The History of the GFD

In 1936 the US Government Works Projects Administration (WPA) began construction on a planned community north of Cincinnati, Ohio that was to become Greenhills, Ohio. From the very beginning the need for fire protection for the buildings under construction was recognized. To provide that fire protection the Federal Government formed a fire brigade of construction workers led by Fire Chief Frank Gavin. The Fire Brigade operated a 1932 Chevrolet pumper which was provided in early 1937.

During the construction phase there were only a few minor shed fires but the members of the fire brigade recalled the great 1937 flood in Cincinnati that caused the water supply from the Cincinnati Water Works to the construction site to be interrupted. The pumper was driven to end of an old lane that connected Brompton Lane to Springdale Road. There they drafted water from the creek and pumped it up a 2 1/2 inch pipe to a hydrant. In this way they used the pumper to charge the water main system and provide water to the construction sites and fire hydrants. The old Chevrolet finally broke down on the way to a fire outside of the Village and had to be pushed to the scene. The house and contents, however, were a total loss.

In 1938 as the town neared completion fire fighting responsibilities were turned over to a non profit corporation, the Greenhills Public Safety Volunteers on August 8 of that year. Alfred Purcell served as the first chief and held that position until 1943. Several of members of the original fire brigade stayed in Greenhills as residents and continued to serve on the newly formed Public Safety Volunteers, among them was Nick Bates. In June of that year the US Government delivered a 1938 Howe pumper on a Diamond T Chassis to the Greenhills Public Safety Volunteers.

In the early days of the Village fire prevention efforts focused on reminding residents that their new electric stoves were located under windows and that when the wind blew the curtains in they dragged across the burners an caught fire. There were several serious fires in the early years. In one a tragedy was avoided by an unusual turn of events. A resident at 1 Bradnor Place emptied the ashes from his coal fired furnace into a cardboard box and placed the box in the coal storage bin in the basement of the house. The resident left but his wife and children stayed home to take a nap. The ashes were not completely extinguished and they ignited the cardboard box and then the coal storage area. The heat from the fire caused the solder on the water heater connection to leak. The leak sprayed water into the basement. The fire was contained to the basement by the spray from the water line.

In 1942 and 1943 there was an epidemic of barn arsons in the area and the Greenhills Vols were called out to fight many of these blazes. Several of the fires, including the Greenhills Riding Stables had property losses over $15,000. That was a huge amount for the time.

In 1943 Nick Bates was elected Fire Chief, a position he would hold until 1973 when he retired.

In the early days the Vols (as they were known) raised money by having an annual 4th of July carnival and a November turkey raffle. In 1944, using this money, they purchased a 1938 Pontiac Ambulance and Emergency Medical Service began in Greenhills.

No history of the Department would be complete without mentioning the Vollettes, or ladies auxiliary. These tireless ladies raised money and provided supplies and equipment to keep the ambulance service operating. Their contribution during these early years cannot be overstated.

During these years the Vols were also the primary social organization in the town. They and the Vollettes held fund raisers, carnivals and the annual turkey raffle to keep the emergency services funded. The 4th of July Carnivals were among the largest in the state and drew people from many miles around. Although the Carnivals ended in the early 1960's, the turkey raffle is a tradition that has continued to this day.

In 1951 a new Oren pumper was purchased for just over $16,000 fully equipped.

By 1954 the inventory of the Public Safety Volunteers included 1938 Pontiac ambulance, a 1951 Cadillac ambulance, two 1000 gallon tanker trucks, 1938 Howe pumper, 1951 Oren Pumper, and a 1952 GMC Task Unit, (as rescue trucks were called in those days.) The total cost of this fleet of vehicles was under $40,000. This sounds like an amazing figure in light of the $518,000 price tag on the department's latest truck. The Pontiac ambulance was replaced later that year with a 1954 Cadillac.

The Cincinnati Post and Times Star noted in a 1954 article that the Greenhills Vols also owned 4 Scot Air Pack SCBA's (self contained breathing apparatus). We were the only department in the area that owned more than one of these state-of-the-art units. They provided superior protection over the old MSA filter masks during fire rescues. Today the Department is equipped with 14 of the modern version of this equipment.

In 1955 the Greenhills Volunteers purchased their first two radios. This technology allowed the Hamilton County Communications Center, to set off the fire "horn" which summoned the Vols to the station. .Residents could now call the dispatcher on the phone to report a fire or medical emergency. Prior to this aid was summoned by running to a fire alarm pull station. The radios, like everything else were paid for with proceeds from the carnival and turkey raffle. The radios allowed the Vols to communicate with the two other radio equipped Fire Departments in the area (Mt Healthy, North College Hill).

The Vols were notified of a call by activation, either by pull station or radio, of a large 'fog horn' on the roof of the Greenhills Shopping Center. Every long time resident of the village can recall being shocked awake in the middle of the night by this window rattling device. Whatever other faults the Government may have, they know how to make horns!

In 1957 a Ford Ambulwagon was purchased to act as the first line ambulance, to replace the white 1951 Cadillac. The Ambulwagon was never very popular with the Vols because the patient space was so cramped it was nearly impossible to care for the patient.

In 1962 a new Howe pumper was purchased and the 1938 Howe was placed into reserve service. By this time the fire hydrant system in the district was quite extensive and the two water tankers had both been taken out of service and disposed of. The task unit was updated to a newer step van about this time.

In 1963 the company, now known as the Greenhills Fire Department Inc., moved from the old fire station located in the shopping center next to the present day library, to their present station at 11000 Winton Rd.

In 1964 a new state-of-the-art Hess and Eisenhart Cadillac ambulance was placed into service and the 1957 Ford was relegated to back up duties. The 1954 Cadillac was given to a Butler County volunteer fire department that had no ambulance.

In 1971 a Miller Meteor Cadillac ambulance was placed into service. The 1957 Ford was donated to a volunteer department in Clermont County.

In 1972 a new Bean High Pressure pumper was purchased. This equipment used extremely high water pressure to generate a fire smothering fog from it's booster lines. The system was capable of extinguishing fires with very little water damage and when used together, the booster lines could extinguish burning liquids. The 1951 Oren was sold to Kings Island for use by the Kings Island Fire Brigade. After it was taken out of service it was used to pump water into the old Log Flume ride while the ride's pumps were being replaced.

In 1973 Henry Eberle, a retired New York City fire officer and former Fire Chief at the National Lead atomic weapons plant (Fernald) was elected Fire Chief.

In 1976 the Department purchased its first van type ambulance, a Horton 1976 Dodge. The 1964 Cadillac was retired and sold.

In October of 1979 The Greenhills-Forest Park Kiwanis donated $5,000 to purchase the Department's first Hurst Rescue tool. The tool was mounted on the Task Unit (as Rescue Trucks were then called) and used to extricate entrapped auto accident victims. GHFD was one of the first departments in the area to carry and use the "Jaws of Life" and provided this rescue service to neighboring departments.

On November 13, 1980 the Greenhills Shopping Center suffered $200,000 in damage after a refrigerator compressor caught fire and ignited nearby packing material. The fire is the largest property loss ever recorded in the Fire District. The fire broke out after business hours and had a significant head start on firefighters when they arrived. A second alarm was put out and Forest Park Fire Department assisted. As bad as the damage was, the superior quality of the WPA construction and effective firefighting kept the fire from becoming a conflagration that consumed the shopping center.

May of 1981 saw the delivery of a new Heavy Rescue truck. The truck was a custom built Swab body on the chassis of the 1962 Howe pumper that was retired in anticipation of the delivery of the Department's new Sutphen pumper in October of that year.

In 1982 the Greenhills Fire Station, built in 1963, was enlarged to add 3 more garage bays. As fire equipment and ambulance design produces larger vehicles, the practice of stacking 2 units in the bays became impossible, thereby requiring additional bays.

In November of 1984 the 1971 Cadillac ambulance was retired and a Horton 1984 Ford van ambulance was purchased. The era of the the Cadillac Professional Car ended with this purchase.

On April 4, 1989 Retried Fire Chief Nick Bates passed away. Nick was on the Department for 55 years and was chief for 32 years. Nick also served as the Greenhills Service Director. Nick Bates came to Greenhills as a construction work in 1936 when it was nothing more than farm fields awaiting surveyors stakes. With Nick's passing another era ended.

In 1996 the Department purchased Automated External Defibrillators and placed them in service on the ambulances. The life saving devices are the single most important intervention in cases of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Also in 1996 the Department purchased its first modular ambulance. The units provide much more patient care room and allow the ambulance "box" to be remounted on a new chassis every ten years, thereby saving a great deal of money. The first unit was on a 1995 Ford chassis with a diesel engine.

In 2003 Engine 248, a 1980 Suthpen pumper was sold to a small town near Ottumwa Iowa. In May of 2004 Quint 48, the Department's first aerial truck was placed into service. The Quint has a 75 foot midships mounted ladder and serves as a pumper, rescue truck, ladder truck and personnel mover.

In 2003 the Department's three AED's were replaced with new state of the art units. Two additional units were purchased for use by the officers of Greenhills Police Department. All the officers were trained in CPR and use of the AED by the Fire department. Since then 2 additional AEDs have been added.

At the time of this article the Greenhills Fire Department serves as the last remaining unpaid volunteer fire department in Hamilton County. The other communities in the county have all had to go to paid or paid volunteer departments. With an average membership of 45 and state of the art fire fighting and EMS equipment the Greenhills Fire Department looks forward to serving the community for another sixty years!