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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE ORLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT'S 125th ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, the year 2019 marks a milestone for the Orland Fire Protection District, celebrating 125 years; and
WHEREAS, the earliest record of organized fire protection in the Orland area included a volunteer fire department flag with the year 1894 sewn on as well as a photo of uniformed members standing in front of a two-story building on Beacon Avenue with State Senator John Humphrey; and
WHEREAS, this early Volunteer Department consisted of a four-man, hand-pulled pumping engine, a hose cart with 500 feet of hose, and 14 members. They used a wood-frame building on Beacon Avenue, which doubled as a village hall and firehouse, to store their equipment; and
WHEREAS, in 1914, Peter J. Pitts was named Fire Marshal. His duties, besides overseeing the volunteers, included cleaning the village water tank for a fee of $5. The Fire Department's budget for the year was $100. The 25-member fire department survived on a small stipend from the village and various fundraisers; and
WHEREAS, under the direction of Chief Carl Quigley, the Department purchased its first motorized vehicle, a 1929 Chevrolet chemical engine, from the Prospect Fire Company for $3,500. The new engine, which served both the town and rural areas, came equipped with a front-mount pump, two forty-gallon water tanks, a tank of bicarbonate of soda and small bottles of sulfuric acid; and
WHEREAS, Arthur Granat Sr., the seminal figure who would later serve 29 years as Fire Chief, joined the volunteer ranks in 1946. Elected fire chief in 1957, Granat, Sr. led the department as it transitioned from a predominantly rural service to a more suburban-oriented one. In 1969, he was instrumental in forming the Orland Fire Protection District after voters approved a referendum the previous year. Chief Granat became the first full-time employee of the Fire District in 1973 and was later honored with the dedication of the Orl...
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