Plymouth Volunteer Fire Department Roster (January 2017)

History of the Plymouth Volunteer Fire Department

In July of 1912, the city purchased an Ajax chemical engine that was pulled by hand to fight fires. It held 50 gallons of water and had a 50-foot hose. The engine would be inverted, activating the soda acid water combination to force the water to squirt out of the hose. This unit had very high narrow set wheels that caused the unit to tip over easily.

The big 1925 Main Street fire prompted a bond issue in 1926 to purchase a hose cart. In 1927 a used American La France Model T fire truck was purchased from the city of Nora Springs. This Model T had a 50-gallon chemical engine with 300 feet of hose.

In 1947, a group of farmers paid $35 per share to purchase a Chevy pumper with a capacity of 500 gallons of water to fight farm fires. The city paid $1,200 and agreed to house and maintain the unit. The Plymouth Fire Department was organized with 21 members. In 1958 a fire barn was built to house the fire department's equipment. A new fire station was built in 2008.