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History of the WCVFD

A City in Need

Wright Motor Co. Fire of 1940 In early 1940, the Wright Motor Company garage and sales room erupted into flames, endangering much of the West Columbia downtown area. At the time, West Columbia had no fire department, so firefighters from Angleton and Bay City had to extinguish the blaze.

Before the ashes were even cold, W.C. "Cecil" Autry, an employee for Wright Motor Company, enlisted the help of all interested citizens and the Junior Chamber of Commerce to raise funds for a fire truck, and to organize a volunteer firefighting group.

Autry was quickly elected fire chief, with 20 eager volunteers under his leadership.

First WCVFD Firetruck With the cooperation of Mayor O.W. Pond, a fire station was built to house their only fire truck - a 1940 Chevrolet Champion Fire Engine (donated by Wright Motor Company). Seven years later, the WCVFD acquired a second truck - a Ford Triple Combination 500-gallon pumper, with a 350-gallon booster tank (the county's rural fire truck). Unfortunately, the truck was ordered from a catalog. They were not custom-built - what you saw was what you got.

The Department Grows

1940 WCVFD in Action Under Autry's leadership, the department grew to 30 members in the 1950s, with the City of West Columbia adding another 500 GPM pumper in 1955. Autry went on to serve the community as fire chief for 22 years.

 
1966 WCVFD Officers From 1962 to 1968, the department was under the leadership of Chiefs J.T. Kennemer, Carl Stephens, and Jim Dodson.

Pictured here are the WCVFD officers in 1966. From left to right (top row): Gerald Bell, Bill Weatherford Sr., Frankie Buchanan, and Mickey McCann. From left to right (bottom row): Eugene Fink, Carl Stephens, and Charles Tielke.

 
1967 Derailment One of the more notable fire calls include a train derailment and fire on October 28th, 1967. The derailment, which occurred at Danbury, brought out firefighters from all over the county in a cooperative effort.

 
1972 Station Dedication In 1972, the citizens of West Columbia approved a bond issue for a newer, more modern station. Shown here are Chief Eugene Fink and his officers as they dedicate the current location of the fire station: 314 Clay Street (across from the old Junior High School).

 

Help is on the Way

The WCVFD Ladies' Auxiliary was organized in March 1963 (while Chief Kennemer was serving). The Fire Department started the auxiliary off with a $100 cash gift, and offered them the job of preparing and serving food at the annual Firemen's Carnival.

Over the years, the Ladies' Auxiliary has assisted in many other ways, including:
  • Preparing and serving food and refreshments at all department functions (i.e., fire calls, Open House, work nights, etc.).
  • Preparing and mailing fire prevention literature, banquet invitations, and Stamp Drive correspondence.
  • Overseeing the annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest held in the local school system.
  • Attending the State Firemen's and Fire Marhals' Conventions.
  • Forming their own Pumper Team in August 1965 (for competitions).
1975 WCVFD Ladies' Auxiliary Pictured here are the WCVFD Ladies' Auxiliary officers in 1975. From left to right: Delores Crocker, Darlene Cloud, Beepo Fink, Sandra Minshew, and Patsy Ducroz.

The WCVFD Ladies' Auxiliary remains the envy of surrounding fire departments, but they are fiercely loyal to the WCVFD - and the WCVFD couldn't be more grateful.
 

The Fight Continues

Current WCVFD in Action Perhaps Chief Fink summarized the department best in his 1973 interview with the Brazosport Facts: "The West Columbia [Volunteer] Fire Department is striving to offer the city and rural community the best fire protection possible. It is the goal of the department to update and acquire more modern firefighting equipment and provide modern, up-to-date fire protection... We are proud of our city and proud to be serving the citizens of this great community."

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