The MHVFD was organized as of December 1, 1890. Its purpose: to provide fire protection within the Village of Mount Horeb.  The equipment consisted of an 1890 Goulds hand pumper, a hose cart and a ladder wagon, all hand drawn.  The fire Chief at the time was W.F. Scott.

 

The water supply was stored in what were called water cisterns which were located at various places in the Village.  They were kept filled by members of the fire department.  These were used until the water tower was erected in 1908.

The first fire alarm was a steel triangle mounted near the Fire House which was located near the present water tower on North Second Street.  Records show that a fire bell was purchased in 1904 at a cost of $143.00 and placed atop the Fire House.  That bell will eventually be proudly displayed in some capacity at the present Fire Station.

The first piece of motorized equipment was a 500 gpm pumper with two 50 gallon chemical tanks, a hose body, ladders, etc., mounted on an Oldsmobile truck purchased in 1923 from Hanley-Reilly Auto Co. in Mount Horeb.

In June 1927 the Blue Mounds Fire and Lightning Mutual insurance Co. purchased in 1926 Stoughton pumper and the Mount Horeb Volunteer Fire Fighters staffed the unit for fire in the country side.  This is believed to be the first fire fighting equipment in Wisconsin to be used exclusively for fighting rural fires.

In 1955 the Mount Horeb Rural Fire Protection Association was organized to provide fire protection for the rural area.  The Association municipalities included the Village of Blue Mounds, Cross Plains, Perry, Primrose, Springdale, and Vermont. Again, the Mount Horeb Volunteers staffed apparatus provided by the Rural Association.  Finally, in May 1979 the village of Mount Horeb and Rural Association merged to form the present Mount Horeb Area Fire District.

The MHVFD organized the Emergency Medical Service during 1975.  This brought to the Mount Horeb Area basic life support EMS  system which includes both stabilization and transport.  The basic life support concept has since expanded to include administration of epinephrine, defibrillation and airway insertion.

FDMH Fire Chiefs

Those who have served as fire Chiefs for the MHVFD are known for their relative longevity on office and I think appropriate that they be listed:

The First Fire Chief, Scott, served for 15 years from 1890 to 1905

Thomas Ayen 1905-1907

F.J. Luder 1907-1915

Olo B. Pickard, 1915-1923

Joseph Chladek, 1923-1936

Ernest Schaller 1936

Banford Dahlen 1936-1958

Elmer Krohn 1958-1960

Howard Himsel 1960-1978

Charles Howard Himsel 1978-Present