Sirens wailed on every corner of Safford on Saturday morning as the Safford Volunteer Fire Department kicked off its 100-year anniversary celebration.

Various firetrucks paraded around the city, honking horns and playing sirens before coming together at the City Hall.

The Safford Fire Department was founded May 20, 1907, by its first chief, Charles Kruger, and 12 other men.

Firefighter Clark Bingham and wife Mariesa take their 2-1/2-year-old son, Julian, for a ride during the parade. After the memorial, the public was invited to explore the trucks for themselves. Photo by Jon Johnson

The anniversary celebration included a memorial to all who have served, and several local dignitaries praised the past, present and future firefighters.

Speaker Gene Seale memorialized the all-volunteer staff before a bell was rung, followed by a moment of silence for firefighters who have passed on.

“On this monument behind me are the names of the 303 individuals who, for the past 100 years, have served the citizens of this area as members of the Safford Fire Department,” he said. “Of those 303 firefighters, 238 are no longer with us. Their journey on earth is over, yet their legacy remains.”

Seale said while the original members of the fire department would be amazed at the changes that have taken place, they would also be proud of the things that have stayed the same.

“They would be pleased to see that the noble tradition that they started 100 years ago exists today,” he said. “They would be pleased to see that those who followed in their footsteps shared the same passion and work ethic that they possessed.”

Other speakers at the event echoed Seale’s praise, including State Rep. Bill Konopnicki, Safford Mayor Ron Green, Police Chief John Griffin, Fire Chief Mike Rhodes and former Bullhead City Fire Chief Larry Adams. Their gratefulness extended not to just the men who volunteer their time at the drop of a hat, but also to the employers who support the department by allowing their employees to be on-call firefighters.

After the memorial, the fire department dished out 25-cent hot dogs and sodas to begin the “party” portion of the event.

People were allowed to climb on the firetrucks, tour the department and ask questions.

Games were set up for the kids, and there was a demonstration on how to cut open a car to extract a crash victim.

Konopnicki summed up the event by talking about how the city depends on volunteerism.

“Chief Rhodes made the comment that it (fire department) saved $2.7 million,” Konopnicki said. “He’s talking about the money it probably saves the city of Safford. It’s estimated that with our insurance premiums in this community, we probably save an additional $25 to $27 million because of the high quality volunteers we have in this fire department.”