Michael R. Glore and Michael J. Kitsock

In 1829, the Humane Hose Company and the Schuylkill Hydraulians Engine Company organized in the booming town of Pottsville, a mining center in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region.

Fire protection was urgently needed for this growing community. New fire companies such as the Good Intent, the Rough and Ready, and the Good Will formed, as well as junior fire companies, including the Rangers and the Young America. In a patriotic response to President Lincoln’s call to arms, two Pottsville fire companies disbanded, committing themselves to the Union; they became members of the legendary “First Defenders” of the Civil War.

The twentieth century brought new challenges of motorization, dieselization, and ever-stricter training standards.