| By the summer of 1884, the historic town of Westerly, Rhode Island, was growing rapidly, but its fire protection was missing a critical piece of the puzzle. While the Westerly Fire District relied heavily on the muscle of the Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. 1, they were missing something vital: a dedicated ladder company.
When a bad fire tore through P.S. Barber’s Soap Works on Mechanic Street in 1883, the community faced a harsh reality. Without a specialized ladder crew, firemen couldn't easily vent roofs, rescue trapped citizens, or access upper stories.
Enter the volunteers. In March 1884, a group of civic-minded citizens took matters into their own hands and organized the Alert Hook & Ladder Company Co. 1. Strikingly, they didn't wait for the official Westerly Fire District to build them; they formed as a proud, independent outfit. Though independent, they immediately offered their services to the town.
They were regional pioneers. The "Hooks" were the very first ladder company in Westerly and the immediate Westerly-Pawcatuck area. To find another ladder truck, you would have to travel down the shoreline to the Pioneer Hook & Ladder in Stonington Borough, or further west to the Mystic Hook & Ladder in Mystic, Connecticut.
Foundations, Outfitting, and the 45-Second Drill
The brand-new company set up its first home in a firehouse hastily constructed behind the Leonard House on Commerce Street. To lead them, they chose a veteran who knew exactly how to handle a crew under pressure, Sam Cottrell. Cottrell was a highly respected former member and past foreman of the Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. 1. His expertise bridged the gap between the established engine and the new laddermen.
To get to work, the company needed an apparatus. Financed by $1,250 in donations from prominent local families, they purchased a state-of-the-art, horse-drawn ladder truck built by Rumsey & Co. out of Seneca Falls, New York. It came heavily stacked with an assortment of ladders ranging in size up to 45 feet.
Shortly before the summer heat rolled in, the company outfitted its members in crisp new uniforms capped with sharp, white firefighting helmets. On May 15, 1884, their rigorous training officially began. According to the Westerly Sun, the Alert Hook & Ladder Co. held their very first public drill at the Grist Mill on Main Street. The results were spectacular. The Hooks arrived on the scene, successfully deployed their ladders to their intended spots, and sent a fireman scaling all the way to the Grist Mill's roof in just 45 seconds. As the summer wore on, the company kept up the intense drilling. They quickly bonded with their closest counterparts, the Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co.1, the B. F. Hoxie Engine Co, Mystic Hook & Ladder Company of Mystic, the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Co, Stonington Steam Fire Engine Co, and Neptune Steam Fire Engine Co of Stonington Borough traveling to attend regional parades, picnics, and social events—solidifying their place in the local firefighting brotherhood.
The Strategy: Hook and Steam
In the 1880s, the division of labor between an engine company and a ladder company was a matter of life and death. The methods required precise coordination to beat the clock.
This tactical relationship meant everything in 1884. The massive steam engines of the day took time to get to work. When an alarm rang, the steamer had to position itself near a water source (like the Pawcatuck River, or a cistern), drop its hard suction hose into the water, light a literal fire in its boiler, and wait to build enough steam pressure to propel water through the lines.
The laddermen of the Alert Hook & Ladder had a distinct advantage: speed. While the steam pumpers were still building up pressure, the Hooks could gallop up, throw their ladders against the burning walls, and immediately get to work with buckets and hooks. They checked the spread of the fire and got water onto the flames before the engine lines could even go live.
Baptism by Fire: The Vincent Lane Barn Fire
On August 21, 1884, the Alerts finally faced their true test.
It was a hot Monday afternoon, just before 3:00 PM, when a chaotic shout of fire echoed near Vincent Lane, (present day Vincent Ln no longer exists, but it was in the area of the State Boat Launch on Main St across from McQuades)A barn owned by Thomas Barber was heavily smoking. The structure was being rented out as a crowded storehouse for old rags and junk by a local peddler named Isaac Alberts. The fire was roaring heavily on the second floor—a nightmare scenario for a building filled with combustible fabrics.
True to their name, the Alert Hook & Ladder Company sprinted to the scene and arrived first. Assessing the danger, they immediately threw their New York-crafted ladders up against an adjacent barn owned by S.C. Sullivan to prevent the fire from jumping structures. Scaling the roof of the Sullivan barn, the Hooks formed a rapid bucket brigade, pouring water down onto the flames from above to hold the line.
Minutes later, the Rhode Island Steam Fire Engine Co. thundered up. They dropped their drafts into the nearby river, fired up the steamer, and got their high-pressure hoses into operation. Working in perfect harmony, the two companies quickly brought the roaring barn fire under control. The later investigation deemed the cause to be spontaneous combustion—the pile of rags had been heavily soaked in oils and left in the summer heat.
A Lasting Legacy
The aftermath of the Vincent Lane fire was a triumph for the new volunteers. The Board of Engineers of the Westerly Fire District and the veteran members of the "RI Ones" gave immense credit to the Alert Hook & Ladder Company, explicitly praising their incredibly prompt response and their discipline at the scene.
That summer proved beyond a doubt that Westerly desperately needed its laddermen. The independent company proved its worth so thoroughly that it was eventually adopted as an official company within the Westerly Fire District.
The Alerts later moved to a shared firehouse on Union Street right alongside their old friends, the Rhode Island Ones. In 1895, they were joined by a brand new outfit—the Cyclone Steam Fire Engine Co. 2. Together, this trio created the historic backbone of the volunteer fire service that protected Westerly for generations to come.
For over 140 years, the Hooks have made a profound and lasting impact on the Westerly Fire Department. Built upon a fierce tradition of service and uncompromising standards, the company has produced generations of veteran firefighters, officers and chiefs of the Westerly Fire Department |
