A few of the residents of Thompson started to talk about fire protection and formed 

the Thompson Hose Company in 1935. The Thompson Hose Company Incorporated 

in 1938. The Department started with a 1937 Dodge Truck with a front mount pump 

built by a local resident Merrill Hathaway. This Truck was replaced by a 1952 Ford 

with a 500 gallon Darley Pump which at the time cost $10,000 dollars. A few years 

later a 1959 Jeep was constructed for fighting brush fires. Merrill Hathaway also 

constructed this vehicle.

In the 1960's a second pumper was added to the Company due to a growing 

population and service to the neighboring townships. A Maxim 1,000n GPM pump 

was purchased from a Fire Company on Long Island New York. At this time the 

Company had out grown the present building so an addition was built on the right 

side of the present building. This building was located on the corner of Main and 

Jackson Streets in the Borough of Thompson.

In the early 70's a 1939 Dodge 1,000 gallon tanker was purchased from the East 

Main Fire Company in Broome County New York. This was purchased for a $ 1.00 

and was put into service in order to a larger water supply to the fleet. In 1974 a new 

Ford Pumper with a 750 GPM Darley pump and 750 gallon tank replaced the Maxim 

truck. The cost of this truck was $ 29,000 dollars.

In 1974 the Thompson Hose Company purchased a 1975 Chevy Brush truck. They 

also purchased a 1972 International Tanker from a local milk hauler. The Tanker had 

a 2200 gallon capacity and was stainless steel in construction. These vehicles 

replaced the Jeep and the Dodge Tanker. In 1979 the Hose Company purchased a 

1980 Dodge Power Wagon with a 750 GPM Hale pump. This Mini Pumper is still in 

service today.In 1979 Dr Noyes saw a need for our community to have a ambulance. Dr. Noyes 

approached the Fire Dept to see if they would be interested in staffing an ambulance 

for the community. Dr. Noyes bought a seventy something Cadillac Ambulance and 

donated it to the Department. The Ambulance arrived before all of the staff were 

trained but the Thompson Hose Co. was well on their way to adding ambulance 

service to the list of community services. With this addition we had to add on to the 

building again, this time it was on the left side. This construction was done by a few 

of the membership. This made a 5 bay fire house, with our meeting room upstairs.

We continued to use this ambulance for a few years until we could afford a new 

ambulance. In 1984 we purchased a Yankee Coach on a Ford Econoline van chassis.

At that time we had 15 ambulance crew members and 11 of them were Emergency 

Medical Technicians (EMT). In 1999 the Yankee Coach was replaced with a 1999 

Ford E450 Wheeled Coach modular type ambulance. We are still running with 15 

EMT's and 4 First Responders.

In 1989 the Company grew again with the addition of a 3,000 gallon Tanker. This 

was on a Ford chassis and was purchased from Miller Place Fire Company located on 

Long Island New York. At this time the Company has 2 Pumpers, 2 Tankers, and 

Brush Truck and 1 Ambulance. 

In 1993 it was decided to build a new station on Water Street. We moved into this 

building in summer of 1993. Our new building has a banquet room as well as our 

engine room. This allowed us to have everything on one floor which made or 

meeting room handicap assessable. The cost for this project was $ 220,000.

In 1995 the Company received a donation from Father Cappelloni of a 1964 Haun 

Fire Engine. He purchased this engine for $ 1200.00 dollars. This replaced the 1974 

Pumper. The Hahn was taken out of service and in December of 2004 and was purchased by 2 members for $ 1100.00. They formed Thompson Hose Co. Antique 

Association.

In early 2000 we accepted a donation from Mastic Beach Fire Dept of a Ford 900 

pumper with a 1000 GPM Waterous Pump This is our present Engine 5. We also 

purchased a 1993 Western Star Tractor from a Kenworth dealer in Dunmore. We 

removed the fifth wheel and had a 3500 gallon tank built on this chassis. This Truck 

is powered by a 425 Caterpillar motor and has a13 speed transmission. We also 

had put together a Rescue truck with donations from Columbia Hose Co. and 

Susquehanna Fire Dept. This rescue truck was short lived at Thompson Hose Co.

and was sold to Equinunk Fire dept for a $ 1.00.

In 2004 we purchased a new engine for $250.000 dollars. This replaced the Hahn.

Our new engine is a 2004 Crimson which is on a Spartan chassis. It is powered by a 

400 horse power Cummins diesel. This has a 1250 GPM Hale pump. We had 

applied for grants for new equipment and was awarded $85,000 for equipment. With 

this money we purchased new Jaws of Life, 5 in Hose, Radio equipment, and 10 new 

sets of turnout gear.

2005 we purchased a 1997 GMC pick up truck and converted it to a Brush Truck.

The tank was donated from Mastic Beach Fire Department. After a few 

modifications it was ready for service in Late March. The Brush truck also has a 

plow frame on it for winter time.

2007 The Thompson Hose Company added a second ambulance. This is a 2007 

AEV on a 4 Wheel Drive chassis. The second ambulance is especially helpful when 

we respond to Motor Vehicle Crashes. The four wheel drive is for the inclement 

weather that is noted for Susquehanna County.For current pictures of the Thompson Hose Company please click here. The 

Thompson Hose Company currently has approximately 50 members. To Date the 

Thompson Hose Co. has had 11 different Fire Chiefs with Chad Wallace as the 

current chief. They train regularly and attend classes put on by The Fire Academy to 

serve our community better. The Ambulance service at the Thompson Hose Co. has 

had 6 different Captains with Kim Conklin as the current Captain. Our EMT's need 

24 hours of continuing education to remain certified. Some of the Fire Chiefs and 

Ambulance Captains have been in charge of our company before, taken a break and 

then been reassigned as chief or captain.