Downtown celebrates 100 years of fire service

The city of Sarasota celebrates 100 years of fire service in the downtown area today.

"On Sept. 26, 1911, former Mayor Hamden S. Smith signed the ordinance to establish the first formally organized fire department, appointing Henry Behrens as the first official chief of the department.

Current and former Sarasota County, city and fire department officials celebrated 100 years of fire service in the downtown area Sunday, at Fire Station 1, 1445 Fourth St., Sarasota.

The first fire station, completed in March 1912, was located at the intersection of Pineapple and Lemon Avenues in downtown Sarasota.

After several moves over the years in the downtown Sarasota area, Fire Station 1 is now located at 1445 4th St. It is the busiest of the county fire stations, and has 42 fire personnel assigned to it, with 14 on each shift.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].