[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 69 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SESQUICENTENNIAL OF THE SAUK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

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                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 17, 2004

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Sesquicentennial of the Sauk City Fire Department. On May 23, the Sauk 
City Fire Department will celebrate its 150 years of service to 
community in a festival at the Saint Aloysius Church.
  Sauk City was founded in 1854 as Wisconsin's first incorporated 
village. That same year a Sauk City merchant, J.J. Heller, had a small 
wooden fire engine built to protect his store from fire. Mr. Heller 
organized a meeting seeking assistance with the labor-intensive fire 
engine, making Sauk City home to Wisconsin's oldest volunteer fire 
department and oldest standing fire station.
  During the 19th century, there was a great need for organized and 
responsive fire departments due to the fire prone stoves, lamps, and 
chimneys of that era. Furthermore, the business districts, composed of 
crowded rows of wooden buildings, were constantly at risk for a rapidly 
spreading fire. Sauk City was a pioneer for this region in stopping 
these devastating fires.
  This is a wonderful success story about a community coming together 
to fill a need. In 1859, the fire department had a new locally made 
fire wagon. In order to raise money to purchase a bigger fire engine, 
the town and its several breweries organized a festival. The outpouring 
of support was so impressive at the first festival that it became a 
boisterous event. As the community grew and the technology advanced, 
the Sauk City Fire Department kept pace with new stations and fire 
engines. Today, the thirty-eight volunteer professional firefighters of 
the Sauk City Fire Department serve a 170 square mile area in south 
central Wisconsin.
  While the sheer length of the Sauk City Fire Department's service to 
the community is worthy of praise, it boasts several other impressive 
qualities. The Sauk City Fire Department has done a remarkable job of 
restoring two of its locally manufactured fire engines from 1924 and 
1928. It was also first fire department to use the two-toned Decot 
siren, which was created by Sauk City Fire Chief Ted Decot and became a 
nationwide commercial success.
  Mr. Speaker, I join Fire Chief Michael Fehrenbach and all the 
residents of Sauk City in celebrating the Sauk City Fire Department's 
150 years of service to the community.

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