History of the Manhattan, Kansas Fire Department

Manhattan was settled in April 1855 by "free-staters" traveling to Kansas under the sponsorship of the New England Emigrant Aid Company. The site they selected had previously been the site of a large Kaw Indian Village and was near the mouth of the Big Blue River. They named their new town Boston. The new town quickly incorporated two other small settlements already in the area, named Canton and Polistra.

In June 1855 the steamboat Hartford, carrying 75 settlers from Ohio ran aground in the Kansas River near the settlement. The Hartford passengers accepted an invitation to join the new town, but insisted that it be renamed Manhattan, which was done on June 29, 1855. Manhattan was incorporated on May 30, 1857.

In Manhattan's earliest days the responsibilities and duties for fire protection fell to a volunteer bucket brigade. Almost no equipment was used, and there was no organized department. On May 22, 1884, a fire started in the basement of the three-story, stone Adams House hotel, which was situated on the north side of the 200 block of Poyntz Avenue. Despite the efforts of many citizens, the building that was considered a source of pride and an "ornament to the town" was totally destroyed by the blaze. Shortly after this fire Manhattan organized it first fire brigade on Chief L. R. Brady.

In 1887 the City of Manhattan installed a water system, which of course was a great aid to the firemen. The hydrants were so few and far between that in many cases, like those already described, they were of no use. Following the installation of City water mains, hose carts were purchased and hand drawn to the scene of a fire. This method meant that any fire that was a considerable distance from the station had little chance to be saved.

In 1892 the Department was restructured under the provisions of a City ordinance and the first official staff was appointed: H.P. Dow, Chief; H.P. Wareham, Assistant to Chief; E.C. McNemar, first hoseman; A. Williston, second hoseman; T.H. White, assistant hose and ladder man; Fred Griffith, assistant hose and ladder man; Chet Gamble, axeman; and John Irvine, hydrant man.

In 1903 when someone yelled "Fire", about ten volunteers would rush to the fire station located in City Hall on North Third Street. They would hitch themselves to a cart and run to the fire. As they passed a fire hydrant one of the men would run and attach the hose to the hydrant while the others ran on to the fire. If the men were available and were not too tired from pulling the cart, this system worked somewhat effectively.

In 1919 the Department was still located in the City Hall building and had added a wagon and a team of horses to transport hose to fire scenes. The Department employed the Chief, who was paid $10 per month, and a full-time driver, who was paid $60 per month. The other eight members received $2 per month for taking part in drills and for each fire they attended which averaged two runs per month.

The horses gave way to mechanized equipment in 1914 when the Department acquired its first motorized equipment: a truck that was primarily used for hauling hose.

In July of 1928, two major events in the history of the Department occurred. That month P.L. Noble, who had been a volunteer Chief since 1921, was named the first full-time Fire Chief. That was also the month that the Department purchased a Seagraves brand, 600 gallon per minute pumper fire engine marking the first in a long series of fire engines.

In 1930 the fire station was located in the same building at North Third Street. When the Department purchased an American La France pumper, the rear wall of the station was moved back in order to accommodate it. In 1938, the rear the rear wall was again moved back in order to accommodate a new GMC truck.

In 1941 the Department was made up of one full-time fire Chief and four full-time firemen. The fireman worked a two-shift schedule. The two man shifts worked 24 hours every other day. During the evening the two men took turns sleeping. While one sat up on fire watch the other slept.

In 1947 the Department was increased to six firemen and a full-time Chief and in 1948 an additional four fireman were added for a total of ten.

In 1951 Manhattan experienced major damage from flooding. The downtown business district, including City Hall and the Fire department, were under eight feet of water.

In 1955, after several years of public debate, the citizens of Manhattan approved a $75,000 bond issue to construct a new fire station at 11th and Poyntz Avenue in conjunction with the Auditorium/City Hall project, which was already underway. This station, which was built to provide a modern and centrally

Denison Hall Fire - 1934

located home for the Department, was the headquarters for the Department for thirty years until 1985.

In 1967 a second fire station was constructed at 3131 Anderson Avenue. This station was designed to provide fire protection services to the expanding west side of Manhattan.

In 1983, under Fire Chief Bill Smith, planning was begun for a new headquarters fire station. The new station was designed as a regional training center and to provide living quarters for student firefighters. The building was constructed to separate areas for fire administration, training, and fire suppression services. To support the training activities, a drill pad complete with a five-story tower was included in the plan.

In 1985 the construction of the new facility was completed.

In 1993 the Department was re-organized by Fire Chief Larry Reese into two Divisions: Technical and Emergency Services Divisions.

In 1996 the City's Building Code Department was moved to the headquarters fire station and became a part of the Technical Services Division.

The Department added a fourth station in 2002 that was constructed at the Manhattan Regional Airport. As Manhattan has grown, the Department has expanded to meet the needs of its Citizens. Fires fighting techniques, apparatus, and equipment have changed dramatically since the days of the horse drawn fire engine.

Fire Chief Jerry Snyder is Chief of the Department with a long past into the future.  

Major Fires:

1900 - Holtz Hall, KSAC

1927 - "Purcell Block," 301-307 Poyntz

1934 - Denison Hall, KSU Campus

1945 - Duckwall Store, 320 Poyntz

1946 - KSC Veterinary Hospital

1947 - Montgomery Ward, 413-417 Poyntz

1957 - East Waters Hall, KSC

1958 - Griffith Lumber, 300 Humboldt

1963 - Manhattan Country Club

1965 - KSU Auditorium

1969 - Nichols Gymnasium, KSU

1975 - 301-307 Poyntz

1980 - Ramey Brothers Lumber, 2nd & Houston

1981 - Sigma Chi House, 12th & Freemont

1982 - Manhattan Milling

1982 - Ramey Brothers Lumber, Fort Riely Blvd.

1983 - Lindy's Army Surplus, 231 Poyntz

1993 - Anderson Hall Fire, KSU

1998 - Harrison Building, Aggieville

2001 - Humboldt Street Aparments, 4th & Humboldt

2009 - Griffith Lumber, April 24, 820 Griffith Drive

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