Thomas Volunteer Fire Department marks 100 years of service
“People are always asking me how it is that firefighters run into a burning building when everyone else is running out. Courage is the answer.” – Chief Kennedy
THOMAS – Last week, Thomas Volunteer Fire Department Chief Joe DiBacco sat at the station flipping through nearly 50 photos and mementos of past fire apparatus, parades, members, pageant queens, awards, locations, fliers and brochures about the Thomas VFD, which is fitting, because this year, the Thomas VFD is celebrating its diamond jubilee. DiBacco said in June, the station hosted a kick-off celebration featuring tours of the station, rides on a fire truck, visits with Smokey Bear, tours of the Tucker County E-911 trailer and Health Net helicopter. DiBacco said the next big celebration will be during the upcoming Mountaineer Days in Thomas June 30 through July 2.
“The firehouse serves as a place to talk and celebrate with one another like a homecoming,” DiBacco said. “Lots of folks come out to celebrate and lots of people who have left the area come back to visit and catch up with friends and relatives. Many of them gather here at the Thomas VFD to talk and meet with friends.”
Activities during the Mountaineer Days include a hot dog sale at the Thomas VFD at 4 p.m. Friday, June 30; a cakewalk and silent auction at 5 p.m.; and a block party with music by Triple S at 7 p.m. On Saturday, July 1 at 10:30 a.m. there is a parade through Thomas and at 1:30 firemen will compete in a water battle. Around 9:30 p.m. the Thomas VFD will host the 60th annual fireworks display. The Thomas VFD will round out the weekend with their fundraiser – a pancake breakfast at the station from 8 a.m. to noon.
“Nothing cries out for compassion, concern and danger as a fire engine screams by carrying firefighters ready to do battle without flinching from any demand.” – Byron Pulsifer, inspirational writer
DiBacco said he has been the TVFD Chief since 1982. Currently the department has 22 active responders that are fully trained and 15 associate members.
Apparatus owned by the TVFD includes a 1935 Seagrave, a 1982 Ford, a 2004 Seagrave Fire Engine, 2009 Pierce 4-Wheel Drive Engine and a newly purchased 1999 Suburban for transporting personnel and a new 2016 Pierce Rescue Truck.
DiBacco said the TVFD averages approximately 150 calls per year including fires, car accidents, lost individuals, smoke detector activations, Carbon monoxide activations and medical calls.
“The funny thing about firemen is, night and day, they are always firemen.” – Gregory Widen, American screenwriter
DiBacco said he has been working to complete a 100-year journal of the Thomas VFD. He said McClain Printing is completing the book and said it will be available for sale during Mountaineer Days.
“We had to do a lot of research and gathered lots of photos,” DiBacco said. “We will be selling copies later this month.”
“Firefighter appreciation isn’t just a once a year affair because firefighters are there for each of us every day.” – Byron Pulsifer
DiBacco said the Thomas VFD began following the 1903 fires in Thomas.
“I think they lost just about all of their equipment,” DiBacco said. “There was another fire department in town back then. The one was called the Franklin Fire Department and it was sponsored by the Davis Coal Coke Company. They owned the biggest part of the town back then. They provided fire service until our department was formed in 1917.”
DiBacco said he was unsure if the fire companies merged or if the Franklin Fire Department just turned everything over to the Thomas VFD.
“I have a title of a 1921 fire truck that was titled to the Franklin VFD at the beginning of the year and titled to the Thomas VFD at the end of the year,” DiBacco said. “So somewhere in that time period, they must have abandoned the Franklin Fire Department. It is kind of a gray area.”
DiBacco said a Senator Helmick was very influential in helping develop the Thomas VFD and said many others had a hand in helping form the department.
“When a man becomes a fireman, his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.” – Edward F. Croker, former FDNY Chief
DiBacco said through the years, the department has helped in a number of fires and disasters. He said the largest fire happened in the early 1900s.
“The 1903 fire burned 83 buildings in a matter of two hours,” DiBacco said. “It started on Front Avenue and East Avenue and wiped out most of the town.”
“We have had many house fires and another one that is memorable was the Mountaineer High School fire over in Davis,” he said. “It was a big incident. The Thomas High School caught on fire in the 1970s, during the Moose Club fire in Parsons, the Timberline Fires and we helped when the Kingsford Charcoal Plant caught on fire in the 1990s”
DiBacco said there have been a number of tornados in the area over the years. He said there was the Atlantic Tornado Outbreak in 1944 and the last tornado hit Thomas at night. He said he believes about three people were killed and many were injured when their houses were wiped out.
“Thomas was hit with three different tornados throughout the years,” he said.
DiBacco said the department was quite busy during the 1985 flood.
“They called me and said the Thomas City Hall was flooding and I thought how does the City Hall flood,” DiBacco said. “There was about two or three feet of water coming down off the hill. We thought maybe a water tank had ruptured. We were going up the hill to check the tanks and I heard a huge crash and that is when the top of the dam actually washed out.”
DiBacco said he received a call from Parsons VFD asking for help.
“We started down the mountain and the mountain was washed out,” he said. “We got to the Blackfork Bridge and it had just washed out about a 35-foot section of the bridge. We went to the state road garage and electric transformers were blowing out everywhere. We responded to about four or five fires in Hendricks that night.”
DiBacco said they were unsure if the Parsons VFD was wiped out. He said in the morning, the water had gone down.
“We had a 45-foot extension ladder and we used it to span the river,” DiBacco said. “This was the last run the department’s Engine #1 made. We used the ladder to allow emergency workers and residents access to Pennsylvania Avenue and the downtown area from the north side of Parsons. That is how we came across the washout.”
DiBacco said it took them about two hours to get across the washed-out bridge and to downtown Parsons and the Parsons VFD because they had to crawl over the debris in the streets. He said they stayed and helped for three or four weeks doing things like pumping out basements and helping those in need.
“Firemen never know what they will encounter on each call but proceed with the same level of commitment and service. – Byron Pulsifer
DiBacco said over the 100 years, there have been more than 500 members of the Thomas VFD. He said the community offers great support to the Thomas VFD.
“If we didn’t have the support of this community, we wouldn’t have what we have right now,” DiBacco said. “We have the support of the people in this town. We don’t have a mandatory fire fee but we have people who donate to us.”
He said when they have dinners, the community comes out to help support the department.
“One night we go door to door and collect money for the fireworks,” he said. “We also set up road blocks and collect money the night of the fireworks. Lots of people send in a yearly donation for the fireworks. This is our 60th year for the fireworks and people donate in memory of others.”
DiBacco said this year, the fireworks display should last approximately 45 minutes.
“I want to emphasize one thing,” DiBacco said. “This fire department has been here for 100 years. This is a small-town outfit. We do the best we can do to provide services for everybody. Throughout those 100 years there has been a lot of people who provided a lot of influence and worked very hard for this fire department. It lasted through the Depression and they bought a new truck during the Depression and another truck during the wars.”
DiBacco said folks managed to start the department and keep it going.
“A lot of people had a hand in doing a lot to keep this going,” he said. “We are just here to keep this going.”
