Twenty five years ago, on June 3, 1986, the KAW Fire Protection District was approved by voters. The first board of directors consisted of Sherry Bridgeman, Gene Caldwell, and Eugene Becthold.
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Starting out, the district had three pumper trucks: a 1955 Ford, a 1957 Dodge and a 1957 IHC. The average age of these trucks was approximately 30 years. There were two grass jeeps, two tankers and one rescue vehicle. The water carrying capacity of all pumpers and tankers combined was approximately 3,000 gallons. Twenty-six volunteers served the 2,900 residents of the KAW Fire Protection District in 1986.
In the early years, volunteers spent much of their time working on equipment, building new fire stations, and training.
New stations were built, first in Altamont then in Winston. Later the size of the Kidder station was increased and the building modified so that fire vehicles would not have to exit from the firehouse onto Hwy. J.
A program called "Project 8" was begun with the goal to improve water carrying capability. A loan was taken out to help purchase floating pumps, hoses, and tanker trucks.
The hope was to improve the ISO fire insurance rating to class eight or better. Unfortunately, the ISO evaluation provided only a class nine rating. This was due to the limited water supplies in Winston and Kidder. Kidder, however, has recently seen a major improvement in their water system leading to renewed efforts toward an upgrade in the ISO fire insurance rating.
Efforts also continue to improve the availability of fire hydrants.
The original tax levy of .30 cents per $100 assessed evaluation proved inadequate to support the maintenance of the old equipment along with the improvements that were needed.
In 1996 a second tax levy increase of .30 per $100 assessed valuation was approved by voters. The increase to .60 per $100 made it possible for the department to upgrade its equipment and facilities to improve services for taxpayers.
Today the district is proud to show off their four pumper trucks: a 1981 IH AWD, a 1980 Ford, a 1991 Ford, and a 1996 Freightliner. The average age of these extremely important vehicles now is 24 years. Volunteers continue to upgrade these vehicles. KAW also has four tankers, three grass fire vehicles and three rescue vehicles. The combined water carrying capacity of all vehicles now is over 13,450 gallons.
About 20 volunteers continue to donate their time to maintain the equipment as well as train to maintain their skills. The residents of the KAW fire district can be very proud of what these men and women have accomplished during the past 25 years.