“What the town is sadly in need of, is a hook and ladder apparatus. There is a great delay and inconvenience in running all over the village looking for ladders to use on a building that is on fire. Hooks and ladders are a necessity and would be the means of stopping the spread of many a fire and a great saving of much loss of property. Our trustees should not delay this any longer.”
Hook & Ladder Co. #1
Augustine Davis, Editor, and Publisher of the Depew Herald, was probably the mainspring in the organization of a Hook and Ladder Company in the Village of Depew. Writing in his newspaper as early as 1895, he stated, “ What the town is sadly in need of, is a hook and ladder apparatus. There is a great delay and inconvenience in running all over the village looking for ladders to use on a building that is on fire. Hooks and ladders are a necessity and would be the means of stopping the spread of many a fire and a great saving of much loss of property. Our trustees should not delay this any longer.” (Unfortunately, Editor Davis never saw his suggestion realized, for he took advantage of what he considered a better opportunity and went west in June of 1896.)
On July 10, 1896, sixteen citizens asked for permission from the Village Board of Trustees to organize a Hook and Ladder Company.
The following evening of July 11, 1896, about 15 citizens of the village met in the Gould Avenue Fire House for the purpose of organizing a Hook and Ladder Company and elected the following officers: Kenner G. Gifford, President; R.S. Graybell, Vice-President; W.T. Salter, Secretary; Bert Gould, Treasurer; James E. Steep, Foreman; George Haseflugh, First Assistant Foreman; C. Graybell, C.J. Schmidt and W.A. Short, Trustees.
A committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws to be presented at the next meeting.
On September 8, 1896, William F. Ahern and fifteen other petitioners duly petitioned the Village Board of Trustees for it’s consent, that said petitioners may become incorporated as the Depew Hook and Ladder Company Number One, and received consent by resolution to become incorporated as such, pursuant to the statutes of the State of New York.
The Charter was granted and was signed by the following Charter Members: William F. Ahern, P.J. Galligan, James E. Steep, David O’Mara, Richard S. Graybel, George Haenflugh, W.A. Shank, Kenner G. Gifford, S.P. Gould, Charles J. Schmidt, Casper Graybel, August Zimmerman, Arthur E. Barbor, H.P. Sweeney, Roger Murray, and S.J. O’Hart.
The Certificate of Incorporation was filed and recorded by the State of New York, Secretary of State on November 21, 1896. The original incorporation of the company was for a 50-year period; hence the company was re-chartered in 1951 as reported at the village board meeting of June 24, 1951.
