Notable Events – City of Nekoosa, Wood County, Wisconsin

September 14th, 1900 – Formation of Nekoosa Fire Department
Purchase of first firefighting equipment: galvanized pails, axes, extension ladder, rubber coats, boots and hats, dashboard lanterns and common lanterns. – December 1900.
First Firemen’s Dance held on February 9th, 1901 in Brooks Bros. Hall.
Purchase of 500 feet of hose, a spreader and 2 nozzles. – May 1905.
Purchase of a two-wheeled hose cart. – May 1906.
Department has a rabbit feed followed by a wrestling match between Joe Wolf, known to the sporting fraternity as Zabysko, and E.C. Kellogg, “The Horrible Swede”. – January 1911.
Village Board informs Company that they had voted to buy another hose cart. – January 1913.
Village Board agrees to pay $2.00 for the first tram to haul the hose cart to a fire. – May 1914.
First expulsion of a member. Reason: For cursing at the Chief and members. – May 1915.
Chief Louis F. Koehn reports that NEPCO will put in a fire whistle. – January 1918.

Department takes up the matter for a Fire House and a truck with the Village Board. – September 1922.
New Fire House dedicated. – February 1923.
Committee formed on taking up with the City Council as to buying a pumper. – May 1926.
Committee formed to look up matter of NEPCO laying pipe line to wood yard. – April 1927.
First mention of participation in Fire Prevention Week held in October. – June 1927.
First mention of Firemenship Schooling. – April 1925.
Small hose cart sold to John Buchanan for $5.00. – January 1930.
Fire Dept. first holds a Water Frolic. – August 13th, 1933.
Report given on new Library and City Council Room. – March 18th, 1935.
Basketball game held in Nekoosa between the Green Bay Packers and the City basketball team – The Comets. – February 27th, 1938.

Department membership increased from 20 to 22 members. – May 20th, 1940.
Chief James Mlsna writes to Seagrave Co. for prices on a new fire truck. – January 20th, 1941.
Chief James Mlsna reports on the purchase of an American La France pumper by City Council. – December 15th, 1941.
Proposal to purchase material and have a boat built for firemen’s use. – March 1942.
Request from Wisconsin Rapids Fire Dept. asking for permission to call for help from Biron, Port Edwards and Nekoosa Fire Departments in case of a bad fire or shortage of manpower. – December 1944.
Chief Mlsna & Charles Herrick gave instructions on the operation of new American La France pumping equipment. – November 1945.
Secretary Sid Brooks writes a letter to Rudolph Fire Department congratulating them on the organizing of their department. – February 1948.
President Charles Herrick appoints a Committee to contact the City Council as to remodeling the fire house. – September 1948.
First mention of use of Ambulance by the Fire Department. – February 1955.

New American La France pumper first used at evolution. – July 1959.
City purchases Plectron Alerting System – should be delivered in approx. 60 days – August 1965
Proposal for new Municipal building. – July 1968.
Members of the Auxiliary Firemen introduced. – June 1969.
Training of Auxiliary Firemen begins. – August 1969.
Chief Don Walrath meets with Public Safety Committee about purchasing a new fire truck. – February 1970.
Chief Walrath showed members several proposed prints for new Municipal Building. – February 1971.
Department went over operation of new Diesel fire truck. – January 1972.
Dedication of new fire station. – September 2nd, 1972.
New Ambulance ordered. – December 1972.

Chief Walrath announced City Council approved increasing the department from 22 to 28 men. – May 1973.
Motion to advise City of Nekoosa that due to manpower problems, Ambulance service will no longer be provided by the Fire Dept. effective after December 31st, 1977. – August 15th, 1977.
Water Ball equipment set up in area behind Fire Station. – April 23rd, 1980.
New Tanker delivered. – April 1986.
New Pumper (Engine 1) delivered to the department. – January 1995.
New Pumper (Engine 2) delivered to the department. – March 1999.
Fire Department mural on east fire bay wall completed. – March 2000.
Nekoosa Fire Department 100 Year Celebration held. – September 2000.
New Brush Truck ordered. – April 2001.
New Brush Truck put in service. – August 2001.