The department received its first fire
apparatus, a two-cylinder Autocar, on August 5, 1911 and
celebrated with a picnic at Milltown Park. The Autocar, which
boasted two 40-gallon chemical tanks, hose and ladders, cost
$4100. Uniforms came next, which members furnished at their own
expense.
September of 1911 saw the first fire
call for the new Autocar. The location was the farm of Foreman
Kuhlthau’s mother. Fortunately, the fire was confined to a
haystack by Eureka Fire Company until their Autocar hose
extinguished it.
March of 1912 was a time of mourning
with the passing of the first member, Oscar C. Kuhlthau.
On June 27, 1912 the department became a
member of the New Jersey State Relief Association. In October of
the same year the members attended their first parade, as guests
of Washington Engine Company No. 1 in New Brunswick. Milltown
was the only fire company with a motor-driven apparatus and,
with 60 men in line, also made the best showing.
A Ford chassis was purchased by the
borough in 1916 for use as a hose truck on the north side of
town. The next piece of equipment received was a LaFrance
750-gallon pumper, presented by the borough on March 12, 1921 at
a cost of $12,500.
Other milestones marking off the early
years included the April 1919 presentation of exempt
certificates to all active firemen who had served seven years;
and the adoption of a new fire ordinance in September 1922. The
ordinance formally appointed the first fire board consisting of
Chief John Bauries, First Assistant Chief Henry Christ and
Second Assistant Chief John Glock.
On October 26, 1922 a reorganization
took place dividing the department into two companies, Eureka
Engine Company No. 1 and Eureka Hose Company No. 1.
The Graham Brothers Dodge chassis was
the next addition to the department’s equipment. The purchase
was made in 1923 by the borough council.
The new Cottage Avenue Firehouse was
erected in 1925 at a cost of $16,000. In 1930, the custom of
holding an annual ladies night banquet on the Saturday nearest
the department anniversary was initiated.
The Mack, consisting of a combination
hose carrier, hook and ladder, and 750-gallon pump was purchased
in March 1939. In 1945, the borough council bought from the
government a Chevrolet 500-gallon pump, hose carrier and aerial
nozzle. January 1947 saw the purchase of an American LaFrance
1000-gallon pumper and hose carrier.
In 1956, a monument dedicated to the
deceased members of the fire department was erected in front of
Engine Company, on South Main Street. Since then every Memorial
Day, the department along with the Ladies Auxiliary pay tribute
to their departed members.
A Chevrolet was purchased in 1966 and
converted into a salvage truck and placed in service at Engine
Company. A 1969 Seagraves Model KO 75-foot, four-section service
aerial ladder and 1000-gallon pumping apparatus was purchased to
replace the Mack at Hose Company.
During 1968, under the leadership of
Chief Joseph Gasper and the Fire Board, a new fire ordinance was
adopted by the Borough Council. This updated the operations of
the department to it’s present standards - consisting of 3
members to the fire board and 35 members to each company,
totaling 73 men in the department. At present all new members
are required to attend Fire Fighting I during their first year
in the department. Officers are sent to school to update their
knowledge and techniques of fire fighting.
Some 5000 people
were on hand, in 1971, to help the Department celebrate its 60th
anniversary. Over 4000 paraders, including 75 fire departments,
marched in the three-hour process from Personal Products to the
Borough Park. There were 2000 pounds of hot dogs, 10,000 mugs of
soda and 59 kegs of beer consumed at the event.
In the Fall of
1976, Engine Company received a new $35,000 Ford savage truck
parked in a new $40,000 garage that was added to the firehouse
on South Main Street.
In 1982 the
"Eureka Fire Museum" was opened to the public. A collection of
fire apparatus, helmets, photographs and other memorabilia,
dating back to the late 1800's, is housed in a converted garage
behind the South Main Street station.
The 1947 LaFrance
which had been auctioned off in 1973 returned back home to
Milltown in the Summer of 1983. After hours of research and
numerous phone calls, firefighter Bill Petry Jr. found that the
truck had been sold to the Peekskill, NY Fire Department. Before
that it had been owned by Franklin Pierce College in New
Hampshire.
A new
1984 Mack 1000-gallon pumper was purchased to replace the 1962 edition.
A 1994 American
LaFrance 1500gpm Century 2000 Pumper was delivered to Engine
Company, and in 1998 a Saulsbury/American LaFrance Pumper
replaced the Ford salvage truck.