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In 1952, a group of men organized the Mt. Vernon Auxiliary Fire Department. The primary focus was to help the Mt. Vernon City Fire Dept. In 1954 it was renamed Mt. Vernon Civil Defense Fire and Rescue. The first station was an old gas station at the corner of 3rd and College in Mt. Vernon. |
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Contracts were signed with the township trustee's office to provide fire protection for Black, Lynn, Marrs, and Point townships. As Marrs and Point formed their own fire departments, Mt. Vernon Fire and Rescue concentrated its efforts on Black and the southern half of Lynn as well as assisting the other neighboring agencies |
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As time progressed, Mt. Vernon Fire and Rescue kept growing and the old gas station wasn't big enough to house all the trucks, so with years of saving money they were able to build a pole barn behind the original station and the first station was eventually torn down to make way for progress. In 1991 another station was also built out in the northern part of the township so that protection was closer for those homeowners in that part of the protection district. |
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Mt. Vernon Fire and Rescue saw their share of fires throughout the years but it wasn't until December 17, 1998 when they fought the largest fire in Indiana's history, it was also the largest amount of fire departments to respond to a fire in Indiana's history. The fire lasted four days and almost destroyed any chances of survival for the fire department, but with the help of insurance companies they were able to slowly get back on their feet and continue to do what they did best. |
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In 2001, Mt. Vernon Fire and Rescue changed its name to Black Township Fire and Rescue due to the confusion between Mt. Vernon City Fire and Mt. Vernon Fire and Rescue. Finally in 2006 Black Township Fire and Rescue left the corner of 3rd and College and moved north of Mt. Vernon to their newest station on Industrial Rd. with the help of Albert Gibbs Township Trustee |