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History of the Schooley's Mountain Fire
Protection Association
When
a barn caught fire and burned down in August 1951 at the Liebenezel
Mission home, the debate for the village of Schooley's Mountain to
establish a fire company once again came to the forefront of town
discussion.
At the steps of the Presbyterian
Church, eleven of the town's people met and discussed the problem of fire
protection for the village and the fact that the fire companies located in
Long Valley and Hackettstown were just simply too far for quick help in
the event of fire. So by the end of August 1951, in the basement of the
church, it was voted to create a separate fire company for the needs of
the Schooley's Mountain community. It's main purpose was to protect life
and property from fire for the village. It's secondary purpose was to help
the surrounding communities of Long Valley and Hackettstown in the event
of a fire. It was at this point that the Schooley's Mountain Fire
Protective Association was born.
The original fire house was
located on Route 24 across from the Liberty Tree at Flocktown Road and was
once an old ice house. With committed charter members, the ice house was
renovated for fire fighting equipment. This was nothing more than buckets,
barrels, and a used brush truck from Chester. By 1956, the Fire Company
relocated to it's current location on Route 24 with a USA pumper for
response. As the Company grew, it continued to purchase updated equipment
with it's own funds which were generously donated by the local residents.
Over Fifty years have passed
since the establishment of the Fire Company. In that time a lot has
changed. More advanced equipment has been developed for fire protection,
the once small village is now highly populated with over 17,000 residents,
and the current firehouse has gone through extensive renovations and
expansion to meet the needs of a continuously growing community. The
Company became part of the Washington Township Fire Department, along with
Long Valley and Fairmount Fire Companies, in 1984. The equipment is now
purchased and owned by the Township, but housed, maintained and operated
by the Fire Company. The Fire Company is not only responsible for fire
protection, but for public emergencies, hazardous materials response,
confined space rescue, high angle rope rescue, and carbon monoxide alerts
as well. This is a great deal more than what was originally envisioned
when the Company was first formed.
Two factors have remained
constant over the years. The belief that quality fire protection will
always be needed for the community no matter how big it gets, and that a
sufficient number of dedicated residents from all walks of life will
volunteer large amounts of time to uphold that belief by participating in
continuous education, drills, fund raising, and responding to alarms 24
hours a day for nothing more than the satisfaction of a job well done.
This is the purpose of the Schooley's Mountain Fire Protection
Association: the protection of life and property for all in the community.
Click here to see
the first meeting minutes |
