Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department History

The Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department was started in 1948. The fire protection in the years before was provided by the surrounding areas. The act that started Calimesa towards providing their own fire protection was initiated by the Calimesa Improvement Association, (the forerunner of the Calimesa Chamber of Commerce). They began to raise funds to purchase a fire engine to protect the Calimesa area.
In January 1948, Ralph Davenport was elected the President of the Calimesa Improvement Association. Within the first month of his term he had made arrangements with the City of San Bernardino to purchase a fire engine. The engine bought was a 1926 Seagrave, model 6BT, Suburban fire engine for $1000.00. The engine came complete with a compliment of 1000 feet of hose, ladders, pump and a 100 gallon tank. The engine was received on January 29, 1948, during which the Seagrave Company of Los Angeles provided two instructors to show how the engine was operated. The engine was originally kept at the Husted’s Calimesa Garage which was located near present day Calimesa Blvd. and Myrtlewood Dr. It was not until June of 1948 that the Improvement Association was able to allocate $500.00 to build a 10 by 22 foot garage to house the engine at Husted’s.

On February 2, 1948 a meeting was held at the Calimesa Community Clubhouse to establish a volunteer fire department. The meeting was well attended by the community, and twenty members were signed up and the officers were elected. The first officers of Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department were:
Chief: Ralph Davenport
Assistant Chief:Byron Husted
Captain: Claude Allred
Assistant Captain: Kenneth Harshman
Secretary: Vy Surbar
Treasurer: Jack Berry
Board Member: L.W. Graham
The fire response of the Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department with the new apparatus, occurred February 12, 1948, when a fire occurred at the Floyd T. Harshman egg house on Highway 99 (present day Interstate 10). Eight volunteers responded and the fire was extinguished shortly after their arrival. The estimated damage to the egg house was listed at $10.00.

The County of Riverside commenced providing fire stations and engines to parts of the county in 1946. However, it was not until 1957 that the station was built and staffed in Calimesa. The dedication of the station was held on June 15, 1957. At this time the volunteer company moved its equipment to the new stations location. The first paid Captain was John Turner who served the community until 1976.
The 1926 Seagrave was retired in the seventies having almost a 50 year active duty life, protecting the community of Calimesa. The engine is still around to this day as a marker in our history and used as a parade vehicle. We are currently restoring the engine because it is now almost 82 years old, and we feel it is necessary to keep our history and that of Calimesa available for future generations. The Calimesa Volunteer Fire Company has evolved over sixty years from community men with little training and equipment protecting their community and homes to a highly trained, well equipped group of individuals that work in cooperation with Riverside County Fire Department and California Department of Forestry and Fire (CAL FIRE).

The Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department and our equipment is still housed at the original Calimesa Station which has been changed over the years. There is currently one fire engine, and one emergency squad both fully equipped for most incidents. The volunteers handle their own business affairs such as: training, finance, public relations, fund raising, and recruitment. There are currently 13 active members and one auxiliary of the company including officers which are:
President: Landon Vick
Vice President: Justin Anthony
Treasurer: Matt Flordelis
Secretary: Tom DeYoung
The Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department is currently responds to15 - 20 % of the calls in the City of Calimesa. These individuals give time in addition to their regular careers, which means more time away from their families to come down to the station in order to train, raise funds, and improve the department. The Calimesa Volunteer Fire Company is proud to be part of Calimesa and its history. We are going to continue to serve the community to the best of our abilities, and grow our personal and team knowledge in Fire Behavior/Science, Emergency Medicine, and above all else patient care.

In closing, the history of the Calimesa Volunteer Fire Department is a long and proud one and we wish to once again extend our profound thanks to all the people that kept us going through the years, and all to every man and woman who did and now wear the badge of a volunteer firefighter for Calimesa by giving up those countless hours from your homes, families, and careers for the betterment of the department and community. The City of Calimesa for their continued support for us and all we do. The paid staff of the station for being there to help us train on new equipment, techniques, and apparatus. And last but certainly not least the community of Calimesa for your continued support for sixty years by donations, cookies, and the best of all a pat on the back to tell us to keep up the good work. Special thanks must go to Captain Morris Bean who came to Calimesa, as Captain, in 1987 and held the position until 2007 when he retired. Without his leadership and being a mentor to so many people who are now professional firefighters the company would not have thrived and possibly failed. Thank you all for your past and future support of the Calimesa Volunteer fire Department.