Reserve
Hose Company #1 consists of approximately 80 Professional Volunteer Firefighters.
Reserve Hose was the last fire company to be formed in the Town of West Seneca. In the early 1900s the southwest section of
West Seneca
was known as Reserve, and had only a few
scattered farms, homes, and roads. The only fire protection available was nearby neighbors with buckets and help (when it arrived) from the
already organized fire companies of Seneca Hose and Vigilant. In 1926,
with the growing population of the southwest section of town, a group of
citizens recognized the need for another fire company. In a meeting held
in "Deacons Hall" on Orchard Park Road
near Church Road
(which was later renamed
Reserve Road), plans were laid out for the fire company.
William Ulrich, Sr. donated land on
Berg Road
to build a station, and a membership of about
35 men was formed. On August 5, 1927, a certificate of incorporation was granted
by the Town of West Seneca. By 1930, the fire house
was built and Reserve had purchased the first fire truck used by the Company.
It was a 1930
Buffalo, purchased new, it cost $7500, which was extremely expensive
considering it was the depression.
From the 1930's to about the 1950's, much of the town remained
underdeveloped, with some roads lacking water or fire hydrants. The
company had to draft water from wells, cisterns and nearby creeks. In the
1940's, Reserve was one of the first companies to purchase a resuscitator
and inhalator. It required two men to carry it into a house or the scene
of an emergency. After World War II broke out, it was impossible to
replace equipment due to the war effort. The 1930 Buffalo pumper was still
in great running shape. The truck out-pumped all the other equipment and
was nicknamed "Old Betsy." In 1954, a truck was purchased and used as a
first aid vehicle. It carried Red Cross supplies, as well as the
resuscitator and the inhalator. By 1958, "Old Betsy" needed to be retired.
The company purchased new vehicles and ambulances. In 1967, a substation
was built on East and West Road to better serve the community. Reserve
gained advanced life support status in 1984.
The Company
proudly serves West Seneca Fire District # 3, which was established in
1933.
The original Fire Station was located across
the street from the current location of 2400 Berg Road (see below
pictures). The old Fire Station is now a commercial property.
Today, Reserve Hose Fire Company remains all
volunteer, "running" to over 750+ calls each year. The Fire Company
operates out of two stations. One at 807 East & West Road, near Mill Road,
and another at 2400 Berg Road, near Orchard Park Road. Over 60 active
Firefighters remain on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a
year.
If you would like to be a part of our
company's history, we are always accepting applications so please visit
the Join Our Team link! |
