1920s - 1940s

1920s

The Irving Fire Department was formed in 1925 as a volunteer Fire Department after a fire started in the only schoolhouse. They started with 20 men; Mr. R.V. Leach was elected Chief. Volunteers started with a four-wheeled pull cart loaded with a 20-gallon water barrel, a hand pump, buckets, brooms, and a small ladder. There are opinions that the Irving Fire Department started earlier, possibly 1921. However the only documented evidence of the Fire Department is from a 1925 invoice for a fire hose. The city was only one square mile at the time.

In 1926, the volunteers got their first motorized equipment, a 1919 Model T Ford truck. The volunteers added a pump, water barrel, 250 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose, buckets, a ladder, and an axe. The truck had a top speed of 25 mph. Volunteers were alerted about fires by a light and a siren on top of the old water tower downtown. There was a rumor that the cities first police officer would shoot his gun into the air to summon the volunteers too.

1930s and 40s

The first state certified fireman was Earl Sargent, who got his certification in the mid 1930s.

In the 1930s the volunteers bought a used REO fire truck from the Mineral Wells Fire Department. In the early 40s, they bought a used 1936 1 1/2 ton Chevrolet truck. This truck had a 500 gpm pump and a 250 gallon tank. They also bought a war surplus international tanker that held 600 gallons. The men used rubber raincoats and fishing waders as firefighting gear.