City celebrates the history plus future of the Seguin Fire Department

(Seguin) — Happy birthday to the Seguin Fire/EMS Department.

Photo courtesy Jennifer Sourdellia

The local fire department on Monday celebrated 140 years of serving the Seguin community. The community gathered with local firefighters at the Central Fire Station to recognize the organization of the Seguin Fire Department in August 1882.

Seguin Fire Chief Dale Skinner says the department was started thanks to the Seguin City Council that “allocated $100 to help purchase a hook and ladder truck and fire equipment for the new department.”

“The America Fire Service is all about its history and our traditions and the Seguin Fire Department has those traditions and that history and that’s one of the things that attracted me because I’m a little bit of a history buff especially the America Fire Service and so just coming here and seeing some of our antiques and some of the other tools and equipment that they used way back then and that we still have those things was just inspiring to me and so I remember within that first week of coming to work here and going to our fire museum and going through the things, I was a kid. It was like playland for me to get to go and look at all of that stuff. It was just amazing,” said Skinner.

The Seguin Fire Department, which initially was named “Reliance Hook and Ladder Company” began with its first fire station at the corner of North Austin and Gonzales Streets. It was later in 1908 that the city council approved $7,000 for the construction of a new fire station and city hall. They say the building is still located at the northwest corner of Austin and Mountain Streets although it’s not longer used as a fire station.

Photo courtesy Jennifer Sourdellia

Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen says the fire station has since grown and evolved over the years and now offers three fire houses along with 65 firefighters, paramedics and EMTs. She says the city thanks Seguin Fire Chief Skinner and these men and women for “coming to the rescue and providing emergency services” to the city and its residents.”

“It’s amazing how far this department has come and how well he manages and allows everyone to take a part and includes the community – how he opens these fire stations up for the community to come and look and see what’s happening – how it participates in things and how the police and the fire work together to take care of our community. It’s very very unique and it began, and it’s evolved to that. We couldn’t be prouder, and we are very well taken care of and we should be proud of that and we are investigating and looking at a fourth fire station because we are growing so much so we will be doing that. That will be coming in the future. We’ve already started looking where the best place for that would be depending on response time because as we are getting larger and larger, it’s taking longer and longer, and the men and women of the fire department and police department do not like that. They have a standard that they want to maintain,” said Dodgen.

Skinner says what makes this milestone even more important are the individuals and families who are forever connected to the fire department.

“You can’t go anywhere in this town without seeing a building or a street that is not named after one of our former members – the Noltes. The Noltes were a big part of this organization. The MyCue’s were a part of this organization, the Blumbergs – a lot of people have been part of this organization and are founding fathers of this community and it’s pretty cool,” said Skinner.

To mark the occasion, Mayor Dodgen signed and read a proclamation observing Monday, Aug. 22 as a day to observe the Seguin Fire Department’s 140th birthday.