This picture (above) was taken on the stage of the Cronkhite Opera House in Little Falls during the 1910 Tri-County Firemen’s Convention. The Cronkhite Opera House will be mentioned again in an upcoming chapter…
The history of the Little Falls Fire Department spans over 200 years. In this chapter, the man who would guide the department for nearly half of a century takes his post. Plus, the volunteers strike back.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos are from the Conney Books in possession of the Little Falls Historical Society.
By Scott Kinville
When it was reorganized into a paid force on June 1, 1899, the Little Falls Fire Department was led by a volunteer chief named George Gibbs. Chief Gibbs was the last chief of the volunteer department and remained in that post until September of 1899. Gibbs tried to resign on June 1, but the Police and Fire Board refused to accept his resignation until three months after the paid department went into effect. Replacing Gibbs was Irving M. Oppel, the assistant chief in the volunteer department under Gibbs.
Oppel remained chief on an interim basis until May of 1900 when Edward Cooney was appointed the first-ever full-time paid fire chief.
The man who would lead the Little Falls Fire Department for nearly 50 years was born on August 25, 1872. His father and uncle operated the Cooney Brothers Harness Shop on Albany Street, where young Edward also worked before becoming chief. During the Big Fire of 1893 that took out an entire village block, Cooney helped save his father’s and uncle’s shop from becoming engulfed in flames. Inspired by this brave act, Cooney joined the Little Falls Fire Department with the Ernia Chemical Engine Company No. 5 in 1897. He was very active in the company and worked his way up to Vice-President.
The future chief was united in marriage to Margaret Coughlin in June of 1899. Shortly after taking over the reins at the LFFD, Cooney became a father. On April 7, 1900, his son Edward Cooney III was born. Throughout his career, Chief Cooney had a strong interest in local history. In 1911, he wrote a history of the fire department for the Little Falls Centennial Celebration. He also put together numerous scrapbooks filled with newspaper articles of local history that became known as the “Cooney Books”. The Cooney Books are currently housed at the Little Falls Historical Society and Museum.
Chief Cooney’s son shared his father’s interest in the history of Little Falls. He was appointed city historian in 1943. In 1962, he helped organize the Little Falls Historical Society and was instrumental in helping to save the historic bank building the society calls home when urban renewal plans called for its demolition. As we can see, the Cooney family has truly been an asset in the preservation of the history of Little Falls.
The challenges in the early years
The early years were very challenging for Chief Cooney and the Little Falls Fire Department. From a firefighting standpoint, the transition from a volunteer to a paid department went smoothly. Although there were now fewer firefighters, all accounts indicate the paid men were more efficient and effective than their predecessors. Despite their success on the fireground, the paid men faced challenges from many other aspects.
The life of a Little Falls firefighter in the early 1900s was tough. The men practically lived at the fire station, as a day off was rare. If a firefighter did have a day off and chose to leave the city, he had to report to the chief that he was doing so and when he would be back (this rule applied to the callmen as well)!
Things that are taken for granted today were not available to the firefighters of the early 20th century. One of these things was health insurance. If a firefighter was sick or even injured while performing his duties, the city was not obligated to pay him or pay his medical bills. Firefighter George Green broke his arm while on duty in 1905, but he could not return to work until he proved to the Police and Fire Board he had paid his doctor’s bill!
The Little Falls Fireman’s Relief Association was formed in 1901 to assist firefighters (regular and call) who were sick or injured. While its intentions were good, it was limited as it was funded entirely by donations. In 1914, a major step forward was taken with the formation of the Firemen’s Relief and Pension Fund. It was set up by the city government and established a retirement system, worker’s compensation, and guaranteed a monthly stipend for a firefighter’s family should he die in the line of duty. Unfortunately, the city-run pension would be short-lived as it ended in 1922, but the firefighters eventually joined the state retirement system.
The volunteers strike back
When the Little Falls Fire Department became a paid department in 1899, it wasn’t without bitter resentment. The volunteers (other than the Chemical Engine Company) who had been displaced hated the new department. They had lost a bitter dispute with the city over money and felt they were pushed out for this reason.
Although they were no longer recognized as the Little Falls Fire Department, the volunteers did not disband – instead, they formed the Exempt Firemen Association. This organization would allow Little Falls to remain in the Tri-County Firemen Association, which was made up of volunteer companies. Little Falls even hosted Tri-County Firemen Association conventions in 1904 and 1910 (the 1904 convention featured an automobile parade, notable because automobiles were considered “new” at the time). At least part of the reason the exempt association came into existence it seems was to continue the fight against the Little Falls city government. Formed in the summer of 1899, its first act was to issue the aforementioned ultimatum to the original callmen.
The “2% rule” was established by the New York State Legislature in 1852. Simplified, it states that 2% of all fire insurance premiums paid in a fire district must go to the fire department of that particular locality. Since 1886, this check had gone to the Police and Fire Board to administer to the fire department. After the department went paid, it was assumed that this would continue – in fact, it needed to continue.
In those days, the fire department (and police department for that matter) were not paid through the city’s general fund like they are today. Instead, the Police and Fire Board was given an annual appropriation by the Common Council to pay for salaries, equipment, and everything for the department. If the Police and Fire Board ran out of money, the Common Council was under no obligation to bail them out, so the Police and Fire Board used the 2% check to ensure that would not happen. In 1906, the board ran out of money. When it appeared that his men would not get paid, Chief Cooney went to the bank and got the money for his men – leaving an IOU for the city!
Knowing the Police and Fire Board were financially vulnerable during the early years of the paid department, the Exempts decided to try to exploit it and went after the 2% check for themselves. To do this, they would need some political help. Both the city (in conjunction with the Little Falls Firemen Relief Association) and the Exempts were vying for the check, so it was up to the New York State Legislature to determine who got it. The Exempts enlisted local Assemblymen Ferguson to their cause. It worked, as they received the check in 1904, 1905, and 1906 – each year amounting to about $400 (equivalent to approximately $14,000 today).
By 1907, the city had enough and took the fight to the Exempts. They declared that the Exempts were a social organization that provided no actual services to the city and therefore should not receive the 2% check. The city received the check that year, but the battle dragged on for years afterward. In 1929, it was ultimately decided that the city would receive the 2% check.
UP NEXT: The big fires in the first decade of the paid era of the LFFD.