Early Rescue Vehicles
At the time of Powell’s incorporation in 1947, the Police Department consisted of Marshall Bill Mulador and Deputy Gene Hess. A police car was needed, and Deputy Hess came to the rescue. He owned a small business, Electro Weigh Scales, and he outfitted his delivery sedan with snap-on signs that said “Powell Police.” Since he was also a volunteer firefighter, Hess added flashing red lights and a siren to the vehicle. (Sadly, the Powell–Liberty Historical Society does not have a photo of this first police car).
The Liberty A Fire Department, serving Powell and the southern part of Liberty Township, purchased its first fire truck in 1948 and soon after a decision was made to operate its own ambulance service. The department depended on a funeral home in Worthington to provide ambulance service, and it was slow to respond to calls. Gene Hess was again instrumental, along with Chief Fred Reeves, in purchasing a used Buick hearse from the DeVore Funeral Home in Sunbury, tearing out the insides and rebuilding it. The vehicle was outfitted with red lights, sirens, radio, and first-aid equipment. This ambulance was the first in Delaware County, according to a written history of the department by Fred Reeves.
