COQUILLE — In the hundred years since the Coquille Fire Department was established, firefighting techniques, equipment and the location of fire halls have changed. But one thing has hasn’t: the ease with which the department enlists committed firefighters.

“The Coquille Fire Department has always been blessed with dedicated firefighters,” Fire Chief Dave Waddington said, noting that other departments on the South Coast have had to do some recruiting to fill their ranks. “Coquille has never had to do that.”

On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., the department held its 13th-annual pancake, a benefit for Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center’s Oregon Burn Center in Portland. This year, the firefighters did some digging to find old photos and other memorabilia to put on display at the pancake feed.

“We are trying to show what the fire department used to be like,” Waddington said. “It’s kind of neat, especially for younger people.”

The fire hall was filled with a constant stream of community members — and a few from outside Coquille, too. The welcoming smell of pancakes and eggs greeted visitors, as did the sound of children playing on an inflatable slide and running between the tables were their families were seated. The hall echoed with the sound of pleasant, if not a bit loud, conversation and the sometimes boisterous antics of the firemen serving the meal.

The department will commemorate its 100th anniversary at all its events this year, including its steak dinner and Fire Prevention Week open house in October. In September, an open house and dinner for retired Coquille firefighters are scheduled in recognition of a century of service.

Among the artifacts found in storage areas in the department’s main station on Third Street was a book put together by former Assistant Chief LeRoy Swinney. The oversized book has several hand-written pages cataloging the department’s history from 1895 to the mid-1990s.

While reading through the entries Waddington found, to his amusement, that something else hasn’t changed much: In 1916, volunteers were paid $1 for a fire call and 50 cents for training drills. Today, the department’s 40 volunteers earn $3 for every fire call and $5 for drills.

While volunteers’ pay hasn’t increased much, the cost of equipment has suffered from inflation. Before the department was officially created in 1908, Coquille had a firefighting squad that purchased a steam-powered fire engine for $4,490. An alarm bell was purchased in 1904 for $32.50.

Black-and-white photos of past squads on display Saturday show groups as fun-loving as they were dedicated. In one dated 1948, several firefighters mock turning a hose on Craig Perrott, the fire chief at the time. Some of the same give-and-take teasing amongst the department’s current gang hints that the camaraderie has not fallen off.

Firefighter Randy Ulmer took a few good-humored shots at Capt. Curt Jack’s pancake cooking ability Saturday as the two stood side-by-side at the grill.

“A guy burns a one (pancake) one year and they never let him live it down,” Jack, a 30-year veteran firefighter, said after letting a few comments go.

“There was half a garbage can of them,” Ulmer said in response.

Jack smiled and admitted maybe he burned a few more than one.

At a nearby table, Richard Hopkins was working a job much less open to criticism: pouring milk and juice. Hopkins has been a volunteer for 39 years. He said much has changed since he started, especially regarding safety.

“Years ago, they would just kind of hand you the hose and say, ‘Put it out,’” he said, adding though he has seen changes, it doesn’t feel like almost 40 year have passed. “It’s a long time. It kind of slips by.”

As for memories, Hopkins didn’t single out any.

“Too many to recall,” he said. “(We’ve had) a lot of good people, dedicated people.”

Some of those dedicated people passed the firefighting bug on to other members of their families.

In one family, serving the department became a tradition. Three generations of the Perrott family held positions in the department beginning with the city’s first chief, John E. Perrott. John’s son, Harry, followed in his father’s footsteps and Craig Perrott represented the third generation. The last Perrott retired in the early 1980s.

Capt. Dave Scolari may be the next firefighter to have someone in his family follow him into service — this time, a daughter. He said both his daughters have been helping out at department events for years. Scolari’s daughter, Julia, 14, said at the pancake feeds, she normally has the task of hauling food from the upstairs kitchen down to where the breakfast is served.

She has even done some cooking in the past, but hasn’t settled on whether she might want to expand her role to volunteer in the future.

“It’s definitely something to do,” she said. “If you want to help out, you can always volunteer.”

Volunteers with that sense of dedication have served Coquille well for 100 years and counting, Waddington said.

“That is just a great attribute to the city to have people like that — for the $3 they get,” Waddington said with a laugh.