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Hewitt Fire Department
Hewitt began as a community where “The Desire to Serve” meant that people helped one another. In 1956, a house fire at the corner of Johnson and 2nd Street left a home in ashes, primarily because firefighters were unable to reach the house in time to stop the blaze. The homeowner hoped that his misfortune would never be repeated. He donated his lot to the city, where a structure was built to serve as the main station for the new Hewitt Volunteer Fire Department.
The Hewitt VFD purchased its first “fire trucks” from the National Forestry Surplus. The trucks did not provide enough resources to properly serve the growing community. Additional fundraisers provided the Hewitt VFD with resources for a building on the donated lot, but the organization still lacked a great deal of necessary equipment. As Hewitt grew, so grew the demand for larger trucks and more firefighters.
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Today, the Hewitt Fire Department consists of 16 career firefighters. The Department operates 24/7/365 out of the new Public Safety building near the corner of Hewitt Drive and Ritchie Road, and responds to 1,000+ calls each year. These calls include structure fires, vehicle fires, grass/brush fires, auto collisions, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials incidents, rescues and first response to medical emergencies.
Fire Department responsibilities include apparatus and building maintenance, building inspections, emergency medical services, equipment maintenance, fire hydrant maintenance, fire prevention, fire suppression, hose testing, mutual aid response and rescue operations.
The Department also attends many community events each year, including visiting schools to teach fire prevention and safety, Hewitt Public Library’s Dog Days event and Hewitt Police Department’s annual National Night Out event. The Department also conducts fire extinguisher training, and will provide visitors with fire station tours. Residents are served well by these highly-trained firefighters who continually work to make Hewitt a safe place to live, work and play.