Long Before 911: A History of Emergency Services in Falmouth

Long before 911 rang from a cell tower, help in Falmouth came from a neighbor with a bucket, a marshal with a whistle, or a hearse with a stretcher. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t polished. But help came.

Firefighting in Falmouth: From Buckets to Engines

In Falmouth’s earliest days, firefighting was informal and immediate. If smoke rose, neighbors ran. Buckets were passed hand to hand from wells, cisterns, or the Licking River, and fires were fought with whatever could be carried to the scene
(Pendleton County Historical Society oral histories, 19th century).

By the mid 20th century, those informal efforts began to organize. Like many small Kentucky towns, Falmouth formed a volunteer fire department, built not through legislation but through community will. Equipment was purchased through fundraisers, donations, and local events, with early apparatus often acquired secondhand
(Falmouth Outlook, community notices and fundraising reports, 1950s to 1970s).

The first fire station was modest, essentially a garage style structure near downtown. Fire calls came in by rotary phone, word of mouth, or CB radio, and when the siren sounded, volunteers left work, church, or home to respond
(local interviews archived by the Pendleton County Historical Society).

By the 1960s, the department operated at least one pumper engine and a tanker, reflecting statewide improvements in rural fire protection standards
(Kentucky Fire Commission historical equipment records).

Mutual aid agreements with neighboring departments became more common in the 1970s and 1980s as response coordination improved across county lines
(Pendleton County Emergency Management records).

The defining test came in March 1997, when catastrophic flooding submerged much of Falmouth. Fire crews relocated equipment on short notice, conducted rescues in flooded neighborhoods, and operated for days with limited communications and exhausted manpower
(Kentucky Post flood coverage, March 1997).

That event reshaped training priorities and emergency planning for years to come
(FEMA Region IV flood impact summaries, 1997).

Law Enforcement: The Era of the Town Marshal

Early law enforcement in Falmouth followed the common Kentucky model of the 19th and early 20th centuries. A town marshal, often appointed or elected, handled nearly all civic enforcement duties, from breaking up fights and enforcing curfews to managing stray livestock and serving court notices
(Kentucky Law Enforcement Historical Journal, “Town Marshals of Kentucky,” Vol. II).

Policing was personal and local. Marshals walked their beats, knew the families, and handled disputes face to face. Formal arrest records were sparse, and many issues were resolved informally or through city court
(Pendleton County court docket archives).

As the town grew, Falmouth gradually transitioned to a small police department. By the mid 20th century, officers were using patrol cars and basic radio communication, often sharing vehicles and equipment due to limited resources
(Falmouth City Council equipment purchase records, 1955 to 1972).

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Falmouth officers worked closely with the Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office, particularly for incidents outside city limits or during emergencies such as floods and severe weather
(Pendleton County Sheriff annual reports).

Officers were generalists by necessity, handling traffic enforcement, domestic disputes, missing persons, and disaster response with minimal staffing
(city police logs, 1970s).

Emergency Medical Response: When the Hearse Was the Ambulance

For much of the early 20th century, emergency medical transport in Falmouth was not provided by a public EMS agency. Instead, local funeral homes filled the role, using hearses to transport injured residents to hospitals in nearby cities
(Kentucky Heritage Magazine, “When the Hearse Was the Ambulance,” Fall 1991).

There were no EMTs or paramedics. Drivers and attendants did what they could with basic first aid knowledge, and family members often accompanied patients to provide care en route
(oral histories collected by the Pendleton County Historical Society).

This began to change after the federal government passed the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act of 1973, which encouraged standardized EMS development nationwide
(U S Public Health Service EMS historical archives).

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Pendleton County began forming a county wide ambulance service staffed by trained EMTs, many of whom attended night and weekend certification courses in larger cities such as Covington and Lexington
(Kentucky Office of Rural Health EMS development timelines).

Advanced equipment arrived slowly. Defibrillators, oxygen delivery systems, and improved stretchers became more common in the 1990s, reflecting broader statewide improvements in rural emergency medicine
(Pendleton County EMS equipment acquisition records).

A Story of Progress and People

The history of emergency services in Falmouth is not a story of modern systems arriving fully formed. It is a story of incremental progress, shaped by volunteers, necessity, and moments of crisis.

Firefighters learned by doing. Marshals became officers. Hearses became ambulances. Each generation added structure to what the previous one built.

When trouble came to Falmouth, help didn’t come because it was easy.

It came because people showed up.

And that, more than any siren or station, is the true foundation of emergency services in this town.

Whisper One Out