Fire Department
Mission and Vision Statement
Mission Statement - Our Mission and purpose are to Prevent, Protect, Preserve and Respect the community by providing outstanding service in the areas of fire suppression, emergency response, member training, fire prevention and public education.
Vision Statement- Our Vision is to provide exceptional service and continuous improvement in our department through innovation, training, forward-looking leadership and the continued well-being of others.
Core Values
We, the members of the Wallace Fire Department, declare the following values to be the fundamental principles that define our department's culture.
Tradition- Passing on positive practices and information from member to member that reflects the adaptive heritage of the department.
Professionalism- Demonstrate personal and organizational excellence.
Integrity- Demonstrating personal accountability by taking responsibility for one's actions.
Leadership- Be a positive role model and have the courage to do what's right.
Family- We believe in the importance of family, both personally and professionally. WE are strengthened by the friendship and support of our colleagues and the value the interpersonal bonds that we form.
We, the members of the Wallace Fire Department, declare the following values to be the fundamental principles that define our department's culture.
Tradition- Passing on positive practices and information from member to member that reflects the adaptive heritage of the department.
Professionalism- Demonstrate personal and organizational excellence.
Integrity- Demonstrating personal accountability by taking responsibility for one's actions.
Leadership- Be a positive role model and have the courage to do what's right.
Family- We believe in the importance of family, both personally and professionally. WE are strengthened by the friendship and support of our colleagues and the value the interpersonal bonds that we form.
History
On June 15, 1926 Aubrey J. Harrell called for a meeting at Wallace Motor Company. For many years there had been a discussion about forming a formal fire department by state standards. “Now is the time” he said, “They say a town is only as good as its citizens, but I tell you a town is only as good as its fire department”. And so it began fourteen members with Aubrey Harrell as Chief. A fire truck and some equipment was ordered, and by January 1926 we met state standards.
Mary E. Hoffler Lanier told a story as of a very small child she watched a fire on a Sunday on S. College St. near the Methodist Church. The Wallace Fire Department bucket brigade battled the fire. She said later that week her father (Willard Hoffer, future second fire chief and later Mayor of Wallace) and her Uncle (Aubrey Harrell, the first fire chief) went to pick up the 1926 Graham Brother’s Dodge fire truck. This was the first fire truck in the area. It cost $4,000.
December of 1952, a bond referendum was passed which included a new 300,000 gallon water tank to replace the small wooden tower that was there, many more fire hydrants, and a new pumping truck for the fire department.
March 3, 1953 American LaFrance was awarded the contract for a pumping truck for sixteen thousand dollars. On May 7, 1953 Wallace Enterprise headlines read “WALLACE NEW FIRE TRUCK TO BE UNLOADED IN THE MORN”. The story read, “Arriving this week by boxcar put on the side rail of ACL (Atlantic coast Lines) and left sealed and waiting for representatives of the American LaFrance Foamite Company, makers of this big firefighting piece of equipment to break the seal and inspect it” The apparatus was put in service May 14, 1953