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| Department History |
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In 1898, after a disastrous fire at the Mittag and Volger plant, a few leaders of the community recognized the need for fire protection . A call was put out, and a mass meeting was held at Forester's Hall on Magnolia Avenue (Kinderkamack Road) on January 18,1898. As a result of this meeting, thirty-nine men formed the Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Department. The original Charter was signed on February 4, 1898. The men did some fund raising, and soon had enough money to order a Chemical pumper from a company in Michigan. Delivery was delayed due to problems with the supply of copper needed for the water and chemical tanks. Who knows? The delay could have been due to a labor strike at the mines.
As they awaited the arrival of the truck, the men built
the first firehouse. It was a shed at the southeast corner of Park and
Magnolia Avenues, not far from Forester's Hall, and served them well
until more suitable quarters were built on Hawthorne Avenue. The
Hawthorne Ave. building still stands today as a private residence. Drop
Harnesses were purchased, and Mr. George Bennett allowed the department
to use two horses. Eventually they purchased the horses and traded the
bay for another gray, and the matched team became the pride of the
Volunteers. We think one of the horses was named "Betsy."
Some of the still familiar names of the original
"Volunteers" are: F.O.Mittag, J.B. Storms, J.C. Storms, R.A. Sibbald,
G.H. Van Emburgh, Robin Bullock, Moses Rawiszer, and George Bennett.
In 1900, fifteen of the original members formed the
Century Hook and Ladder Company # 1. They initially were allowed to use
space in the Volunteers firehouse until they built their own, circa
1901, on Railroad Avenue (Broadway) between Roland and Perryland
Streets. That building still exists today, just south of All Points
Auto Parts and in 1937, was also used, when the Fire Department formed
the Park Ridge Firemen's Tri-Boro Ambulance Corps.
In 1906, the Colony Hose Company # 1 was formed to
provide additional fire protection to the residents on the West Side of
town. Their first firehouse was a barn, owned by a Mr. Healy on Colony
Ave. The rumor is that this barn burned down forcing the men to build
another firehouse just west of Fifth Street. The men bought a hand
drawn pumper, which they stored in their new headquarters at Colony
Avenue. The stone arches around the doors can still be seen on that
building, which is also a private residence today.
A code of signals was worked out to coordinate the
firefighting efforts for the eight districts in town (a copy of which
is mounted to our Firemen's' monument at the present day firehouse).
Railroad locomotive wheel rims, or "tires" were used as fire alarm
gongs.
The districts included Montvale and Woodcliff Lake,
neither of which had yet organized their own fire departments. In 1938
an electric alarm system was located at the Mittag and Volger plant
where their engineers maintained the system, and conducted daily tests.
At that time, Fire Chief Robert Scharrenberg and Assistant Chief
Francis Emerick worked in the plant along with several other department
members so fast response to daytime fire calls was enhanced. Until
then, daytime response required three minutes.
In 1912 Mr. Frank Mittag, one of the Fire Department
founders, personally paid for the construction of a new firehouse at
the northeast corner of Willet Street and Park Avenue. The building
later became the home of Exempt Firefighter Julius Lucia, and he
operated a service station there for many years.
In 1924, the Borough wanted to unified all three
companies into one department, and agreed to assume all legal and
financial responsibility (this agreement is displayed at the firehouse
today). The men turned over all their trucks and equipment, the three
buildings they owned, and three thousand dollars. The new unified
organization became known as the Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.
The original by-laws in 1898 provided for a President,
Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Sergeant at
Arms, Foreman, and Assistant Foreman. The Foreman and his assistant
were the Chief Line Officers. At meetings, "Cushing's Manual of
Parliamentary Practice" governed parliamentary procedure.
A journal was printed in 1912 soon after the completion
of the new firehouse on Willet St. Some of the businesses that
advertised in the journal were: Mrs. W.H. Romaine's Dry Goods Shop;
Frank Grey's Beds and Bedding; Alfred Bush, Blacksmith; E.C. Frahn,
Plumber and Gas Fitter; The Oak High Class Boarding House; Henry Bush,
Wheelwright and Carriage Painter; P. Haggerty, Bushes set, and walks
attended.
The New Jersey/New York Firemen's Association was
founded in 1913 at a meeting held in the Park Ridge Volunteer
Firehouse. Robin Bullock, Foreman of the Park Ridge Volunteer Fire
Department served as Chairman, and was later elected Vice President.
You may remember that we hosted the 80th anniversary convention and
parade of that organization, with Montvale and Woodcliff Lake in 1993.
Over seventy fire departments participated in it, and helped celebrate
the occasion.
Soon after the new firehouse was built in 1912, we took
delivery of the first motorized apparatus in the Tri-boro area. It was
a 1912 Pope Hartford chemical engine. Since then, we have used a Ford,
a Pierce Arrow in 1929, and many American La France engines. In 1987 we
returned to Pierce for our ladder truck, followed by a Pierce pumper,
and a Pierce rescue truck. The modern fire trucks are longer, wider,
heavier, and carry more equipment and manpower than the early apparatus
due to the change in our lifestyle. The homes back then were built of
wood or masonry, and were furnished with natural materials and fibers.
Today's homes have aluminum or vinyl siding, which either concentrate
the heat of a fire inside the building, or generate toxic gases when
burned. The modern furnishings burn faster, hotter, and thanks to
petro-chemical technology, create a totally hostile environment that
requires specialized equipment to extinguish and conduct search and
rescue operations. Today's firefighters are not only equipped to handle
these eventualities, but we undergo more rigorous intensive training in
the chemistry of fire, hazardous materials, search techniques, and all
the tools needed to cope with the problems of fire protection in the
twentieth, and twenty first centuries. The Bergen County Police and
Fire Academy provides a "Hands On," no nonsense environment for much of
this training, but our own training regimen in Park Ridge enhances and
hones our skills.
Although the tools, training, and techniques have
changed dramatically since 1898, one thing remains constant in the fire
service. That constant is the thing that motivates all of us in the
fire service; it is the desire to help our neighbors in times of
emergency and danger. It is the "Can Do" spirit that the firefighters
of Park Ridge have shown for the past hundred years.
The need for ambulance service in the Tri-boro area
became very evident to the fire department, so in 1937 we organized the
Park Ridge Firemen's Tri-boro Ambulance Corps. By then, both Montvale
and Woodcliff Lake had organized their own fire departments, but
Hackensack Hospital provided the only ambulance service. Once again,
the Park Ridge Firefighters rose to the occasion to protect the well
being of the residents of Tri-boro. Responsibility for ambulance
service was turned over, to the present day Tri-boro Ambulance Corps in
the late 1960's.
Our Junior Fire Department, or Fire Reserve, was the
first one organized in this area, and possibly the state. It has
trained hundreds of young men who were not old enough to serve in the
Department, so that as they reach the age of majority, they are ready
to assume the duties of a firefighter. Our new Fire Cadet program
trains members between the ages of fourteen and sixteen in the basics
of firefighting to prepare them for the Fire Reserve, and later the
regular department. It is working extremely well, and the Cadets are
progressing nicely in their training.
The dedication to duty, the constant training, the
original thinking, and the willingness to help others are some of the
ingredients that have made the Park Ridge Volunteer Fire Department one
of the best in the state for the past hundred years. We intend to carry
on that tradition for at least the next hundred years.
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Updated Wednesday, March 29, 2006 |
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2010 Monthly Runs |
January | 11 | February | 17
| March | 43
| April | 23
| May | 21 | June | -- | July | -- | August | -- | September | -- | October | -- | November | -- | December | -- | Total: | 115
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