History of the Lockport Fire Department
In the early days of what is now Lockport, New York, the first dwellings were log cabins. Huge fireplaces with mud encrusted stick chimneys and roaring fires in the winter, would frequently ignite the logs.
Structure fires were common. Although fire related casualties and property losses were not recorded back then, those early inhabitants recognized the need for providing some type of protection from the fire problem.
The year 1824 saw the formation of the first firefighting organization in Niagara County. Locatesd in the village of Lockport, it was named Protection Fire Company No.1. The original handwritten bylaws of the company are in possession of the Niagara County Historical Society.
In the event of a fire, each member would respond to an alarm, generally sounded on the nearest church bell by the first person to notice the fire. For his effort, this person would receive a "reward" in the amount of $2.50.
Churches designated for use as alarm sites were the Baptist, Grace Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and the Clinton Street Methodist. Because it had a bell tower, the Union School was also used for this purpose.
