A comparison of the village of Hilton and its larger neighbor, the city of Rochester, will reveal some similarities and differences in the ways their fire departments were organized. Both departments began on a small scale with a volunteer force: Rochester's in the early 1800s and Hilton's in the late 1800s. While Rochester's population exploded, Hilton's increased slowly, yet steadily, over the years. The different rate of growth in each community determined the extent to which each fire department grew.

One similarity both departments share is the need for dedicated manpower, whether volunteer or paid, in order to be successful. A description of the life of a local fireman was described in an address read by the Honorable John W. Stebbins at the 1880 dedication of the Firemen's Monument in Rochester's Mt. Hope Cemetery: "He went to the scene of conflagration alike in sunshine and in storm, in heat and cold, by night and by day, to rescue from the devouring flame the property and life of his fellow citizen. All alike shared his self-sacrificing toil; the rich, the poor, the high, the low, the known and unknown, stranger and friend. As the shrill cry or solemn church bell rang on the midnight air, 'fire! Fire! FIRE!' these (firemen) . . . leaped from their peaceful slumbers. . . and rushed on foot through storm and cold, to the building on fire. . . Say you this is not the noblest type of disinterested self-sacrifice? Tell me, then, where it is to be found."