Rogers Fire Family Still Going Strong After 125 Years

Rogers Hose Company No. 1 as they appeared in 1889. This is earliest known photo of the city's firefighters. The department was formed in 1888.
Rogers Hose Company No. 1 as they appeared in 1889. This is earliest known photo of the city's firefighters. The department was formed in 1888.

ROGERS — The men in the black and white photo have the same expressions and stance as the men in the color photo. They are Rogers firefighters — past and present.

“The Fire Department goes on and on and on as a family,” said Kenneth Riley, 76, fire chief from 1982 to 1999.

Riley and about 35 retired firefighters will celebrate the department turning 125 years old today with a banquet and an after-party firefighters say is more like a family reunion than a formal event.

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To read more about deparment history, visit www.rogersarkansas.com/fire/history.

The Rogers department was established as Rogers Hose Company No. 1 in 1888 and became part of the city as the Rogers Fire Department in 1922, said Chief Tom Jenkins.

Jenkins joined the department in 2009.

A banquet has been held for years, but this year is special because the department has reached a milestone, Jenkins said. This year, firefighters will take a look back and sell yearbooks as a new way to track the department’s history, Jenkins said.

Rogers firefighters love the department’s history, firefighters said.

The current Fire Administration Building, built in 1997, has a museum inside, complete with a 1919 fire engine.

Old photos are behind glass along the wall. A large screen displays digital firefighting scenes. Along another wall, small, golden plaques are etched with firefighters’ names. On a recent December morning, Jenkins pointed out the plaque with his name.

The department has a continual emphasis on heritage, Jenkins said. The museum is here so that “we never lose some tangible items from our history,” he said.

Part of the education fire recruits receive includes history lessons on the department and fire chiefs. "Newbies" learn how the department evolved into operating the ambulance service, Jenkins said.

“We have really integrated a respect for history in our DNA,” Jenkins said.

Statewide, fire departments should try to remember their history and have events such as Rogers, said Jim Tolewitzke, president of the Arkansas State Firefighters Association.

“There’s quite a bit of pride in the fire service,” Tolewitzke said.

A state memorial for fallen firefighters who die in the line of duty is getting its final touches before a March dedication at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Tolewitzke said.

Rogers stands out among fire departments because of the number of years it has been in existence, which is a real milestone, Tolewitzke said. Many rural fire departments didn’t get started until 30 years ago, he said.

Firefighters want to remember their departments’ pasts, Riley said.

“Most fire departments, not all, but most fire departments seem to be tied to their history,” he said.

That kind of history for Rogers means there is a longstanding connection between generations of firefighters, said Jesse Combs, 76, who served as deputy chief and was with the department from 1967 to 2003.

When Combs became a Rogers firefighter, he was a volunteer. Back then, only one man rode out on a fire truck; others were called to help, but a firefighter might end up at a fire and start attacking it himself before others showed up, he said.

Now, three firefighters are in the truck as it leaves the station, he said.

“We had to do a lot of stuff by ourselves,” Combs said.

The department had only seven full-time employees in one station by 1973. Today, seven fire stations are staffed by 111 full-time, sworn firefighters. Firefighters are divided among three shifts and work 24-hour rotating shifts.

Combs still visits with the “new guys” at the Fire Department. He and Riley are impressed by the modern equipment the department has that wasn’t available when they were firefighters.

At home, Combs listens to a scanner to keep up with what firefighters are doing. He listens and hopes no one gets hurt.

The camaraderie he feels is difficult to explain, Combs said. Firefighters go into burning buildings and save people. Sometimes they don’t come back out. The job builds pride and the kind of attachment seen in men coming back after serving in the military, he said.

“You are proud of what you’ve done,” Combs said. “It’s just pride within yourself and within your department.”

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