Overview
The Grass Valley Fire Department was first organized in 1853 with the establishment of the Grass Valley Hook and Ladder Company. It is the third oldest active fire department West of the Mississippi River. In 1855 the city passed an ordinance proclaiming that every property owner shall provide 50 gallons of water and four buckets for each floor level they owned. This Ordinance was not too successful as the town of Grass Valley was destroyed by fire in 1855.
The department was formed as a total volunteer organization and at its height had four fire companies and 100 volunteer firefighters. Today the Grass Valley Fire Department has 15 career personnel and 20 paid-call firefighters and is celebrating its 154 year birthday. The Fire Department covers an area of 5 square miles and protects a population of 12,000 which is increased on any given weekend day by 2000 - 5000 tourists. The department responds to 2,300+ incidents a year with 75% of the calls for service being emergency medical responses.
Grass Valley Fire Department operates 4 Type 1 Engines, an air support unit, an OES fire engine, a 75' aerial, and maintains a 1926 Seagrave antique fire engine. The ladder truck is a 1980 American LaFrance Water Chief Quint. The truck has a 75' aerial ladder with a 1000 gpm monitor and the "Wayne Spud" discharge port at the tip. This discharge was developed by retired Grass Valley Fire Chief, Wayne Smith, to extend working hose lines in elevated operations. The "Wayne Spud" was included as standard equipment on all water chief quints in the following years. Grass Valley Fire Department's ladder truck carries a crew of five firefighters. This is currently the only ladder truck in Nevada County and responds to many mutual aid requests.
Since 1997 the Department also has sponsored an Explorer Post for youth who wish to be part of a fire department. They are taught the basic skills of firefighting and receive basic medical training. They perform a "ride-along" with the on duty staff where they participate in all daily functions of the fire department, including responding to incidents. The Explorers also participate inall extra curricular events associated with Grass Valley Fire Department. At the age of 18 the Explorers can attend the Nevada County Regional Fire Academy where they receive additional training. After graduation they are qualified to become a paid-call firefighter with any Nevada County fire department. Explorer Post 1300 has been participating in a patch trade program for several years and now has enough patches to build an impressive patch board. The Explorers are responsible for the receiving and shipping of patches from all around the United States.
GRASS VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT PAST CHIEFS
YEARS OF
SERVICE |
NAME |
|
1858 |
L. M. Smith |
| 1861 |
C. A. Layton |
| 1863 |
S. D. Levitt |
| 1864 |
H. C. Brown |
| 1865 |
Lyon Zacharies |
| 1866 |
S. D. Levitt |
| 1867 |
W. M. Montgomery |
| 1868-1869 |
Aaron Hooper |
| 1870 |
John R. Crocker |
| 1871 |
George Murphy |
| 1872 |
Aaron Hooper |
| 1873-1874 |
M. Byrne, Jr. |
| 1875 |
Peter Brunstetter |
| 1876 |
R. R. Smith |
| 1877 |
W. H. Andrews |
| 1878 |
Jacob Wilhelm |
| 1879 |
Thomas George |
| 1880-1881 |
John George |
| 1881-1882 |
John Seligar |
| 1883 |
George R. Carson |
| 1884 |
George C. Wanamaker |
| 1885-1886 |
H. B. Johnson |
| 1887 |
William G. Frank |
| 1888 |
William H. Freeman |
| 1889 |
William H. Mitchell |
| 1890 |
C. E. Miller |
| 1891 |
John George |
| 1892 |
George Fox |
| 1893 |
E. E. Appleton |
| 1894 |
William H. Morgan |
| 1895 |
Arthur Powell |
| 1896 |
James Hosen |
| 1898-1899 |
C. E. Clinch |
| 1900 |
J. C. Conway |
| 1901 |
J. P. Kenney |
| 1902 |
J. H. Coughlyn |
| 1903 |
Eli Benoit |
| 1904-1905 |
James Lucas |
| 1906 |
Henry Williams |
| 1907 |
Harry George |
| 1908 |
T.J. Ahearn |
| 1909 |
A. F. Brady |
| 1910 |
Henry Williams |
| 1911 |
George C. Wanamaker |
| 1912 |
Adolph Morateur |
| 1913 |
C. R. Clinch |
| 1914 |
W. J. Mitchell |
| 1915 |
Ralph Vincent |
| 1916 |
Thomas Bone |
| 1916 |
Richard George |
| 1917 |
Ed Curnow |
| 1918-1921 |
Henry Williams |
| 1922 |
Charles Lucas |
| 1923 |
Ernest Rowe |
| 1924 |
Leroy Bond |
| 1925 |
Irvin Sims |
| 1926-1927 |
William Sproul |
| 1928 |
James Oliver |
| 1929 |
Lealand Rowe |
| 1929 |
Earl Richard |
| 1930 |
Enard Nankeris |
| 1931-1932 |
Harold Hutchison |
| 1933 |
Aurthur Barrick |
| 1934 |
Pakar Daley |
| 1935 |
Richard Hosking |
| 1936 |
Harold Whiting |
| 1936-1937 |
Ernest W. Penrose |
| 1938 |
John L. Frank |
| 1939 |
Ernest Rowe |
| 1940 |
John Harris |
| 1941 |
Harry Nichols |
| 1942 |
Carl Whiting |
| 1942-1943 |
Leroy Bond |
| 1944 |
Alison Simmons |
| 1945 |
Clare F. Hughes |
| 1946 |
Leslie Cicogni |
| 1947 |
William Strick |
| 1948 |
Daniel V. Asnicar |
| 1949 |
Jack J. Bluette |
| 1950 |
E. F. Williams |
| 1951 |
C. H. Doolittle |
| 1952 |
Matt DePauli, Jr. |
| 1953 |
E. P. Abrahams |
| 1954 |
Delroy Bonivert |
| 1955 |
Clarence P. Collins |
| 1956 |
Fred J. Richards |
| 1957 |
Brian Bennallack |
| 1958 |
Richard H. Hales |
| 1959 |
Raymond Harting |
| 1960 |
Thomas Barry |
| 1961 |
William "Stan" Penaluna |
| 1962 |
Douglas H. Toy |
| 1963 |
Edward J. Tellam |
| 1964 |
Maynard "Bud" Collier |
| 1965 |
James M. Hawkeswood |
| 1966 |
Jack M. Clark |
| 1967 |
Paul Preston |
| 1967-1968 |
William Boundy |
| 1969 |
Dyter D. Rush |
| 1970 |
Jaime I. Lincoln |
| 1971-1972 |
Charles A. Gaines |
| 1973 |
Tim Grover |
| 1974 |
Dan Holley |
| 1975 |
Ed Abrahams |
| 1976 |
Thomas Berry |
| 1977 |
Mike "P.W." Dickey |
| 1978 |
Ed Tellam |
| 1979-1980 |
Wayne F. Smith |
| 1980 |
Martin Penaluna |
| 1981-1985 |
John Straka |
| 1986-1987 |
Tom Browning |
| 1988-1990 |
Corey Smith |
| 1991-1996 |
Jeff Brady |
| 1997-2005 |
Hank Weston |
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