The Mason Fire Department, established in 1867, operates two stations in the City: Fire Station #1, the main facility,is located immediately west of City Hall at 221 West Ash Street. Fire Station #2 is located at 615 Curtis Street toward the north end of town. Station #1 is a new facility, dedicated in November of 1998, and rededicated and renamed to the James M. Pelton Fire Station #1 in July of 2002, after the tragic death of our Fire Chief Jim Pelton in a vehicle crash on August 10, 2001. Station #1 has a total of 12,403 square feet on three floors, including 6,400 square feet of apparatus bay area.
The department is led by a full time chief along with a paid-on-call volunteer staff consisting of one assistant chief, one captain, and two lieutenants. The firefighting membership of the department totals 38 paid-on-call volunteer firefighters which is supported by numerous volunteers from the community through the ranks of department retirees and the Fire Corps. The service area includes all of the city plus Vevay Township and Aurelius Township. The department also has mutual aid agreements in place with virtually all departments in Ingham County.
The department maintains a fleet of nine vehicles including two pumpers, one 100 foot ladder/platform, one pumper/tanker, one tanker, one squad truck, one grass/wildfire truck, and two command vehicles. The department is equipped and trained to operate in both the city, where water is readily available by hydrant, and in the townships where the ability to transport over 8000 gallons of water is a benefit.
The department is active in providing fire safety materials and training to children of the region. To that end, the department conducts an annual fire department open house, conducts regular tours of station #1, and also maintains a fire safety trailer used as a regional asset to educate children on fire safety and what to do if in a fire situation.
