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By SEAN HILLIARD
The Evening Sun (Pennsylvania)
When Hanover’s fire company was first formed around 1780, all males in the borough were required to go and fight fires — or else.
The “or else” meant they’d be fined, said Wayne Bollinger, museum coordinator for the Hanover Fire Department.
Bollinger spoke at Guthrie Memorial Library — Hanover’s Public Library on Monday night about the history of the fire department in the borough. The presentation was part of an eight-day celebration marking the library’s reopening after more than three years of renovations.
The curator of the fire department’s museum was full of facts and stories about the department’s history from his extensive research into its background.
As the audience of about 20 people warmed up to Bollinger — and he to them — he became more relaxed and the stories began to flow out of him like wine.
“In the late 1800s, some people in town saw the Northern Lights and thought it was a fire so they broke into the fire shed against the chief’s will and dragged the engine as far as they could,” he said. “By then the lights had disappeared, so they went to a bar and got some drinks.”
Bollinger also shared some facts about the animals related to the fire company.
Fire horses were trained by repeated exposure to the hectic situation of putting out a fire and were given treats to reinforce calm behavior.
Bollinger also explained why Dalmation are the traditional firefighter’s mascot.
“Dalmations became fire dogs because of their temperament with horses in Europe,” he said. “In America, fire dogs helped lead horses to the fire, but their primary job was to protect the horses.”
People sometimes would try to steal the horses, he explained.
Another tradition Bollinger shed light on was the practice of sleeping upstairs in the fire company.
“They slept on the second floor because the of the horses’ smell and the flies,” he said. “In bigger cities, the chief always slept at the highest elevation.”
Bollinger also showed off some fire artifacts, including a rubber fire bucket and two devices used to get firefighters up out of bed when there was a late-night fire – a noise maker that creates quite a racket when spun around and a special trumpet.
Bollinger said it wasn’t easy to find artifacts as they often get buried in people’s attics.
“There is stuff around, but as time goes by it gets harder and harder to find,” he said. “We’re very lucky we have our history back from the 1800s.”
The artifacts the fire company has now are currently on display at the Wirt Park Station on Franklin and Park streets.
“The museum is open all day,” Bollinger said. “Just stop in.”