Montville Fire Department Celebrates Centennial

Hayden Rourke received a special present for his third birthday Saturday.

He got to sit in the cab of a fire truck.

Hayden and his older brother Caleb, five, traveled from Belvidere with their parents, Marilina and Kevin, to look at the several trucks and other fire equipment on display during the Montville Fire Department's 100th anniversary celebration Saturday at the firehouse located on Main St. (Route 202).

"It was fun," Hayden said of his chance to sit in the cab and look inside the other trucks.

Caleb agreed. "The fire trucks are exciting. They were great to see," he said.

As the aroma of hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken cooking on a nearby grill wafted through the air, visitors strolled among the trucks and other fire apparatus on display on the lawn next to the firehouse.

Among the trucks on display was a 1932 Buffalo, custom-built for the department by the Buffalo Fire Engine Co., in Buffalo, N.Y.

"This truck features a 500-gallon pump, 160-gallon tank and six-cylinder Waukesha engine," said Jim Berry, a former chief of the MFD.

The Buffalo was purchased for $6,280 in 1932 to replace the department's first truck, a 1922 Model T Ford triple combo chemical, pumper and hose truck.

"The Buffalo was appraised at $68,000 in 1983, Berry said.

The Buffalo remained in service until 1960, was refurbished from 1976 to 1980 and now proudly represents the MFD at parades and show events.

"We worked on her seven days a week, including Sundays," Berry said of the refurbishing. "Everything on her works. The dry pump can pick up water in 15 seconds, 12 seconds."

The MFD was formed in 1910 by a group of men employed by John H. Capstick, who saw a need for a fire department in rural Montville Township. Previously, the township was serviced by the Boonton FD.

The original roster consisted of 29 volunteer members, including Frank and Hobart Cook, on whose land the Main St. firehouse now stands.

The original firehouse was built in 1911 on Taylortown Rd., just west of Main St. It is still standing. The Main St. firehouse was built in 1935.

As Montville continued to grow in population, a need was seen for a second firehouse. This was built in 1955 on Taylortown Rd., near its intersection with County Route 511.

"It was built on the hill because the old apparatus had trouble climbing the hills," said current MFD chief John Osborne.

Two other fire departments -- Pine Brook and Towaco -- serve Montville Township, however, those units are independent of the MFD.

Also on hand to help the MFD celebrate were firefighters from as far away as Morganville in Monmouth County.

"We're a fraternity. We all show respect for one another o matter where we are," said Travis Lamberson. "One hundred years is big. We had to be here."

"This is a family, a second family," added his colleague, Matthew Podolla. "We're a brotherhood."

From a department of 29 members in 1910 that focused on fighting the occasional barn and farm-field fire, the MFD has grown to  40 members responsible not only for fires but rescue operations on the township's several lakes, fuel spills on the major highways in town and chemical fires at Montville's manufacturing facilities.

"We have evolved greatly and will continue in the future as the township grows," Osborne said.

That future could be a tough one.

"Ten years down the road, I don't know," Osborne said. "It's going to be a balancing act for someone who wants to be a volunteer firefighter.

"The cost of initial training, annual retraining, that comes out of the person's pocket," he added.

"What do you do if you want to buy a house and raise a family?"

After their afternoon looking at the fire equipment, did Hayden and Caleb Rourke decide on a firefighting future?

"I don't know," said Caleb. "I think I want to be an (train) engineer and drive a steam engine."

"Me, too," said Hayden.