Every week we publish a historic photo highlighting a story from Naperville’s past from the history archives of Naper Settlement.
With baseball heading to the playoffs, the football season starting, and hockey and basketball on the way, we take look at another sport: firefighter competitions.
Today’s photo shows the Naperville Fire Company team that won the 1898 hose race championship in downstate Decatur.
They also won in 1899 and 1900, a three-peat long before Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
The hose race had each team run 100 yards to get to their hose cart and then run the same distance back with the cart in tow. From there, they would lay out 100 feet of hose, making and breaking three couplings.
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Each team would be timed, and Naperville was the fastest.
Team manager was Otto Reiche, who ran a hardware store in town that later became Naperville’s first five-and-dime store.
Reiche was Naperville’s first fire chief, a post he held for 25 years. He also served as Naperville clerk and as a two-term alderman.
Competitions held by the Illinois Fireman’s Association — later renamed the Illinois Firefighters Association — would last for several days, with departments competing in events like hose coupling, hose lays, water relays and other activities in a timed elimination tournament.
The first state-wide tournament was held Sept. 24-26, 1889, in Clinton. They referred to this as the “athletics of the fireman,” providing demonstrations of the speed, skill and strength needed to operate fire-fighting equipment.
Fighting fires in Naperville started with community bucket brigades.
As buildings and cities grew and equipment became more complicated to operate during the 19th century, fire companies formed to respond to calls.
Naperville’s fire company — which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024 — used volunteers who were paid only if they successfully put out a fire.
Eventually, competitions were held as fire companies fought to be recognized and paid by insurance companies.
Early volunteer fire companies functioned like fraternal organizations, providing communal support as well as possible payments for service. Firemen tournaments were a way to showcase skills and equipment, encourage physical fitness, and build comradery between firemen in different towns.
The IFA claimed more than 100,000 people watched the competitions in its first 10 years.
At the tounament held in Burlington Park from July 28-30, 1896, Naperville took first in the Novelty Hose Race with a time of 34.8 seconds.
You can learn more about the fire department and its history at idaillinois.org/digital/collection/npl/id/11309.
Andrea Field is the curator of history at Naper Settlement. For more information, go to www.NaperSettlement.org.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.