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TRUTH or CONSEQUENCES
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Truth or Consequences Volunteer Fire District, established Sept. 2, 1923, carries an Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating of Class 5, and has a roster of 25 firefighters.
C. W. Martin was the first fire chief of the Hot Springs Department (now Truth or Consequences, elected when the Department was organized. Other officers of the Department were Cecil Wilson, first captain; Gerald Caldwell, second captain; and Cecil Phillips, third captain.
Members of the Department were Elmer Keithly, Allie Heffernan, Ralph Doughty, Jake Caldwell, Dave Gray, George Lard, Claude Heffernan, J. W. Knox, Foster Shepherd, Pink Davis, Harry Kendall, John Oreaker, R. A. Howard, L. Petzner, Sam Matson, N. S. Sweeney Jr., who was secretary/treasurer, and Lon Grogan.
The exact date is not recorded, but at the second meeting, a $5,000 fire at Hoyle's Confectionery was reported. The first was in early September 1923 as the second meeting was held upon the 20th day of that month.
Hoyle's Confectionery was located just west of what is now the post office and the fire station was just across the street in a shed.
The firemen had water in tanks on the rear of an old Model T Ford, and used acid and soda for pressure.
Later, the Fire Department was housed in a shed just south of Valley Motor Supply (now Quality Body Shop) before it finally was moved to its present location.
A new station is in the process of being constructed on 9th Street between Cedar and Ash Streets. The 9,600 sq. ft. building will be used as an Emergency Operations Center and will house the fire department. The property, known as the Judge Osburn Park was provided to the fire department by the city commission for the construction of the new facility and has approximately 4 acres available for future growth.
Cost of the new facility is $498,000.
Allie Heffernan became chief in January 1924 and served two years. Leo Smith became chief in January 1926 and served until January 1927, when Cecil Wilson was named chief. Wilson served 19 years, longer than any other chief, and he resigned in January 1945.
Clyde Cole then became chief and served until he died Feb. 9, 1956. Johnnie Guthrie first became acting chief on Feb. 28, 1956, and then was named chief.
Guthrie headed the Department until January 1957, when Bob Helfrich was named to the post. Helfrich was chief until January 1960, when Alex Ramos was elected to the position.
Ramos served a year, then Bill Culver was elected chief and he served until September 1964, when Wayne Johnson was elected.
Wayne served as chief until 1969 when Tim Welborn was elected. Tim served until January 1971, when D.L. Scott was elected to the position, resigning in September of that year; his term was finished out by Keg Evans until January 1972.
Leon Johnson was named chief succeeding Keg Evans and served as chief for five years, through 1976, when Jim Crownover was elected chief in January for the 1977 term.
Tim Welborn was reelected chief in January 1978 and he served in that capacity until March 1981 when he went to work in Alaska. Assistant Chief Mike Tooley was moved up to the chief's position, replacing Welborn. Mike still is serving the Department as chief at this time.
The T-or-C Department is equipped with several pumper trucks, the newest being a 1,000 gpm International pumper built by Becker. The department also as a 1250 GPM Telesqurt custom built by Grumman (provided through Monarch Equipment) for the Department; a mini-pumper 1983 Chevrolet (built by B & S Fire), equipped with a 400 GPM Hale pump, has a 1977 model 1250 GPM Penfab (built by Clark), a 1991 model International rescue/utility truck (built by Becker). This truck is equipped with a 4-bottle cascade system capable of filling 85 SCBA's on scene. At the Airport, the department has a 500 GPM GMC (American Barton) pumper..
A substation is located near the Sierra County Fair Building at the corner of Hyde and Cook streets.
A new fire station was built in 2000 with the department moving into the facility at 310 E. Ninth Avenue in 2001. The facility is 9600 sq. ft. which is twice the size of the old station on South Date. Senator John Arthur Smith of Deming and Liz Bernal of the Council of Governments was instrumental in assisting with funding for building the facility. The facility was dedicated to Chief Mike O. Tooley.
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