Following the organization of the town of Newcastle in September 1889, one of the first organizations to be formed in the town was a fire department.
The Newcastle Fire Department, with Henry Leppla as its chief, was inaugurated in the early part of 1890 with equipment as good as could be purchased at the time. It consisted of the Mondell Hose Company, officered by Don Miller as foreman and Walter Schoonmaker, mayor, at the time, as assistant foreman.
The Newcastle Hook & Ladder Company was officered by William H. Benns as foreman and John Handell as assistant foreman. Each organization had a complete and enthusiastic membership, which continued to be the case for a number of years.
The department as it is known today was formed in 1933 when the threat of higher fire insurance rates caused the town to call a special meeting on March 23, 1933. From that meeting, City Ordinance #5, Series 1933, was passed on May 1, 1933, creating the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department. Section 4 provides for a chief and an assistant chief elected by the members of the fire department and certified by the mayor and city council. The first fire chief was Clarence Brill, along with assistant chief M.L. Hays.
The first fire truck was a 1935 Chevrolet purchased out of Denver, Colo. That truck still serves the City of Newcastle in parades and escorting Santa through town. The city built the current fire hall in 1979. Current membership allows for 50 volunteers on the department.
Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department Members
Fire Chief - James Curren
Assistant Fire Chief - Chris Kenney
Secretary - Kory Horn
Treasurer - Paul Eitel
Captains
Meritt Pedersen
Paul Eitel
Ryan Whipple
Lane Zerbst
Lieutenants
Benjamin Foote
Austen Kenney
Kory Horn
Nathan Butler
Safety Officers
Donny Munger
Clarence (Nub) Baker
Dave Brown
Learn more about the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department on our Facebook page!