HistoryThe history of Castle Beach Fire Department began when it was formed in 1921. After a fire decimated the downtown area in 1920, city officials moved to form a fire department. History suggests that prior to the "Fire of 1920," many of the city councilminifigs were against the plan to create a new branch of the city as they argued that mutual aid was less than 30 minutes away. But the "Fire of 1920" spread to an entire block within the 30 minute timeframe, and eventually burned most of the city, including many of the council minifigs homes. Later, the same board members unanimously voted to create a fire department.
The department started out as a volunteer fire department protecting a small area of 6 sq. miles with 3 pieces of apparatus, a horse-drawn steam carriage, a horse drawn hose wagon, and a horse drawn ladder truck. In 1937, the first gasoline-powered pumper was purchased, and was soon followed by a gasoline-powered ladder truck, and a gasoline-powered water tower. As more and more calls began to take a toll on volunteer firefighters, the board once again convened in 1958 and had an argument over moving from volunteer firemen to a full-time firefighter force. This time, it did not take another large fire to convince the board; rather, a large anonymous donation convinced the council minifigs to move to a full-time firefighter force. To this day, no one really knows who gave the generous gift, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because a couple days after the first full-time firefighters were hired, the church on Main Street, which was being renovated, caught on fire; and the quick response of the firefighters saved not only the church, but probably also the entire Main St. from being burned a second time. During the 60s and 70s, the city of Castle Beach annexed 2 townships, increasing the size from 8 square miles to 20.6 square miles. This period was also marked by a large influx of businesses, attractions, and people/visitors. Many innovative tools and tactics were incorporated into the fire department during this time. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), rescue tools, and chemical retardants are a few technologies to make their debut in the 60s and 70s. The 80s and 90s brought about a change to department protocols involving the safety of firefighters. It was during this time that all apparatus be enclosed to prevent our beloved firemen from getting hurt while responding to an incident. Furthermore, a Firefighter Assist and Search Team plan was implemented in 1995. This plan involves a group of men whose sole duty on the fireground is to rescue firemen in trouble. Also, department SOP's on operating at a fire incident were modified so that there would be no firefighter performing a task on his own. This system is nicknamed "The Buddy System." To this day, CBFD has been blessed to have no LODD during our 90+ years of service. Though some luck is involved, this is a direct result of careful planning and execution of SOPs. The new millennia brought about new apparatus, and expansion of the department as Castle Beach became a tourist destination and growth of the industrial sector. In 2005, the department officially hired Sarah Brickson, the first female firefighter, who, incidentally, was the daughter of Luke Brickson, one of CBFD's battalion chiefs. Today, the department fulfills many roles in the public safety sector. Responding to fires and dangerous situations are only a few roles that the fire department fulfills. Routine inspections, visits to local schools, and public forums are a few ways that the firefighters of Castle Beach are actively engaged with the community. |