Founded in 1837, the Jefferson Fire Department is a paid-per-call fire department that serves the Village of Jefferson, Jefferson Township, and Lenox Township.  The fire department is made up of volunteers that are dedicated to serving their community when duty calls.

The fire station is not manned 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency.

Meet the Team

Tom Lachey
Chief

Dave Locy
Assistant Chief

Equipment

403

1999 Pierce Freightliner
300 gallon water tank with a front mount pump

411

2008 Pierce Enforcer Pumper / Tanker
200 gallon water tank

Jefferson Fire Department Chiefs

2014 – Present: Thomas Lachey
1977 – 2013: John Wayman
1974 – 1977: Dean Herman
1961 – 1974: Anthony Lachey
1953 – 1961: Lloyd Gasho
1934 – 1952: Albert H. Moses
1931 – 1934: J. Miller
1915 – 1931: E.D. Frayer

The first pumper of the Wade Hose Co. was a hand-drawn, piano box type, crane neck, hand-operated pumper with side brakes or pumping levers. The engine could pump a draft through a section hose or could have its mahogany, piano box tub full of water for the bucket brigade. It required 24 men to operate it, 12 on a side, who raised and lowered the side mounted pump handles or brakes. This engine was known as Wade Engine No. 1 and had a companion piece of equipment which hauled the ladders and under which leather fire buckets were suspended to be transported to the fire. This piece of equipment was also hand drawn.

On January 3, 1920, the Wade Hose Co. took their first steps to buying its first fire truck. On that day, they set their eyes on raising the amount of $3,000 for the purchase. After numerous fundraising projects such as: dances, fairs and shows, on March 21, 1921 there was $2,751.58 in their bank account and discussions began on what make of truck to purchase. A few weeks later, a motion was made to buy a Stuart truck from the Prospect Manufacturing Company. The Stuart truck was able to pump 10 gallons of water per minute (gpm). Today, the department has a grass unit, heavy rescue engine and three engines that hold at least 1,000 gallons of water each and pump 1,500 gpm.

There were no mentions of the words “chief” in the early days of the Wade Hose Co. The term that was used was “foreman.” The foreman was the person in-charge, not of company operations, but providing leadership on the fire ground. The first mention of the word “chief” started on May 6, 1915. The first fire “chief” in the fire department’s history was E.D. Frayer. There have been few fire chiefs throughout the many years of Jefferson Fire Department existence and all have made their impact.

The name Wade Hose Co. would change in January of 1957. Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department would come into existence and would later be known as its current name, Jefferson Fire Department after becoming a paid per call department.

Permanent quarters of Wade Hose Co. were provided on the public square; in conjunction with the public library building and the site was occupied since 1900. Legislation and a bond issue were approved for the erection of the new fire hall at another site. After countless years of planning, council meetings and court hearings to determine the site, the construction of a new fire hall would start in the spring of 1964. Today, the site of the department was finished in 1967 and is still in service today (96 East Jefferson Street).