| The practice of paying fire fighters began in 1903, when the city hired two men, one to work on each side of the river.Then, in 1904, the professional fire department was organized and hired 12 men, including the chief, Ashley S. Dunham. This fire department consisted of two teams of horses and two combination chemical and hose wagons. The new department was temporarily housed in a building at East 5th and Mulberry Streets while its headquarters was under construction. Also, Chief Dunham purchased a horse and buggy to be used for the official chief’s "car." |  |
The chief was an experienced fireman and was a great asset to the Waterloo Fire Department. The chief first began with the department when he was around the age of 17 as a torch boy for the L. F. Walker Hose Company and continually moved up the ranks through different positions until he became chief. In 1908, a REO automobile was purchased for Chief Dunham to drive instead of the horse and buggy and is said to have been the first automobile in Iowa. Dunham served as chief for 21 years until he resigned due to failing health.
| In late summer 1904, the fire department moved into its new headquarters at 319 East 5th Street, which became its permanent location. Another building was remodeled that year to house a team of horses, the Red Jacket Hose and Engine Company, and the Harmony Hook and Ladder Company. Both of these companies were still volunteer organizations. The building housed a total of six paid firemen and was called Company No. 2. At first these paid firemen were on duty 24 hours a day for seven days and then got the eighth day off. They could only go home one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening for meals. This routine continued until 1918 when a two-platoon system was implemented. |  |
In 1908, Company No. 2, also called the No. 2 Hose Company, was moved into a new building at 716 Commercial Street, and three additional men were added to the department. Also that year, the fire department purchased a chemical engine along with two more teams of horses. One team of horses was for an aerial hook and ladder truck owned by the city but housed on the east side of the river for a number of years. Five more men were hired, two of them to help man the aerial hook and ladder, which was located at No.1 Station. Another man was hired in 1910 and one in 1912, bringing the total amount of paid personnel to 22.
In 1911, a major change to the Waterloo Fire Department was the purchase of a motorized fire apparatus. It was also the first vehicle of its kind to be used in Iowa. It was immediately put into service at No. 2 Station, which eliminated the need for one team of horses. Over the next four years the department kept purchasing new equipment and by 1915 the entire fire department was motorized. Important additions included two truck chassis purchased in 1915 from the Dart Manufacturing Company. Furthermore, by this time, four new men had been hired to help operate this new equipment, increasing the number of fully paid workers to 26.
