In 1880, Walton had the first known organized firefighters. They were known as the “Bucket Brigade”. There were 12 cistern built along the roadside to be used only for fighting fires. These cisterns were used until 1936 when the City installed a water system.
In 1898, Walton had only 2 paid firemen. The first fire chief, Taylor Stilley, and his assistant chief Eugene DeMoisey. These two men were paid $2.00 for every fire they went to.