APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For the first time in years, the sound of a bell ringing could be heard from Appleton Fire Station 1.
The department held a bell dedication ceremony Wednesday for a new bell on the property.
Throughout history, the life of a firefighter has been closely associated with the ringing of a bell. The bell was sounded to summon firefighters to duty, notify the community of a call, and when a firefighter died in the line of duty, the bell was rung in their honor.
Years ago, the department gifted its original bell to a local school and the station has been without a bell until now.
Thanks to Bergstrom Automotive, Miron Construction, De Pere Foundry, and Profile Finishing Systems, a replica of the original bell was cast, painted and installed outside Fire Station 1.
“We’ve been without a bell for many years in the city of Appleton and the bell is very closely associated with our history of the department and without having that bit of history in the past, we weren’t able to appropriately honor our comrades and so from this day moving forward our bell will now be able to allow us to do that,” said Appleton Fire captain, Jeff Nelessen.
Representatives from the four different companies that helped make the project possible were the first to ring the bell.
“This is the community’s bell, it’s not just our bell. As members of our community made this bell project possible today and it is their bell as much as it is ours but we are just honored to house it and have it here for us,” Captain Nelessen said.
