Cornelius Fire Department History

The earliest records of the Cornelius Fire Department show an organization date of November 6, 1912. At that time the equipment consisted of a hose cart and a ladder wagon, both hand drawn. Alarms were sounded by a bell in the tower of the City Hall. F.H. Sholes was the first Fire Chief from 1912 - 1917 and had 22 members. Marion Tibbits is shown as succeeding Chief from 1917 until 1929.

Records are very incomplete until a Charter meeting in 1929, after which minutes of the meetings were kept. At that time Thomas Sholes was elected Fire Chief and served until 1934. A siren replaced the alarm bell and a Packard V-12 cylinder car converted into a fire engine replaced the hose cart. This pumper was removed from service in 1943.

In 1930 the firefighters began the custom of an annual dance and that was later held on St. Patrick's Day and became the St. Patrick's Day Annual Fireman's Ball. The Buckeye Hall was the scene of many of these dances and then moved to the school gymnasium, the Annual Ball was discontinued in 1966.

In April 1931, the Department purchased a Graham Brothers truck for $300.00 and rebuilt it into a fire engine for an additional $222.00. This was to protect the rural area around Cornelius and operated on a subscription basis by the Fire Department. This was one of the very first fire engines in the State of Oregon designed with a 480 gallon booster tank and a 90 G.P.M. power take off driven pump for fighting grass fires as well as structural type fires. This engine was retired from service in 1964 after 33 years of service.

In 1934 L.A. Jackson was elected Fire Chief upon the resignation of Thomas Sholes and Chief Jackson served as Chief until his resignation in 1950. Gloyd L. Hall was appointed Fire Chief in January 1950 and served until September 1950. Gene Tasker took over as Fire Chief until 1957 and Lawrence Herb served as Fire Chief from 1957 until 1975. Ernie Hall, the son of former chief Gloyd L. Hall, served as fire chief from 1975 to 1980. The current fire chief, Chris Asanovic, was appointed 'interim chief' in October 1980, confirmed in January 1981, and serves in this position today with the most tenure.

In 1936 the Firemen's Ladies Auxiliary formed and functioned for a considerable number of years, long before there was an all night restaurant in the city. They were certainly a welcome sight when they served lunches at night fires and at the Department meetings.

In 1943 the Department purchased a Ford truck chassis and built it into a fire engine with the 480 gallon booster tank removed from the Graham Brothers unit. With the addition of a 150 GPM pump, this unit was designed for use in the rural area around the City of Cornelius. This unit later had a 500 GPM pump installed, which was the first rated pumping unit for the City of Cornelius. This Unit carried 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" hose, ladders and compartments for various small tools. This unit served the Department until 1966 when it was sold to another fire department for $1,000.00.

Until 1946, the Department served the rural area around Cornelius on a subscription basis, which did not prove very successful. In that year the area formed the Cornelius Rural Fire Protection District under the Laws of the State of Oregon and the District entered into a contract with the City for fire protection. The District consists of 43 square miles lying mostly to the South, East and North of the City. Until this time the Department had very little connection with the City of Cornelius government. The Fire Department owned the equipment and the department was operated by a group of volunteer firefighters furnishing protection to the city and rural area at no profit to the firefighters. Under the new contract, all equipment transferred ownership to the City of Cornelius and the fire department became a political subdivision of the City. Funds for the maintenance and replacement of equipment is now budgeted from taxes and the City Council appoints the Fire Chief and approves all expenditures.

In 1950 a Government surplus fire engine was purchased for $775.00 and overhauled for an additional $850.00 and was used for a time and sold to the Banks Fire Department.

In 1952 the fire department acquired its first two-way radio equipment which consisted of a base station and one mobile unit. This kept the station and fire engine in contact at all times as well as with other fire apparatus in the county. Today, the modern Cornelius fire engine is equipped with sophisticated communications equipment including mobile and portable 64-channel 800-MHZ trunking radios, cellular telephones, and touch-screen computer mobile data terminals (MDTs.)

In 1953 the City started work on a new Hall to house fire department apparatus and to accommodate a Fire Department office, a Library, a City office, a meeting room and a kitchen. At one corner, a 55' ship mast was installed to support a new five horsepower siren and radio antenna. This mast is set in 8 feet deep block of concrete. The building was finished and dedicated in September 1954. This same year the department purchased a Ford pick-up with a front-mounted pump, 250 gallon booster tank, ladders and another mobile radio unit.

Shortly after the Fire Department moved into the new station, the Rural District provided a new, fully equipped class "A" fire engine assembled on a Dodge V-8 chassis with a 1,000 gallon booster tank and a 600 GPM pump. This unit was housed in the station and staffed by firefighters for both city and rural calls and formed a part of the contract terms with the City and Rural District. This engine was sold to Swan Island in 1984 to make room for a tanker with 3,000 gallons of water.

In 1956 the City purchased an electric hose dryer to take better care of the fire department hose and since this date all hose used at fires is washed and dried.

In 1963 there was need for additional space to house additional fire engines, so the City and Rural District enlarged the station with an addition on the West side of the fire station. Library and City offices were moved into this new part of the building, giving the Fire Department another truck bay. The Rural District purchased a used 1946 GMC 1,350 gallon tanker that was housed in the expanded fire station.

In 1964 the City purchased a new Western States 750 GPM class "A" pumper with a 600 gallon booster tank and equipment to replace the 1941 Ford pumper.

In 1966 the Rural District purchased a new 750 GPM class "A" pumper with a 1000 gallon booster tank.

In 1971 the Cornelius Rural Fire Protection District purchased a conventional Ford fire engine with a 1000 GPM front-mount pump and a 2000 gallon booster tank from Western States Fire Apparatus in Cornelius. This engine replaced the 1350 gallon tanker thus becoming an engine-tanker combination.

In 1974 the Cornelius City/Rural Fire Department broadened its services to include emergency medical response. The first Rescue unit was a 1965 Dodge van donated by GTE and built by the volunteer firefighters. In this same year, the fire department took in a 1953 GMC military 6 x 6 and converted it into a brush rig.

In 1979, the City replaced the '64 Ford with a new Seagraves 1250 GPM class "A" Pumper with a 1000 gallon booster tank. This engine remains in service today.

In 1980 Cornelius firefighters started an attempt to purchase a new Rescue. The goal was to raise all of the money by donations. The volunteer firefighters went door to door throughout the City and the Fire District twice, held dances, donkey basketball, and many other fundraising efforts. The firefighter raised $22,000, and in 1983 the City of Cornelius contributed the remaining $20,040 necessary to purchase the new Rescue unit.

In 1982 the Cornelius Rural Fire Protection District purchased a Ford delivery truck from Portland Wheel, and the volunteer firefighters converted it into a mobile cascade unit using money from both the City and Rural Fire Districts' budgets. This vehicle was equipped with a 2500 PSI Cascade system capable of filling 125+ 2216 PSI SCBA bottles. This vehicle also was equipped with a 5500 Honda generator, portable lighting, fireground rehabilitation supplies, and a 12' awning on the driver's side.

The year 1984 proved to be a very exciting year. The second, and newest version of Rescue 8 went into service in January. That vehicle, the current Rescue 8, is a Wheeled Coach custom-built unit with exterior compartments and an 8000-pound Warren winch. This rescue unit, which is capable of transporting patients, has been in service since January 1984. The department replaced the 1954 Dodge fire engine with a 1965 GMC 900 GPM water tanker unit with a 3000 gallon tank. In October, Chief Asanovic became the first paid employee for the fire department. The Fire Chief's position became a part-time, 20 hours a week position. In this year the department also added hazardous materials response to the list of services it provided.

In 1986 the City of Cornelius and the Cornelius Rural Fire District entered into a new contract. The Fire District would contract a service from the City and all capital projects would be split 50/50. At that time the City paid for 75% of all operations and the District, 25%. Currently, the ratio is 82%/18%.

In 1988 the Cornelius City/Rural Fire Department purchased a Ford pick-up complete with a 150 gallon tank and a 124 GPM pump. This vehicle serves as the Fire Chief's Command vehicle.

In 1991 the City and Rural District replaced the 1966 Ford with a Western States Fire Pumper with a fully-enclosed Spartan cab and a intra-cab 1500 GPM pump and 1000 gallon booster tank at a cost of $174,000. By 1993, an American General 6 x 6 and a '77 Dodge pick-up, converted to brush fire apparatus by the volunteer firefighters, served the City and the Rural District for wildland interface fires.

In 1993, the 1965 GMC 3000 gallon tanker was sold to the City of Joseph. This vehicle was replaced by a newly built 1000 GPM water tender with a 3000 gallon tank, built on a 1988 White Volvo chassis. This vehicle was built by Western States Fire Apparatus in Cornelius, Oregon.

In 1996, the department wanted to update the cascade unit. The Cornelius Fire Department approached each fire department in the county and asked for monetary support. In trade for support, the Cornelius Fire Department would build and maintain the vehicle and make it available county-wide. Each department (Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Gaston Rural Fire Protection District, The City of Hillsboro, Washington County Fire District #2, Tri-City Rural Fire District, and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue) donated $2,000 each. The department asked Stewart Stiles Trucking Lines to donate a truck with a 20' box, and they donated a 1986 Volvo delivery truck. The department had help from many businesses which donated materials or labor at or near cost to them. This project took a year to complete. The final product is a multi-purpose support vehicle capable of filling SCBA's with 16 x 4500 PSI air cylinders plumbed through a high pressure manifold. The cascading air system is capable of filling 6 x 2216 to 4500 PSI SCBA bottles at a single time. The vehicle has HAZMAT decontamination showers, 5500 watt generator supported by three 1000 watt portable generators and lighting, 25 gallons of potable water, rehabilitation supplies, and an onboard bathroom. This vehicle was built by members of the Cornelius Fire Department at a cost of $18,500.

In 1996, the City of Cornelius built the Public Safety Building, a 14,000 square foot, 2-story building that houses both the Police and Fire Departments. The Fire Department wing of the building houses a receptionist's office, a fire prevention office, a training office, a Chief's office, emergency medical storage, locker rooms for both men and women, dormitories for both men and women, a fitness room, a training room, and a dayroom complete with kitchen, dining area, and TV viewing area. Attached to the building is an apparatus storage area that includes four 2-vehicle drive-through bays, 3 single-vehicle bays, an alarm room, a storage room, a tool room, a turnout room, an evidence room, an SCBA room, and a bio-hazard area that includes a turnout washer. The original fire/city hall building was converted into the Council Chamber building and now also houses the Building and Planning Departments. At the base of the flag pole at the east entrance of the Public Safety Building is mounted the original bell that called the firefighters into action, serving as a memorial to all who responded to save lives and property in the Cornelius community.

In 1997 the fire department acquired a trailer mounted light rig from the Oregon Department of Forestry Military Surplus program. This unit has a 20-foot telescoping mast with 4 x 1000 watt lights and a 6000 watt generator. This unit is capable of being towed by the Cascade unit or one of the small brush rig units.

In 2000, the Cornelius City/Rural Fire Department serves a city population of 8,490 and 1,140 registered voters and their families in the rural fire district. The response area of 41 square miles has a combined assessed property value of nearly $400,000,000 and is served by 35 volunteer firefighters. The fire department employs a small staff that includes a full-time fire chief, a code enforcement officer, a training coordinator, and a secretary. The fire department responds to nearly 1000 calls per year with 3 Class A Pumpers, 2 Brush Rigs, a Tanker, a Command Vehicle, a Mobile Support Unit, a Light Tower Unit, and a Rescue Unit.

In 2004, the Cornelius City/Rural Fire Department serves a population of 10,150. The response area of 41 square miles, and automatic mutual aid to the surrounding cities of Banks, Gaston, Forest Grove, and Hillsboro, is served by 27 volunteer firefighters. The fire department maintains a staff of a full time fire chief, full time secretary and three full time firefighters. The three full time firefighter positions also maintain administrative duties that include, fire department maintenance, training coordinator, and code enforcement officer. For the last several years the fire department has responded to over 1000 calls per year with 1 2003 HME Heavy Rescue, 3 Class A Pumpers, 2 small Brush Rigs, 1 large 2.5 ton Brush Rig, 1 3000 gallon Water Tender, 1 Cascade Support Unit, 1 Light Rig tower, and 1 Command vehicle. In the last year the addition of two thermal imaging units has aided greatly to the service of the Cornelius Fire Department.

By 2008, the Cornelius Fire Department served an estimated population of 14,000 both city and rural. Cornelius Fire still helps with a mutual support to the surrounding towns such as, Hillsboro, Gaston,Banks,North Plains, and Forest Grove. The station has grown in many ways in the past few years. Nearly 1,100 calls were answered last year with the help of an average of 25 volunteers, 6 interns, and 4 career fire fighters. In January of '07 the Cornelius Fire Department introduced its brand new intern program. Since 2007, the intern program has expanded to 9 available positions. The main purpose of the internship is to help with staffing of the station by students who are interested in the fire service. With the addition of the interns, the fire department also allows out of district volunteers. The out of district volunteers allows for anybody who might live outside of Cornelius to help with the department. The fire department has also kept up with aging equipment by purchasing state of the art SCBAs(self contained breathing apparatus). the SCBAs have monitors that can tell command: how much air they have left and what temperature the fire fighter is in at any one point in time.

In 2010 the career staff begin staffing the station 7 days a week working 12 hour days, 2 days on followed by 2 days off.  That same year in December, long time fire Chief, Chris Asanovic retired.  

With the retirement of Chief Asanovic and the budgetary constraints of the city, the City of Cornelius opted instead of hiring a new fire chief to contract with the City of Forest Grove for Fire Chief Michael Kinkade.  Chief Kinkade has lead Cornelius Fire Department since that time.

In 2011 the career staff moved to working 24/48 schedule, this along with the staffing of interns and volunteers has made it possible to ensure there is always an engine staffed in Cornelius.

In May of 2015 the votes passed a levy to hire 2 firefighter/paramedics and to fund the intern program.  The intern program for for the prior 8 years had been funded by a federal SAFER grant.  This levy no ensured that Cornelius could provide Advanced Life Support.  

2016 brought the department a new water tender and a new engine.  The Water Tender was funded by a Federal grant and the engine was purchased by the rural district with the City paying the district back over a few years for their portion.

In January 2021, Chief Kinkade retired. Until a new chief could be hired, Division Chief Patrick Fale from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue served as the interim chief. In November 2021, a new chief was hired, Fire Chief Jim Geering.