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S hortly after the vigorous building era following the settling of the pioneer railroad town, Kalispell experienced its first major fire. The year was 1891. Pistol shots cracked in the streets, alarming citizens of the blaze. The fire erupted in a saloon, spreading to adjacent buildings on 1st Ave West, between Railroad Street and 1st Street. The citizens and buck- et brigade made gallant efforts to contain what was becoming a conflagration, but the fire spread and destroyed an entire city block! The fire prompted the Board of Trade to hold a mass meeting of citizens on May 17, 1892 to be presided over by J.H Edwards. It is here in history that the Ka- lispell Fire Department was born! The volunteer de- partment was founded with A.F. Sparling elected as Chief, J.W. Kneiff, Assistant Chief, Sam Hilburn fore- man of the hook and ladder brigade, and W.M. McDonald foreman of the hose company. A constitu- tion and bylaws were adopted, and it was voted that the uniform would consist of a blue flannel shirt with matching felt hat and a white canvas belt supporting black pants. The first Fireman’s Ball was held on the 4th of July to pay for the uniforms and the Ball has become a tradition held every January 30th since 1893. In 1892, two hose carts and one hook and ladder truck were purchased and housed in the Frohlicher Build- ing, which also served as City Hall until 1903. In February, 1893 the Board of Alderman passed a resolution deciding that firemen should be compensated and be paid fifty cents per hour while on duty. Tragically, the first several fires after the formation of the Department resulted in life and property loss. On March 1, 1893, E.H. Townsend, a witness to an important criminal case perished in what was thought to be an arson fire. Three days later a small child left alone started a fire by knocking over a lamp in a small shack next to the Lake Theatre, which later became the Stock- holm tavern, and is now the location of the parking lot west of Glacier Bank. Perhaps the first large scale fire after the founding of the Fire Dept. was the two-story Grand Central Hotel on the corner of Main and Second Street East which was destroyed on February 27, 1894. THE HISTORY OF THE KALISPELL FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MAJOR FIRES FOUGHT The Kalispell Fire Department formed in 1892 after fire destroyed an entire city block. ---PAGE BREAK--- The next major milestone for the Department came in 1903 when the council purchased a chemical truck and a team of horses. The horses sold by Dan Ledgerwood were 1,400 lb. bay geldings named “Don” and “King”. I n 1914, Don and King retired and the department went motorized. For $15,000 the city purchased a pumper and chemical and hose truck, reduc- ing fire insurance rates by $10,000. 1925 saw the purchase of an American LaFrance pumper which was able to deliver 1,000 gallons of water per minute. At the time, this was the largest ma- chine of its type in Montana! This historic vehicle is now parked at the down- town station awaiting renovation. The completion of 354 fire hydrants sup- ported by a superior water system also made fighting fire more effective. In 1932, the large Kalispell Lumber Co. fire broke out. Also in 1932, Emergency Medical Services became part of the regular function with the department oper- ating an ambulance all over Flathead County. In 1935, the department moved from volunteer with four paid men, to a completely paid department, and in 1938 the firefight- ers joined the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) becoming IAFF local 547. In 1946, the National Hotel went up in flames causing injuries when an oil range in the café exploded and throwing water onto the fire wors- ened the situation. The Bjorneby Flour Mill was also claimed by fire during these years. Kalispell Firefighters suffered injuries during the arson fire that swept through the Koppang building on August 5th, 1948. Lost in the rubble were the Glacier Garage, Vista Club and Vista Café, Riley Jewelry, Na- tional Bar, and Western Neon Co. Elrod School was completely destroyed on January 4th, 1950 in an early morning blaze. The fire was discovered by janitor Dick Williams, who ran to the fire department to report the blaze having no phone available. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the first and second floors heavily involved with fire making the structure too dangerous to enter. Within 20 minutes the entire school was in flames and the roof collapsed. The Conrad National Bank fire of September 14, 1959 began as a smoke investigation in the Woolworth building. The thickening smoke which filled the bank and Robbin and Robbin clothing store quickly erupted into flames that were unstoppable. As the intense fire grew, firefighters could only prevent it from spreading to neighboring buildings. The fire gutted the bank and de- stroyed upstairs offices. Geldings Don and King became part of the team in 1903 with the first chemical truck. In 1932, Emergency Medical Services for Flathead County became an added duty for the Department. ---PAGE BREAK--- T he 1970’s saw a rash of arson caused fires not only here in Kalispell but nationwide. The fire department expanded from 13 personnel in 1970 to 21 in 1973. On May 29, 1970 burglars broke into the Buttrey Food Store and stole the safe with a forklift. It is believed that the blaze at the Animal Center at First Avenue West and Fourth Street had been started as a di- version. During the month of July, 1972 the department responded to 17 fires of suspect- ed arson! August 5th, was the day of the disastrous fire of Ewing’s Enterprise, Bomar Office Supply and Western Development Co, causing $500,000 in damag- es. A suspicious fire broke out the morning of September 22, 1976 sending 5 persons to the hospital. The fire destroyed the historic Buffalo Block, and became the most expensive fire in Kalispell history. Lost in the blaze were Hillstead’s Depart- ment Store on the main floor, and every office on the second level, containing a dental lab, office, insurance office, business machine firm, attorneys’ office, and six medical offices. 36 hours later a fire broke out at the Kelly-Main Furniture building. Other fires that occurred in rapid sequence during these hectic and tiring times were the Glacier Building, Village Pantry, J.C. Penney Co., Wheaton’s Cycle and Toy, the Blue and White Motel, Cornelius Hedges School and the B&B store. The Governor, Thomas Judge declared downtown Kalispell a disaster area, and Mayor Norma Happ declared a state of emergency calling for a curfew for youths under 18. The Chamber of Commerce offered rewards for the arrest and conviction of persons responsible. The Equity Grain Elevator sent billows of smoke into the sky on May 25, 1977 when a fire swept through and Stewarts Carpet, Norge, and Amfax were de- stroyed in a fire that following December. Arsonists struck Kalispell again in 1984, when fire destroyed Jack’s Tavern, Carmen’s Steak House, Fergusson’s Mode ‘O Day and the M&M Business and Professional Building all on the 200 block of Main street. The historic Fernwell Apartments were burned to the ground in a ferocious fire that broke out on November 15, 1993. Hillstead’s Department store was one of many businesses suspected lost to arson in the 1970’s. ---PAGE BREAK--- W ith fire service progressing nationally to provide pre-hospital emergency medical care, Kalispell Firefighters urged the Department to move towards Paramedics training. With key leadership from floor personnel, Ka- lispell Fire Department trained many of their personnel to the Paramedic level in 1994. This allowed for a dramatic shift in the capabilities of pre-hospital care provided by the department. Then the move from BLS (Basic Life Support) to ALS (Advanced Life Support), would change the way the Kalispell Fire Department would respond and train forever. Kalispell firefighter-paramedics were met with a grueling shift on August 31st, 2004, when they responded to a plane that crashed into a house killing the pilot and passenger as well as a dog in the unoccupied home. That same night, the firefighters responded to a fire at the Skyline Bowling alley arriving to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the roof. After a brief interior attack, the wise decision was made to pull out. The bowling alley, which contained the infamous, “bowstring” truss system collapsed shortly after firefighters evacuated. Firefighters battled the blaze through the night and into the next day, saving neigh- boring buildings including a veterinary clinic with animals within. In 2004 the department implemented tactical Paramedics who work with the Police Special Response Team in high risk situa- tions. 2005 saw the opening of station 62, the Departments second station to provide pro- tection for northern residents as Kalispell experienced rapid growth with the popula- tion reaching 20,000. In 2007, the department became the regional HAZ-MAT team, providing response and mitigation to hazardous material emergencies for the Northwest region. In 2008 the department went on to add Urban Search and Rescue to its list of responsibilities, providing for confined space and technical rope rescues. As the Northwest region’s HAZ-MAT team, Kalispell Firefighters respond to hazardous material emergencies. Sadly, the pilot, passenger, and the homeowners dog were killed in this airplane crash in 2004. Confined Space and technical rope rescues are now handled by the Department. The Skyline Bowling Alley succumbed to this blaze in 2004.