OUR HISTORY: OVER A CENTURY OF SERVICE
Founded in 1893, Elk Grove's Fire Department started
with a single hose cart and a small group of dedicated volunteers.
From these humble beginnings, the Department has forged a lasting
presence in the community.
The idea of forming a Fire Department was conceived by a group
of citizens who started the Elk Grove Water Company in 1892 after
a series of disastrous fires threatened to destroy the town. Construction
of an eighty-foot water tower began in May of 1893 along Elk Grove
Boulevard (the same location of Elk Grove’s current water
tower). The tank held 45,000 gallons of water. 3500 feet of water
main was laid East and West on Elk Grove Boulevard and five fire
hydrants were installed. A coal-burning boiler produced the power
to run the steam pumps.
With the basic water supply equipment in place, the group turned
their efforts to organizing a volunteer fire company. Money to
purchase fire fighting equipment was raised by community leaders
through community dances and chicken pie suppers held at the Masonic
Temple and the Toronto hotel. The original hose cart and a supply
of 2.5 inch hose was purchased with the funds raised.
In 1897, a large fire bell was special ordered from the W.T.
Garratt Foundry in San Francisco and erected in the hose-drying
tower that also served as part of the hose cart house located
just East of the Southern Pacific Depot, opposite the Masonic
Temple. A second hose cart and additional hose was purchased around
this same time.
In 1918, the hose tower and the equipment were relocated to a
site behind the Odd Fellows Hall. This site was behind the justice
court and the jail.
Each year the group added and improved the level of equipment
available to its volunteers. A chemical cart was added in 1920.
This engine had two 45 gallon soda and acid tanks for quick-attack.
What this new machine made up for in ease of operation, it lacked
in speed because it was pulled by hand like the hose carts. Elk
Grove’s first Fire Chief, Del Cann, donated a Paige Roadster
to the Department in 1920 to transport the tanks. The tanks were
mounted to the rear of the vehicle – thus becoming Elk Grove’s
first motorized fire engine.
In 1925, citizens saw the need for increased fire protection and
decided to form the Elk Grove Fire District, a tax-supported agency
covering approximately 100 square miles including the communities
of Elk Grove, Sheldon, Franklin, and Point Pleasant. A 54-13 public
vote resulted in the District’s formation. The Sacramento
County Board of Supervisors officially declared the District formed
on July 6, 1925. 
The District’s first commissioners were Andrew Elliott,
W.E. Everson, and W.S. Ajax. J.D. “Del” Cann was appointed
as Fire Chief and Frank Everson as the Assistant Chief.
Additional equipment was purchased and placed into service between
the years of 1925 and 1940 including an American-LaFrance chemical
fire engine, a 1928 Moreland fire engine, a 1934 Ford fire engine,
and a used 1927 Chevrolet pumper. The District served an estimated
3,000 citizens during these years. A second station was added
in the Franklin area around 1928 and a third station in Sheldon
around 1930.
In July 1940, Elk Grove Fire District became the first District
in Sacramento County to employ a full-time Fire Chief. William
Perry Schulze was appointed to that position.
Improvements in the fire department continued as the District
purchased property at 9044 Elk Grove Boulevard and moved the corrugated
iron building housing two of the engines to that site. A dwelling
already on site of the property was used as the Fire Chief’s
residence. The old hose tower was dismantled and the fire bell
was moved to the new site. Volunteer firemen were called to duty
instead via a large electric siren mounted on the town water tank.
The siren was activated by telephone operators from the office
of the telephone company.
No additional changes were made to the District’s inventory
of equipment until the end of World War Two. In 1947, a new Van
Pelt fire engine was purchased. Among the latest design at the
time, the Van Pelt featured a high-pressure, 500 gallon per minute
fire pump. The engine was used as the basis for future apparatus
orders.
The District outgrew its quarters and constructed a new concrete
block fire station in 1951. The new building had three apparatus
stalls, meeting rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and other modern
conveniences.
A series of serious automobile crashes in 1955 resulted in a great
loss of life and served as the impetus for a new service to be
offered by the Elk Grove Fire District. Emergency ambulance service
provided by the Elk Grove Fire District was introduced in 1955.
Elk Grove was the first fire department to initiate this level
of service in Sacramento County. The first Department ambulance
was a 1951 Chrysler loaned to the District by the County.
Increases in calls, both fire and ambulance, put new demands on
the firemen. In 1957, a second full-time fireman was added. Twenty
volunteer firemen continued to serve as the primary cadre of first
responders.
A series of apparatus sales and purchases took place from 1951-1966
including the purchase of a 1931 Fageol, a 1950 International-Howe,
a 1958 Ford, and a 1953 Dodge that had been converted from a cattle
truck to a fire engine.
The original metal firehouse on Elk Grove Boulevard was moved
around 1968 and a new four-stall metal building was constructed
to house the apparatus. On July 1, 1969, Volunteer Assistant Chief
Gerald Derr was appointed Fire Chief when Chief Perry Schulze
moved to assume the duties of Fire Marshal. Derr had served as
a volunteer since 1949 before he accepted the position of Fire
Chief.
Station One was relocated again in 1975. The new building was
located at 8760 Elk Grove Boulevard – where it continues
to serve as Station 71 today. A remodel in 2001 updated the building
allowing the station to meet the functional demands of a full
time engine and medic crew.
In 1975, the Department consisted of Chief Gerald Derr, Deputy
Chief Clifford Angell, Fire Marshal Robert Edwards, Assistant
Chiefs Paul Betschart and Otto Hansen, Secretary-Dispatcher Virginia
Schulze, four full-time captains, two engineers, two full-time
fire fighters and fifty active volunteers. Most of the firemen
were also Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). The Department
responded to 922 emergency calls during the 1975-76 fiscal year.
It operated a fleet of 18 fire vehicles, including two ambulances.
In 1985, the Department merged with the Elk Grove Recreation and
Park District to form the Elk Grove Community
Services District (CSD). The District opened the area’s
fourth fire station in November of 1989 located on Laguna Park
Drive.
Chief Derr retired as Fire Chief in June of 1990. He continued
to act in the role of the CSD General Manager through 1991.
Tom Fischlin took the reins from Chief Derr as Fire Chief in
1990. During Chief Fischlin’s tenure, the Fire Department
transitioned from a combination (volunteer/paid-call) Department
to a career Department in 1996. Twenty-six line personnel were
hired during the Department’s first career hiring process.
Several of the Department’s volunteers assumed full-time
employment through this hiring process.
Chief Fischlin retired in 1997. Upon his retirement, the District
hired Mark Meaker, an assistant chief with 25 years of experience
in what is now known as the Sacramento Metro Fire District, to
serve as Fire Chief. Chief Meaker served as Elk Grove Fire Chief
until his retirement in 2003. Deputy Chief, Keith Grueneberg,
a 35+ year veteran of the California fire service, was promoted
to the rank of Fire Chief upon Meaker's departure. Chief Steve Foster
is Elk Grove's current Fire Chief.
In 1999, the CSD opened its fifth fire station, hired 15 additional
fire fighting personnel, and moved its Sheldon station to a new
facility located on Bond Road - closer to the District's urban
core. A sixth fire station was opened in November 2001 and another
hiring process expanded the Fire Department's personnel base by
15 line personnel - bringing Fire Department staffing totals to
93 line personnel, 8 chief officers and 7 other support personnel.
Equipment and apparatus sales and purchases have resulted in a
state-of-the art fleet. A dual-purpose Pierce rescue-pumper, a
Pierce pumper-water tender, and two Pierce urban interface combination
structure-grass engines were acquired by the Department in 2000.
A state-issued urban search and rescue OES engine was added in
2001 to render automatic aid throughout the state for wildland
fires and/or other state emergencies and disasters.
In Fall 2004, the Department negotiated with the Wilton Fire Protection
District to expand contract services to their organization including
fiscal management, fire prevention, fleet maintenance, and overhead
management. Also in 2004, Chief Grueneberg and the CSD executive
management team began the process of relocating and constructing
a new Fire Station 72 within the East Franklin Specific Plan and
negotiating property for the District's seventh fire station.
The Department has worked, and continues to work, closely with
other Sacramento County fire service agencies and actively participates
in countywide utilization of the Incident Command System (ICS).
Cooperation amongst the region’s fire service agencies resulted
in the creation of the Sacramento Regional Fire/EMS Communications
Center in 1985. This effort consolidated fire and emergency medical
9-1-1 dispatching services for all of Sacramento County. Additionally,
a countywide boundary drop system was established that continues
to provide the Department with the ability to mobilize resources
from over 85 fire stations in the area to respond to major incidents.
Other improvements also evolved in the latter part of the millennium. In 1997, the Department instituted an alphanumeric pager system to recall personnel during major emergencies or disasters. A comprehensive wellness (fitness) program was also organized in 1999 to help maintain the health and wellness of first responders.
In 2006, the Department reached two important milestones - Steven
Foster, a veteran with the Department, succeeded was Keith Grueneberg as Fire Chief, and a merger between the Elk Grove Community Services District (CSD) and the Galt Fire Protection District resulted in the creation of the Cosumnes Community Services District (CSD). This change expanded the delivery of CSD fire protection and emergency medical services to the cities of Elk Grove, Galt, and unincorporated south Sacramento county areas -- approximately 157 square miles.
Continued growth and innovation in the fire service has prompted a diverse array of new Fire Department projects and responsibilities. Each year, the Fire Prevention Bureau conducts hundreds of new construction inspections and plan reviews and actively implements annual weed abatement and fireworks enforcement campaigns. Moreover, the Public Education Division coordinates a number of safety activities including "Change Your Clock-Change Your Smoke Detector Batteries" Campaign, the Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program, the Life Jacket Loan-Out Program and Car Seat Safety Inspections. A new Special Operations Division was formed in 2007 that oversees the specialized rescue, hazardous materials, and disaster preparedness needs for the Cosumnes CSD Fire Department.
As they have done for more than 100 years, the members of the Cosumnes CSD Fire Department maintain their commitment to protecting the lives, property and environment from fire and other natural and manmade disasters and emergencies in a courteous, timely and effective manner. In 2010, Tracey M. Hansen, a 17-year veteran of the Cosumnes CSD Fire Department was named the new Fire Chief by CSD General Manager Jeff Ramos, the latest achievement in a career she began as a paramedic. Hansen Named John Michelini as her Deputy Chief and the team immediately began developing strategies to effectively manage the Fire Department during the recession.
