SLAYTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES 125 YEARS (1895-2020)

In August we finally have the opportunity to celebrate an important anniversary - the 125th anniversary of our Slayton Fire Department! On Saturday, August 21st the fire department will be featured in the 1pm parade on Broadway Avenue. Vintage trucks and current vehicles from many regional communities will join the parade, and a free will donation dinner will be served at the fairgrounds. The Murray County Fair Board has even extended the hours of the open class and commercial buildings on Saturday so everyone has time to enjoy the entire fair for this very special occasion.

In 1895, Mr. George H. Woodgate organized a volunteer fire department for what was then known as the Village of Slayton. On July 2, 1895, Mr. Woodgate was appointed by the village council to serve as the first fire chief. According to the council minutes, Mr. Woodgate promptly “procured badges for the firemen and instructed the crew in how to use the new chemical engine.” He also, “prepared for the street parade and public exhibition of ‘No. 1’ at the 4th of July celebration in extinguishing a fire to be set in a structure erected for that purpose.” By January of 1901 the department added twelve new members and two horse carts to the fleet. In October of that year the Fire Department Relief Association incorporated in order to pay members in cases of sickness or disability. A newspaper article dated April 1, 1913 advertises the “18th Annual Fireman’s Dance”, so it may be surmised the department has been raising funds since its inception. Throughout the years there are advertisements for picnics, dances and Independence Day celebrations all hosted by the fire department. Some of the money raised has been for their relief association, but other funds have been used to upgrade equipment and supplies for the department. For instance, in 1999 the department raised funds to purchase a thermal imaging camera, improving visibility inside burning buildings.

But few supplies elevate the level of excitement like a shiny new fire truck, and Slayton has had the good fortune to purchase many new trucks throughout the years. In 1936 a truck boasting a 500 gallon-per-minute pump with the ability to shoot water over 100 feet into the air was procured. The chassis was purchased from the Slayton Auto Company and the Luverne Fire Apparatus Company of Luverne, MN provided the remainder of the equipment. A 1963 newspaper photo describes another new fire truck and in 1969 a new rescue van was donated to the department by Jerry Bennett of Slayton Auto. The article states the van would carry rescue equipment, freeing space in the fire truck for firefighters to ride and to carry additional supplies. These are just a few of the many trucks the department has added since its inception.

The sad reality of the need for a fire department is to respond to catastrophes, and there have been many throughout the years. Perhaps the loss of the Peavey elevator in March of 1894 spurred the action of Mr. Woodgate and others to organize a fire department the next year? The estimated loss of the elevator was $10,000, which today would be about $316,000. Other notable fires found in the archives of the Murray County Historical Society are:

1939 - a fire in the Silverberg building

1941 - numerous fires in rural Slayton

1942 - several downtown businesses burned, including the Pieck building which had been built in 1900 and described as “somewhat of a landmark”

1960 - Mansch Brothers Furniture burned (the site of the current Midwest Supply store)

1973 - Suzuki City, owned by Gene Rolfes, went up in flames. The loss included 20 snowmobiles and 23 motorbikes

1984 - a lightning fire destroyed the senior citizens building at the fairgrounds

1984 - just two weeks later a downtown fire destroyed P&K Printing, Trudy’s Beauty Salon and Erickson’s Jewelry. The same fire damaged the law offices of Merlyn Anderson and John Doyle, the dental office of Dr. Richard Donaldson and the offices of N.H. Snider Construction Company

Archived newspaper clippings show photos of other tragedies, such as house fires and barns. One barn fire took 3,400 hens, another 75 young pigs and still another farmer lost 27 head calves.

City Council minutes describe tremendous frustration when the new fire station on Maple Avenue was built in the 1970’s. Though work began in 1974, there were many delays and construction problems and the contractor eventually was in default. The building was finally complete at year end in 1976, but one citizen reported the project, “plagued City Council for months.”

1981 was a year of growth, as the city approved the purchase of a $60,000 fire truck and the county helped to fund a new countywide fire department radio system. The cities of Slayton, Currie, Fulda, Lake Wilson and Chandler paid $1500 each for two mobile and one base station radio. The smaller communities of Dovray, Avoca and Iona contributed $400 each for one mobile unit. The radio system allowed all county fire departments to remain in constant contact, and the Murray County Mutual Aid Association was formed to “upgrade the quality of all department’s firefighting capabilities through mutual cooperation.”

The archives reveal two scandals, of sorts. In 1961 the “village” learned $3,000 (approximately $27,000 today) had been embezzled and the fire department treasurer was not bonded. None of the treasurers in the past sixty years had been bonded, so the need for reorganization was discussed at the village council meeting. And in 1956, it seemed an inebriated Chandler airman “borrowed” a Slayton fire truck on New Year’s Eve to return himself to base! No harm was done and the airman’s captain dealt the punishment.

One hundred and twenty-six years later, our fire department is as relevant and necessary as ever before. When asked about the changes in fires, firefighting and prevention over the years, Slayton Chief Chris LeTendre reflected, “ I think they had more fires years ago because of how people conducted their lives. The way they heated their houses with wood and how they cooked with open gas flames. Also the living quarters were much tighter back in the day and it didn’t take much to knock a candle over or forget a cigarette burning. Today we are responding to fires that are burning hot and fast due to the products that go into building construction as well as our furniture. The synthetics that our beds, couches, chairs, and flooring are made out of are causing these fires to double and triple in size every 30 sec. The building construction of these newer homes is also causing them to burn up faster. The new homes are considered lightweight construction and therefore when it catches on fire the resins and metal plates holding floors and roofs together fail much quicker. I think the reason that the fires were bigger and worse years ago was because of the equipment that the firefighters had to work with along with the low level of training that they were provided. Today every new firefighter goes through 140 hours of training to be a certified firefighter. We are also responding with more equipment and much newer equipment. The Slayton Fire Department has been very fortunate to have a community and a city that supports them very well.”

The Slayton fire department has always been a volunteer department, but it is filled with volunteers who dedicate many hours all year long, and many serve for decades. Chief LeTendre explained the work of the current department. “Our firefighters are alway busy doing something. We train 22 nights a year. Along with those nights we meet 12 nights a year (once a month) to wash and check over the mechanics of the trucks to make sure they are in tip top shape to respond at any moment. We provide services for the Murray County Speedway in the summer every Friday night. Fire prevention week is in October. During that week we visit the elementary school and work with the 5th graders and show them our equipment. The 5th graders also do a themed poster contest pertaining to fire prevention. We also visit the kindergarteners and show them how we look when we are all dressed in our gear, along with teaching them some basic fire prevention tips. We let the first graders come to the fire hall and tour the place and get various fire prevention tips. We also visit local daycare centers and show them our trucks. When we aren’t doing that we are responding to on average 30-35 calls a year. Our firefighters also have full time jobs that we call them away from during working hours to help someone in need. We have great support from the local employers who let their employees go when the pager goes off and for that we are very grateful.”

Chris is part of a long list of distinguished chiefs who have served our community for the past 126 years: George Woodgate, George March, Julius Remstad, Van March, Ed Suedbeck, Jim Behrends, Bob Gass, Tom Kappes, Rick Clercx, Paul Louwagie, and Shawn Nelson.

It’s a great year to celebrate a proud history of service to our community. The city leaders, current and past firefighters and their families hope you will join them at one or all of the events on Saturday, August 21st at the Murray County fairgrounds.

Chief LeTendre and his crew would like to thank the following businesses for helping make this celebration a success: Nobles Coop Electric, Heiman Fire, City of Slayton, C&B Operations, Minnwest Bank, Miller Sellner, Farm Bureau, Slayton Building Materials, First National Bank, Shetek Marine, Ag Plus, Pulver Towing, Boerboom Seeds. And if anyone is interested in serving as a firefighter in Slayton, contact Chris LeTendre at: www. slaytonfire@gmail.com

Saturday Events:

1:00 pm - Parade

2:00-8:00 pm - Kids Fire Hose Games and Interactive Fire Trailer

2:45 pm - Kitchen Fire Demonstration

3:30 pm - Auto Extrication Demonstration

4:30 pm - Kitchen Fire Demonstration

5:30 pm - Free Will donation Chicken and Sweet Corn Feed

3:00-6:00 pm - Antique Fire Truck Show with Judging and Results at 6:00 pm Dusk - Fireworks