Welcome to High Bridge Fire Department

    On July 9, 1898 a large fire occurred in High Bridge which detroyed part of main Street. Since there was no fire department in town, a fire department from Phillipsburg came down by train.

    The following year, on August 25, 1899, a special meeting of th Borough Council was called by Mayor Moore and the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved:

     That the Mayor and Council of the Borough of High Bridge deem it is neccessary to authorize the organization of a volunteer fire department for the borough and be it further resolved that the Council of the Borough of High Bridge shall appoint a chief for the department who shall be responsible to the Council at all times for the careful operation of said department, and that said chief may recommend his proper assistants to the Council.

     Said Council must confirm said appointments before assistants can act, and said chief and said assistants may recommand a sufficient force of active members to safely operate the work extinguishing fires which may in the future occur.

     In 1899, Liberty Hose Company was formed and knowen as Company No. 1. In 1901 L.H. Taylor Hose Co. was formed and was called Company No. 2.

     Mr. Evans C. Wentzel was appointed fire chief for a term of one year. Mr. L.W. Bowers and Mr. C.H. Estes were appointed assistant chiefs.

     The fire department was started with the purchase of two hose carriages at the cost of $73.00 each and 1000 ft. of hose at the cost of $.60 per foot. Later they had a ladder wagon which was pulled by a team of horses owened by Mr. Winsell who lived on Charles Manning's farm.

      Both companies were incorporated in 1902. The High Bridge Relief Association was formed and incorporated in 1903

      The 1910 six alarm signals were listed. A siren located at the Taylor Wharton plant, blown by steam, was used to call our fireman. The number of blasts on the whistle gave the location of fires as follows:

                                                                                 1 - Forge

                                                                                 2 - Steel Works

                                                                                 3 - Car Wheel Foundry

                                                                                 4 - East High Bridge

                                                                                 5 - High Bridge

                                                                                 6 - Mines

The box alarms have become obsolete with the new technology and E 911 system.

      In 1912 two large fire occurred on Main Street. The first was the Matt Apgar building which was occupied by Grondyke's Clothing Store and Lewis Perry's news stand with apartments on the second floor and lodge rooms on the third floor. The second was a corner store on Main Street opposite the Catholic Church which was destroyed along with the building next to it which was occupied by Truman Monn's Print Shop.

      In 1916 a large barn on Elm Street burned in which several mules and cows were destroyed. Due to weather and conditions under which this fire was fought, the Council purchased the first boots for the fireman. This barn was were the present A&B Tool Manufacturing Company is located now.

      In 1917 it was determined that more equipment was needed to do a more proficient job. The first motor drived apparatus, which were two Kohlar trucks, were purchased.

      Since there were two companies in town, we were called many times to the surrounding areas outside the Borough to fight fires or to assist other companies. We could assist and still not leave the town unprotected. This plan is still done today through what is known as mutual aid.

      In 1925 Liberty Hose Company purchased a new Mack pumper.

      In 1927 a new Hahn pumper was received by the L.H. Taylor Hose Company and the following year they put a new Hahn service truck in service.

      In 1927, under Chief Lewis Apgar, the Ladies Auxiliary was organized with Mrs. Sara Belle Apgar as President.

      In 1938 following a suggestion of Dr. Germain, who became our first aid instructor, the following active fireman formed the first emergency squad in Hunterdon County:

                    Russell Breese                    Gordon Burd                    George Cole

                    Ralph Cole                             William Fritts                   Clifford Kice

                    John Kurisko                          Michael Lorenzo             Tony Lorenzo

                    Vincent Meade                       Rudy Novak                      Carroll Sechrist

                    Ervin Smith                             Henry Wiegands

      The previously purchased Hahn service truck was turned over to the emergency squad who repainted it white and installed necessary first aid equipment.

      Due to active members leaving the company, etc., the squad was reorganized in 1953 with rules changed to include associate members.

      In 1942 the Taylor Wharton Power House, which was located below Lake Solitide and used to store patterns, was destroyed by fire.

      In 1944 the Martin Apgar building was destroyed on Christmas Day. This building contained Dreshler's Drug Store and apartments, and was located where Jimmy's Barber Shop now stands.

      In 1947, after 20 years of service, the Mack and Hahn pumpers were replaced by two American LaFrance 500 GPM pumpers each with a 300 gallon booster  tank supply of water.

      At this time, due to alterations at the steel plant, the L.H. Taylor Fire House had to be moved.  The old building was moved to the sightof the present building but was in such deplorable condition, thecompany decided to get rid of it and build a new one.  Plens weremade and presented to Council for their approval and aid.

      By draining our treasury and with help from the Council, out new home was built and our new fire apparatus, which was being kept in a barn, was moved into its new home.  We held our first meeting in September 1948.

      In 1948 a Chevrolet emergency truck was purchased to carry excess equipment for the fire company and emergency squad.  Our 45 foot extension ladder was mounted on top and such other items as oxygen, stretchers, first aid supplies, scott air packs, 1500 watt generator, flood lights, and portable pump were mounted as well.

      In 1949, to increase our fire fighting knowledge, several members attended fire school classes and received diplomas from the New Jersey State Fire College held at Baringer High School in Newark, NJ.

      Information they received was passed on to the rest of the Company.  It was after this that we organized our own fire school, securing the services of Chief Walter Runyon of Dunellen Fire Department as Instructor.

      In 1949 the Waters Building had considerable fire damage.

      In 1950, just as firemen were getting off a bus from seeing a ball game, the alarm went off calling them to Taylor Wharton Iron and Steel Company.  This fire caused considerable damage due to the fire melting tar from the corrugated roof.

      In 1954 the Waters Building again had considerable damage but the fire was stopped before any other building was involved.

      In 1958 the Waters Building burned again.  This time, however, it proved too much and even with the help from surrounding fire companies, it was completely destroyed along with the Pioneer Market.  This building stood where the present dry cleaners is located.

      In1960 the companies purchased and installed radios in their apparatuses.  The base station and tower, which was purchased by the Borough, ws installed at the L.H. Taylor Fire House.

     Liberty Hose company was located on Main Street in a building later known as the Waters Building.  It then moved to the Borough Hall when the Borough purchased the present town hall building.  It was located where the present library is and the room bow used as the Court Room was their meeting room.  In 1962 they decided to have their own building.  Since the branch track of the Central Railroad split the town, and trains sometimes hindered equipment from getting to the North side of the tracks.  The building was dedicated on May 11, 1963. It had two bays for apparatus, a meeting room a kitchen and a recreation room.

      Due to the increase in equipmentand the expansion of the emergency squad, the need for larger or new quarters was required.  Therefore, in 1963 it was decided to enlarge the L.H. Taylor Hose Company building by adding two bays.

      In 1963 a tank truck was donated by C.K. Hoffman, a local oil dealer.  This truck had a 1500 gallon tank which gave us a supply of water which served us well in fighting grass fires, etc., when a supply of water was scarce.

      In 1968 L.H. Taylor Hose comopany received a new Anerican LaFrance 750 GPM pumper to replace their 1947 apparatus.

      In 1969 our 1948 service truck was replaced by a new GMC van.

      In 1971 Liberty Hose company received a new Anerican LaFrance 1000 GPM pumper.

      Since the 45 foot extension ladder could not be mounted on the van service truck, it was decided to retain Liberty's old truck.  This truck was altered to carry the ladder and a larger tank was added to increase our water supply.

      The fire house has a number of trophy cabinets which are filled with tokens of honor won by the members.

      We now have our men attend the Hunterdon County Fire School and, to keep up with our equipment, we have drills once a month on various pieces of equipment.

      The Fire department has a roster of 40 members and they have the following equipment available to them:

      1 - 1968  American LaFrance Pumper

      1 - 1994 75' American LaFrance Ladder Truck

      1 - 1997 GMC Bush Unit

      1 - 2006 Chevrolet Command Unit

      1 - 2006 Pierce Arrow XT Pumper

      1 - 2007 Ford F-450/Pierce Special Service Unit

      1 - 2008 Pierce Arrow XT Pumper

      Since 1977 many changes have come about in the High Bridge Fire Department.

      To better our knowledge and response to fires within the borough, floor plans have been drafted for "pre-planning" in case a fire should occur.  This gives the members of the fire department advance knowledge of what we may be faced with in the event of a fire.

      There have been two Insurance Service Orgaizations (ISO) inspections with the borough.  ISO conducts surveys in regards to fire protection within the community for insurance ratings.  We are pleased to announce that we received above average ratings from both inspections through the hard work and dedication of the members.

      In 1988 our 1968 American LaFrance engine was refurbished and is used as a reserve engine.  We have had six pieces of apparatus added to our department.  A 1994 75'  American LaFrance Ladder Truck, 1997 GMC Brush Unit, 2006 Chevrolet Command Unit, 2006  Pierce Arrow XT Pumper, 2007 Ford F-450/Pierce Special Service Unit and a 2008 Pierce Arrow XT Pumper.

      Numberous new tools and equipment have been purchased through the years in order to better serve the Borough of High Bridge with countless hours of training to go with them.  Our training consists of the basic fundamentals of fire fighting to the actual  hands on of confined space rescue, auto extraction, water rescue to live fire training.  Those are just a few of the many training evolutions we perform to keep our skills up to date.

      Until 1991 the High Bridge Fire Department ran under two compaines, Liberty Hose Company and L.H. Taylor Hose Company.  During that  year the companies merged into one department.  We are know housed in the L.H. Taylor Hose Company fire house on Maryland Avenue.

      In 1997 with the efforts of the borough and fire department many upgrades have been made.  The building is now ADA compliant.  Many of the members spent many hours in completing the renovations on the firehouse.  We are proud of the outcome and the work we have accomplished.

      The fire department has always been active in Borough affairs and have helped in any way possible.  For many years we sponsored the annual Flag Day Parade.  During Fire Prevention Week a program is set up so that all children know the danger of fire and its prevention.

      A lot of the credit for the growth of the fire department goes to our good past exempt firemen.  A fireman must know the operation of the equipment and performs at least 60% of the required activities per year for a period of seven years.

      There were other people who were good firemen but, because of various reason, did not complete their seven years of service.

      Over the years there have been more than 125 members who have earned their exemption.

      Without these dedicated people the companies would not be the effective and efficient volunteer fire fighting unit that we are. 

      The chiefs of the department from its start to present time are as follows and are listed in the order in which they served:

Chiefs of the High Bridge Fire Department

                         Evan C. Westzell                                      Dr. Charles Halstead

                         Oscar Apgar                                              William Neighbor

                         William Black                                            Dr. Edwin Trimmer

                         Lewis W. Apgar                                        Frank DeYoung

                         William H. Breese                                    Peter Kice Sr.

                         Vincent Meade                                          Morris Alpaugh

                         William Hannigan                                    Corroll Sechrist

                         Ezra Trout                                                   Robert  Philhower

                         Joseph Tramutola                                    George Waterson

                         LeRoy Hann                                               Donald Manning

                         Michael Lorenzo                                        Levi Hoffman

                         Charles Trimmer                                      LeRoy Brong

                         George Crampton                                    William Gooley

                         John Burd                                                  Charles Banks

                         Gary Trimmer                                            Drew Stephens

                          William Crampton                                    Michael Crampton

                         Jeffrey Smith                                              Brian Labuta

                         Richard Heycock                                       Craig Vanatta

                         Jeffrey Smith                                               Brian Labuta

      We sincerely hope the future will continue to bring us personnel with the quality of past and present firefighters so as to continue the service we have rendered to our community in the past, and we hope that the residents of the Borough of High Bridge will continue to be proud of their fire department.