- The Museum in the Streets -

— Danbury, Connecticut —

The first reference to a fire department in Danbury can be found in The Republican Journal newspaper printed on November 11, 1793 announcing, "A subscription has been set forward in this town for the purpose of procuring a Fire Engine."
In 1824 the borough of Danbury appointed its first fire inspectors and five years later a tax was levied to buy two fire engines that led to the formation of the first two fire companies.
The building of the Kohanza reservoirs in 1860 and pipes laid for a city water system encouraged the city to reorganize the department into four companies that were made up of one hundred and ten men; all were volunteers.
Fire alerts depended on word of mouth and the ringing of church bells. Men transported all of the equipment themselves but in 1880 were given permission to use horses "when necessary."
Pleas for an alarm system had been ignored for years but in 1881 the fire department was authorized to erect a fire tower. A bell connected nine different locations via 125 poles and 9 miles of wiring.
The constant threat of fire to homes and businesses reinforced the need for a steam engine.
Danbury became a city in 1889 and the first paid Fire Chief was hired at a salary of $200 per year. Within the year, a new company, the first hose wagon, two more horses and a ticker tape alarm were also in place.
On January 1, 1890, the city's first paid fire department was organized. It was formed to operate in conjunction with volunteers - a system still used in Danbury today.

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