Since 1946 , the men and women of the Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company have proudly served the residents and businesses along the southern border of the town . While the landscape and the citizens South Line has served have changed over the years , one thing has remained constant , the pride and dedication of the members to their community . From the farmland and barns that dotted the dirt roads in the 1940s , to the current residential and commercial development that comprises the current South Line territory , the residents in this area of town have always depended on the firefighters from South Line for fire protection and emergency medical services . The legacy of South Line began toward the end of 1944 , when the Four Town Volunteer Fire Company was formed by the men who represented the adjacent areas of Cheektowaga , West Seneca , Lancaster , and Depew . A few years after Four Town was started , a barn on French Road was destroyed because the apparatus did not arrive in time . The firefighters of Four Town who lived in the vicinity of French Road in Cheektowaga decided that the area in that part of town was too large to be adequately covered . These firefighters met on October 3 , 1946 , in

the boiler room of the greenhouses owned by Curtis Lehde to make provisions so that further loss of life and property would not occur . It was at this meeting that Alfred Kless motioned , and his son , Wesley Kless , seconded , that a new fire company be formed . This moment in time was the beginning of the Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company . The incorporation of the present-day South Line Fire Company was made official on April 3 , 1947 . At that time , two main issues were brought to the forefront of the company ’ s attention : the need for a pumper and a fire hall . The original 26 members of the company each donated one-hundred dollars ($ 100.00 ) to purchase an old civil defense pump , which after renovation was placed on a trailer and became the first fire apparatus of the new company . South Line ’ s original fire hall was located at 931 French Road across from what is now Brentwood Drive . This structure was built by the firemen themselves before the company was placed on the town ’ s tax rolls . A few years later , the original pumper was found to be inadequate to the needs of the rapidly growing company and a second army surplus vehicle was purchased and mounted on the bed of a GMC truck . As time went on , the complexion

of the area that the company served changed , as the farms were slowly replaced by homes and small business along French Road . This resulted in the acquisition of the most cherished possession of the fire company : the 1935 pumper , South Line ’ s first fire truck . The “ 35 ” is a Buffalo Fire Appliance pumper and is the end product of multiple fundraisers that included dances , raffles , and picnics . South Line ’ s & quot ; 35 & quot ; is the oldest functioning fire apparatus in Cheektowaga and the adjoining areas . In the spring of 1950 , South Line added another bay to the original fire hall to accommodate for the growth of the area and of the company itself .

South Line joined the other fire companies in the Town of Cheektowaga at district status when the Town Board dissolved the South Line Fire Protection District in 1963 and created South Line Fire District # 10 . In 1965 , the residents of the South Line district authorized the spending of $ 51,700 to add a new two-bay fire station , which is the current substation on Boxwood Lane . The substation was the first in Cheektowaga and began South Line on the progressive track that the company would become known for during this period . The substation was christened with a brand-new $ 32,000 pumper that was purchased in 1968 to cover the western end of the district

PHOTO CREDIT : Jim Guy

along Union Road . South Line ’ s current main hall at 1049 French Road was built in 1970 with the ground-breaking ceremonies held on September 13 th that included the placing of the cornerstone and a time capsule . The building cost $ 295,000 and could house up to four firefighting and rescue vehicles . In 1990 , an addition was put on the main hall which included two new vehicle bays and a total renovation of every room inside of the structure . This addition was dedicated in the spring of 1991 with the laying of a new cornerstone . Since the celebration of the company ’ s 50 th anniversary

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