ROME– Five fire safety messages now hang along Broad Street. They invite passersby to consider a half-century of education by the Rome-Floyd Fire Department.
Crews from Stations 1 and 3 installed the banners ahead of the department’s October 24 celebration. In a public invitation, the department asked people to find the five messages and take selfies with the banners. They can send those photos to the department. At month’s end, it also plans to make something from the pictures, though it has not specified what.
The banners lead into Peace, Love & Fire Safety, a free community event on Saturday, October 24. It runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Forum River Center, 301 Tribune Street in Rome. Music, games, and 1970s nostalgia are planned. Guests are also encouraged to dress for the decade.
The occasion marks 50 years of the department’s fire prevention and education work. Its roots as a firefighting organization, however, stretch much farther back.
A Fire Service With a Long History
The department’s account of its history begins with an all-volunteer fire service in 1850. Then, the Georgia General Assembly incorporated the Oostanaula Fire Company No. 1 during its 1851–52 session.
On July 1, 1908, Rome moved to a fully paid department. Its first paid roster included three hose companies, a ladder company, 14 on-duty personnel, and nine relief or on-call personnel. By 1914, Rome had also become Georgia’s second city with a fully motorized fire department, according to the department.
Over the generations, the work expanded beyond putting out fires. The department now handles medical responses, rescues, crashes, hazardous materials incidents, and other emergencies. It also conducts fire prevention, investigations, inspections, and public education.
The Classroom Becomes Part of the Mission
In 1976, the department began teaching Fire Prevention at Level Five to fifth-graders. Today, its education program reaches public and private elementary schools across Rome and Floyd County. It also serves the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring and area home schools.
The lessons start even earlier for some children. For example, the Friendly Firefighter program introduces young students to firefighters in full protective gear. Educators then teach them to get low and leave a smoky room through games, songs, and demonstrations.
A 2022 visit by West End Elementary prekindergarten students to the downtown station showed that work in practice. Fire Safety Educator Linda Patty and firefighters introduced the children to protective gear. They also taught the children what to do in smoke, according to Rome City Schools.
The program also serves adults. Simulated extinguisher training covers equipment use and household fire risks without live flames. In addition, the department offers home escape planning, caregiver instruction, older-adult safety, special-needs programs, high school classes, and station tours.
The October gathering has been in the works for more than a year. In July 2025, Fire Chief Troy Brock briefed a city public safety committee on the anniversary plans. He said the department would work with the Downtown Development Authority to involve the community.
The Broad Street display is one visible part of that outreach. Each banner also gives passersby another chance to encounter a fire safety message before the October 24 gathering.
More information about the education programs is available from the department at 706-236-4540.
Photos courtesy of the Rome-Floyd Fire Department.
You must be logged in to post a comment.