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First Elected Volunteer Chief
The first chief elected by the membership of the Dry
Ridge Fire Department was Porter Roland. -
1921 T Ford Purchased
The first motorized Fire Truck in the county was purchased by the town in 1922.
It was a 1921 Ford Model T (One Ton- or TT) combination water and hose car. It had a Hale Rotary Fire Pump as well as a soda tank. The truck could pump water at about 300 gallons per minute. The truck was purchased through CH Sutphen Company for $777.50 in 1922 -
Major Fire
Date is approx. In 1927, there was a fire in what was known as the Lower Ridge (today this is the
area of KY22 and US25). The town rebuilt soon after the devastating fire and mirror%u2019s what is seen today. Carlsbad hotel was rebuilt but not completed until 1946 due to restrictions on building materials due to WWII. -
First Fire House
In
July 1946 the city started construction on the first permanent building for the Dry Ridge Fire Department. It was located on Broadway next to Southern States and was used by the department until 1989. The old Fire House still stands today and was purchased by Southern States for storage area. -
Incorporation
In June of 1953 the firemen incorporated as the Dry Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Inc. The incorporators were John W. Renaker, Donald Pat Curry, and Robert H. Eckler. -
Fire Chief
John W. Renaker
Chief Renaker%u2019s first term as chief was ended suddenly in late 1953 when an accident involving a wrecker crushed both of his legs. -
North Central Kentucky Volunteer Fireman%u2019s Association.
The organization was put into place in July of 1953, John Renaker was president, R. Lester Mullins of Williamstown fire department was vice president, R.N. Barnes of Corinth fire department was the secretary, W.R. Case of Crittenden fire department was the treasurer, representatives from Owen, Pendleton, Boone, and Gallatin counties were invited attend and be members of the association. -
Fire Chief
Edwin Gibson served as chief for 2 years until Renaker was able to resume his duties as chief. -
Fire Chief
Edwin Gibson served as chief for 2 years until Renaker was able to resume his duties as chief. -
Fire Chief
John Renaker remained the Chief until 1965 when he again was preceded by Ed Gibson. -
1964 Ford/Midwest
It had a 500gal. tank and a 2 stage Hale pump that the engineer could change from pressure
to volume with the flip of a leaver. It was so revolutionary that it was presented to the members of the department and the Firefighters Association sent members to see the new truck and report back to there fire departments about the way it worked. Today this unit is still a front line pumper in Corinth. -
Ladies Auxiliary Formed
On October 19, 1967 the Dry Ridge Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary was formed to help raise funds for the needs of the fireman and the department. Today the Ladies Auxiliary does about the same as it did in 1967. They do all the fund raisers now and let us do the work. -
Junior Firefighter Program
This program was for younger people that wanted to get into the fire service. You could join but you could not ride or operate trucks of fight fire. This program continues today with a few differences. Today you may join at the age of 14 if you have a parent that is a firefighter, or you can join at the age of 16. These members may not fight fire or engage in any fire ground tactics until the age of 18. They are required to be at trainings every Thursday night to get hours and they must have a C -
Fire Chief
Eddie Morgan elected Chief -
Fire Chief
Dale Hughes elected -
1921 T Ford Sold
This truck was owned by the department until 1976 when it was sold to Pat Curry who was on the department at the time. -
Vehicle Purchased
In 1976 the city purchased a 1975 Chevy Panel Van to be used for the storage of gear and transport of personnel. This van was in use until 1992 when a new one was purchased and it now is being used in Corinth, KY. -
Fire Chief
Encil Webster as Chief. He knew that a fire departmentcould not run as a unit without structure and discipline. He instituted many things that are still in place today. Every Thursday night the trucks would be checked,
cleaned and training would start at 19:00 hrs.He also implemented the annual testing of all fire hose and pumps. -
Pre-Plan
1978 started the preplans of all businesses in
town. -
Foam Equipment
Foam equipment was purchased in 1978. -
By-Laws
First set of By-Laws was put into place. -
Central Dispatch
In 1981 central dispatching was starting to come on line so the department adopted using 10 Codes to coincide with dispatch. Now when a person called the local fire number they would get someone that was at the Williamstown City
Building and they would then dispatch all units and signal the siren. -
Red Chief Hose
Until 1983 the only hose that the department had been cotton jacketed, in 1983 the city truck was restocked with vinyl/rubber hose with an inner jacket (Red Chief). And the truck hose was split was in a forward lay configuration (from the hydrant to the fire) and the other half was reverse lay configuration (from the fire to the hydrant-this is for a support role). -
Fire Chief
L. Thomas Jump was elected Chief of the department after the resignation of Chief Webster. Today Chief Encil Webster%u2019s legacy goes on do to the fact that we have named an award after him. People who get this award are
people that have made a difference in the membership or the department as a whole. -
1921 Ford Model T
Sold to Rick Willoby some time after 1985. Rick, at the time of purchase, was a member of the Dry Ridge Fire Department and still owns the truck at this present date. -
SCBA
In 1985 the city purchased 3 new Scott 2a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). These are the first new SCBA%u2019s to be purchased and this was the start of an aggressive interior firefighting mode for the department. -
Fire Chief
Mickey Burk -
Super Tanker
In 1985 the completion of the first large or %u201Csuper%u201D tanker was put into service. It was a 1976 Mack road tractor that the membership put together. The truck was owned originally by Ashland Oil Company; the department took off the fifth-wheel and mounted a 2700gal tank on the chassis. It could dump 2700gal of water in
90 seconds. It also had a portable pump that could pump 300 gal/min. This truck was in service until 2001 when it was retired due to the maintenance cost of theunit. -
Fire School
Dry Ridge Fire Department put on the Grant County Fire School. It happened on November 17 & 18. -
Fire Chief
After Mickey Burke resigned Tony Morgan became Chief. -
Station 2 & Training Center
Station 2 in Mt. Zion was built and put into service by the rural committee in 1987; as well the training facilities at Station 1 were approved and being built. Station 2 will consist of a 2 bay garage in Mt. Zion area and will be governed by the membership as a sub-station of the Dry Ridge Fire Department. The training facilities will consist of a 3 story tower and a smoke house that is built just east of Station 1. -
FMC Engine
1987 also saw the bidding of a new fire truck and the planning of a new fire
house. Bids on the trucks were as follows:
Grumman - $75,616.00
Quality - $76,402.16
McCord - $86,100.00
FMC - $75,200.00
The bid was awarded to FMC. And it was delivered in July 1988. It has a 100gal/min pump and a 1000 gal water tank and a Hale pump. It was a standard 2man cab from GMC. -
Fire Chief
Walt Crosswait elected -
Fire Chief
Ralph (Babe) Taylor elected -
New Brush Truck
In July of 1991 AT&T donated a 4X4 Chevy Pickup to the department for a brush truck. The membership of the department used what they had and asked for donations from local businesses for paint and other parts of the truck. The
department did the body work and put a 250 gallon poly tank in it and plumbed it to a 300 gal/min Hale pump. -
Grant Awarded
The department received a grant from the Commonwealth of Kentucky for a drafting pit. It is used for pump test on all apparatus and to teach
members how to draft. -
Safety Officer
1992 also saw the placement of the first commissioned Safety Officer. He/She
will hold rank of Chief and work directly in conjunction with the Chief and
Assistant Chiefs for fire ground and training safety. The Safety Officer is an office that is still commissioned today and deserves the respect of all members that He/She is responsible. -
Fire Chief
September of 1992 saw the resignation of Ralph Taylor as chief and the election of Tony Morgan in November. Ralph Taylor resigned due to health reasons. -
Washer and Dryer
Until 1993 if a member wanted to launder his/her bunker gear (as NFPA standards state) they would go to a local laundry-mat (that would let us) and pay to launder them. In February the department purchased a washer and dryer to help with the expense that the membership was putting out and by having a washer and dryer on site they could mandate the laundering of all gear. -
SOP's Established
March of 1993 saw the old By-Laws get refurbished into the Dry Ridge Fire
Department Standard Operating Procedures (SOP%u2019s). Since 1993 these SOP%u2019s have been refined and added to include all aspects of the fire service. -
Fire Chief
In July 1993 Rodney Smith was elected Chief of the department. Chief Smith put into place the practice of testing for the positions of Lieutenants and Captains. This was the best way to be fair to all members that felt they were officer material and worked well. -
First PAS Alarm
1994 also saw the first PAS (personal alarm system) devices used in the department. These were to be worn by anyone in an SCBA. They will alarm when a fireman is still for more than 30 seconds. This is to help find a down fireman the case of an emergency. This year also gave the department its own air system. The department could make in fill its own cylinders without the worry of refilling a cascade system. -
Aerial Truck Received
On this date the department purchased a used 1976 Mack/Baker Aeriascope. This truck was purchased used from Maple Shade F.D. NJ. -
Truck Purchase
In 2000 the City purchased its first custom cab fire truck from Farrara Fire Equipment in Louisiana. It was a 5 man Spartan cab with a top mount pump. It has 1000 gallons of water and a 1250 gal/min Hale pump. This unit was purchased at a cost of $188,000.00. It is the primary fire truck in the rural and the city. -
First Ambulance Purchase
Purchased a 2001 Ford F-350 Braun Ambulance. -
6 Full Time Personnel Hired
Norris Stacy, Jonathan Morrisey, Elizabeth Stokley, Jerry Brush, Kevin Sloas, and Pat Spare. These sixed people work 24/48 hour shifts and staffed the first out ambulance EC-1 -
Full Time Hire
Greg Hearn (Slim) was hired full time to replace Pat Spare who had resigned. -
Lietenant Promotion
Matt Hicks promoted to Lieutenant -
Lieutenant Promotion
Stacy Beach promoted to Lieutenant -
Full Time Lieutenant
On this date Norris Stacy was promoted to the first full time officer posistion. He was in charge of day to day operations of EMS. -
Fire Chief
Jeff Nantz elected -
Captain Promotion
Barry True promoted to Captain -
Full Time Chief
After City Council seeing that a volunteer fire chief was not able to oversee all operations of the department, council approved a full time fire chief position. Norris Stacy was selected to fill the spot. When this was done the Lieutenant position was left unfilled. -
New Fire Truck received from Grant
In 2000 the City purchased its first custom cab fire truck from Farrara Fire Equipment in Louisiana. It was a 5 man Spartan cab with a top mount pump. It has 1000 gallons of water and a 1250 gal/min Hale pump. This unit was
purchased at a cost of $188,000.00. It is the primary fire truck in the rural and the city. -
New Brush Truck
Army pickup and purchased a utility bed and placed the tank and a new pump in it and it is in service today. -
Full Time Lieutenant
Stefanie Elam was full time and on this date was promoted to Lieutenant. Her duties were to oversee EMS Operations. -
New equipment received from FEMA Grant
In 2005 the department received a Grant from Homeland Security for the sum of
almost $500,000.00 for new air packs for the entire county, and to implement Firehouse Software for use in all departments in the county. This makes the 3rd year in a row that the department received a substantial Grant from the government. -
Lieutenant Promotion
Scott Bates & Ron Maddox promoted to Lieutenant -
Captain Promotion
Stacy Beach promoted to Captain -
First Full Time Chief Retires
Norris Stacy retires from full time chief position. -
Interim Chief
Assistant Chief Calvin Crupper is assigned at interim chief till a replacement is found. -
Second Full time Chief Hired
Robert Bruin hired to fill vacant Fire Chief position. -
Assistant Chief hired
Jeff Nantz hired as Assistant Chief of Fire Operations. -
Ambulance Purchase
On this date we ordered a 2007 E-450 Life Star Ambulance. This was not a new one, only a new chassis. The box was redone with what was old EC-2. -
Command Vehicle
Purchased a new 2007 Chevy Silverado. This will be used for first responder runs, and as a command vehicle. -
Assistant Chief Promotion
Joe Jamison promoted to Assistant Chief of EMS. This position created and the full time Lieutenant position was not filled. -
Captain Promotion
Matt Hicks promated to Captain -
Ambulance Purchase
Purchased a 2008 GMC 4500 Ambulance. -
Brush Truck
Fire Depermtent received a 2002 Chevy truck from City Public works for use as a brush truck. The active brush truck at this time was given to public works to use. -
Captain Promotion
Lt Scott Bates promoted to Captain. -
Lieutenant Promotion
FF Mark Lipson promoted to Lieutenant. -
Lieutenant Promotion
Greg Hearn promoted to Lieutenant -
Lieutenant Promotion
Jason O'Nan promoted to Lieutenant. -
Fire Chief resignes
Chief Robert Bruin resigned to take Fire Chief job at Georgetown, KY Fire Department -
Acting Chief
Assistant Chief Joe Jamison was made acting Chief of the department. -
Structure Fire
This is a major event due to the news it brought the communuity. This was on Boltz Lake Rd in the rural area. 15 personnel from DRFD responded along with Crittenden and Williamstown FD. Due to lack of manpower and a water supply the structure was heavly damaged. Crews were on scene for over 5 hours and used approx 100,000 gallons of water. -
Captain Promotion
Lt. Greg Hearn Promoted to Captain -
DRFD in action: 30 car pile up on I-75 Southbound
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Fire Chief
L. Thomas Jump hired as 3rd Full Time Chief -
Staffing Levels
As of this date there are 8 Full Time, 29 Part Time, and 20 Volunter members of the department. -
Administrative Offices
Administrative offices for the department moved into a newly renovated space at 31 Broadway (where post office was located). Staff have been working on the area for quite some time. This date is when Chief Jump official moved into his office.