The three judges opposed the idea based on their concern that fire trucks would collide with stray cattle on the roadways. But the small group persevered. They sought donations, sold memberships and, in some cases, borrowed material and supplies to start what became the Central Missouri Radio Squad Volunteer Fire Department. The department s first fire station was a chicken house located on Route PP, and their first fire truck was a milk delivery truck that Barnes donated from his milk delivery business. It was equipped with buckets, rakes and burlap sacks.
Countless stories abound about the early days.
Fire trucks were fueled by gasoline purchased out of volunteer firefighters pockets. Firefighter protective clothing was nonexistent. To get the fire truck out of the makeshift fire station, an individual had to crawl through the window of the chicken house and release the overhead door, which would then fall forward to the ground, where two other volunteers would drag it out of the way of the fire truck. Obviously, funding for the Central Missouri Radio Squad Volunteer Fire Department was very meager. Much of the volunteers available time was spent soliciting donations, selling memberships in the department and maintaining dilapidated equipment.