The Camanche Fire Department has reached 75 years of serving its community. The Camanche Fire Department was established in the fall of 1942 when Oscar DePatie, a retired Chicago fireman and member of the civic club, convinced other club members to purchase a used 1919 American LaFrance truck from the city of Champaign, Illinois. There were 18 charter members of the department. The Camanche Fire Department in 1956, 14 years after its establishment, began discussing the start of an ambulance service. A bid from the city of Camanche was accepted by the city of Clinton in August 1956 to purchase their used 1949 ambulance. The Camanche Fire Department in January 1972 sent its first seven members to be trained at the EMT-ambulance level.