Pre Dunmore Hose Company

Late 1700's to 1896

The Dunmore Hose Company, established in 1894, was not Brandon’s first organized fire department—but it has proven to be its most enduring, continuing today as the Brandon Fire Department. Before any formal fire company existed, Brandon’s “firefighters” were ordinary citizens—neighbors known for their courage and capability in extinguishing fires.

During the 1800s, many homes and businesses kept buckets on hand in case of emergency. When a fire broke out, townspeople from near and far would form impromptu bucket brigades to prevent conflagration. Upon discovery of a fire, one of the first citizens on scene would sprint to the Congregational Church and ring its bell using a rope that hung outside the building, summoning help from across the village.

In 1845, a group of citizens proposed the formation of a Fire Society. Across the United States, fire societies of that era typically required members to pay dues, supply buckets and ladders, and often limited their service to fellow members’ properties. Brandon’s society took a more communal approach—assuming that the entire village was, in spirit, part of the membership. While dues and bucket requirements remained, this marked Brandon’s first organized attempt to go beyond the citizens’ bucket brigade and secure a dedicated hand pumper for the village.

By 1856, however, the Fire Society was still viewed as inefficient, lacking the structure of a true fire company. That January, a devastating fire at the Brandon Iron and Car Wheel Company, owned by John Howe Jr., became the catalyst for change. In its aftermath, the town appointed a committee to purchase a hand pumper and hose carts and to formally establish engine, hose, and hook-and-ladder companies under the name Neshobe. This committee would later become known as Brandon Fire District No. 1.

Brandon soon emerged as one of the first towns in Vermont to organize a fire company and, by 1882, one of only eleven to operate a municipal waterworks. In 1888, the town voted to build a hose house to complement its new gravity-fed water system.

Despite these advancements, Brandon’s early fire companies continued to struggle—some from inadequate leadership, others from lack of training or funding. By the 1890s, several companies had risen and fallen, including the Neshobe Engine Company, Spaulding Hose Company, J.J. Simmonds Hose Company, and Volunteer Hose Company No. 1.

When the Dunmore Hose Company was formed in 1894, Volunteer Hose No. 1 was still active but waning in spirit. Members of Volunteer were unpaid, required to pay dues to maintain their standing, and fined if they missed alarms or drills. By 1895, frustration grew as the Fire District failed to supply Dunmore Hose Company No. 2 with adequate equipment or a hose house, forcing it to disband.

In 1896, Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 voted to dissolve, leaving the future of Brandon’s fire protection uncertain. Fire District No. 1 responded decisively—reforming the Dunmore Hose Company, granting it use of the hose house beside Town Hall, and giving the company full authority to equip itself and outfit its members. For the first time, firefighters were also offered a modest stipend in recognition that responding to alarms required leaving their paid employment.

The newly reconstituted Dunmore Hose Company quickly earned a reputation as Brandon’s most capable and organized fire force to date. It would go on to serve the town for more than 125 years, continuing the proud legacy of those early citizen firefighters.

Inspired by the heritage of Brandon’s early fire service, today’s members of the Brandon Fire Department honor their predecessors through commemorative designs and apparel—celebrating the Bucket Brigade, Neshobe Hose Company, Volunteer Hose Company No. 1, and the enduring Dunmore Hose Company.

Early Dunmore Hose Company

1894 onward

By 1897, the word “Volunteer” had been removed from the hose house signage—not only because the prior company had disbanded, but because the department had become a paid-per-call organization. The new sign simply read “Dunmore Hose.”

Determined to establish its permanency, the company requested individual fire alarms for each member’s home, offering to perform the installation themselves if the town would supply the materials. Weekly drills and practice sessions soon became a fixture in the community. The Foreman and Captain would often sound a surprise alarm to test how quickly their men could assemble at the station and race their hose cart through town.

This spirit of dedication, professionalism, and pride set the foundation for what would become the modern Brandon Fire Department—a direct descendant of the Dunmore Hose Company and the long line of citizen firefighters who came before it.

Written by:
Kyle F. Hutchins, Vice President, Dunmore Hose Company & Firefighter, Brandon Fire Department

Sources:
Early Brandon newspapers (The Voice of Freedom, The Brandon Post, The Brandon Union), The Rutland Herald, The Burlington Free Press, Fire Stations of Vermont (U.S. Department of the Interior), and History of Brandon, Vermont: Dedicated to Its Citizens.

A pictorial history of the Company

The Dunmore Hose Company was established in 1894 and has had a long and proud history serving the Towns of Brandon, Leicester and Goshen.