Knowles Fire Department Celebrating 130th Anniversary

On August 9, the Knowles Fire Department will celebrate its 130th anniversary of serving the surrounding area.
Knowles Volunteer Fire Dept Inc. provides primary fire coverage to 12 sections of the Town of Lomira and 12 sections of the Town of Leroy for a total of 24 square miles.
“We also signed Automatic Mutual Aid agreements with Brownsville Fire Co., Lomira Fire Department, and Kekoskee Fire Department, so when those departments get paged to a fire, we get paged at the same time,” said Knowles Fire Chief Jason Kuehl. “We also have mutual aid departments throughout Dodge County, Fond du Lac County, and Washington County.”
The Knowles Volunteer Fire Department Inc. is a private corporation formed to contract fire services.

“What this means is that we operate much like any other privately owned company. We own our buildings, land, trucks, and equipment,” said Kuehl. “Power, light, and heat bills are all paid for by us. To pay for all this, we have our contracts with the two townships, and any money we need over that has to be made up by our fundraisers, or taking out a business loan.”
“With that being said, our annual Fourth of July picnic has grown over the years to where we have asked for help from the community,” said Kuehl. “The Lomira Clover Leaves 4-H Club provides games at the picnic, and any proceeds they raise from that are for them.”
“We have also partnered with the Lomira High School wrestling team to provide the inflatable rides at the picnic,” said Kuehl. “We split the cost of renting the rides, and any money they raise is theirs for their organization. It has worked out well for both parties over the years.”
“We also provide fire prevention training once a year to the Lomira Clover Leaves 4-H Club,” said Kuehl. “We provide fire prevention training to the businesses in our fire district upon request, as well as fire inspecting services.”
Historical Timeline of the Knowles Fire Department:
October 1895: A group of local men formed the Knowles Hook and Ladder Co.
The first officers of the Knowles Hook and Ladder Co. were Captain August Sterr, Foreman Frank Bauer, and Assistant Foreman Frank Sterr.
1916: The department reorganized as the Knowles Volunteer Fire Department with two 50-gallon water tanks, a smaller tank of soda and muriatic acid (the water and soda acid were mixed to provide pressure to shoot the water out the hose), and 150 feet of hose.
1929: First Fourth of July Knowles Parade.
1930: The department was reorganized again. The first fire truck was purchased - a 1929 International with a 250-gallon water tank and 450 GPM front mount pump. A Mutual Aid pact was agreed upon with the Lomira, Brownsville, and Leroy Fire Departments in 1935.
1946: The lot for the firehouse was purchased (where the current firehouse stands). A second engine truck was purchased.
1949: The fire department was reorganized again.
1953: The Knowles Fire Department Auxiliary was formed to assist firefighters at fires with food and drinks and at fundraisers. The auxiliary assists today with fires and runs the cake stand at the firehouse during the Fourth of July parade.
1985: It was around this time that, rather than the bell and siren sounding and members coming to the firehouse, pagers were purchased and the county paged firefighters to fires.
“Before the implementation of pagers, when there was a fire, you would call the fire chief or one of the local businesses that had a siren phone (a phone with a button to activate the siren),” said Kuehl. “When the siren would go off, locals would flock to the firehouse and go to fight the fire.”
“To receive fire coverage, you had to pay annual dues and be part of the fire department,” said Kuehl. “Later, contracts were signed with the townships, and fire coverage was included in your tax bill.”
This also meant firefighters needed to be better trained and accountable, bringing in the pagers. If you took the responsibility of having a pager, you also took the responsibility of doing scheduled training throughout the year.
As standards evolved, training got better, equipment got better, and the modern fire department evolved.
Today: Current Equipment
2002 KME Engine (First line engine)
2002 Pierce / Kenworth Engine (Second line rescue engine with Jaws of Life equipment)
2005 International / Marion Squad (has equipment to refill air pack bottles)
2009 Sterling 4000 gallon Tender
1987 Mack 4400 gallon Tender
2023 Kawasaki Mule Pro FX UTV w/ 70 gallon EMS pump skid (for grass fires)
“Being a rural fire department, we need to haul water into most of our fires. This is why we have 2 large tender trucks,” said Kuehl. “Our UTV was purchased with funds from a DNR grant we received in 2022 and 2023.”
“Our first line engine carries various attack lines and seats up to 6 firefighters, 5 with air packs, for fast initial attacks and more manpower,” said Kuehl. “Our second line
engine carries most of our large 5-inch supply hose and also our rescue equipment, including our jaws of life, lifting airbags, and struts. It seats 2 for responses to car accidents, and is followed by our squad, which seats 8 for extra manpower.”
The Knowles Volunteer Fire Department Inc. currently has 24 active firefighters, who complete a minimum of 12 trainings a year.
The current fire department is comprised of three Chief Officers:
Chief: Jason Kuehl
First Assistant Chief: Richard Laubenstein
Second Assistant Chief: Jason Belling
The current business board of directors:
President: Rick Fink
Treasurer: Nick Tibbott
Secretary: Arlen Schultz
Trustees: Bret Kuehl, Mike Bintzler, Roger Laubenstein, Robert Laubenstein, Tyler Garriety
During the year, the fire department holds a Raffle and Fun Night on the first Saturday of March and November, and they put on the Annual Fourth of July Parade and Picnic.
The Knowles Volunteer Fire Department looks to continue to serve our area and mutual aid areas at a high level of service for many years to come, but in order to do this, they do need more volunteers.
“It is a way to serve your community and save taxpayer dollars. Our entire department’s annual budget would only afford the community one full-time firefighter’s wages and benefits,” said Kuehl. “That doesn’t give him any gear to fight a fire, no firehouse, no fire truck, just their wages.”
“All training is paid for through state programs. One semester of one night a week gets you the schooling required to be certified by the state for the rest of your career, if you just want to help as a firefighter,” said Kuehl. “After that, the department asks for 12 practices a year to hone your skills.”
“We are a family that helps our community in their darkest time of need,” said Kuehl.