With the additional homes that were being built in Oak Grove during the mid 1950's, there had been some talk of organizing a vounteer fire department, but it took two fires within a short time of each other (Dick Wagner's barn and a costly fire at the Marietta Conrete Corporation's cement block plant) to bring it to a head in 1955.

The Ohio State Fire Marshal's office was contacted for pointers in the organization of a new department; their representative, Roy Reicher, met at the Wilking home with about ten neighborhood men who were especially interested in the endeavor. Later, an invitation was issued to all the men in the community, asking those who were interested in becoming members to attend a meeting at the schoolhouse.

Those elected to office at that time were as follows:
President - Robert Brown
Vice President - Richard Wagner
Secretary/Treasurer - Dean Shepherd
Chief - Ed Williams
Assistant Chief - William Drennan

Committees were appointed by the president. Other decisions made at the first meetings include the following:

- The fire district was defined to include all of Muskingum Township (West).
- The department would be financed by taxes, which made all buildings and equipment the property of the township.
- For a building site, the southwest corner of the school grounds was chosen, if the land was available. One hundred years earlier, the school board had bought this site because it was centrally located.
- By-laws were adopted, including one which stated that there would be not fewer than 15 nor more than 35 active members. Dues were to be $3.00 per year.
- The business meetings were to be the first Thursday of each month; this has never changed.

The following men were among the early members:

Gilbert Miller, a township trustee, lived on Bailey Drive and assisted as the liaison between the trustees and the fire department. Dick Wagner was a member of the school board and expedited the purchase of the building site (for $1.00), which was to be near the location of the old two-room school building that had been torn down two years earlier.

One of the early projects was to get all the property owners in the fire district in a card file system, each property being assigned a number. Among the information on the card were directions from the firehouse to the property, location of all water supplies, location of gas meter, location of main electrical supply, and any dangerous materials stored in buildings.

The first two years were a busy time for all -- along with providing all the labor for construction of the firehouse, there were the fire trucks to get in shape, and firefighting classes to attend. The first pumper was a used one purchased from the city of Warren, Ohio, for $379.75; it was soon dubbed "Old Betsy". The first tank truch was a used 1949 International truck upon which was mounted a used tank purchased from the Ashland Oil Company. The tank truck needed a lot of scraping and sanding before it was painted, and this was done at the Brown farm.

It didn't take long to find out that most fire calls were for grass and brush fires, so a used 4-wheel drive Jeep was purchased and equipped for that purpose. Fire telephones were installed at the Brown, Drennan, and Immel homes, and temporary small sirens were used until the firehouse was completed.

The first fire call was for a grass fire near Constitution on February 21, 1957. Warren Township Volunteer Fire Department did not yet exist and, until they were organized, the Warren Township trustees had a fire contract with Oak Grove. The Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department has a mutual aid agreement with all other fire departments in Washington County.

The first new pumper was a 1958 Chevy with a 500 gallon tank and a 500 GPM pump, purchased for $16,000. Twenty years later, because of its age and for lower insurance classification, this pumper was augmented by a new 1978 International pumper with a 750 gallon tank and a 1000 GPM, for $75,000. The first new tanker was a 1963 International with a 1000 gallon tank and a 250 GPM pump. This is still in use. The first new 4-wheel drive for brush fires was a 1960 Jeep, which cost $12,000. The Jeep was replaced by a 1978 Dodge 4-wheel drive brush truck, with winch and a 60 GPM pump.

The original firehouse consisted of two bays, an office, a small kitchen, and a small restroom. It was soon found that a larger building was necessary, but as all available finances were needed for new trucks and fire equipment, any addition to the building had to be postponed.

In 1971, the Ora Treadway place, adjoining the firehouse site to the west, was purchased; the building on the property was torn down and a major building project was began. As with the original building, the firemen did the work themselves. When the building was completed in 1973, it was as it is today, outside of some minor changes made later. It has seven bays, a large kitchen and meeting room, two restrooms and an office.

The firehouse is now the meeting place for all those groups that formerly used the school or township buildings, along with being voting precect for Muskingum Township (West).

The Emergency Squad rescue service started in 1975, along with the necessary E.M.T. training. This also brought female members in the department. The first ones being Wanda Phillips, Nancy Remmele, and Anna Ulmann. The first new Emergency Squad truck was a 1975 Dodge.

Along with many smaller specialty items, the equipment in use today (1987) includes the following:

- 1958 Chevy Pumper with 500 gallon tank and 500 GPM pump
- 1978 International Pumper with 750 gallon tank and 1000 GPM pump
- 1963 International Tank Truck with 1000 gallon tank and 250 HPM pump
- 1978 4-wheel drive Dodge Brush Truck with winch and 60 GPM pump
- 1975 Dodge Modular Emergency Squad Van
- Boat with 5 HP Motor
- Five fire-call telephones in homes and one in the B.F. Goodrich boiler house

With the decision to have a publicly owned fire department, it was necessary for the voters of the newly created fire district to approve a bond issue to cover the necessary expenses for a building, fire trucks, and equipment. At the time, B.F. Goodrich was liable for about 50% of the taxes in the new fire district, and the company supported the new department from the start. The voters have done the same, as every bond issue requested has passed be a large majority.

It is intersting to note that the Devole Volunteer Fire Department (In the Putman community east of the river), which had been in operation earlier, had organized as a privately owned department; thus, Muskingum Township (East) did not pay taxes for fire protection, as their department was financed by bingo and other money-raising activities. Today, most property owners in the Muskingum Township (West) fire district, due to their classification for fire insurance purposes, save more money on their fire insurance than they pay in taxes for fire protection.

In 1956, the department had its first social on the first Sunday in August; that is still the social date. The menu for the first social consisted of ice cream (90 gallons of homemade ice cream), pie and cake. Later, full meals were served and, ever since it was first served in 1966, barbecued chicken has been the specialty.

The first Easter egg hunt sponsored by the department was held in Dick Wagner's woods in 1960; this is still an annual affair. The first treating of children by Santa Claus was in 1970; this is still and annual affair.

Sometimes a little humor shows up, even in firefighting. One night, early in the department's history, Sophie Bryner called in a fire alarm, describing the location of a fire "just over the hill." The Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department diligently did its best to locate the fire which always seemed to be "just over the next hill." The firemen who made that run will never get over their fellow firemen's kidding about chasing the northern lights for half the might!