William Wetmore founded the town of Manchester on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The location was prime for manufacturing as several waterfalls along the river would provider power to future industry. Soon after the city’s founding the Postmaster General requested the name be changed due to several Manchester’s existing in Ohio. The name was changed to Cuyahoga Falls, an homage to the river it was built on.

Flour, oil, and sawmills brought houses and settlers. As time carried on more and more industry was established and more powerful dams placed along the river. Less than 15 years after the city’s founding the village proper was laid out by Judge Richardson.

With a growing population and booming industry the need for fire protection arose. On February 2nd, the Cuyahoga Falls Hook & Ladder company was established by the village council. It was made up of eight men who volunteered and would form bucket brigades to put out fires. On June 3rd, an ordinance for the formation of the company was officially passed.

The city’s first Fire Warden was appointed, Elisha Sill. The town’s fire protection would remain under the jurisdiction of Fire Wardens until 1888.

A new City Hall was constructed (Broad and Second). And the basement would house the equipment for the Hook & Ladder Company. A bell, weighing more than 600 pounds was installed on the top of the building, housed in a cupola. When a fire was reported the bell was tolled. A runner would retrieve a two-horse team from a stable nearby and bring them to hook up the hose carriage and hook and ladder “truck”. Volunteers, hearing the bell would run to city hall and jump on for the ride or follow the equipment to the fire.

Cuyahoga is listed in The Spectator Insurance Yearbook as having a population of 3,000 people. The city owned two hose carriages, one hook and ladder truck (horse-drawn wagon), 1,000 feet of rubber hose, a water supply, pumps, 15 hydrants and 20 hook and ladder members.

The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department was authorized by town council but would remain an all-volunteer job staffed by Chief Thomas Carney, two captains and twenty call men.

Due to a feud with city council all volunteer members resigned their posts, and the city was without fire protection for nine months. In the fall all members would be reinstated, and Chief Russell Post purchased what would be the city’s last horse-drawn hose and chemical truck for $1,525.

The first motorized fire engine was purchased, costing $10,000. Both the new advanced motorized engine and the horse drawn hose and chemical truck remained in the basement of city hall until the 1920s. February 28th, The International Association of Fire Fighters was formed in Washington D.C.

It became apparent that the fire department was growing beyond its allotted space in the basement of city hall. The city constructed it’s first permanent fire station at the corner of Weller Court and Front Street. The station was aptly designated, “Station #1.” To this day, Station 1 still functions with an Engine Company, an ALS Ambulance, and the Department’s Battalion Chief. Station 1 is also where the CFFD admin are based. Every single Firefighter since 1927 has begun with an assignment to Station 1. In this year the fire chiefs would become paid positions.

The entire fire department became fully paid.

The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Fighters voted to unionize and voted to be a chartered affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The local would be designated Local #494.

On March 9th, Captain M. Earl Weirick (age 44) suffered smoke inhalation while fighting a grass fire and died of a heart attack on his way home from work in the morning after his shift. He was a 23-year veteran of the department and a founding member of Local 494. He was laid to rest at the Oakwood Cemetery in Cuyahoga Falls.

Station 2 was built to allow for fire protection for the Eastern portion of the city as it was isolated due to the railroad tracks dividing the city at the time. Friday, Sept. 1, 1944, a P-40 Warhawk single-seat fighter, crashed in flames behind a house at 648 School St. First Lt. Robert J. Ruschell jumped out of his burning plane and was probably saved when his parachute got caught in a tree, breaking his fall. Ruschell landed in a tree in a yard near Northland Avenue and Fourth Street. He was taken to St. Thomas Hospital with a broken jaw, broken nose and severe lacerations.

On December 15th, Fire Fighter Frank Schumann was killed. Just before 0400, CFFD was summoned to the intersection of State and Maitland to flush gasoline from the roadway after an accident.

Station 3 was built as the city expanded West during the economic boon seen throughout the country after the second world war.

The neighboring Northampton Township situated on the expanding city’s western and northern borders merged with the City of Cuyahoga Falls after years of Cuyahoga Falls and Akron annexing portions of the shrinking township. This was the first time a township was merged with a city in the history of Ohio. The Northampton Fire Department was dissolved and many of their members became members of the CFFD, and their sole fire station was designated Cuyahoga Falls Fire Station # 4.

With the unique rescue challenges involving the nearby Cuyahoga River and the gorge that cuts through the city the CFFD created one of the first Technical Rescue Operations Teams in the area. This team evolved to include technical rescue specialties pertaining to high angle rope, confined space, trench, and swift water rescues.

With the growing utilization of the department’s Emergency Medical Services across the community, the CFFD began offering transports of medical patients to area hospitals. Prior to this, transports, if necessary were handled via several private ambulance services after CFFD units responded and stabilized patients. EMS calls for service and subsequent transports have since become a considerable majority of the CFFD’s total responses every year.

The CFFD began offering Fire and EMS services to the neighboring Village of Silver Lake.