Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. No. 1

Captain: Rafael Tomao
1st Lieutenant: Dennis Evans      2nd Lieutenant: Lindsay Palmer

The Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. #1 has the proud honor of having been the first fire company in the town of Westerly. Granted a charter by the Rhode Island General Assembly, the "Westerly Fire Engine Co." was organized in 1845. Firefighting services were provided on both sides of the Pawcatuck River, which is the border between Rhode Island and Connecticut, using two hand engines purchased the year prior.

In 1869 the Company purchased a steam fire engine named the Rhode Island. The members unofficially took on the name of the "steamer" for the Company. In 1870, the Rhode Island General Assembly granted a new charter to the "Westerly Fire Engine Co. #1". It was also at this point in time that the community took steps to form the Westerly Fire District.

On November 27, 1871, the Westerly Fire Engine Co. #1, after transfer of the Engine House, its furnishings and the hats to the District, reorganized under the District and under the charter granted in 1870 as the "Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. #1".

Today, with 20 active members, the "Rhode Island Ones", or the "Ones", carry on the honor and traditions of our founding members and continue to provide dedicated and exemplary firefighting services to the community. The Company operates Engine 1, a 1998 Pierce Dash 1500gpm pumper, out of Station 1 in downtown Westerly.

William A. Greene 1871-1872 Samuel G. Cottrell 1873-1879 Courtland B. Bliven 1880-1882 Michael E. Day 1883-1884 Joseph Schofield 1884 John H. Sharpe 1885-1886 John M. Himes 1887-1888 Edwin E. West 1889-1892 Peter Donahue 1893-1898 Harry Coyle 1899-1900 Jackson J. Hood 1901 George A. Dunham 1906-1908 Christopher Fountain 1909 Nelson W. Himes 1910 Horace Nelder 1911-1912 Fred Barker 1913 Howard Swan 1914-1915 Thomas Totten 1916-1917 Steven Pickover 1918 Earl Palmer 1919-1920 Moses Payne Jr. 1921-1922 Maurice L. Laing 1923-1929 Walter J. Barrus 1930-1933 Arthur Clemens 1934-1936 Jero Panciera 1937-1938 Daniel McGouran 1939-1940 Milton R. Greene 1941-1942 Lawrence L. Tate 1943-1944 John L. Holliday 1945-1946 Roland A. Steadman 1947-1948 Herbert W. Rathbun Jr. 1949-1951 Joseph W. Foley 1952-1953 Robert D. Gent 1954-1955 Thomas W. Palmer 1956-1958 George F. Shulda 1959-1960 Paul Tate 1961-1964 Sam Armstrong 1964-1966 Frank Tate Jr. 1966-1968 James Wills 1968-1970 Joseph Debigare 1970-1972 Fredrick Mitchell 1972-1974 Robert Long 1974-1977 William Durham 1977-1979 Herbert W. Rathbun III 1979-1984 Gino Lavarini 1984-1987 William Palmer 1987-1989 Frank Pasetti 1989-1990 Dennis McGouran 1990-1991 Gilbert Dionne 1991-1994 Adam Brown 1994-1996 Jon Smith 1996-1998 Lester Burdick 1998-1999 Dennis Evans 1999-2002 Paul Cornelius 2002-2005 Scott Fricke 2005-2008 Peter Mercurio 2008

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