Haviland
Fire Department
History Of The Haviland Fire Department
Haviland Fire Department·Wednesday, September 26, 2018·
The city of Haviland, Kansas was incorporated in April 3, 1906. The first fire fighting equipment consisted of two-wheeled carts, each carrying a 150 gallon tank with a considerable amount of hose. The tanks were filled with water mixed with soda. Each tank had a bottle of acid under the filler cap. When it was desired to spray water on a fire, a lever was operated to break the acid bottle. Mixing the acid with the soda produced pressure which forced the water out of the tank. In 1925 the city installed a new water system with fire hydrants strategically located around the city. A Model T one-ton ford truck chassis was bought and equipped with a hose bed, which was made by a local carpenter. It carried 500 feet of hose. It was also equipped with two three-gallon soda-acid extinguishers.
In 1947 the Kansas Inspection bureau decreed that the equipment must be updated or the city would lose its rating for insurance purposes. A new 1947 one and a half ton Chevrolet truck was purchased, and factory equipped with complete fire fighting equipment. This truck is still used for parades and community functions.
Some of the older records have been lost, but in 1921 Gene Green and Gordon Bennett were the fire Chiefs. In 1929 L.C. Fankhouser was chief and Gordon Bennett was assistant. Prior to 1971 the fire chief was Vic Philpot. In 1971 Alvin DeGarmo was the City of Haviland Fire Chief with David Getting as an assistance, later followed by Oscar Ebert as an assistant. Oscar Ebert then became the Fire Chief, with Robin Rose as his assistant. In 2017 Robin Rose took over as the Fire Chief and Logan Stevens Assistant.
The city of Haviland also houses four Kiowa County fire trucks. The County Fire Chief is Theron McKinney.
Photo credit taken by Brandy Langley
