The Early Years

In 1772, the first recorded piece of firefighting apparatus was purchased and placed in service in the city of New Bedford, called Independence No. 1, and located in the center of what was then known as Bedford Village.  As this first fire service began to grow, the New Bedford Fire Society was formed in 1807, to create rules and regulations for the volunteer firefighters at the time.

Twenty-seven years later, on January 30, 1834, an ordinance was signed officially organizing the New Bedford Fire Department as a paid fire service within the city of New Bedford.  At that time, the department consisted of six engine companies and one ladder company:

Independence No. 1
Citizen No. 2
Engine No. 3
Phoenix No. 4
Columbian No. 5
Mechanic No. 6
Pioneer Hook and Ladder No. 1

The 1830's also saw the creation of Philadelphia No. 7 and Young America No. 8, originally known as Novelty No. 8.  The apparatus of the time were elaborately decorated horse-drawn carriages with steam pumps.  Earlier versions consisted of hand-pumped appliances, operated by shear man-power.  Firefighters of the time often participated in "musters," which were friendly contests between fire companies to compete for the pride an honor of being the "best" company.  It was also a chance for the members to show off their fire engines and their firefighting skills.  These musters often included events such as racing fire engines to see who was faster, as well as which company could throw water the furthest with their pumps.

By 1845, the New Bedford Fire Department now consisted of ten engine companies and one ladder company, with the additions of Hancock No. 9 and Franklin No. 10.  The late 1800's would see the creation of Hook and Ladder No. 2, as well as Hose No. 1 and Hose No. 2.

First Line of Duty Death for the New Bedford Fire Department
(Story from "History of the New Bedford Fire Department" by Leonard Bolles Ellis, 1890.)

On October 14, 1890, New Bedford Firefighter Edward C. Spooner was at home enjoying supper in his home at 107 Cedar Street.  While eating, he heard a tremendous explosion from the upstairs tenement.  He raced upstairs to see what had happened, and there he found his neighbor, Mrs. William L. Cobb fully engulfed in flames.  She had been holding a can of petroleum (likely used for lighting lamps) which had somehow exploded in her hand.  Firefighter Spooner raced into action, and at great risk to himself, he carried the burning Mrs. Cobb outside where she was tended to by friends and family, to no avail.  Mrs. Cobb passed away as a result of her injuries.

Firefighter Spooner was badly burnt as a result of his heroic deed.  He lay in the care of his family, and his brother firefighters while enduring excruciating pain.  While suffering from his wounds, he was interviewed about his valiant deed, and his only response was, "I could not help it."  Sixteen days later, on November 1, 1890, Firefighter Spooner succumbed to his injuries, becoming the first New Bedford Firefighter to die in the line of duty, at the age of 55.

A funeral ceremony was held a few days later, and Firefighter Spooner was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in the city's North End.  His grave still stands proudly today as a testament to our first great hero to give his life in the service of his duties.

Firefighter Edward C. Spooner's grave in Pine Grove Cemetery.

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Turn of the Century

Shortly after the turn of the century, the department was completely motorized and consisted of nine engine companies, four ladder companies, and three hose companies operating from ten fire stations throughout the city.  Hose companies were a carry-over from the days of horse-drawn steam engines.  At the time, engine companies carried only large hose lines used to supply the engines with water from whatever the source might have been.  The hose companies supplied the engine companies with smaller hose lines used to carry the water to the scene of a fire.

In the early 1900s, the New Bedford firefighting fleet consisted of the following apparatus:

Total Apparatus: 16

Total Stations: 10

A new type of fire apparatus was put into service in 1945, called a fog truck, and was designated as Fog Co. #1, to replace Hose Co. #1. It was later re-designated  Engine 1 and the old Engine 1 housed at the old Station 5 on County and Hillman was reassigned to the new Station 5 on Acushnet Avenue near Braley Road and re-designated Engine 5.  Throughout the 1950s, the department purchased a large amount of Maxim fire engines that were manufactured locally by Maxim Fire Apparatus in Middleboro, MA.  From the late 1940s into the 1970s, the NBFD apparatus fleet was mix of Maxim engines, as well as Seagrave, Maxim, and Mack aerial ladder trucks.

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1970 ~ 1999

Beginning in the 1970s, the size of the New Bedford Fire Department was reduced as several companies were cut from the budget and decommissioned.  Engine Company 10 was disbanded in 1972, followed by Engine Company 2 in 1976.  Three years later, in the late winter of 1979, Stations 4 and 10 were closed.  At that time, Engine Company 4 was decommissioned and Ladder Company 2 was transferred to Station 9, only to be disbanded in 1981.  Fire Station 3 was closed a short time later in 1991, and Engine Company 3 was disbanded.  Also in the 1970s, an experiment was conducted on the visibility of fire apparatus at night.  As a result, the standard color of the fire apparatus in New Bedford changed from traditional red to a "more visible" lime green color.  This concept was abandoned by 1990 and all apparatus purchased after 1988 were painted traditional fire engine red.  Today, the NBFD apparatus fleet sports an updated, two-tone color scheme featuring a white roof on top of a red body.  With advances in warning light technology and reflective striping, modern fire apparatus of the late 21st century no longer needed to be painted in "high visibility" color schemes.

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2000 ~ Present:  Turn of the Millennium

Rescue Company 1 was organized in 1995 as a specialized "Special Hazards" unit and was stationed in Engine 3's former quarters at the corner of Reed and Kempton Streets.  Rescue 1 carried technical rescue equipment and was equipped to handle hazardous materials incidents.  It also carried a mobile cascade system, which allowed firefighter's air tanks to be refilled at the scene of a fire.  In 2002, Rescue 1 was decommissioned and Station 3 was closed once again.

In March, 2003, Engine Company 8 was cut from the budget and decommissioned.  Shortly thereafter, Engine Company 5 and Ladder Company 4 were re-designated as Quint 5 and Quint 4, respectively.  The Quint concept allowed a company to operate both as an engine company and a ladder company.  The term "Quint" by definition refers to the five functions that the truck can provide:  pump, water, hose, aerial ladder, and a full compliment of ground ladders.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Engine Company 8 made history in July of 2006, when it was officially re-commissioned becoming the first ever New Bedford fire company to be brought back into service after being cut from the budget.  As a result, Quint 4 and Quint 5 returned to their original designations of Ladder 4 and Engine 5, respectively, and no longer operate in the "Quint" capacity.

In early 2009 as the nation's economy was faltering, budgetary constraints in the city of New Bedford forced the closure of Engines 6 and 9, and as a result, 36 New Bedford Firefighters were laid off.  Later in the year, federal stimulus money was secured to bring most of the laid-off firefighters back to work, though Engines 6 and 9 remained closed due to a continued lack of manpower.  "Rolling blackouts" were instituted that year, which caused the occasional daily closure of either Ladder 1 or Ladder 3 when manpower became low.  The city was now down to only 5 engine companies, and occasionally sometimes only 2 ladder companies.

However, in 2011, the city announced that it had been awarded a $12.2 million SAFER grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) by the federal government.  This grant would allow the city to hire 46 NEW FIREFIGHTERS!  By hiring these new firefighters, the city officially reopened Engine Company 6 and Engine Company 9 at 0800 hours on Sunday, July 24, 2011.