The Greenville Fire Department has evolved from a volunteer, horse and buggy, bucket brigade operation to a modern, mechanized, computerized organization. It has been a long journey full of highs and lows but the result is a fire department with a dedication to the safety of the citizens of its community.

Greenville is located in the flat, black dirt lands of North Central Texas and has a current population of about 25,000. The first settler came to this area around 1838. The town itself was set apart as the seat of Hunt County in 1846 on a donation of 100 acres of land deeded to the county for the purpose of building a town. In 1852 the population of Greenville was 50. Just prior to the Civil War, Hunt County had a population of 6, 630 citizens and 5, 777 slaves. After the war this number declined. No record could be found of the exact population of Greenville in the year 1883 when our account begins.

In 1800 Greenville had two hotels. In 1881 when the railroad came through, Fred Ende decided to build the first three-story brick hotel in Greenville. During the night of April 7, 1883 the Ende Hotel caught on fire and was totally destroyed. Thirteen people lost their lives and twenty-seven miraculously escaped. The mayor telegraphed the Sherman, Texas Fire Department for help. A special train run was organized to bring fire apparatus to the scene. The trip set a record time of fifty-five minutes. Unfortunately it was too late.

Greenville had no Fire Department at the time of the Ende Hotel disaster. Just one month later a meeting of citizens was called for the purpose of organizing a "Fire Company". A chairman, secretary and officers were elected. By ballot, the "Dick Hubbard Fire Company" was chosen as the name of the company. The secretary was instructed to notify Governor dick Hubbard regarding the action of the company in the honorary selection of his name. An initiation fee of $1.00 was fixed for the original members of the origination. The second meeting was held on May 22, 1883. The first action of the meeting was to send a representative to the State Firemen's Convention at Waco. A committee was appointed to make recommendations on the firefighter's uniforms. The initiation fee was raised to $2.00 and additional officers were elected. The meeting of May 29, 1883 adopted as it's slogan, "Git Up and Git" and the committee on uniforms was granted more time to make it's recommendations.

As of August 3, 1883 the company, having grown into a three station department, had practice every Friday at 6:00 pm. Eight taps of the bell were sounded at 15 minutes before 6:00 and on tap and 6:00 sharp, when the drill was to begin. The fire bell was rung once for the Central Fire Station to respond to a fire downtown, twice for South Hill Station to respond to a fire in the southeast part of town, and three times for West Hill Station to respond to a fire in the north west part of town.

To decrease preparation time, harnesses were suspended from the ceiling on hinges so they could be place on the horses quickly. At the sound of the alarm the chains keeping the horses in the stalls dropped. Horses were trained to position themselves in front of a designated carriage without guidance. The harnesses were snapped on by the fire fighters. Coal oil was used to build up enough steam to provide adequate water pressure in the steam pumper to extinguish the flames. Although these firemen were only volunteers, the place to which they were assigned were widely distributed.

A building on the corner of Johnson St. and Pickett St. served as Greenville's Central Fire Station for fifty years. It was abandoned soon after the new Municipal Building was completed in October 1939. In the early days of the Volunteer Fire Department the Captain and his family lived in an apartment above the station.

A Fire Chief is the backbone of his organization and can make or break a good fire department. Gus Wise was the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department from it's conception in 1883 until 1904. During this time Greenville was served by a Volunteer Fire Department with lots of enthusiasm but very ltitle equipment. During the first fifty years more modern horse drawn equipment was aquired and paid drivers were employed to serve with the volunteers.

John Rowsey became chief of the Volunteer Fire Department in 1904. In 1910 a fully paid fire department was established and Rowsey continued to serve as Chief until his retirement in 1927. His tenure of office spanned the period from the massive steam pumper to the installation of a fully motorized department with ultra modern automotive fire apparatus which the city acquired during the years 1916-17. In the succeeding ten years the Greenville Fire Department's apparatus was effectively supplemented by the addition of a motorized ladder truck and three chemical trucks.

In 1927 Charlie Combs, one of Texas' outstanding Fire Fighters, was appointed Chief of the department. Combs served as Chief until his death in 1941. He had joined the Volunteer Fire Department in 1904 and remained with it when it became a paid department. The fire fighters were on duty for eleven full days on each shift, were off one day after which they started another eleven day duty period. In 1936 the department was manned by 12 firefighters and three officers.

Following the death of Chief Combs in April 1941, Assistant Fire Chief Harvey Peyton was appointed Chief and Walter Sherrell became Assistant Chief. Pay was $90 a month. During his tenure of office Peyton conducted a vigorous and unceasing campaign to obtain better working conditions for the members of the department and better fire fighting equipment for their use in protecting the lives and property of Greenville's citizens. The first change he made in working conditions was the institution of a four days on and one day off shift. In 1942 this gave way to the system of twenty four hours on and twenty four hours off which resulted in upswing in the morale and efficiency of all members of the department. Eventually in 1974 it went to the present system of twenty four hours on and forty eight hours off.

Harvey Peyton was originally employed as the Department Mechanic on July 19, 1921. The first chemical apparatus owned by the Greenville Fire Department and the first motorized Ladder Truck were the products of Peyton's ability as a mechanic. Four second hand Buick chassis were purchased by the city and on three of these Peyton installed thirty to forty gallon tanks of solid copper and brass and converted them into Chemical Trucks that were the pride of the department. The fourth chassis he converted into a motorized Ladder Truck by extending the chassis frame eleven feet and eight inches and transferring the old horse drawn ladder apparatus to the rebuilt Buick chassis. These four pieces of apparatus were built in 1923 and the City of Greenville could really boast of their modern motorized fire department. Peyton became Assistant Chief in 1926. In 1934 during Peyton's tenure as Assistant Chief, he built a Booster Combination Truck that was added to the department's equipment. In 1942 and again in 1946 Peyton built two small Booster Trucks, in 1947 he added a Dodge five hundred gallon Pumper Combination. In 1949 he added a five hundred gallon booster on a four hundred gallon per minute pumper all of which were at a great savings to the Greenville taxpayers. It was about this time that the department started using communication radios in the trucks. The fire department and the police department were on the same frequency. There was no job security until the Civil Service included the fire department in 1948.

In 1949 Greenville had a population of nineteen thousand supporting seventy five industries. All this was protected by a state approved fire department consisting of among other things, three new modern pieces of fire fighting equipment. No city in Texas regardless of size, maintained a fire department that excelled the local department in mechanical equipment or personnel. In 1954 the department responded to 800 alarms and two substations were added. Number five on Wesley Street and Number four on Johnson Street.

Peyton's last mechanical contribution to the department was a unique Chief's car. It was practically a one man piece of fire apparatus. Starting with a one ton Dodge Truck chassis, the "car" was built in the department's workshop. It was quipped with a one hundred gallon booster tank and a seventy five gallon booster pump, plus complete first aid fire fighting equipment.

Peyton made a thorough study of all modern fire fighting techniques and attended Fireman Training Schools at Texas A&M University for several years. He passed on to the members of his department the things he learned at school and maintained a school of his own to more efficiently train his men. He conducted a continuous campaign for more and better fire prevention, fire protection and fire fighting equipment for his department in order to better serve the interests of his community and his fellow citizens.

Upon Peyton's retirement in April 1965, Woodrow Wallace was appointed Chief. Wallace died of cancer in 1970 to be replaced by Howard English. English joined the department in 1951. On January 29, 1973 it became mandatory for all firefighters hired after that date to become state certified. Clases were conducted at Henderson Hall at East Texas State University consisting of an eight week (325 hour) course. In 1981 the Department consisted of 64 personnel. English retired in December 1981.

The Chief position had always been filled from within the department until Claude Jenkins, when the position was advertised nationwide. Jenkins came to Greenville from Albion, Michigan. He became Chief of the Greenville Fire Department on March 9, 1982 until he resigned on December 22, 1984. During Jenkins short tenure as Chief he closed two sub stations.

Dorsey Driggers, a local, was appointed Chief on December 22, 1984 and retired in November 1991. During Driggers' tenure he opened up one of the sub stations Jenkins had closed, closed down Central Fire Station located at the Municipal Building, and had two new sub stations built. One was not completed until after his retirement. In 1985 ten Greenville firefighters attended a fire fighting school in Sherman. In 1988 the department responded to 4,213 emergency calls.

Robert Wood was appointed Chief in November 1991 and served until September 2000. Wood acquired for the department two new Pumper Trucks and awaiting the delivery of a new Grass Truck in May 1995 and a new Ladder Truck in August 1995.

At present, Steve Thompson is at the helm of the Greenville Fire Department. He was hired in October 1974 and has risen in the ranks to his present position. His goals are to replace the one fifty year old station still operating with a modern multi-bay station including offices for fire administration. He also assisted in replacing the other three stations with modern new stations. Other goals include replacing and updating two fire engines in the near future.

Sometimes the Fire Marshal is a forgotten soul whose job isn't as glorified by the public as the actual firefighters but is just as important. In 1948 Billy Joe Bramlett was appoint Fire Marshal for Greenville when Leo Summers retired. Bramlett's eight years as an Engineer with the fire department had shown him many things that needed correcting if a reasonable amount of success was to be obtained from fire prevention campaigns. The principle thing was better cooperation between the public and the Fire Marshal.

Bramlett's appointment as Fire Marshal gave him the opportunity to put some theories concerning cooperation into effect. He approached his new position from a public relations standpoint that contemplated more effective education in fire prevention and a better understanding on the part of the public concerning the duties of his office.

The change in the insurance rating in Greenville was proof of Bramlett's success. When he took over the Fire Marshal's duties the community was under a ten percent penalty rating which cost the premium payers of Greenville many thousands of dollars annually. By 1949 this unfavorable penalty was eliminated and the rate was at par for the year.

The saving acquired in 1949 greatly assisted Bramlett in his efforts to further fire prevention and brought increased cooperation from the public. The result of this, and the continued efforts of Fire Marshal Bramlett, was further reduction in fire losses in the community subsequently resulting in a ten percent reduction when they were re-rated in 1950. This was increased to fifteen percent in 1951.

The Fire Marshal's office was under the supervision and control of the Mayor and City Council while the fire and police departments, operating under Civil Service, were under the jurisdiction of the Chief's of those departments. Mayor John H. Miller effected a change in the status of the Fire Marshal's office shortly after his election in 1950 by having it placed entirely under Civil Service and the direction of the Chief of the fire department. This action removed the Fire Marshal's post from the political arena which had a positive impact. The change materially increased the efficiency of the Fire Marshal's office and provided the City of Greenville with the best fire prevention services under the direction of experienced men and not politicians.

There is a brief period in Greenville's more recent history of an ambulance service which was a part of the fire department. Prior to 1966 all ambulance service in the State of Texas was provided by funeral homes. these ambulances were basically transfer units. They were not equipped with emergency medical equipment. Around 1966 this situation began to change. Municipalities either took over existing ambulance services or started new ones. The City of Greenville Fire Department took over ambulance service from two local funeral homes in January 1968. They acquired two ambulances that were both based at Central Fire Station. Although the ambulances were only transfer units the fire department did respond to emergency calls. Four months later the city bought a new station wagon ambulance also based at the Central Fire Station.

Prior to acquiring the ambulance service all firefighters were required to have first aid training. Six months after the city started it's ambulance service ten firefighters were sent to a state sponsored EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) school in Sulphur Springs. These were the first classes offered in North Central Texas. In the early part of 1969 the city bought two factory built emergency ambulances. About this time ten more firefighters were sent to the same school. This was a twelve week course resulting in a license by the state that had to be renewed every two years. This was Pilot Program the state started on the road to a mandatory program for all ambulance drivers and attendants. All Greenville ambulances were staffed with a driver and an attendant for each shift. The shifts were the same as the firefighters. In 1970 four firefighters were sent to a new expanded EMT program that was set up at Grayson County Junior college. The expanded program was 16-18 weeks. The first paramedics were certified in 1973. There were Joe Bridges, Fred Worley and Robert Wood. In 1974-75 the city bought three more new emergency ambulance units. In 1978 the department purchased a modular ambulance. From this point on there was always someone in school either at Grayson County Junior College or The University of Texas Health Science Center at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

The Greenville Fire Department discontinued all ambulance service on February 1, 1990. The city, the county and hospital district were having disagreements over moneys paid to the city. The result was a private ambulance service where it remains today.

There have only been two deaths in the line of duty in the history of the Greenville Fire Department. Earl A. Jenkins and Rosco Daughtery were trapped in a burning building on Lee Street in 1937.

In 1989 the Greenville Fire Department employed 73 people. The department maintained three fire stations in Greenville and an ambulance station in Commerce and Quinlan. There were four advanced life support ambulances each manned by two EMT/Paramedics. Each fire engine had a three man crew, one engineer, and two firefighters.

In 2003, the Greenville Fire Department employs 48 people including the Chief, Assistant Chief, Fire Marshal, three Captains (shift commanders), fifteen Engineers (12-stationd, 3 floating) and 27 firefighters serving in four stations throughout the city. Fire Administration is currently separate from the stations. Equipment includes five engines, two 4 WD grass rigs, 1- 95 foot aerial platform quint with one command apparatus and one fire marshal vehicle. All personnel are ECA or EMT certified and the department operated in a First Responder capacity to assist ambulances in the city. The present day Greenville Fire Department is known for its aggressive fire fighting and was honored with an award from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) for it's efforts in 1996 when over 40 arsons occurred in the city. "Git Up and Git" still remains with the men of the department.

In addition to emergency calls the Greenville Fire Department has several on going projects throughout the year. These include fire prevention and inspection, pump testing of all engines, hose testing, fire safety talks and fire extinguisher demonstrations.

So goes the long journey full of highs and lows. Surely it is safe to say that as long as there is a City of Greenville there will be a competent fire department dedicated to the ongoing safety of the citizens of it's community.

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