[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 79 (Friday, June 8, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1062-E1063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CALDWELL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 8, 2001

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to offer my sincerest 
congratulations to the Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department on the 
occasion of its 100th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, June 9, 
2001.
  While the Caldwell Fire Department was officially established in 
1901, its origin goes back to the late 1890's when a group of concerned 
local residents purchased a horse drawn fire wagon from the town of 
Montclair.
  Housed in a barn on Roseland Avenue in Caldwell, local farmers and 
businessmen provided the horses needed to pull the fire equipment 
because the town refused to pay for the horses to pull the fire wagon. 
On occasions when horses were not available, the men pulled the wagon 
themselves.
  To summon the men to a fire call, the metal trolley wire poles along 
Bloomfield Avenue were struck with a metal object.
  The original horse drawn fire wagon was replaced with a used 
motorized fire truck in the early 1930's.
  Over the past 100 years the Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department had 
several homes. In 1921 a new borough hall was built at 14 Roseland 
Avenue, which housed the fire equipment and the police department on 
the first floor. In the early 1920's, the borough hall was moved to its 
present location on Provost Square while the firehouse remained at 14 
Roseland Avenue.
  In 1937, the firehouse was expanded to accommodate Caldwell's new 
1937 La France Pumper and Ladder Truck. The building had to be expanded 
again in the early 1960's to accommodate larger pieces of equipment.
  Outgrowing the building at 14 Roseland Avenue, the fire department 
moved to its current headquarters at 30 Roseland Avenue in 1980.
  The current building is home to five fire trucks, three reserve 
trucks, administrative offices, and all of the equipment necessary to 
maintain an active fire department.
  When the Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department officially formed in 1901 
it had 18 volunteers. Today the department is made up of 38 volunteers. 
With the exception of a paid driver during the late 1940's and a paid 
chief for a few years in the late 1960's, the fire department has 
successfully served the Borough of Caldwell with an all-volunteer 
staff.
  On Saturday, June 9, 2001 fire departments from across the State of 
New Jersey will join the Caldwell Fire Department to celebrate its 
history and future.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in offering 
congratulations to the Caldwell Fire Department.

[[Page E1063]]



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