A picture of Olathe firefighters and Prince, our first horse, in 1898.The Olathe Fire Department was organized in 1871 after fires destroyed several buildings on the town square. Because of the fires, the City Council created the Olathe Hook & Ladder Company, Olathe’s first group of firefighters, to protect people and property. The ordinance or law, recorded in 1871, creating the Hook & Ladder Company allocated $3,000 for the purchase of a chemical fire engine and a hook-and-ladder truck. The vehicle’s design allowed them to be pulled by firefighters for short hauls or they could be horse-drawn when longer distances needed to be traveled. The ordinance also included the digging of four strategically located cisterns near the town square for fire suppression needs.

Our reorganization, in 1883, led to the fire chief drawing a salary of $3.50 per day, while the volunteer firefighters earned $1.00 per fire call. If the fire chief ordered civilians to help fight a fire they were paid $1.00. If they refused to help they were fined $10.00. We continued to operate with a paid chief and volunteer firefighters until 1950, when four firefighters were hired full-time with the support of the volunteers.