Laredo Fire Department

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Laredo Fire Department. Now settle in, because this one starts small. Real small.

We're talking two men and a dream. The year is 1883, and the first Laredo fire company is being organized. They called it the Gate City Volunteer Fire Department, and its entire membership consisted of exactly two people: O.

P. Reid and Mauricio 'Frenchy' Didieu. Two men.

Two independent hose carts. And nine miles of water pipe running through the whole city. Nine miles.

You can picture Reid and Didieu out there, hauling those carts, looking at the size of Laredo, and doing some math they probably didn't like. But they worked with what they had. They eventually brought on more men and even acquired a steam engine, which must have felt like a real step forward.

The trouble was, the city of Laredo wasn't exactly backing them up. No city support meant the endeavor did not survive. That's the marker's word for it.

Did not survive. So Laredo was left without a fire brigade, and then came the 1890s. City growth.

Major fires. And citizens who were suddenly, urgently aware that this was a problem that needed solving. Enter Eugene Christen, who reorganized the city's firefighters and became fire chief.

The firemen kept operating as volunteers, still with very little city support, all the way until 1912. That's when Laredo finally began to pay its firefighters. Progress kept coming after that.

The position of fire marshal was created in 1915. The first motorized pumper was purchased in 1922. An enlarged fire station opened in 1928, and just a few months later, a second location opened right behind it.

With city support, modern equipment, and a strong fire chief, the department grew steadily. And here's one of the more remarkable details on that marker: by special arrangement, the Laredo and Nuevo Laredo Fire Departments agreed to assist each other in cases of extremely dangerous fires. Two cities, two countries, one handshake across the river when things get bad enough.

By 1998, the Laredo Fire Department had nine fire stations, a regional fire training academy, six ambulances, a hazardous materials response team, an arson investigation unit, and fire prevention outreach services. From two men and two hose carts to all of that. O.

P. Reid and Frenchy Didieu started something that the city spent decades figuring out it needed. Laredo caught up eventually.

It usually does.

What the marker says

The first Laredo fire company was organized in 1883. It was known as the Gate City Volunteer Fire Department and initially was comprised of only two men, O. P. Reid and Mauricio "Frenchy" Didieu. Reid and Didieu worked with two independent hose carts and only nine miles of water pipe in the city. They eventually took on more men and acquired a steam engine, but without city support the endeavor did not survive. Major fires during a period of city growth in the 1890s made Laredo citizens increasingly aware of the need for a fire brigade. Eugene Christen reorganized the city's firefighters and became fire chief. The firemen continued to operate as volunteers, with very little city support, until 1912. The city of Laredo then began to pay its firefighters. The position of fire marshal was created in 1915. The first motorized pumper was purchased in 1922. An enlarged fire station opened in 1928, and a few months later a second location opened. With city support, modern equipment, and a strong fire chief, the department grew steadily. By special arrangement, the Laredo and Nuevo Laredo Fire Departments agreed to assist each other in cases of extremely dangerous fires. By 1998, the Laredo Fire Department had nine fire stations, a regional fire training academy, six ambulances, a hazardous materials response team, an arson investigation unit, and fire prevention outreach services. The Laredo Fire Department has evolved with the city, continuing to serve Laredo citizens as it has for more than a century. (1999)