By Jim Ignasher

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    The Town of Smithfield was incorporated in 1730 when it was set apart from the Town of Providence.  At the time of incorporation, Smithfield included what later became the present day municipalities of North Smithfield, Lincoln, the City of Central Falls, and the portion of Woonsocket south of the Blackstone River.

     The threat of fire was an everyday hazard in early America. Homes were primarily made of wood, and were illuminated with candles, oil lamps, and open fire places, any of which could start a blaze. The best fire fighting method of the day consisted of a bucket of water thrown at the flames. If one lived in a more populated area such as a mill village, hopefully neighbors would join in the battle and form a “bucket brigade”, but if one lived in a rural area where neighbors were widely scattered, then they were on their own.

     Even with an “all hands on deck” response from the village, the success rate of bucket brigades was usually minimal, and more often than not efforts became focused on saving nearby structures and prevent the spread of flames rather than saving the burning structure. This method of fighting fires was employed for centuries, not only in Smithfield, but all across the world.  It wasn’t until 1721 that an Englishman named Richard Newsham patented the first practical fire engine. 

     Benjamin Franklin is generally credited with establishing the first volunteer fire company in America in Philadelphia in 1736.  The first attempt at organizing a volunteer fire company in Smithfield occurred 93 years later in Central Falls, but it failed. 

     In 1829, the present-day city of Central Falls was a small thriving village with enough population to be considered “downtown” Smithfield. On the night of January 11, 1829, a fire destroyed a cotton factory belonging to Stephen Jenks & Sons. It was only by the efforts of local citizens and their bucket brigades that surrounding buildings were saved and prevented what could have been a disastrous conflagration. Afterwards, it was proposed by local officials to petition the state legislature to grant a charter for the formation of a fire company with the aim of purchasing a fire engine, but surprisingly, the idea was met with opposition and the fire company was never established. It wasn’t until 1847, eighteen-years later, that the Central Falls Fire District was established. In June of 1848, a “hand-tub” fire engine made by the L. Button Company of Waterford, New York, was purchased, thus giving Smithfield its first fire engine. (The “L” stood for Lysander.)

     Click here for more information about the proposal.

     In a book titled, History of the State of Rhode Island, published in 1878, the engine was described as “a side-stroke button pattern”, more commonly referred to as a “hand-tub”.  The premise was simple; a bucket brigade would fill the “tub” of the engine with water while able bodied men stood on each side and worked a set of dual pump handles.  This sent pressurized water to the hose(s) which could be sprayed on the fire, especially fires occurring on the second floor or roof of a building.  Some “hand tubs” could also draw water from a pond or cistern through a suction hose.  As primitive as these apparatus were, they were more effective than a bucket brigade. 

     The book went on to state that a fire company consisting of fifty men and calling themselves the Pacific Fire-Engine Company, No. 1, was organized, and the fire engine was housed in a new brick fire station located “near the railroad, on Cross Street.”

     It was further mentioned that, “The nearness to the village of Pawtucket, with its well equipped and organized fire department, was without doubt the cause of the long delay in securing a more complete system of protection against the fire-demon.”

     Just as Central Falls had relied on Pawtucket, there are indications that prior to 1871, the northern portion of Smithfield relied on Woonsocket for its fire protection. According to a Woonsocket Fire Department history, the Woonsocket Fire Corporation was established in 1836 after two major fires, one in 1829, and the other in 1835. The W.F.C. was authorized to asses and collect taxes to be used towards fire protection, which included the purchase of fire fighting apparatus.

     In 1836, Woonsocket was still a small village that was part of the Town of Cumberland, bordered to the south by the Blackstone River and the Town of Smithfield. On the Smithfield side of the Blackstone  were the village settlements of Hamlet, Bernon, and Globe.

     On January 26, 1838, the Woonsocket Weekly Patriot announced that William Yearnshaw had successfully petitioned the Rhode Island State Legislature for permission to establish the Hamlet Fire Engine Company.  It was further stated that the matter was “received and referred to the committee on corporations”.   As of this writing, no further information is known about this fire company, or if it ever formally organized and obtained a fire engine.  

     By the mid-to-late 1800s most of Smithfield was still without organized fire protection. There were three main reasons for this.  First, there were very few fire engine manufacturers, and each piece was hand crafted which slowed the production process.  Second, fire engines were expensive.  While large cities could afford them, many rural towns and villages could not.  Money was often raised through taxes or subscriptions which some voters felt wasn’t worth the expense.  Third, fire engines required lots of manpower to operate, and in many rural towns, the manpower simply wasn’t available.        

     In many cases, the motivation to establish a fire company was preceded by a disastrous fire.  Such was the case when a severe thunderstorm passed over Greenville on the night of June 20, 1870. Shortly before 11 p.m. lighting struck a wheelwright shop setting it ablaze. The flames quickly spread next door Oscar Tobey’s general store and both buildings were lost. The incident led to the formation of the “Rescue Fire Engine Company” of Greenville.  A second-hand fire engine was purchased from the Dexter Fire Company of Pawtucket and brought to Smithfield amidst much fanfare on July 4, 1870.

     The engine, like the one used in Central Falls, was also built in 1848 by the L. Button Company. By 1870 it was already obsolete.  Engines of this type were being replaced by “modern” high-powered  steam fire engines, or “steamers” as they were commonly called.

     However, towns like Smithfield couldn’t afford the pricy steamers, but were eager to obtain the time-tested hand-tub for it was better than a bucket brigade.

     Smithfield’s new engine was dubbed “The Water Witch”, but it’s unclear if this name had been bestowed by the Dexter Company or the men of Greenville.  Being the only fire engine for miles around, it would at times be called to fires several miles outside the village limits. However, it was a time before telephones, and by the time news of a distant fire reached Greenville, and the volunteers assembled, and factoring the time it took to reach the scene, it’s doubtful that much could be done. Such examples include the loss of a barn at the Whitaker Farm about two miles from Greenville, and the destruction of a home belonging to Elizabeth Smith located on Farnum Pike about a mile from Brayton Avenue. Both fires occurred in June of 1872.   

     On other occasions the Water Witch made the difference as with a fire in Spragueville in 1895.  

     The Water Witch was originally housed in a barn belonging  the Evans Family until 1885, and was then stored in the basement of the (now former) Exchange Bank in the center of Greenville.   

    At some point the fire company also obtained a horse-drawn hook and ladder wagon which carried several ladders of different lengths, and a hose cart to supplement the hand-tub.   

     The Water Witch saw service in Greenville for over 50 years until it was replaced in 1924 by a new REO motorized fire engine built by the Combination Ladder Company of Providence. This modern engine could pump 300 gallons of water per minute and could reach areas beyond the village in a timely fashion.

     The purchase the new REO came about after another disastrous fire which occurred in Greenville Center on February 2, 1924. To learn more about that fire, click here to read about The Great Greenville Conflagration of 1924.

     After the fire, the Rescue Fire Engine Company was re-organized into the Greenville Fire Company, and the REO pumper was obtained. Shortly afterwards a second-hand REO hook-and-ladder truck was purchased. Both REOs saw service until 1949.

     The Water Witch was retired and kept as a parade piece. It mysteriously disappeared during World War II, while on loan to a neighboring town. Its whereabouts today is unknown. To learn more, click here to read The Mystery of the Water Witch.

     In January of 1929, a Ford Model A forest-fire truck was delivered to Greenville from Flint Ford in Providence.  The cost was $686.00.  This truck was fitted with a large water tank designed to carry water to a fire.  It was the first truck of its type in Rhode Island. 

     By the 1930s the Greenville Fire Department had outgrown its quarters under the Exchange Bank and a proposal was put forth for a new modern station in the heart of Greenville.  When the station was completed it had three large bays to house all apparatus.  

 

     While the Greenville Fire Department could trace its roots to 1870, Georgiaville didn’t have organized fire protection until 1915.   

      The village of Georgiaville had seen its share of destructive fires, but it wasn’t until April 20, 1915 when two massive ice houses along the banks of Georgiaville Pond were lost to fire that local leaders pushed for the organization of a volunteer fire company for Georgiaville.  Six days later on April 26, a special meeting was held at Bernon Hall, where it was voted to establish “The Smithfield Fire Company”.   Bernon Hall was owned by the Bernon Mill, the primary employer of Georgiaville, and the mill owners had a vested interest in better fire protection. 

     Another meeting was held on June 15, 1915, when it was voted to purchase a modern motorized fire engine, however, the engine was never purchased due to lack of funding, and the company lay dormant until June 25, 1917, when it was incorporated under state charter.         

      Unable to purchase a motorized engine, the fire company had to settle for a hand-drawn hook and ladder and chemical wagon, both of which were stored at the Bernon Mill.  Although the apparatus were designed to be horse-drawn, there’s no evidence that the fire company owned any horses, and thereby had to rely on mussel power.   

     In the autumn of 1923 the fire company purchased a brand new motorized Chandler fire truck, and then a used 1912 Packard ladder truck, and a 1912 Cadillac forest fire truck. Motorized vehicles now allowed the fire company to respond to fires beyond the locality of the village.

     On May 27, 1924, a special meeting was held where it was voted to re-incorporate The Smithfield Fire Company as the “Smithfield Volunteer Fire Company, District Number 2”. The reason for the change is unknown, but minutes of the meeting state in part that it was “…voted that this company become a permanent organization.”

     It was also in 1924 that the former Georgiaville Schoolhouse, built in 1850, was turned over to the fire company for use as a permanent fire station. Three-thousand dollars was raised through social fundraisers to build an addition off the back to accommodate the fire trucks.

     In 1938 the fire company ordered a modern Seagraves fire engine with a 500 gallon-per-minute pump that was considered top-of-the-line for its day.   

     It was also in 1938 that plans were accepted for a new Georgiaville fire station to be build next to the Town Hall, for the old Georgiaville School, built in the previous century, had outlived its usefulness. The fire company moved into its new quarters on October 25, 1942. The new building was later adorned with bronze letters that read “Georgiaville Fire Company”.   As for the school house, it was turned over for use by the Highway Department.

     As a side note, although the fire company had originally been incorporated under two other names, it had been referred to as the “Georgiaville Fire Company” in newspapers as early as August of 1915. It didn’t officially become the Georgiaville Fire Company until 1950.

     In 1946 the fire company purchased a second-hand Packard Ambulance, which was the first fire department ambulance in Smithfield. (One anecdote told to this writer was that prior to this purchase, a local grocery store delivery wagon would sometimes be pressed into service as an ambulance.)

      As a point of fact, Smithfield had a third volunteer fire company that was only in existence for a relatively short time; the Wionkhiege Valley Volunteer Fire Company.     

     During the later part of the 1950s the Wionkhiege part of town experienced an increase in growth prompting some who lived in that area to lobby for the creation of a new fire district.  The proposed Wionkhiege Valley Fire District would service roughly eighty-five homes that were located within a two mile radius of the Latham Farm, which was located near the intersection of Log and Burlingame Roads. Area residents felt that better fire protection was needed due to the distance they lived from the Georgiaville and Greenville fire stations, as well as the narrow, twisting, roads leading to the area that would hinder a fire engine’s response time, especially in winter.  The plan wasn’t to eliminate the need for the other fire companies, but to simply shorten response time and slow a fire’s progress until fire engines from Greenville and Georgiaville could arrive.

     The driving force behind the proposal was Mrs. Corielynn Latham, the only woman to ever organize a fire company in Smithfield. She began her project by going door to door asking for monetary donations to start the company. When enough funds had been raised, Secretary of State John A. Notte granted a charter for the formation of the fire company, and in the second week of September, 1958, the Wionkhiege Valley Volunteer Fire Company was formally established.

     A garage that once stood on Log Road at the intersection of Burlingame Rd. was used to house the company’s fire trucks, and the first company meeting was held there at which time company officers were elected. Daniel W. Latham was elected president; William Martineau, vice president; Edward Jacques, secretary; and Harry Gardner, treasurer.

     Mrs. Latham, Mrs. John Mura, Rutledge Mollander, Hugh Brown, Walter Goudie, Ralph Farrar, and Charles Campbell were all elected to serve as a board of directors, with Mrs. Latham and Mrs. Mura also serving in the ladies auxiliary.

     The signers of the charter were Daniel Latham, Edward Jacques, John Mura, Wyit Wright, John McGirr, and Burton Mowry      

     The new fire company held a square dance three weeks later to raise funds for equipment. Before long, the W.V.V.F.C. purchased a second-hand Ward LaFrance pumper truck from Richmond, Rhode Island. Members of the company also hand-built a custom Ford tank-truck which carried eight-hundred gallons of water.

     Volunteers also created twenty cisterns throughout the district from which the pumper could draw water in the event of a fire.

     The new firemen received training from Lt. Ronald R. Jones of the Cranston Fire Department, as well as courses in first-aid and lifesaving from the Red Cross.    

     Things seemed to be going well. Wionkhiege residents had the fire protection they’d been seeking, and the town gained two additional pieces of fire apparatus that could be called into service if needed.   Yet surprisingly, not everyone was in favor of the new fire company as evidenced by newspaper articles of the era. There were those who claimed the added fire protection wasn’t needed, and actively sought to have the W.V.V.F.C. abolished!

     The issue wasn’t personal, but political, and residents and officials from all sides weighed in. In 1961, voters were asked to decide if town funding should be granted to the W.V.V.F.C. to allow it to continue operating. Despite some objections, voters granted funding.

     Yet the debate continued, prompting members of the Town Council to request a comprehensive study as to the necessity of having a third fire district in town. The study was conducted by the Smithfield Planning Board, which released its findings in early 1962.

     Their report stated in part, “That the adequacy of fire protection needs in the Wionkhiege Valley area does not warrant the creation of a new fire district but does warrant the establishment of an Engine Company in this area.”

     It went on to state, “That said Engine Company should be completely subject to and made an integral part of, the established Fire Department in Greenville.” Adding that, “Training programs, equipment needs, personnel matters, general administration and finance should be the sole responsibility of the chief of the Greenville Department.”

     The report also recommended a fire engine capable of pumping 500 gallons of water per minute, a suitable fire station in a central location, and the installation of a fire alarm system that would simultaneously ring at both the Engine Company station and the Greenville fire station.

     The report concluded with, “If the above recommendations are approved and carried out, the Rating Assn. has assured the Board that there would be a reduction in the fire insurance rates within this area.”

     While some viewed the report as a victory, others saw it as a contradiction, for there already was a fire station with two fire engines in the area.      

     The Wionkhiege firemen decided to fight back, and on May 10, 1962, two days before the Town Financial Meeting, the following letter appeared in The Observer.

     Dear Editor:

     It has been a year since the people of the Town of Smithfield voted their approval of expending funds for the operation of the Wionkhiege Valley Fire Company. The Volunteers of the Company are extremely grateful for this recognition and have sought to spend their appropriation wisely. As you know, this appropriation was voted by the people in spite of the Town Council’s stand that we did not need fire protection in this area. This year, however, the Council has changed its position in view of reports from the Planning Board and the New England Fire Insurance Rating Association. Having been enlightened by the experts, their position is that we should have a permanent station, a new pumper, and other equipment in accordance with N.E.F.I.R.A. regulations. This is more than we planned to ask for on our own and naturally has great appeal. However, the Council has sought to take away from us our greatest asset. Their recommendation is that we eliminate the Wionkhiege Valley Fire Company and be swallowed up by the Greenville Fire Company. Our finances, personnel matters and general administration would be taken over solely by the Chief of the Greenville Department. In effect, we would lose our identity. This would kill the spirit which has carried us along to where we are; and the one most important asset of a volunteer organization is spirit. Once that is lost the organization slowly falls apart. We are therefore appealing to you, the voter, to continue your faith in our work, and give us our appropriation, or any portion of it you feel is proper, after hearing the discussion at the meeting. But, don’t be a party to our downfall and give our appropriation to the Greenville Company. All we ask is the opportunity to govern ourselves in the American tradition. Give us this opportunity by giving careful consideration to our request from the floor at the Town Financial Meeting on May 12.

      The letter was signed, The Volunteer Firemen of the Wionkhiege Valley Fire Company.    

     Despite their best efforts, the Wionkhiege Valley Fire Company was forced to disband. Following the Planning Board’s recommendations, the town built the Log Road fire station, (Today known as Station 3), which opened in June of 1964.  

     In 1963, the Greenville Fire Department received a 1961 Mack diesel fire engine capable of pumping 1,000 gallons of water per minute.  The truck carried 300 gallons of water and 15,000 feet hose.  The cost of the engine was $28,000 dollars.  What made this truck special was its diesel engine, for this was the first diesel fire truck to go into service in all of New England. 

     Not long after its arrival, other Rhode Island fire departments came to inspect it, and some purchased Mack diesels too.   

     The engine remained in service until it was replaced in 1991 by a larger, more powerful, fire engine.  This vintage fire engine still exists today, and is currently in the hands of a private collector who lives in Smithfield.       

      In 1966, the town of Smithfield began a slow transition to establishing to a semi-paid fire department.  The initial plan called for nine paid firefighters;  a chief, two lieutenants, and six privates, to man the Georgiaville and Greenville stations from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department would still be augmented by volunteers, also known as “call-men”.          

   Reasons for the move included changing demographics. While there was no shortage of volunteers during the evening and overnight hours, during the day many volunteers now worked outside of town, compared to earlier times when people tended to work close to home. Department turnout reports for 1966 seemed to support this premise with 15 to 20 volunteers responding to emergencies during the daytime, compared to nearly twice as many on nights and weekends.  

     For those unaware, when an emergency was reported to the fire department in 1966, volunteer firemen were “called” by the activation of the large “air-raid” sirens mounted on the roofs of the Greenville and Georgiaville stations. These sirens were extremely loud, and could be heard from a great distance. Volunteers would go to their stations and then respond with apparatus as needed. One can see how this could cause a delay in response time, and it was felt that having paid men at the stations would help alleviate this problem.    

     The first paid member of the department was Chief Norman R. Segee, who was appointed November 28, 1966. Eight more firemen were appointed on December 5, and on January 1, 1967, it was officially announced that Smithfield now had a semi-paid fire department. It was also reported that three of Greenville’s firemen, Ernest Hawkins, Michael Fusco, and George Jaswell, would voluntarily sleep in the Greenville station at night to provide coverage.

     Five of the paid firemen were assigned to the Greenville station while the other four worked at the Georgiaville station. Those assigned to Greenville included Chief Segee, Lt. Walter Segee, Pvt. Raymond Young, Pvt. Paul Ganz, and Pvt. Raymond White, Jr. The Georgiaville station came under the command of Lieutenant Milton Corey, who oversaw Privates Fred Andrews, Ronald Paterson, and Walter Passano.

     Chief Segee joined the Greenville Volunteer Fire Department in 1941 while still a teenager. This was not uncommon for the time especially during World War II when older volunteers were leaving to join the military. When Segee turned 18 in 1943, he left to serve in the navy, but re-joined the department after the war, serving as a lieutenant from 1947 to 1952, when he was elected one of the state’s youngest fire chiefs.    

     As a lieutenant, Segee was instrumental in organizing the town’s first rescue squad, and chaired a committee to install the department’s first two-way radio system, which was funded through the proceeds from Greenville’s first firemen’s carnival held at Waterman’s Lake in 1951. Chief Segee retired in 1984.

     All of the appointees had been long-time volunteers. Their ages ranged from 28 to 53, and most were military veterans.

     Lt. Walter Segee had been a volunteer for 27 years, and prior to his appointment had been serving as the “day man” at the Greenville station while working third shift at the former Greenville Finishing mill on Putnam Pike.

     Lt. Corey was born and raised in Georgiaville, and had served with the Georgiaville Fire Company for 25 years, five of which he’d served as Chief. Lt. Corey retired as the Smithfield Fire Department’s Deputy Chief in 1984, after serving the town for nearly 44 years.

     Private Andrews was a lifelong resident of Smithfield who owned the former Andrews Farm located where Routes 104 and 295 intersect today.

     At 28, Private Walter Passano was the youngest of the nine appointees. He’d served six years as a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force, and had been a volunteer fireman in Georgiaville for 12 years. Private Passano eventually rose to the rank of Chief in the department.

     Private Young, 39, of Spragueville had been a volunteer since he was 15.

     Private White had moved to Smithfield from Philadelphia when he was 7-years-old, and had formerly worked for the Smithfield Highway Department.

     Private Ganz had been a volunteer fireman in Cranston, where both his father and grandfather had served as Chief of the Oaklawn Fire Department. After moving to Smithfield with his family in the late 1950s, he began volunteering in Greenville.

     Private Ronald Paterson had been a volunteer with Georgiaville for the pervious 27 years, and he continued to serve with the fire department for many years afterwards.  

     On January 23, 1967, about three weeks after the new semi-paid department was in place, the crew assigned to the Greenville station was called out for an unusual ice rescue. Apparently two dogs, a beagle and a German shepherd, had been playing on some ice when the shepherd fell through and found himself struggling for his life. Meanwhile the beagle ran for help, and went to a local business where his frantic barking and clawing at the door aroused attention. The employee who investigated the noise quickly sized up the situation and called the fire department.

     Firemen responded with a small boat and pulled the dog to safety. Once in the boat he shook the icy water from his fur dousing his rescuers, but nobody seemed to mind. Once back on shore he was draped with a blanket and given warm milk.

     As time went on, the number of paid fire fighters in Smithfield continued to grow as the department continued its transition from volunteer to paid. Eventually the volunteer call men were phased out completely. Today (2025) there are fifty-three sworn firefighters on the Smithfield Fire department.

In Memoriam

 

     Firefighting is inherently dangerous, and Smithfield has lost four fire fighters in the line of duty. 

     The first was Raymond W. Segee, who was stricken while responding to an alarm at the Greenville fire station in October of 1956.  He died at Roger Williams Hospital on October 7th. 

     The next was Lieutenant Robert Brown, (22), who suffered fatal injuries when he fell from a moving fire truck as it raced to a brush fire on April 2, 1960.

     The third was Lieutenant Eugene E. Dorgan, (38), who fell from a moving fire truck while responding to a bran fire off Colwell Road. The fire was later determined to be arson, and the perpetrator was subsequently charged.     

     The fourth was Leo Kennedy Sr., who suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in a training exercise on October 29, 1979.

     We pray there will be no others.