Lakewood Fire Department Surpasses 5,000 Calls in a Year for First Time in Its 137-Year History

The Lakewood Fire Department reached a historic milestone on Monday evening, responding to its 5,000th call of the year for the first time in the department’s 137-year history, according to Fire Chief Yahr.

Chief Yahr said the milestone was reached at 8:17 p.m., noting that the department had already surpassed its previous annual response record several weeks earlier. In a statement, he credited the achievement to the sustained efforts of the department’s firefighters and support staff.

“Day in and day out, the men and women of this department make me a proud leader,” Yahr said.

The milestone underscores how dramatically the department’s workload has grown since its earliest days. The first recorded fire response by the Lakewood Fire Department is believed to have taken place on Tuesday afternoon, January 22, 1889, at Dr. Cate’s Sanitarium, located on the north side of First Street between Clifton and Madison avenues.

Historical accounts indicate that members of the newly formed fire company responded in force and were able to quickly extinguish a fire located in the building’s roof. With no equipment of their own at the time, firefighters borrowed a hose and nozzle from the Laurel House Hotel to control the blaze.

That lack of resources was short-lived. The department received its first equipment during the first week of February 1889. The apparatus was paid for in full and initially housed in a barn behind Mrs. Turner’s home on the south side of Third Street between Clifton and Madison avenues, which became the first home of the Lakewood Fire Department.

Although the barn was centrally located and could have been improved, department members opted instead to prioritize the purchase of 200 feet of hose, postponing building upgrades until later.

From a borrowed hose in 1889 to more than 5,000 calls in a single year, the department’s evolution reflects both the growth of Lakewood and the expanding demands placed on its emergency services.

Officials said the latest milestone highlights the scale of modern fire and emergency response compared with the department’s humble beginnings.