The Nashville Fire Department Part II (1912-Present)
By 1912 the faithful and beloved fire horses were being retired as trucks replaced them. Intelligent and hard-working horses named Buck and Rowdy and Ponce and Echo had served Nashville well. An apparatus at the Geddes Fire Hall showed how, with the push of a button, the harnesses could be dropped onto the horses, and once secured, off they would go down the crest of a hill towards danger. The first automobile for the department was a Marathon, made here in Nashville, and was driven by Chief Rozetta.
May 1915. Image courtesy of Metro Nashville Government Archives.
Without the need to house and feed horses the functional design of firehalls changed. Some welcome funding became available through Public Works Administration projects during the great economic depression of the mid-1930s.
In 1936 Nashville enjoyed christening new buildings for five fire companies. According to one newspaper article, this was an example of how Nashville was using PWA projects for "changing the scenery for the betterment of civic beauty and service." Some fire halls were constructed in the "most modern type of bungalow design," and were planned to house two trucks and two crews with a "modern" workshop in the basement.
Fires continued to be fearsome and deadly. Entire floors of buildings could collapse, as well as brick walls, sometimes engulfing fireman. Smoke inhalation was also deadly. The 1916 fire in East Nashville will never be forgotten. In under five hours, sixty-four acres and 648 buildings were burned by a raging fire advancing at a rate of 42 feet per minute.
During the 20th century expansion of the fire department was significant. By the 1970s a work shift of 24 hours on duty and 48 off was adapted. In 1974 a new division was formed, the Ambulance and Rescue Division, launched with 8 ambulances and 60 personnel. In 1980 a new Communications Center opened. In the 1990s a Water Rescue Squad was added as well as a Hazardous Materials Team.
Today’s Nashville Fire Department protects Davidson County with over 1,500 personnel at 39 active fire stations. Staffing includes active firefighters, civilian EMS personnel, administrative leaders, and support staff. Recruits undergo intensive physical and academic training in order to graduate with both Firefighter II and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) certifications. Modern Facilities on the NFD campus include a live-burn building, draft pits for testing fire engine pumps, and advanced classroom spaces for ongoing medical education.
Dedication of a fire engine named the Anne Dallas Dudley in May 1919 at the Waverly-Belmont Fire Station with Ms. Dudley at the wheel.
Some early firehouses still standing in Nashville:
Holly Street Fire Hall (Engine Co. No. 14- functional fire house) 1600 Holly Street in East Nashville. Built in 1914, a neoclassical / Colonial Revival building.
Hillsboro Village Fire Hall (Fire Station No. 16- functional fire house) 2219 21st Avenue South. Built in 1929, Tudor Revival style
James Geddes Engine Co. No. 6 (Adaptive Reuse / Private Space) 629 2nd Avenue South. Built in 1884 –‘85, Victorian-style.
Engine Co. No. 18 Fire Hall (Community Event Space / Studios) 1151 Cahal Avenue in East Nashville. Built in 1930, fully restored in 2015
Fire Hall No. 1 -Germantown Fire Hall (Adaptive reuse) 1312 3rd Avenue North Built in 1936, Tudor Revival architectural style.
Waverly-Belmont Fire Station 2809 12th Avenue South, Built in 1930, Tudor Revival cottage style.
Sources:
Wooding, Thomas Voln, “Reminiscences and History of Nashville Fire Department”, Nashville.
Russell, George R., “Nashville Fire Department Commemorative History Book”, Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri, 1997.
Meyers, Frank and Gennie, “Nashville Fire Department – Then and Now, Walsworth Publishing Company, Marceline, Missouri, 1975.
Hall, Gordon and Maretha, “Fire! On The Scene In Nashville”, The Overmountain Press, Johnson City, Tennessee, 1991.
