West Cumberland Fire Station
Residents in the West End area of town felt that there needed to be better emergency services provided in their area. In 1942, a single bay station was built at West Cumberland.
Through the efforts of interested citizens in that area, land, materials and labor were donated, and money was raised to purchase a truck, at no cost to the town. That first West Cumberland fire truck was a tank truck and pumper, built from an old oil truck carrying 750 gallons of water. A resuscitator was also purchased, which was a very significant addition to the area due to numerous near drownings at Forest Lake.
By a deciding vote of merely one at the 1964 Town Meeting, it was decided by the townspeople to build a new West Cumberland Fire Station. It was to be located nearer to Gray Road on Blackstrap Road.
Fire Chief Harold Bragg noted that most of the volunteer firemen in Cumberland available during the day lived in the West Cumberland area. In his report to the town, he stated that an attempt to upgrade the old fire station located further up the road would be inadequate and a poor economy. He commented that it was “like fixing up old shoes after you have outgrown them.”
Because there were no fire hydrants in this area, the residents there had to depend on pumper trucks for fire protection. Volunteer work done by the firemen in West Cumberland helped hold down the cost. The new station was built in 1988, under the direction of Fire Chief Ken Wagner.
West Cumberland Fire Station
