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 Cleveland fire protection unofficially began in 1917 as a bucket brigade. The population of Cleveland at that time was approximately 1700 people. The only equipment used at that time was two carts that carried 250 feet of hose each. The carts were either pushed by hand or pulled by wagon to a fire. J. D. McCaleb furnished the wagon usually used for pulling. There are no other known names associated with this group on record. In August of 1920, the present fire department was formed under the leadership of Fire Chief C. C. Thweatt. It was named the Cleveland Volunteer Fire Company, and had the following other members:
Shortly after its inception, plans to add better equipment began to be realized. The department purchased their first fire truck, a 1921 Model-T Ford with stem winder starter. Due to the difficulty in starting the truck, it was housed in a station with a slanted floor for much easier push starting capabilities. This first truck was equipped with a chemical tank and would also carry a small amount of water, but was not equipped with a pump.
In the early days, firemen were alerted to a call by means of a “Wildcat Steam Whistle” located at the old icehouse on North Sharpe Avenue. Different blasts of the whistle indicated which section of town the fire was in. After hearing the whistle, it was up to the fire fighters to spot smoke or fire to pinpoint the location. Later, the fire department got a siren to alert them. After hearing the siren they would go by the Police Station where policemen would tell them the location of the fire. As an improvement on this, different colored lights were added to the wall of the Police Stations signifying the different sections of town. As time progressed, radios were added with a full time dispatcher located at the Police Station. The firemen were given radio receivers that they kept at home for night fires and weekends. During the day they still had to go by the Police Station for directions. Today all of the fire fighters carry pagers connected to the enhanced 911 emergency system that is controlled from the main dispatch at the Police Department.
In February 1967, the department attained a Class 6 fire rating with the State Rating Bureau, making the department the first volunteer unit in the State of Mississippi to hold such rating. The company again stepped out of the pack when it obtained a Class 5 fire rating in 2006. The department is currently rated Class 5 and has 3 paid employees and 36 volunteer fire fighters. The paid employees include a Fire Inspector, Maintenance Engineer and Maintenance Assistant. All other positions are volunteer. The department operates from 2 separate fire stations and utilizes 2 front line pumpers, 2 rescue/utility vehicles, 1 aerial platform pumper, 1 Ford F-2500 with a bed mounted deluge gun, a Hazardous Materials Response Unit and 1 backup pumper for it’s daily operations. The department also operates a training facility that is home to a rope rescue tower, smoke house, ventilation simulator, drafting pit, and a Class A burn facility. The department is currently completing a confined space maze.
The fire department is, and always has been, very supportive of community projects. The first little league baseball was started by the department. This league has grown into what is now the City of Cleveland Park Commission. The department bought property and filled in the area with many loads of dirt to form the city park now known as Fireman’s Park.
During the war years, the firemen collected money for the British Fire Fighters Relief Fund that went toward the fire fighters and their families that had been killed or injured in fire fighting operations caused by enemy action. The department holds raffles and sales in support of the Mississippi Fire Fighters Memorial Burn Center. The department makes an annual donation to the Mississippi Burn Camp and sponsors students to both Boy’s and Girl’s State and a girl to the Charity Ball. In the early years of the Delta Council, the fire department cooked the served barbecue chicken and then catfish at its annual event at Delta State. The department also was the initial sponsor for Boy Scout Troop 23 and furnished a Scoutmaster from its membership. |
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