Fire service in the Buchanan County town of Hazleton can be traced to December 6, 1906, when fifteen residents form a volunteer fire department. A week later, they raised $75 with a basket social, with additional fundraising events held on a monthly basis. The first fire fighting equipment purchased was a horse-drawn hand pumper and hose cart. In 1298, the hand pumper was sold to a local farmer and a Model A Ford truck was purchased; that truck was sold to the town of Aurora to purchase a new truck in 1946. By 1958, an effort began to construct a new fire station; the station opened in 1963 and continues to serve the community today.
A volunteer fire department was organized in the Story County community of Slater in September 1914. Resident Pete Hall was named the organization’s first fire chief, and early fire trucks were stored in the garage of the new city hall building, which was constructed three years prior. The current fire station was constructed for use as both a city hall and fire station in 1960. Both departments quickly outgrew their space, so the brick building is now used exclusively by the fire department.
In June 1882, the town council in the Tama County town of Gladbrook began discussing digging a well and constructing a water tower for use for municipal water supply and fire protection. After a six-plus month hiatus, the issue was brought to an election, with voters overwhelmingly approving. In 1916, the town bought a Ford car and equipped it with chemical to fight fires. Construction began on the current fire station in the fall of 1962, with work completed by June 1963. The station was built entirely by donated labor at a cost of $12,000.
Featuring a new Iowa photo each weekday; dedicated to discovering and documenting the best of small-town Iowa.
