History

The Village of Ravena Fire Department is comprised by the members of the Ravena Hose Company No. 1..  In 1897, concerned residents recognized the need for a organized fire protection in their community.  The Ravena Hose Company No. 1 was formed by these concerned citizens and began providing fire protection.

The same hose cart that was used by the volunteers remains in the possession of the membership and is displayed for special events.  The Village of Ravena was formed in 1914 leading to the creation of the Ravena Fire Department.  This means, that the members of the Ravena Hose Company No. 1 have been providing fire protection to our community even before the Village of Ravena Was Incorporated.  Until 1945, when the Coeymans Hollow Fire Corporation was formed, our department also provided fire protection to the residents of Coeymans Hollow.

For many years, our department has tried to be at the forefront of innovation.  In 1958, the Village of Ravena Fire Department became the first volunteer fire department in Albany County to purchase an aerial apparatus.  This truck would faithfully serve our community for over 20 years until it was damaged at a major fire in the Village of Ravena and required replacement.  This important piece of history in our department remained with the membership, who took ownership of the truck and have continued to maintain it for parades and special events.

In 1960, the membership of the Ravena Hose Company once again recognized that there was a need for transporting sick and injured individuals to local hospitals.  The membership formed what would be named the Ravena Hose Company No. 1 Rescue Squad.  In 1961, they purchased their first used ambulance and their first new ambulance would be purchased in 1962.  Our membership would grow the Rescue Squad into an Advanced Life Support agency staffed by volunteers.  For business reasons, the Ravena Rescue Squad was incorporated in 1997, and separated from the Ravena Hose Company No. 1.  Due to its roots in our department, the Ravena Rescue Squad continues to serve our community and is now a career agency.

In the mid 1970’s, our department would continue to lead the way as innovators of the fire service with the purchase of our first dedicated rescue vehicle.  This vehicle, formerly a bread truck, would respond to all car accidents and rescue calls in our community.  In the early 1980’s, our department would once again lead the way with the purchase of the Jaws of Life.  We were one of the few departments in our region to have such equipment, and would routinely respond to incidents in surrounding counties to extricate the victims from car accidents.

Today, our department continues to proudly serve the Village of Ravena with our 2006 Rescue Company, 2004 Ladder Company, and 2015 Engine Company, and 1989 Squad Company.  Our membership continues to specialize in vehicle extrication while also providing fire suppression response, hazardous materials response, and EMS support response.  We strive to offer the best services possible to a community that we care deeply about, and in that effort, we are always looking for new members to help us deliver those services.