Why is the fire company called Gasport Chemical Hose?
At Saturday's centennial celebration one of the longtime firemen told this story as it was told to him:
The early Gasport firefighters had a portable tank, pulled by horse or
man -- that era's makeshift "fire truck". It was filled with baking soda
and vinegar to one) create a fire extinguishing compound and two) to
build up pressure through a chemical reaction to push water.
One day, the tank was filled with too much of it and the tank exploded because of the pressure build up.
The firemen found humor in their mistake and made Chemical Hose a part of the name to honor that error. It stuck forever, even as firefighting technology and public waters systems improved and the founders passed on.
