Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Doug Schmitt, Fire Chief
Soldier Township Fire Department
Soldier Township Fire Department started with a 1937 Chevy fire truck that had a 300 gallon water tank and a rope start pump on the back. The fire station was the private garage of Fred Whiteman in the alley south of what was then Seaman High School. The truck was kept warm by a wood burning stove. There was no set list of fire fighters. When a call came in anyone could and would go to the fire to help.
Sometimes when a fire call was received, Fred Whiteman, the Township first Fire Chief, would go to the high school and Mr. Logan would call some of the young men out of classes to go to the fire. There is even a rumor that some of them would dive out the windows when they heard the siren blowing.
In 1946 the department bought its first full fledged pumper, a 1946 GMC, 500 GPM mid-ship pump with a 500 gallon tank. At that time the trucks were moved to 1841 Blaine. In 1948 the township board voted to build a modern fire station in the 2600 block of North Topeka Blvd. and after completion in 1949 the department became a combination department upon hiring a full time fire chief and assistant.
In 1950 Chief Palmer realized the need to have a list of fire fighters he could depend on and to give them training. The department legally organized into a proper fire department. January 18th the large siren on top of the station started being used to call volunteers to the fires. But it only brought an average response of 3 men. On April 5th, the Kansas Inspection Bureau recommended that for a class A rural rating the department would need a minimum of 8 men responding, 2-way radio communications and would also need 12 2.5 gallon buckets, 50 feet of garden hose and a bushel basket. The extension ladder was also 2 feet to short.
In 1976 the department moved into a new station at 600 NW 46th Street. The station had 2, 3 bedroom/2 bath ranch style homes attached to a 40x60 4 bay station, it featured 2 offices, and a meeting room.
Shooting ahead in 1989 the department had 4 full time officers and a secretary as well as 30 volunteers. Since this time we have had an ever increasing incident response. In 2012 we are still in this station but one home has been converted into a large training facility with offices and storage for our firefighters association, training and medical offices and the basement has been converted into a recreation/lounge area. The other home was most recently converted into the township front office, Chief’s office, file storage and part of the basement has been converted to the bunk room and conference room.
In March of 2012 an unmanned station was completed at 8232 NW Topeka Blvd. It has 1 brush truck, a tanker/pumper and a tanker. The addition of this station made a significant difference to our patrons fire insurance rating by placing everyone within 5 miles of a station. To facilitate this even further, STFD, has signed automatic mutual aid agreements with all the surrounding departments. To date (2012) we still operate with 4 full time staff and an administrative specialist. The “volunteers” are now part-time paid employees and we staff to the level of 35 members. The Township received an ISO classification of 5 and 8B which is very good for a semi-rural community. All firefighters are now nationally certified at a minimum of firefighter 1 and any new hires must be EMT certified. We have 1 rescue vehicle, a chief’s vehicle, 3 brush trucks, 2 pumper/tankers, 1 rescue pumper, 1 structure pumper and 1 tanker.
Our headquarters station at 600 NW 46th has been remodeled to feature a large meeting room in the east wind with a fire fighters association office, training media, and Explorer Post room, the lower level is a lounge/ recreation room. The west wing, the front of the building, is now our township and fire administrative offices, bunk room, and BAT cave. We also have a live burn field with 12 props for live fire training and a training tower. We are proud of our heritage, growth, and community involvement.
OUR MISSION…
It is our Mission to protect the lives and property within Soldier Township, delivering dependable, efficient and professional public safety response through leadership, management and actions.
OUR VISION…
Soldier Township Fire Department strives to serve our community through collaborative efforts and diverse partnerships.
OUR CORE VALUES...
To Residents:
We owe the residents of Soldier Township the highest quality of service possible, characterized by responsiveness, integrity and professionalism. We will continually strive for quality improvement.
To Fire Department:
We owe the Soldier Township Fire Department our full commitment and dedication. We will always look beyond the traditional scope of our individual positions to promote teamwork and organizational effectiveness.
To Each Other:
We owe each other a working environment characterized by trust and respect for the individual, fostering open and honest communication at all levels.
To Ourselves:
We owe ourselves personal and professional growth. We will seek new knowledge and greater challenges, and strive to remain at the leading edge of our profession.
