WASHINGTON — Dec. 30 marked 100 years since the last horse-drawn steam fire apparatus responded to a fire in Washington, D.C. To honor the milestone, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department staged a modern recreation of the historic event.
While many recall the staged “Last Running of the Horses” on June 15, 1925, the final real response by a horse-drawn fire apparatus occurred on Dec. 30, 1924, when Engine Company 18 answered the call, WUSA9 reported.
Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Anthony Kelleher explained that after a fire the previous week, the engine company’s motorized pumper was out of service due to fuel line issues. To improvise, the department utilized resources from its stables and nearby firehouses, gathering 100 pounds of hay bales, 180 pounds of straw, 80 pounds of oats and cordwood to prepare to use a horse-drawn steamer.
On Dec. 30, the horse-drawn unit was used for the first time that year, responding to seven fires total. Its final call was a trash fire reported at Box 588 at 8th and I Streets SE, an address that no longer exists.
“Many things have changed over the years, from horse-drawn apparatus to gasoline-powered apparatus, and eventually, to diesel-powered apparatus as you see behind us today,” Kelleher said. “The one thing that has not changed over the past 100 years is our department’s willingness to serve with efficiency at all times 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Engine Company 18 continues to serve the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Southeast D.C., along with Truck Company 7, the deputy fire chief of operations, and battalion fire chief 2.
