The 2023 Knox Horsethief Days “Citizen of the Year” is being awarded to not one individual, but to an entire group of men and women who have dedicated themselves to protecting and providing service to their community: the Knox Volunteer Fire Company (both past and present).Founded in 1878, the Knox Volunteer Fire Company started as the Chandler Ladder Company. In 1933, the company was organized and chartered as the Knox Volunteer Fire Company with Cy Pierce Sr. serving as the first Fire Chief. That same year, the founding members initiated a movement to form a Tri-County Fireman Association. From the association in 1938, the company featured a fife (small flute) and a Drum Corp known as the “Spirit of 1776”. The band accompanied the fire company at local parades and was virtually the only group of its kind and size in this section of the country.
The original location of the fire hall is the current police station. In 1981, the company moved to East Railroad Street, where it remains today. The building has a Tanker Bay and a Social Hall, which was added in 1996.On average, it costs about $5,000 per member to protect a firefighter while they serve. The company remains 100% volunteer. Money is given through grants, donations, membership dues, hot sausage sales throughout the year and during Horsethief, gun raffles, and other events to name a few. The average fire engine costs about $500,000. The company is fortunate to have a few trucks and a tanker. We recognize the company as always being ready and willing to respond to help those in the Knox community and surrounding areas without giving a second thought to their own personal safety.
Thank you to the volunteers and their families for the sacrifices made to protect our community.
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