The Dyer Fire Department will host a parade of fire trucks from several departments and firefighting games for the community.
If you walk into the Dyer Fire Department you'll see several firefighting vehicles. Among those are a hand-pulled pump and hose cart from 1915, a 1939 Seagrave fire engine and a 2013 E-One rescue pumper.
Those and many other firefighting rigs will be on display Saturday, June 6 as the Dyer Fire Department celebrates its 100th anniversary with a parade through town, a ceremony and family firefighting games at Dyer's Summerfest.
The contrast from Dyer's hand-pulled cart and its newest rescue pumper highlight many of the changes the department and the community has seen in the past century.
"What's changed more than the firefighting equipment has been the nature of fire service response," said Dyer Fire Chief Thad Stutler. "We've gone from putting out a few house and wild fires in the beginning to an all-emergency response department. If there's a trapped person, a hazardous material, a vehicle crash, a medical emergency or a structure fire, we respond."
Chief Stutler, a second-generation fire chief in Dyer who's great-grandfather was a founding member, said those added responsibilities place more demands on modern fire departments to be better trained and better equipped.
"That old Seagrave we have is a beautiful truck, but it could never cut it today," Chief Stutler said. "Today's trucks have to carry the right equipment for saving lives and property from almost unimaginable dangers.
Likewise, today's firefighters go through months of training before they are allowed on one of those rigs, and then they need constant training throughout their time on the department."
In addition to the parade, the Dyer Fire Department will be recognized in a special ceremony Saturday at 7 p.m. at Summerfest. Those attending Summerfest can buy a special mug commemorating Dyer Fire Department's 100 years of service to the community — all of the proceeds will be used to buy firefighting and life-saving equipment.