DeForest's fire department organized in 1911

The DeForest Fire Department was organized Feb. 13, 1911. A group of eleven men, all volunteers, held the meeting and elected Tom Farness as the first chief.

Previous fires had been fought by a bucket brigade, but the water system installed in 1908 brought about a better-equipped department.

In August 1911, John Connor and Simon Farness were chosen to draw up measurements and the cost of a building. By September 1912, they had a fire station.

A local blacksmith, D.G. Bennett, made the first fire wagon in October 1911 for a cost of $40. It consisted of a wagon on wooden wheels with metal rims to carry buckets and hoses. It was hand-drawn.

The original fire bell is now in front of the DeForest Windsor Fire & EMS Department on E. Holum Street in DeForest.