The History of the Hartsdale Fire District

In the summer of 1904, a group of local men met with the intention of providing fire protection to their neighborhood. This call to serve the community was spurred by two major fires in Hartsdale that year. On Columbia Avenue, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bassford was set ablaze. The result of the fire was the deaths of Mrs. Bassford and her maid. Also that year, the Trianon Hotel on Hartsdale Avenue burned to the ground. Fire apparatus from White Plains arrived to assist the locals in extinguishing fires in surrounding homes caused by embers and heat from the hotel.

On October 27, 1904, the Hartsdale Fire Company was officially formed. The first meeting of the company was held on November 25, 1904, at the home of James E. Walker. Mr. Walker would go on to become the first of nine volunteer chiefs of the Hartsdale Fire Company. Company meetings were held at members’ houses until 1907, when a firehouse was built on land donated by Mr. Lemuel Hart. Community donations and fundraisers helped the new fire company purchase its first equipment, a Goulds man-operated portable pump, which could be set over wells and brooks. It was transported on a four-wheeled hose carriage.

As the community of Hartsdale continued to grow, so did the demands on the volunteer fire company. These demands put a heavy burden on the members and the company’s finances. In 1925, the company was reorganized and a fire district, supported by taxpayers, was created. This allowed the newly formed fire district to meet the expanding needs of the community. A new fire headquarters was built in 1926. This building, on the grounds of the original firehouse, is still in use today. With the construction of the firehouse, the district hired two paid firemen to drive the apparatus and serve as building custodians. As the population of Hartsdale increased, more paid and volunteer firefighters were added to the ranks, with the first paid chief, Clifton Nichols, appointed in 1947. Additional improvements came in 1954 with the completion of radio equipment for all apparatus and the fire station, and in 1963 with the construction of a second fire station to protect the northern area of the district. The district continued to mature and focused heavily on fire prevention and education. Equipment, manpower, and training continued to be upgraded as the district headed into a new century.

The Hartsdale Fire District has transformed throughout its 100-year history. We have gone from banging out an alarm on an old locomotive driving wheel to a computerized 911 system. From the nine visionary founders, we have grown into a fire district led by five Fire Commissioners and supported by administrative staff and 37 paid fire personnel providing fire and emergency medical services. Although the district has seen many changes, the dedication and innovation shown by the hundreds of men and women who have served the community proudly, faithfully, and professionally has remained constant.