In preparation for our Centennial Celebration in 2022, we are looking for stories, memories and photographs, particularly those from the 1920's through the 1990's before digital cameras and cell phones made capturing the moment so easy. If you have material to contribute to our Centennial publication, please contact our Treasurer at treasurer@franklinparkvfc158.org.

The complete text  of the following document through the 1990's was originally published in 1997 for our 75th Anniversary Celebration.  We will soon include pictures to go along with the text, and update the original text to include the remainder of the 1990's through 2017.

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This is a sequel to the booklet published in 1987 to celebrate our 65th anniversary, and is re-dedicated to the early leaders of our community whose foresight and concern for their neighbors established the nucleus of our strong company today. In their honor, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the Franklin Park Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.

To the "Little  Red Wagon  Widow"  and a heartfelt thank you.

Paul Hague, Author.  Renny Clark, Editor

PREFACE

The information on the following pages does not include all of the important happenings of the Franklin Park Volunteer Fire Company No. 1. To compile this narrative, more than 75 years of the Company's recorded minutes were summarized, but many items have no doubt  been overlooked.  The records leave a lot to  the reader's imagination.

The contributions of our Life Members, Chiefs and Presidents have been enormous and their names are listed on the back pages. However, many others have made contributions that are not reported here. It is for each member to look back on their own record and know the satisfaction of serving our community and helping our neighbors when the need was great.

THE BEGINNING -THE 1920S

When fire destroyed the home of one of the early families of  the  community  on October 18, 1921, 18 concerned neighbors gathered in the single room of the Neely Public School. There, a vote was taken to secure a charter to form and operate a volunteer fire company. Many of them donated $50 to start the company -- a sum in those days equal to or better than a month's wages. When another farmhouse was totally destroyed in November, other residents contributed  money to the cause as well.

The newly formed fire company immediately ordered a one-ton Ford chassis and an Ajax Chemical extinguishing unit; its total cost was $1,406. However, the infant company had no garage, so the truck was kept in Isaac Wright's garage at the corner of West Ingomar and Rochester Roads. (In later years this location became known as Ben Milbert's garage.) Isaac Wright, custodian of the truck, was appointed the first fire chief of the company.

John Crispens Jr. Driving the first fire truck - Ford Chassis with Ajax Chemical Unit.

On June 22, 1922, the charter for the Ingomar Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 of Franklin Township was received, filed and recorded -- the company was officially incorporated!

First Fire Hall June 1924

Of particular interest is a record dated October 30, 1924, showing hall rental rates established at: $10 until midnight and $2.50 for each hour after that. In addition, there was a $2 charge for the  janitor  to clean up and put the fire engine  back in the garage.A few months later, the company purchased from Rudy Stevens for $250, a quarter  of an acre of land located on West lngomar Road. Soon the low bid for a 28'x40' engine house was accepted and, in June 1924, the company celebrated the completion of the new building. For 27 years, the building would serve as Community Center as well as Fire Hall.

For many years, carnivals were a yearly occurrence, and the first car raffled off in 1925 was a Ford  Roadster which was purchased  for the tidy sum of $389.

Unfortunately, it soon become apparent that the little Ford fire truck was too small to carry all of the needed equipment. So on the last day of 1925, a motion was made to trade-in the Ford for a 1 1/2-ton Dodge Graham Chassis for $1,205. The  Ajax fire system was transferred to the new truck. (They gave us a trade-in allowance of $150 for the Ford Chassis.)

In June 1926, the first large siren was mounted on top of the engine house with controls also located in Crispen's General Store.

The company continued to grow in strength and on November 29, 1929, the company decided to sell the four-year-old Dodge truck and bought a new American Lafrance Model 99 with Fomite Tank for $5,875. The Dodge was sold for $1,500 to McCandless Township where it became the first fire truck of the Ingomar Volunteer Fire Company No.2.

1930s

The 1930s were lean years and were apparently devoted to scraping up enough money to make payments on the new truck and to make ends meet. Somehow, with the help of the Women's Social Club of Ingomar, who contributed to the truck payments, the company survived.

1940s

During the spring of 1944, the company purchased a used Ford truck and the United States Government supplied a Chrysler Civil Defense Unit; but the truck was so overloaded with the unit and the water tank, that booster brakes had to be added. The civil defense unit was returned to the Government after the war was over, and a small Hale portable pump was mounted in its place. The Ford served as the company's first field fire truck. Later that year, the three McCandless companies met for the first time to better coordinate firefighting in the area.

It was time for a new truck. That became obvious when, in 1945, the brakes on the American Lafrance failed at the intersection of Route 19 and Ingomar  Road. A year later, the company purchased a Mack Fire Truck for $6,881 with a  500  GPM Hale Pump and a 400 gallon booster tank. There is no record of the fate of the Lafrance, but some members believe it was sold to the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Company of Ross Township.

In 1947, a new 7 1/2 HP siren was installed -- price $525 -- and the company began exploring  ways to expand the building.

1950's

Late in 1949, the company purchased property on Rochester  Road from  Glen Wright for $3,500, and excavation was soon completed for the new Fire Hall. The old property on West Ingomar Road was sold to the VFW for $6,000 -- with the fire company holding the three percent mortgage.

In 1957, an important purchase was made -- the first base radio. And the next year, a national Cylinder Gas Resuscitator was bought for $420. In those days there were no ambulances in the district. The township police used their station wagon to carry a stretcher, and many times our unit was called into service to supplement the police unit.In December 1952, the chief reported the need to replace some of the old trucks. The township supervisors agreed and later that month the company purchased an old tanker from the Gulf Oil Company for $825. Two months later the company bought a Dodge four-wheel-drive Power Wagon chassis for $2,381 and had the body, tank and portable pump added for an additional  $750. (The old Ford, stripped of equipment,  was sold to the highest  bidder for $75.)

In February 1959, the company put a down payment on a new Mack Truck chassis. The finished truck, with a 2,225 gallon water tank, pump and body, cost a total of $17,297. The old tanker was sold to the Shippingport  Volunteer  Fire Company for $402.

1960s

In February, the company received approval to conduct the first state fire school in Western Pennsylvania -- 54 hours of training by Al Weiss of Millvale, a state certified instructor. The first class had 30 graduates, several of whom were from Wexford and Ohio Township.

Finally, the alarm system was completed with the McCandless police control station providing 24-hour  phone coverage -- 7 days a week.

In 1962, the company celebrated its 40th anniversary with a banquet honoring the contributions of early firemen and awarded certificates to those who completed  the  state fire school.

Also that year, major improvements were made to the upstairs hall: a new sound system, lighting fixtures and a new drop ceiling. Fortunately, much of the electrical work was done by the firemen which saved the company a significant amount of  money.

In 1963, the practice was begun of presenting small gold badges to past presidents and past chiefs in recognition of their service.

In November 1964, a point system was established to govern active firemen: annually, members had to have 60 points by September 30 to be eligible to vote for officers and board members, and 80 points by December 31, to remain active in the company for the following year.

There were three significant events in 1965: a radio was authorized for  the chief's car, the old Mack Pumper was moved to the Borough Building substation, and a committee was appointed  to work  up specs for a new 1,000 GPM pumper.

In 1967, the directors  recommended,  and  the membership  approved,  the  purchase of1.3  acres on Wexford  Bayne Road  at a cost of $5,000 for a future substation.

The company signed a contract to purchase a Ward Lafrance triple combination 1,000 GPM pumper  for $31,436 in July, 1968. Six months  later, the bell from the 1946 Mack pumper was placed back in service on  the   Ward Lafrance. (Eventually the Mack was sold for $1,500 to the fire company in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania.)

1970s

Heading the list of important events for 1971 was the discussion of building expansion, so a committee was appointed to investigate and report their findings. A new water tank was installed on the Dodge Power Wagon. Twelve portable monitors were purchased for the Fire Police, and West View water was piped into the building eliminating the water  well and pump.

All of the active members by the point system received summer dress uniforms at company expense.

In January 1974, the new building expansion committee was appointed, and by February the members were hard at work. Initially, they were authorized to spend up to $100,000, later increased by another $45,000. In 1975, the membership accepted the low bid for erecting an addition to the building and it was completed in April 1976. At its opening, the  building committee  received a standing  ovation for holding the costs to  $143,000-- $2,000  less than authorized.

In October 1976, the company decided to purchase a  GMC Squad truck  for $8,000,  and the members assumed the job of outfitting it. And, later that year, 16 men completed a Red  Cross first aid course.

The membership continued to grow and, as a result, the by-laws were changed in 1976  to read: "No member shall hold both a director and line officer position at the same time." In 1977, the Board established a procedure for members to follow regarding applications for Life Membership. As the number of new members increased, the Board of Directors recommended in 1978 that the membership be held to 71 firefighters (exceptions were made for children of active members). Provisions were made for an applicant  waiting list with the earliest postmark to  be used as a guideline.

In 1977, the membership decided to convert the old truck bays into a recreation  room and  tool room.

In February 1978, the company began the practice of awarding service pins to members with 20 years of service and every five years thereafter.

A year later, the membership authorized the purchase of a Mack Pumper-Tanker. The contract was signed two months later for a truck with a 1,250 GPM pump and a 2,500 gallon  tank  for  $99,434. In  April,  the company  obtained  an  $85,000  loan  from the Federal  Government  and a $30,000 loan from the Commonwealth  of Pennsylvania.

In May 1980, the new Mack Pumper-Tanker was delivered, and a month later the company purchased a GMC cab and chassis from Wright Pontiac for a future field fire truck. When the truck's specifications were completed, the membership authorized a contract to build and complete the new truck for $23,900. The radio was added for $1,851.

1980's

In September, a committee was appointed to set up qualifications for line officers; they were subsequently adopted  by the membership  at the November meeting.

The building received some well-deserved attention in 1980. A fire alarm and sprinkler system were installed in the downstairs recreation room, and a smoke detection system was installed in the upstairs hall. The Ladies Auxiliary furnished new drapes for all the windows in the upstairs hall, and a picnic -pavilion was built by the members on the back property.

By 1982, the 1959 Mack Tanker was showing signs of wear so the engine was overhauled, the body was removed and a new 2,500 gallon tank and pump were installed. All of the labor, with the exception of the fabrication of the tank, was done by the members. The Ladies Auxiliary donated the cost of the tank and a small plaque was placed on the side of the truck in recognition of  their  valuable contribution.  The many hours contributed to the project saved the company a considerable  amount of money.In September 1981, the mortgage on the building was paid in full to the Firemen's Relief Association.

In 1983, the company authorized the purchase of new, yellow, all-weather bunker suits for the company's Fire Police to  make them more visible while on traffic details.

The hall received some technological improvements. A new public address system was purchased for the upstairs hall. The Ladies Auxiliary contributed a new stainless steel hood, exhaust fan and fire extinguishing system for the upstairs kitchen. A new Cascade System was purchased to fill air bottles for the air masks. In addition, the company began replacing the home radio alarm system with six new portable pager units at a cost of $2,514.

The ever growing radio system required that a new positron be created; that of Communications Officer. The company purchased a new Lukas Rescue Tool, known as the "Jaws of Life" for $10,900. This tool has proved invaluable when extracting victims at the scene of accidents.

$60,000. A new  pumper  would  have cost $112,000.In 1985, a truck committee was appointed to determine the fate of the 1969 Ward Lafrance -- either it had to be rebuilt or the company needed to buy a replacement. The committee recommended that the pumper be rebuilt. Work was to include a completely new aluminum cab, body, steel tank, new transmission, and drive shaft for approximately

A new rescue class ran nine weeks -- three hours each evening -- and was conducted by a state certified instructor. Eventually, 31 members completed the classes and were awarded certificates.

In 1986, the Ward Lafrance pumper was placed back in service after a complete overhaul of the chassis and a new body was added. Additional portable pager units were purchased, with some placed in service by the Fire Police to help them maintain proper communications during emergency operations. A hazardous materials course was introduced in the fall, and almost 30 members completed the program with a better understanding  of the risks and proper procedures essential for this type of emergency.

And throughout the years, the fire police continued their tradition of patrolling the Borough  on Halloween  night  and  arranging for Santa  Claus to  ride on the fire trucks -- delivering Christmas treats to the borough's young children.

In 1988, continuing to upgrade the rental hall, members installed new wallpaper and ceiling tile in the original hall, as well as installed a used 31-kw natural gas power plant to supply emergency electricity to the entire building during temporary power failures. That year, new bunker gear -- firefighting clothing -- was purchased for all active fire members and the 1962 International Pumper was sold to the Winn Community VFD in Alabama for $12,000.During 1987, the members focused their attention on upgrading the emergency power systems for the main hall, as well as other improvements to the building and property. Discussions were begun in earnest regarding the future expansion of the company to better serve the borough. With the population of the borough reaching 10,000, in addition to the new housing subdivisions springing up everywhere, the subject of expansion was a key item that resurfaced for the next several years.

To better serve the northern part of the borough, a new substation on Brandt School Road was proposed with the McCandless/Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, but the idea was abandoned  in response  to  opposition from area residents.

To improve communications among the membership, the company replaced the Plectron alarm system in January 1989 with portable pagers for all active members. Improvements included a new portable electric generator enabling the squad truck to  supply flood lights for  emergencies.  Before  the end  of the  year, the  truck  committee   completed specifications for a new pumper.

1990s

Highlights for 1990 included the purchase of a new 100 watt radio for the base station and a new storage building built on the back parking lot. In addition, the truck committee recommended the purchase of a new Sutphen Pumper-Tanker for $250,000 with cab room for  ten, a 1,750  GPM pump and a 1,500 gallon  water tank.within five years.

During 1991, the upstairs rental hall was made more accessible to visitors with disabilities with new restrooms in the old section of the building and an access ramp on the east side of the building. The company received its new Sutphen Pumper in June and immediately placed it in service in the substation at the borough building. With the increasing cost required to maintain the 1959 Mack Tanker, the membership approved its sale to the highest bidder for $3,250 and a committee was formed to compile specs to refurbish the 1980 Mack Pumper-Tanker and to replace the 1968 Ward LaFrance Pumper.

In early 1992, the Dodge Power Wagon was officially retired after nearly 40 years of service, to be used only for carnival rides and in cases of extreme emergencies. Throughout the year, the membership volunteered many hours improving the outside property, extending the back parking lot, and planting new shrubs donated by a local nursery for the front of the building. When completed,  the work  greatly enhanced  the appearance of the building. Additionally, work began to connect the building's sewer system to the municipal sewer system.

Adjacent property, including a house on the east side of the main fire hall, was purchased in 1993 to provide a 50 foot right-of-way clearing the way for the eventual sale of property in back of the fire hall and to expand the parking lot. The fire police received six portable radios for better traffic control capable of operating on their own frequency or on the fire frequency with fire officers. To rebuild  the 1980 Mack  Pumper-Tanker, the membership approved a contract for $43,850 with delivery scheduled for the end of the year.

In an innovative financial arrangement, the borough council agreed to guarantee future funding of the fire company with gradually increasing support to reach $50,000 a year by 1997. In addition, the borough agreed to assume the purchase of all new fire trucks after 1997.

An important addition to the company's fire equipment was a new gas detection meter used to confirm carbon monoxide, natural gas, and other toxic gas situations. Before year end, the refurbished 1980 Mack Pumper-Tanker, renamed Tanker 6, was delivered.

In 1994, the fire company building earned its designation as the borough's official Emergency Operations Center (EOC) establishing it as a command control center in catastrophic situations. The new HVAC units, purchased for $20,302, were installed on the  building's roof.

By 1995, the truck committee was hard at work on specs for a new pumper to replace the aging Ward Lafrance Pumper. The committee appointed to buy the new truck recommended that the company purchase a new Sutphen Pumper for almost $250,000 with delivery scheduled for late 1996. The new pumper would  be diesel powered, with a 1,750 GPM pump,  800 gallon  water  tank and cab for six firefighters.

To better locate emergencies, the company published street index books, one for each fire truck, with additional books donated to the ambulance authority and police department. After considerable work, the parking lot committee recommended that the entire front, sides and back be paved with asphalt -- an improvement that greatly reduced the chronic problem  of  mud in the garage.

For 1996, new lighting fixtures and ceiling tiles were installed in the new section of the building by the members. A new integral air compressor was purchased to replace the old worn out unit, a 1938 model. The parking lots were completely paved. The 1969 Ward Lafrance Pumper was sold for $16,500 to Glamis Volunteer Fire Company of Cathedral, California. The old Pumper was driven to its new home in California by its new owners including the Glamis fire chief. At the company's annual ball, the Ladies Auxiliary presented a generous check for $10,000 to help pay for the new recently delivered 1996 Sutphen Pumper.

In 1997, the company was approached by a local developer to swap our piece of property on the south side of Route 910, originally purchased  as the site of  a future substation, for a slightly smaller tract on the north side of Route 910 only a quarter-mile away. As part of the deal, the developer agreed to construct  a two-bay fire house on the new site at no cost to the fire company.

The company's 75th anniversary dinner was held on June 22 with a membership of 67 active firefighters, fire police, and life members... still an all volunteer organization ready to serve the community when the need arises.

In years to come, other members, leaders and circumstances will shape the future of this outstanding organization. However, one factor will never change... we respond when called, we serve to the best of our training and ability, and we expect our only reward to be the satisfaction of  a "job well done."

A PERSONAL NOTE

(Originally printed in  1987 but still true today)

It has been my privilege to have been an official member of our  company  since January, 1941.

Prior to that, company officers were criticized for permitting several young boys to ride the back of the fire truck as it raced to alarms. Earlier still, when the siren sounded, an inquisitive boy might well have been seen racing bare back on a small black pony across the rural fields. I guess fire fighting gets into your blood at an early age.

I have witnessed the company's growth from one little truck in a small one-story building with a limited membership, to a large company with six trucks and a modern two-story building. We even have a substation located in the Borough Municipal Building and plans for  a future substation.

With a strong roster of almost 70 active members, the company has been able to continue its policy of being strictly a volunteer organization. We are fortunate to have a large group of active and energetic young members eager to maintain our tradition of being "Number 1." The future of our company lies in their  hands. I know  they are equal  to the task.

Paul Hague

-  oldest active member with 56 years of service.

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I want to take a moment to thank Paul for the time he devoted to preserving and sharing our company history. Paul continued to be active, and share as many stories about our communities history as possible until he went  ahead of us in June 2013, with 72 years of service.

Today as we effort to follow in Paul's footsteps to preserve our rich history, I hope you will stop back and visit this site often to see our updates.

Centenial Committee Chair,

Andy Nock