This week marked an anniversary for the Sedalia Fire Department, but same as the work from the men who have dedicated their lives to service at SFD, it was done humbly and without fanfare.
For 130 years, SFD has served the Sedalia community in emergency situations. The 41 men who serve in the department have gone about their work with pride and dignity, just as those who have gone before them.
The SFD was established as a volunteer fire department May 29, 1868, with 32 men in the original department. Five others joined in June of that year.
It was nine years later in 1887 when the City of Sedalia established a fully-paid department in what was one of the lengthiest ordinances — 17 sections — in the city’s history.
Little is known of the early history of the department, as records of the department’s responses were either not kept or were lost in time.
“We have progressed from horse drawn apparatus, with the last horse being retired from the SFD in early 1918, to motorized apparatus, some homebuilt, to state-of-the-art apparatus as required by the insurance Service Office for use in municipal fire departments,” SFD Deputy Chief Greg Harrell said. “We still operate from two stations, although in different locations, as they did in 1887.”
While the number of responses for the early years is unknown, in 2016 the department responded to 2,134 alarms.
One thing that has not changed is the dedication of those who serve.
“Most people who become firefighters do so because they like helping people, and today more than ever we continue that with our response to medical calls, which make up about 65 percent of our calls for service,” Harrell said. “But what the public has to know is that like in 1887, the firefighters of the Sedalia Fire Department love what they do.
“The excitement, the challenges, they are still what draws young people to the fire service,” Harrell added. “The ability to help people, people you know and live near or are family and friends provides a satisfaction that is hard to describe.”
Harrell knows firsthand of the personal toil that can come with responding to a call. As one of the first on the scene, he watched as the church he was raised in, First United Methodist in downtown Sedalia, was destroyed by fire in March 2016.
Harrell has been a member and had worshiped at the church for more than 22 years.
“It was a little different last night being here,” Harrell told the Democrat the evening after the fire. “I think after (Wednesday) night and (Thursday), I will have more empathy perhaps than before.
“I always sympathized with anyone who has suffered a loss, but this fire was very personal for me,” Harrell added. “I ushered here on Sunday and Judy (Harrell) and I were married here; the loss of this has made me feel different.”
There have been other devastating fires in the history of the department, including the Thanksgiving Day Fire of 2015, the Missouri Homestead, Mark Twain Apartments, Otasco, and the Sedalia Business College in the last 50 years.
Yet in the 130 years of responding to tragic events, the department has only lost four of their own in service. Those who died in the line of duty include William Collins (1937), Lee May (1957), Edward Shine, (1971) and Rick Morris (2008).
Why they chose to join
“I joined the fire service my junior year of high school as a volunteer for the Smithton Fire Association,” said Colby Snapp, the newest member of the SFD. “As a young volunteer I saw the importance the fire service played in the community.
“People call on and depend on you when they are having one of the worst days of their lives,” Snapp continued. “I loved being a volunteer while I was young, but as a young high school graduate I never saw myself as becoming a career firefighter.”
Snapp said his plans were to become a construction manager, driving a company truck and being in charge of a large construction site.
“Those were my plans but life threw me a few curve balls,” he reflected. “I was working in a small welding shop and going to college when my girlfriend, now wife, became pregnant.
“So I quit college and went to work at a few jobs to support my little family when my fire chief from Smithton told me about the Sedalia Fire Department hosting their first Fire Academy,” Snapp continued. “I was excited to join and could not wait to start.”
The Academy was six months long and, according to Snapp, very time consuming.
“It required a lot of determination and more importantly heart,” he emphasized. “There were periods where we were tested to the max on both physical and mental roles.
“With that being said, this was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Snapp added. “I would recommend anyone who has an interest in the fire department to go through the Sedalia Fire Academy.”
Snapp is the second SFD officer hired from the Sedalia Academy. Joe Parnell was the first, hired in 2016.
“The Academy provides opportunity for local residents to obtain the necessary certificates to start a career in the fire service at an affordable rate while holding a full-time job,” Harrell explained. “We have the opportunity to watch the students as they learn and train and we can see and interact with these students so when they apply as openings become available, we have some knowledge of how they can handle the job.”
So much has changed
In 1887, a routine house fire was made of wood, cotton and horse hair furniture and asphalt shingles on the roof.
“Today, every call, whether it be a structure fire or a vehicle fire, or even a trash fire, is almost a Haz-Mat incident,” Harrell said. “Toxic smoke and gases from synthetics and chemical-laden man-made materials are what causes the cancer rate to be almost two and a half times that of the normal rate, according to several studies.’
The days of walking in off the street and becoming a firefighter are long past, according to Harrell.
“Training is probably one of the biggest changes in the department’s history,” Harrell said. “In the early days no training was required and when you were hired your training was on the job.”
Today candidates for the Department have to have Fire Fighter I and II training certifications as a minimum to even apply and test. Candidates have to complete EMT training and have an Emergency Medical Technician license to complete their probationary period.
Members of the force are trained for fire situations, water and ice rescues, vehicle extrication, chemical incidents and building collapses, according to Harrell.
“Firefighting is a challenge and you are constantly training, working with equipment, working with simulators and being challenged mentally as well,” Harrell said. “We work in a semi-military environment — reacting to a decision by an officer without questioning it first is essential sometimes in a fire (emergency) situation, yet being able to see things that are happening and making adjustments in your actions require training and quick thinking.
“We also are very fortunate to work with some other wonderful public safety agencies here — the Sedalia Police Department, the Pettis County Ambulance District, the Pettis County Fire Protection District and Pettis County Sheriff’s Office,” Harrell commented. “We all work together to serve and protect our friends, families and neighbors here in Sedalia.”
Protecting and serving others is perhaps first and foremost among the reasons those who serve in the department choose to do so.
“The support we receive from this community is so great and we enjoy being able to do demonstrations and display our equipment — your equipment — and letting you see what tools you provide for us to do our jobs, protecting you,” Harrell said.
“For 130 years the Sedalia Fire Department has maintained a dedicated, professional fire department entrusted with the safety of the citizens of the city of Sedalia,” Harrell added with pride. “We look forward to another 130 years and more.”
