In 1917 far off in the distance from the more established city of Phoenix, a fire nearly destroyed the small, rural farming community of Peoria.
Firefighters from Phoenix and Glendale eventually arrived, but the blaze left the business district in ruins. And then it left leaders and members of the local chamber of commerce searching for ways to prevent something like that from happening again.
On March 18, 1921, a volunteer fire department was formed and named the Peoria Volunteer Fire Department. Frank W. Atkins was named the first fire chief. The first purchased fire apparatus was a 1922 Ford Pumper, capable of pumping 55 gallons per minute.
