county radio system
for the dispatching of fire and ambulance calls. The Media Fire Company
became Station 23 and all equipment was numbered using the "23" prefix.
By 1976, the ambulance business was changing, and new rules and
regulations demanded that the crews have either an emergency medical
technician or paramedic.
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1980s:
In 1982, the fire siren was turned off for a one-month test period. After
many complaints by firemen and citizens, the siren was reactivated
by popular demand. In 1988, the Company bought a new "Squrt" for
$296,432 - the most expensive piece of equipment ever purchased by
the Company at that time.
1990s
In 1991, the Media Fire Company celebrated its 100th anniversary, and again
hosted the Delaware County Firemen's Association Convention and Parade. |
2000 and beyond:
As it entered the 21st Century, the Media Fire Company continued to have
a vision for the future. In 2001, the Company authorized purchase of
a new Snorkel truck for $715,000, with delivery expected in October 2002.
The Company continues to provide quality emergency medical services.
With a call volume that continues to grow each year, some paid emergency
medical technicians have been added to ensure prompt response. The Company
continues to meet the challenges of recruiting new members, providing
comprehensive training, and delivering prompt, efficient and effective
fire, rescue and medical services to the residents of Media and beyond. |
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