1896-The citizens of the Village of Scandinavia met in the hardware store for the purpose of organizing a fire company. Thor Thorson was elected to chair the meeting. From those in attendance, 22 were selected as members of the new fire department. Their first meeting was held on April 21, 1896 to elect officers and draft the bylaws. B. P. Sheveland was elected Chief and J. C. Olson was elected Assistant Chief. The department was made up of three groups: a hook and ladder company, a hose company, and an engine company. In May of that year, 24' x 36' building was erected to house the fire equipment.

1931-Fire fighting procedure and equipment remained about the same until 1931 when the first motorized fire engine was purchased and put into service. The cost of the truck and equipment amounted to $3,700.

1932-A Chrysler Roadster was purchased to haul the chemical tanks. A switching device to activate the siren was installed at the telephone office.

1933-Insurance companies were to give 2% of the fees they collected to the State of Wisconsin, and the money in turn would then be distributed to the municipalities. This caused a dispute as to who should receive the funds, the fire department or the village. Eight firefighters resigned because of this.

1955-Scandinavia Fire Department purchased a new 1955 Chevrolet fire truck that was to replace the engine purchased in 1931. The old engine was sold to the Nelson Fire Department.

1961-A used gas truck was purchased to be used as a tanker to haul water to fire scenes. First breathing apparatus was purchased.

1962-Dial telephone system was installed, allowing the residence to have their call answered by firefighters in their homes

1966-A new fire station was built on Norse Street adjoining the community hall. The old station on Main Street had been occupied for 70 years.

1970-The ISO rating for the Scandinavia Fire Department dropped from Class 8 to Class 9. There were numerous requirements that the department could not meet to maintain the Class 8 rating.

1971-The Township of Scandinavia began assigning fire numbers to all the residences to assist in locating addresses when an emergency call was received.

1972-Through the assistance of the DNR the department acquired a military surplus 2 1/2 ton truck to be used for fighting grass and brush fires.

1973-Department joined the Wisconsin State Firefighters Association

1974-Waupaca County instituted the county-wide tornado warning system

1977-New International pumper put into service. This truck became the main fire engine, replacing the converted gas truck that had gone into service in 1961. Members of the dpartment donated $2,500 toward this purchase. Two-way radios were installed in the trucks for better communications.

1980-The department took on the job of parking show cards at the annual Iola Car Show.

1981-The "Friday Night Chili Feed."began. Both of these activities helped to raise funds to purchase needed equipment.

1982-A base radio was installed at the station. In 1985 all firefighters were issue their own pagers.

1988-A fourth truck was added to the fleet, a 1400 gallon tanker that was purchased by the members of the department with funds derived from the annual Firefighters Dance, parking show cards at the Iola Old Car Show and serving chili at the Car Show. This year also brought about the approval of plans for a new fire station. The fire department moved into the new station in September of 1988, and members installed a dry hydrant inside the new station that would pump water from the river to fill tankers.

1990-Purchased and restored an equipment van purchased from the Fox Valley Technical Institute to be used for transporting firefighters and equipment to the fire scene. This truck was again paid for from funds earned by the department members. This year also saw the first fire-related fatality in the department's history.

1992-Department started to investigate what was involved in trying to lower the ISO rating for the area from a Class 9 to at least a Class 8.

1993-The 1955 Chevrolet pumper was replaced when it failed the annual pump test, it was replaced with a 1961 FWD pumper purchased from the Sullivan Fire Department.

1994-The actual ISO test was taken, with all the records of the department being checked and all of the equipment checked and inventoried. The final part of the test was water hauling and pumping, and departments from Iola, Waupaca and Ogdensburg werecalled upon to assist.

1995-Notice was received that the ISO rating would be changed from a Class 9 to a Class 7. This would reduce the cost of fire insurance for some of the businesses and residences in the Scandinavia area. This year also so the qcquisition of a 1989 2 1/2 ton, six whelle drive military truck to replace the 1945 model. The truck was converted into a brush and grass fire truck with funds donated by the Iola-Scandinavia Lions Club and money from the fire department.