Volunteer firefighters have been serving the Village of Oak Harbor since 1866.
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In 1866, 17 employees of the stave factory began the Charles Roose Hose Company. Initially for manning the factory fire hose, the company became part of the village firefighting effort when the Portage Fire Company, 40 members strong, was formed in September 1872. The “Constitution, By-Laws and Rules of Order, Portage Fire Company #1” printed in 1873, named George Vinning as foreman (Chief).
To equip the new company, village council purchased a used hand engine — said to be the finest in the state — from the City of Sandusky for $600. In a performance test, “Portage” attained a 236-foot stream with 30 men at the brakes. Water for the engine was secured from fire cisterns, various bayous and the Church Street fire dock.
By 1880, 22 members used equipment including:
1 hand engine
1 hose cart with 700 feet of rubber hose and 300 feet of leather hose
1 hook and ladder with implements
1 fire bell
The fire bell and equipment moved around every year or two, stored in rented quarters. In 1885, the Village and the Township built a Town Hall on Church Street that included a fire engine room. A steamer, purchased for $750 from the Mansfield Machine Works, was stored here. A low fire was maintained in it at all times.
Upon hearing the peal of the fire bell, the first man responding with a team received $3.50 for hauling the engine to and back from a fire.
The earliest documented major fire in the department’s history was in August 1894.
One side of a downtown block and half of another was destroyed. The fire lasted nine hours with engines and men being brought in by rail car from Fremont and Toledo. Total losses were $30,000. Later in the day, even before the Oak Harbor engine had left the fire dock, two more fires had broken out. Both were quickly extinguished.
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Mechanization came to the department in 1903 with the purchase of two 45-gallon chemical engines.
One was mounted on a chain drive truck chassis and stored at the engine house. The other, along with 100 feet of 1-inch hose, was based at the Lakeshore Chemical House on Bank Street.
In 1907, the old Town Hall was torn down and the new one did not have provisions for an engine room. Instead, a two-bay block building was erected for $1,350 directly behind the new Town Hall. The fire bell, removed from the old building’s steeple, was mounted on a tower next to the fire station.
The bell was used until 1923 when an electric fire siren was acquired.
It last rang for a fire in the mid 1930s and is currently mounted in a place of honor in the present station and is still used today for special services.
The 1920’s and 30’s had the department on the way to becoming a more modern and professional organization. In 1928, a massive American LaFrance, Type 91 engine, rated at 500 gallons-per-minute was purchased from Union Supply Company of Toledo for $6,850. For the first time, the Village provided insurance for the firemen at a cost not to exceed $8 per man per year.
Dress uniforms for 21 firemen consisted of red hat, red shirt, and white trousers.
Salary remained at $1.00 for the first hour and $.50 per hour there after. Hose was to be tested 6 times a year.
In August 1930, the department moved to its present, prominent location on Water Street giving it much needed room for future needs.
Since that move, a succession of firefighting equipment has occupied that station, each being more modern and more attuned to the needs of the department and the community. This, in turn, has required that communications also be updated.
Prior to 1949, fires were reported to the telephone operator. With the advent of dial phones, Robinson Funeral Home answered calls and set off the siren. Radio was first placed in the trucks in 1956.
In 1966, a radio alerting system was implemented with each fireman having a unit in his home.
The final step in modernization came in 1977. Since then, the Oak Harbor Police Dispatchers handle incoming calls, set off the alert tone, and provide radio communications.
When voters approved a tax levy in November 1983, the Portage Fire District was formed.
To this day, the PFD carries on the long, proud tradition of volunteer fire fighting in Salem Township and the Village of Oak Harbor. The fire station was remodeled and expanded in the summer of 1989 to accommodate the ever growing department.
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In 2005, Portage Fire District asked the voters of Salem Township for a replacement tax levy to offset the rising costs of operating the department. Thanks to their support, the replacement levy passed and Portage Fire District will be able to continue to grow, prosper, and answer the call whenever and wherever help is needed.