Community Vol. Fire Company No. 1 1918 -2010

92 Years of Dedicated Service

In 1918 the Township of Wayne was a small rural community of around 300 people. New York City was several hours away by motorcar, and deer ran freely through the township's wooded hills. On a cold Sunday morning that winter, when all the faithful were attending church services, the quiet was interrupted by the sudden tolling of bells. A small fire had been discovered in the roof of the old Mead homestead, a three story brick and clapboard structure on Mountainview Blvd. This site, at the intersection of Mountainview Blvd and Parish Drive once was the location of the old Mountainview School and is now occupied by Valley National Bank. The fire was small enough that one or two buckets of water could have easily extinguished it, were it not for the fact that there was no way of reaching the steep roof. Wayne had no fire equipment, with the nearest fire company in neighboring Little Falls. The house was large and well constructed, and the fire burned slowly as neighbors successfully moved the furniture and personal effects out of the home. Unfortunately they were helpless to halt the progress of the blaze. The lone Little Falls fire truck, which carried an unimpressive 30 gallons of water, sped to the scene, still arriving too late to be of any use. The entire Mead homestead was lost. It was not uncommon for steam locomotives of the day to send off sparks starting brush fires. Fanned by the wind and raging out of control, many a brush fire had been known to destroy barns and houses. With the loss of the Mead homestead and the concerns over other fire hazards, the topic of conversation in the small Wayne community was focused on the dangers from fire. A group of young people who often rented Clark's Hall for dances became particularly interested in the problem and a committee of three was appointed to study the possibility of forming a fire company. The three men, Ed Sears, Harry Mumford and E. O. Hubert found the community response overwhelming. Wayne's first fire company, Community Co. 1 was born. The fire company was organized on a purely voluntary basis, with no help from the local government. They faced scores of problems in becoming an operational fire-fighting unit. The company's first piece of apparatus was a hand-drawn hose carrier discarded from the railroad, 50 feet of hose from an industrial building, and an old hand pump salvaged from a junk pile. Le Grand Parish, the man for whom Parish Drive was named, donated the land on which the first firehouse was built, and on which the present firehouse now stands. Wayne's first fire station, built of cedar logs, was completed on March 1, 1919. Mr. Parish deeded the land to the Community Club, the organization which financed the fire company. In order to be a volunteer fireman at that time, one had to first be a member of the Community Club. The fire company now had a firehouse, but no fire truck. Once again Le Grand Parish came to the rescue, donating his old Alco touring car, which was duly converted into a vehicle bearing only coincidental resemblance to a fire truck. The car was painted red and was equipped with a bell from a locomotive, a few helmets, 200 feet of hose and a new four-man pump. Mechanically, the car did not permit the mounting of a pump to be operated by it's engine. Firemen obtained discarded locomotive wheel rims and installed them throughout the township as an alarm system. From 1918 to 1920 Community Co. 1 was the only fire company in Wayne. It also responded to fires in Lincoln Park, Fairfield and Towaco. Dancing was the principle activity and source of income of the club. Public dances were held every weekend, and meals were served by the firemen's wives. It was not uncommon to clear $700 on a weekend. The fund-raising Saturday night dances grew like wild fire and Le Grand Parish erected a large hall and kitchen near the outgrown log cabin and firehouse. A retired Paterson fire captain was hired as caretaker to be on duty at night, living above the firehouse. One night in December 1922 the caretaker was awakened by smoke. He found the hallway in flames and jumped out a window. The flames prevented him from reaching the fire truck and the building was lost. Fortunately the company had insurance and they were able to use the insurance money as well as funds they had carefully saved from their fundraising to erect a new building on the same site and to purchase a new fire truck. In 1928 Frank Aikman, a captain of Community Co.1, spearheaded the organization of the North Jersey Volunteer Firemen's Association. The organization's goal was to promote efficiency in firefighting through competition. This organization grew from the four original companies to more than 100 and is influential in both local and state legislation. Through the hard work of many firemen and other interested citizens, the residents of Wayne approved a referendum in 1930 for the construction of a water system for the township. Disaster struck once again in the summer of 1940. The social hall had been rented for a wedding and was later found in flames. Although the building was immediately rebuilt, more hardship followed on the heels of the fire, as the failure to meet interest payments forced the Community Club to disband. The fire company was able, however, to retain control of the newly rebuilt fire station. It became increasingly difficult to keep the company financially solvent. By state law a township could only allow a volunteer company $400 a year. The company owed $800 on a new fire truck, which was in danger of being repossessed. At that critical hour the firemen went door to door seeking help and were able to raise more then they owed. Crisis again struck the company on October 16, 1967. Responding to a fire at the construction site of the George Washington School, our pumper was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. The driver of the car and three firemen were seriously injured and admitted to the hospital. While Community Co. 1 faced many crises through the years, they also were the driving force in initiating many improvements for the township as well as the surrounding area. Community Co. 1 was instrumental in the organization of the Wayne Township Firemen's Relief Association to aid firemen in the event of hardship or death. Over the years the firemen also supported drives to aid residents who were in need. In the 1960's and through the late 1970's, the Recreation Center was available to the community. The company sponsored Boy Scout Troop 105, and in association the local American Legion, the Wayne Cadet and later the Monarchs Drum and Bugle Corps. In 1969 a truck committee was formed to purchase an Aerial Tower Platform Truck. This necessitated another transformation of our firehouse. A building committee soon followed and the members along with a mason who volunteered his time, built an addition on the front of the firehouse to fit the new Tower inside. In 1976 the building committee began plans for the remodeling of the recreation hall. In 1978 steel went in place for a second floor added above the old recreation hall. All the work was done by the members and all the money to pay for the renovations was raised through bingo. In the early 1980's a modern commercial kitchen was added to the hall, as well as a drop ceiling with new lighting. The recreation hall also received a new tile floor in the early 1990's. At this time the firehouse had new doors and windows installed, the exterior of the building received a new stucco finish and the bay door was raised in anticipation of our new "larger" aerial platform. In 1996 the Township of Wayne purchased Community Volunteer Fire Company #1 a new 105' Aerial Platform, the first of it's kind in northern New Jersey. This state of the art apparatus was a great improvement for both firefighters as well as the residents of Wayne. It is designated Tower-1. In 1999 the township purchased the company a new Hummer Mini-Attack Pumper. This specialized piece of apparatus responds to brush fires, vehicle fires and extrications as well as flood emergencies. The Hummer is designated Engine 1-5. In 2000 the building committee began plans for an addition to increase the area where the apparatus are stored. With the anticipation of a new Pumper being purchased by the township, we were in desperate need of more room. In 2001 ground was broken for the new bays. Two state grants helped fund the project, as well as donations from the public. The project went over budget, and a mortgage was secured to help pay for completion of the new firematic area. On September 11, 2001 Community Volunteer Fire Company #1, along with the rest of the Wayne Fire Department (now 5 companies strong) mobilized to assist our fallen New York City Firefighters, Police and Emergency Medical Technicians. The company responded with members, apparatus and equipment to staging areas to respond to New York City. Members participated in digging at Ground Zero to assist in recovering our fallen comrades. In 2004 the Township of Wayne purchased our Pumper Engine 1-1 for the company, and in 2007 they purchased our Rescue Pumper Engine 1-2. The company still proudly owns the 1996 Tower-1 and the 1999 Hummer Engine 1-5. Community Volunteer Fire Company #1 has 32 active members and responded to over 600 fire calls in 2009. In 1967 we responded to 207 fire calls and in 1918 our civic-minded predecessors answered perhaps 2 or 3 alarms a year. Since 1918 the company has continually responded to any and all emergencies, with the latest high tech equipment available and highly trained and motivated volunteers. Each emergency has presented these men and women with unique challenges. The members of Community Volunteer Fire Company #1 all have one thing in common, an unselfish dedication to serve their community in times of crisis and whenever they are needed.