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The three fire
companies operated independently of each
other. There were no set boundaries for the
companies. They responded to every alarm of
fire. This led to scuffles between the two
engine companies, when a fire was not large
enough for both. Each wanted to extinguish
the fire. Their conflicts began to sour the
public's opinion of the firefighters. The
ire of the public finally boiled over on
February 28, 1859, when a major fire
destroyed a square block in the heart of the
business district bounded by Main, Congress,
Travis, and Franklin. Only one brick
building remained standing; all of the other
buildings had been constructed of wood.
Contributing to the fire loss, placed at
$100,000, was the lack of a large water
supply.
City fathers
responded quickly to the complaints of the
citizens. They immediately put out bids for
a large cistern to be constructed downtown,
and approved an ordinance prohibiting wood
construction within four blocks of Main
Street.
The three
independent fire companies also took action
to quell the complaints. They came together
to establish a fire department. Each fire
company had three representatives at the
organizational meeting. The representatives,
after lengthy discussions, approved the
creation of the Houston Volunteer Fire
Department. James A. Cushman was elected
fire chief, but stepped down in 1861 to make
munitions at his foundry for the Confederate
Army during the Civil War. Mayor T. W. House
named Ed Bremond as fire chief. Chief
Bremond filled out the remaining term of
Chief Cushman and served until 1863.
The Civil War
spelled trouble for the Houston Volunteer
Fire Department. Many of the firefighters
joined the Confederate Army. It was hard to
find replacements. (Twelve percent of the
men in Harris County had joined the
Confederate Army.) Hook and Ladder No. 1,
which was comprised of some of the
wealthiest businessmen in town, hired
Negroes to keep the company active during
the war.* Cooperation between the
fire companies began to slip.
Sam K. McIlhenny
took over the volunteer fire department in
1863. Near the end of the War, the fire
companies were back to total independence.
The volunteer fire department had grown
stagnant.
*Another
reference had a different version of dealing
with the shortage of firefighters. It said
slaves "took over and operated" the fire
department during the Civil War. There were
both freedmen and slaves during the time,
and the latter were loaned out by their
masters for a fee. Years later, one
Houstonian recalled that the slaves were
"splendid firemen who threw their hearts and
souls into the work." |
