MAFD History
Serving the Mora area since 1904!
1904: Following the completion of a water system in Mora, a group of citizens met to form the fire brigade. The first alarm system was a metal triangle hung outside the hall and sounded by striking the triangle with a metal bar. This was backed up by a steam whistle at the electric plant.- 1905: Two hand-drawn hose carts with 300 feet of hose were purchased. The firemen had to carry the ladders to the fires.
- 1910: A four-wheel cart was purchased to carry the ladders that the fireman were carrying to fires up to this point.
- 1911: A chemical tank mounted on a two-wheel cart was added.
- 1920: A used Cadillac Car was purchased and a suitable body was built for carrying hoses and ladders.
- 1926: A new Chevrolet truck chassis was purchased and used to carry the fire hoses and ladders.
- 1936: The department purchased its first pumper truck, built by Peter Pirsch and Sons in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The truck chassis was a 1936 Ford with an open style cab.
- 1949 A second pumper truck, a G.M.C. built in Luverne, Minnesota was added.
- 1965: The old ’36 Ford was in need of replacement and a new Dodge/General Safety Pumper was purchased.
- 1970: The 1936 Ford was sold.
1990’s: The department began a search for New Fire Station - January 2004 the 1936 Ford truck with the hope of purchasing and restoring it in time for the department’s centennial celebration in 2004.- January of 2004: Mr. Bill Waller of Fredericksburg, Texas called the fire department to say he had the 1936 Ford and was willing to sell it. Mr. Waller had purchased the truck from a gentleman in Wisconsin, who had purchased it at an estate sale a few years earlier. The truck had been stored inside a pole shed for over 20 years. The Wisconsin man had the truck restored before selling it to Mr. Waller. The members of the fire department agreed to raise the money to purchase the truck. After securing a 3-year loan to make the purchase, Mora’s first pumper truck returned home in February 2004. The truck was a big hit at the department’s centennial celebration in August of 2004.
- 2004: The department moved into a “new” station. The old fire station that housed the department from 1940 until 1973 was remodeled after it was used for years by the city utility department for storage. The "new" hall was remodeled into two offices, dispatch room, locker rooms, and kitchen. Along with the remodel, new space was added for meetings and training, laundry, S.C.B.A. maintenance, hose storage, and a ten-stall truck garage. A mezzanine area in the truck garage provides an exercise area and additional training space.