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Fire Department
The Burlingame Fire Department is a full
service fire department that serves the City of Burlingame as well as Burlingame
and Dragoon Townships.
History
The city fathers back in 1876 formed the
original fire department which has been in
force to this day. The department has always been manned by an all volunteer
membership. The original organization started out with one piece of equipment,
that
being a hose cart that was pulled to the fire by hand. Over the years the
department acquired motorized equipment.
Up until 1958 the fire department only responded to alarms inside the city
limits. That same year the City of Burlingame joined together with Dragoon and
Burlingame Townships to form a larger department and provide fire protection to
the entire area. Shortly after that time a new radio system was installed to
better alert the fire fighters when there was a fire call.
In the late 1970's another volunteer group
started the Rescue Squad which would
respond to emergency medical calls. This group was completely donation funded
and staffed by some members from the fire department as well as their own
charter
members. This group served a very important and appreciated service to the
community and paved the way for our First Responder Program that we have today.
In 1987 the Rescue Squad became a part of the fire department and is now
supported by funds from within the fire department budget.
Today
The
Burlingame Fire Department has evolved from the days of a hand drawn hose cart
to two class A pumper trucks, a 1250 gallon tanker, two brush trucks and a
rescue truck. We are equipped with a full set of hydraulic rescue tools ("Jaws
of Life"), as well as an automatic defibrillator to assist with heart attack
victims. The equipment is housed in our fire station at the intersection of
Lincoln and Dacotah streets.
Some types of emergencies the department responds to are
house fires, car fires,
grass and brush fires, hazardous material calls, carbon monoxide alarms, vehicle
accidents and, of course the most requested, emergency medical calls. They
respond to an average of 200 calls per year.
The ISO rates which determines fire insurance rates are
classes 7-9.
The department is still manned by 25 all-volunteer
personnel who meet twice a month
for regular training drills as well as spending numerous hours maintaining fire
equipment. Their members have attended outside training courses to become state
certified Emergency Medical Technicians.
If you have an emergency, simply dial
911. If you have any questions about the
department, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer, stop by for a
visit or
call our administrative number at 785.654.2407.
Book for Sale
Tom Oliver, one of the early Fire Chiefs and avid
fisherman in Burlingame, laid down his fishing pole long enough to write a book
called:
Burlingame
Volunteer Fire Department
History and Stories
From 1876 to 2002
Tom's book is full of wonderful history and stories
about the Fire Department. We thank Tom for the fine job he has done and
look forward for a second edition. If you have a story, pictures or
additional history, please contact Tom at the address below.
Books can be purchased for $3.00 at:
City Hall
The Burlingame Library
or the Schuyler Museum
Mail orders are $5.00
Send Money order to:
Tom Oliver
715 South Topeka Ave
Burlingame, KS 66413
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