Fire Department History

Lt. Frank Coombs, Ret. 2014

Hampden Fire Department acquired a new brush truck on February 21, 2012 to replace our old 1955 Willis Jeep. We are very excited about this new addition!

Background History of the Hampden Fire Department

Submitted by Lt. Frank Coombs (Ret.4/2014)

From the 1898-1899 Hampden Town Report:

Protection from Fire Account

Appropriation……………………………………………………………$400.00

Wood, Bishop Co. - 100 Pails - $20.83

Geo. Babcock for delivering pump - $.50

Henry Pierce for 12 Ladders, Hooks and Labor - $30.50

The Town was doing what it could at this time to be thinking of Fire Protection for the residents. In the years to follow there are records showing $225.00 being appropriated for fire escape ladders at the schools in Hampden Highlands, Hampden and East Hampden. This was from the Town report of 1911.

Many improvements were made between then and the time the first official fire station was built in 1924. The Town purchased its first motorized fire apparatus (chemical unit) in 1925. We think it was a Maine made McCain from Portland, but we cannot find any photos or documentation to confirm this. The Paradise Pavilion fire of 1933 documents the Bangor Fire Department's actions to extinguish this blaze, but we cannot find any references of Hampden Fire Department being there.

In 1941 and the Town purchased a piece of apparatus that will forever be known as “The Jewel” - the 1941 Ford Pumper. This was purchased under the direction of Chief Murray in the same year the fire department was chartered as an official town department. A few years later in 1948, saw the department reorganized and we have documents showing the organizational chart:

Chief Clair Trask

AC Leon Foss

Capt. Bill Marsh

Lt. Benjamin Baker

Other names on the roster included Les and Paul Foss, Ernest Rowell, Charles Dunton, Ivan Frost, Bill Squires, Donald Mingo and Elwyn “Streaker” Hewes, just to name a few.

The 1950’s saw many improvements in equipment, training and education. The Town bought a 1956 Ford Maxim Pumper and the Town built a new Fire Station near Hampden Academy. 1957 also saw Chief Clair Trask appointed as the first full-time fireman for the Town of Hampden.

If anyone has any information, photos, documents, etc. that they would like to share with us, we would love to post it here and share it with the public. Please contact us via email, publicsafety@hampdenmaine.gov or 862-4000.