In September 1954, Mingo resident Forest Maxwell met with the city council to discuss the possibility of starting a volunteer fire department for the Jasper County community. The enthusiastic Council moved quickly on the project, approving the department’s by-laws and appointing the first fire chief by the end of the year. In 1955, a fire siren was installed and the following year marked construction of the current fire garage. The 30′ x 48′ concrete block building originally included space for a city office and later the public library. Those offices have since relocated a block south, and the building now exclusively houses the Mingo Volunteer Fire Department.