we’ve come a long way… - the marmora volunteer fire...

We’ve Come a Long Way…(50 Years of Fire Protection in

Marmora, New Jersey, 1947-1997)

By Stan TottenLife Member and Former Chief

Marmora Volunteer Fire CompanyMarmora, NJ 08223

To the memory of those whose vision and untiring efforts organized the Company,

To those who continued the effort over the years, and

To the present members who carry on the tradition...

…this history of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company is dedicated.

“We’ve come a long way...” is a phrase that Marmora Volunteer Fire Company members often used when they looked back and reminisced about past achievements. Probably this was stated when the first fire engine was received after only four or five months of existence. It was repeated many times as each new apparatus was received or as each improvement in the station was made. It was proclaimed also, when through training and experience, the members won some battles with fire that previously they had lost. Not long ago, while talking to several members who have served for a number of years, I heard it again: “We’ve come a long way.” But it doesn’t require many years of service to feel the progress that takes place in Marmora Volunteer Fire Company. Members with only a few years behind them have been heard to express the same sentiment.

I would like to acknowledge the aid of Chief Jay Newman and President Russ Barham who provided help in gathering information for this history. Thanks also to a number of other members - some whose names elude me - who by word and obvious pride in the fire company have helped to maintain my interest and pleasure in the Marmora Volunteer Fire Com-pany. Names of individuals (except those in the early days) have been avoided in these accounts to avoid the inevitable omission. Over these 50 years, there have been hundreds of members and friends of Marmora Volunteer Fire Company who have worked as a team in the development of the organization.

Truly: “We’ve come a long way!”

There is one member of the Marmora Fire Company that I feel should be honored for his longevity as an active member, and for his loyalty and service to the company and community. I trust that you will allow me this moment.

He joined Marmora Volunteer Fire Company in 1951 when he moved to Marmora. Forty-six years later, he is still active in company affairs and in fire organizations in Cape May County. In Marmora, he served 5 years as

Preface

Fire Chief, 23 years as Assistant Chief and 16 years as Captain. He has served on numerous committees in the fire company and performed a million unsung tasks. For a several years, he was an officer of the Cape May County Rescue Squad in Ocean City. He is currently a Trustee of the Cape May County Firemen’s Association, President of the Cape May County Firemen’s Aid Association, the Northern County Coordinator with the County Fire Marshal’s Office. Counting several years as a member of the Dennisville Fire Company before moving to Marmora, Carl Madden has well over 50 years of active fire service.

Finally, to all the past and present members of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, thanks for giving me the opportunity to write this account of the first 50 years. Without all of you, it would have been impossible to say, “We’ve come a long way!”

Stan TottenTownsend, TN May 1997

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Theflames,quickenedbyagentleMaybreeze,dancedgailyastheyfedondryleavesinthepileofdebris.Thehousehadbeenvacantallwinterandmuchofnature’strashneededtoberemoved.Pushingleavesandgrassintoapileandignitingthemseemedthebestandeasiestwaytoaccomplishthis,and,indeed,thefirehadburnedsinceearlymorning,consuminglargequantitiesoftheunwantedstuff.

Thedaywasnowdying,thesettingsunbeginningtocastthelongershadowsofafternoon.Asthetemperatureoverthelanddropped,thebreezefreshened,blowinginfromthenearbyocean.Theslowlydyingflamesfeltnewlifebreathedintothemanddancedanewamidtheashes,reachingforthevitalfoodthatlaydeeperinthepile.Astheflamesgrew,theaddedheatcarriedmoreandmoresmokingembersupwardandspreadthemfartherthantheyhadgoneallday.Seeingthis,thosewhowereworkingontheclean-upproject,rakedalittlearoundthefireandleftit,thinking,“Thosesparksaren’treallygoingveryfarandthegrassallaroundisprettygreennow.There’snothingtoworryabout.”

Astimepassed,theflamescontinuedtodanceaccordingtothewhimsofthewind-sometimesquietlyasacoupleswaystosoftmusic,andattimesgyratingwildlyastheIndianinhiswardance.Suddenly,butwith-outfanfare,anentireblazingoakleafwaswaftedaloftintherisingairandsmoke.Driftedbythebreezetowardthenorth,theleaflandedontheroofofthehouse.Itstripthroughtheaircurrentshadnearlyexhausteditandhadalmostextinguisheditsflame.Almost-butnotquite-extin-guished,itnestledinthecrevicesoftheancient,drywoodenshingles.

Thesunsettledmoreinthewestasitsraysbegantoweakenandtheshadowsgreweverlonger.Theclean-upcrew,satisfiedwiththeday’sworktookonelastlookatthenownearlydeadfirethereonthegroundand,puttingtoolsaside,wentintothehouseforsupper.Thatmealwouldtastegood-evenifitwereonlyhamburgersandbeans-foreachoneofthemhadworkedhardtoday.Tomorrow-well,tomorrowwasanotherday-butrightnowitwasinsidetogetreadyforsupper.

The Way It Was…

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Thetinyspotofheatthathadbeenanoakleafhadalsofounditselfameal.Theleafitselfwas,bythistime,completelygone,butinitsplaceglowedanemberwhichwasitsoffspring.Theemberwasnestledbetweentwoofthedrycedarshinglesanddirectlybelowtheedgeofanother.Inthisshelter,theheatproducedbytheemberwastrapped.Veryslowly,probablytooslowlytobemeasured,thetemperatureofthewoodrose.

Themealwasnearlyreadynow.Astheywaitedandrelaxed,theirconversationhadturnedtootherthings.Theirfavoritesubjectcon-cernedthefunandpleasanttimesthatawaitedthemduringthecomingsummer.Ithadbeenacoldandtiresomewinterinthecityandeveryonelookedforwardtovacationtimewhentheycouldroamtheopenfields,goswimmingorboatingatthenearbybay,orjustsitinthesunshineandsoakupthewarmth.Ofcourse,itwouldnotallbefun.“Momwillstillhavetocook!”“Thisoldhousehastobepainted!”“Ihatetopaint!”“Dadwillonlybehereonweekendsmostofthetime.”Thesecommentscreptinandpunctuatedtheconversation,but,evenso,thesummerheldpromiseforagoodvacation.

Upontheroofasmallredspothadbeguntoshow,eventhoughthelightofthesunstillshoneonthatpartofthebuilding.Awindstirredtheleavesonthegroundandcausedtheglowingspotontheshinglestobreakoutintoaburstofflame,butalmostasquicklythemomentarygustdiedandtheflamecollapsedintojustaglowingspotonceagain.Onlyasmalltell-talewispofsmokebetrayeditsshort-livedexuberance.

Evenifsomeonehadlookedcloselyatthefire,hewouldnothaveno-ticedanyrealchangeinthesizeofthereddishspot.Butunseen,almostundetectable,thefirehadgainedalittlestrongerholdontheshingles.Forthenextfifteenortwentyminutes,thewindcontinueditsgentlehuff-ingandpuffingandwitheachfreshgustthefirefeltnewlifebreathedintoit.Slowly,butassurelyasthesunwouldsetinthenexthourorso,thespotgrewbigger,builtupmoreheatanddugmoredeeplyintothewood.

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Thefirefeedingonthedriedandcrackedshinglesbegantofeelastrangechangecomeaboutit.Somehowtheair,itsbreathoflife,seemedtobecomingfromsomenewsource.Withoutknowingwhy,thelittlefirehadsoughttopushitsfeetintotheshinglesfromthemomentthatitlandedthere.Nowithadsucceededindiggingdeeplyenoughsothatasmallopeninghaddevelopedintotheatticspacebelowtheroof.Finally,itknewwhyforthroughtheholecameasteadyandnourishingflowofair.Withthisbreakthroughthesparksbecameafull-fledgedfirecompletewithblossomingflame.

Risingfromitsbedintheshinglestheflamesreachedupwardtowardthesky.Oneinch,twoinches,-theflamegrewsteadily,butthen-itpausedbrieflyasitreachedoutitswarmthtothesurroundingareasothatthesematerialswouldbereadywhenitneededthemasfuel.Thusthefireprepareditsdinnerasthecheeryandwelcomecall,“Supper’sready”wasgivendowninthekitchen.Leapingfromtheirseats,theen-tirefamilyconvergedonthekitchen.Theydugintothefoodbeforethemandhardlypausedatall.

Meanwhile,theflameontheroofhadpreparedagreatdealoffreshfoodforitselfandhadenlargedtheholethroughwhichitbreathed.Nowitjumpedafreshasitclamberedfromshingletoshingle.Atthesametimeotherprongsofflamereachedinsidetheopeningandspreadoutandupwardalongtheinsideoftheroof.Itmadelittledifferencewhetheritwasontheinsideortheoutside,fornowthattheopeningwasbigenough,thefirecouldgetwhatseemedlikeendlessamountsoffuelandair.Theflamesgrewandplayedovertheshingles.Thehousewasonfire!

Inthekitchen,theoccupantswerecompletelyunawareofthedramathatwasunfoldingnomorethantwentyfeetabovethem.Thehamburg-ersweregreatandthebeanstastedgood.Acoffeecupwasliftedandtippedsothatthecontentscouldbesavoredwhen-BANG!BANG!-afistfellheavilyonthedoorandthecryof“FIRE!”washeard.Thecoffee

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cupclatteredtothefloor,achairupset,andasmalltrafficjamdevelopedaseveryoneattemptedtoanswerthedooratthesametime. Theyburstthroughthedoor!Itseemedasiftheyallreachedtheporchatthesametime.Aquickglanceupwardconfirmedthereport.Apallofblue-graysmokelingeredinthefrontyardandplumeofwhitish-graysmokerosefromtheroofanddriftedlazilytothenorth.Dadrespondedimmediatelytothesituation,exclaiming,“Goodheavens,itisonfire!Somebodycallthefiredepartment!”

Callthefiredepartment!Easytosay-thefirstthoughtincaseoffire-butinthiscase,notsoeasytodo!First,youhadtofindatelephone,butinthedaysofthelate1930’s,thereweren’tsomanysuchconveniencesaround.Thenyouhadtodecidewhichfiredepartmenttocallfortherewasnolocalgroupavailable.Thenearestfiredepartmentonthemain-landwasagoodtenmilesawayandnoonecouldtellhowlongitwouldtakeforthemtogetthere,oryoucouldcallthenearestcitywhosede-partmentwouldhavetosendmenandequipmentatleasteightmilesbyaroundaboutrouteoverthedrawbridges.Ifthefireontheroofhadtheabilitytothink,itwouldsurelyhavereceivedgreatconsolationfromthesefacts.Maybeitcould-afterall-reallygorgeitselfonabigmeal! Morethanamiledowntheroad,theboyandhisfamilyhadjustfin-ishedsupper.Itwasawarmevening.Thesunhadshonebrightlyalldayandeventhoughagentlebreezehadsprunguplateintheafternoon,itpromisedtobeaverypleasant,thoughnotveryexciting,evening.Therewasn’tmuchtodointhosedaysof1939.ProbablyhewouldjustplayaroundthehouseuntilitgotdarkandthenmaybesitonthefrontporchwithMomandDaduntilitwastimetogotobed. Butthiseveningwastobedifferent!Shortlyanunfamiliarsoundbroughteveryonetothefrontyard.Uptheroad-movingatwhatseemedbreakneckspeed-came,ofallthings,afireengine!Andrightbehinditcameanotherone!Oh,howthoseredtrucksglistenedintheraysofthesettlingsun!Hestoodtransfixedtothatspotinthefrontyard,withmouth

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hangingopenandeyesnearlyreadytopop.Itwasasifhehadneverseenafireenginebefore.Indeed,suchasightwasanunfamiliareventaroundhere.Severaltimestherehadbeenfiresintown,butmostofthetimethingsjustburned.Fireenginesdidn’tusuallycome!

Infrontoftheburninghouse,thefamilyalsostood,staringsilentlyatthesmokeasitrose.Dadhadmovedtothesouthsideofthehouseandstoodgazinghopelesslyattheflamesworkinguptheroof.HehadactedquicklyandhadcalledtheOceanCityFireDepartment.Heknewthattheywerecoming,andhewassurethatthefiremenwouldcomearoundthecurveatanymoment.Momstoodoutfrontbytheroads,wringingherhandsandoccasionallydaubingathereyeswithherapron.Asmallcrowdofneighborshadbeguntogatherandfinallyoneoftheolderresi-dentssteppedforward.

“Givemeahandhere,”heshoutedasheheadedforthefrontdoor.“Let’strytosavesomething!”Severaltimesinhislifetime,hehadseenhousefiresinthiscommunity.Thehousealwaysburneddown-heknewthat-butifyouworkedfastwhilethefirewasstillsmallyoucouldgetsomeofthefurnitureandclothingout.Followingthisself-appointedleader,severalofthemen,includingfamilymembers,enteredthehouse,flungopenthedoorsandwindowsandbeganhandingvariousthingsthroughtheopenings.

Whatlittlebreezetherehadbeenseemedtodie,butthefiredidn’tseemtonotice.Infact,totheonlookersbelow,itappearedthattheflamesjumpedupandbegantogrownoticeablybigger!Unthinking-perhapsnotknowingwhattheyweredoing-themenwhohadenteredthehousehadhelpedthefire.Aseachwindowanddoorwasopenedthesupplyoffreshairforthefireincreaseduntilthefirehadallthatitcoulduse.Thefireburnedmerrilynowforithadallitwanted-plentyofnicedrywoodandlotsofair-whatmorecouldafireask?

Itseemedtobehours-actuallyitwasabouttwentyminutes-sincethefirstalarmhadbeengiven.Likeothersbeforethemandasthousandsyet

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tocome,thefamilyandsympatheticbystandersfeltapanickysensationthatperhapsthefiremenwerenotcoming,orthatperhapstheyweren’tsurewheretocome,ormaybethedrawbridgewasopenandtheycouldn’tgetacross.No,theneighborwhohadcalledthefiredepartmentwassurethattheyknewwherethefirewas.No,therecertainlywouldn’tbemuchboattrafficsothebridgewouldn’tbeopen.Asthisreasoningspread,asenseofindignationandangeraroseandmanycriticalcom-mentswereheard:“Whereintheworldarethosefiremen?”“Theymustbewalking!”“Thehousecouldburndownbythetimetheygethere!”“What’stakingthemsolong?”

Theage-oldcriticismwasbeingvoicedonceagain.Nooneinthecrowdstoppedtothink-oriftheydidthink,theydidn’tspeakup-thatthesefiremenwerefromanothercommunity;thattheyhadsevenoreightmilestotravel;thatiftheydrovetheirenginestoofast,theywouldbeaccusedofrecklessness;thattheywerecomingtoafireinunfamiliarterritory.Mostimportantofall,nooneinthecrowdseemedtorealizethatattimeslikethiswhenthepressureishigh,thetensiongreat,andthefireburning,thattimedragsby.Tothepersonawaitingthefiretruck,orambulanceminutesseemtobehours.

Hewaspedalingnow,justasfastashecouldgo.Thesecondenginehadhardlypassedwhentheten-yearoldboyhadfallentotheurgetofollowandwasracingafterthefiretrucks.Likeboysofeveryera,theex-citementofthemomentdrewhimlikeamagnettowardthesceneofac-tion.Hardlytouchingtheseat,hefeetjustabluronthespinningpedals,heraceduptheroadinpursuitofthetwofireengines.Hewassurethathecouldfollowthemfortherewasjustoneroadandonlytwoorthreesidestreetssothattheyreallycouldn’tlosehim.Hesoondiscoveredthathehadanotherthinginhisfavor.Asheapproachedthefirstsidestreet,henoticedasmallknotofpeopleexcitedlytalking,butalllookinginonedirection.Therewasnodoubtthatthesefolkswerestaringinthedirec-tionthatthetruckswent.Sonowhejustpedaled,asfastashecould,andkeptheadinginthepathindicatedbytheexcitedfacesthatgatheredhereandthereallalongtheroad.

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Itseemedasifhefairlyflewalongtheroad,butbythetimeheroundedthelastcurve,besawascenewhichmadehiseyespop!Therewasthehousewithsmokepouringfromitandangryfingersofflameclawingattheweakeningroof.Inthedistance,outonthebridgeoverthebay,wasafireengineandstretchingfromittowardthehousewasalongthinlight-coloredobjectwhichhesoonrealizedwasahose.Andthereinfrontoftheburningbuildingwasanotherfireengine.Firemenwerebus-ilyworkingtoconnectthehoses.

Soonthehosepulsedwiththeonrushofwaterfromtheengineonthebridge,andshortlythehoseheldbythetwomenonthesouthsideofthehousejumpedandwrithedlikeasnake.Almostimmediatelyagushofwaterspurtedfromthenozzleandwithinsecondsthefiremenheldanef-fectivetoolfordealingwiththeflames.Apowerfulstreamshotuptotheroofandbegantearingattheshingles,scatteringtheminalldirections.Lessapparentatfirst,thewateralsobeganitsjobofdrowningthefire.

Inthemeantime,asthedramaunfoldedbelow,thefirehadbeenhappilydancingthereontherooffornearlyanhour.Bythistimeithadbeguntofeelthatitownedthebuilding.Ithadmanagedsofartochewoutalargeholeandnowtonguesofflamereachedupanddownalongtheraftersontheinside.Afewpiecesoftheseancientbeamshadfallentotheatticfloorandwithsatisfactionthefiresawitsoffspringbeginningtognawintothatsurface.

Suddenlytherewasasortofroaringsoundandagushofairfromsomewhere.Thefirefeltitselfinthegripofanawfulsuffocatingsome-thingwithwhichithadnoexperience.Theflamesdodgedandducked,theyfoughtback,butfinallythefirejustdugitsfeetintothewoodwithadeterminationtostay.Thisfirehadjustbeenintroducedtoitseternalenemy-water.

Ofcourse,itdidnotjustendabruptly,forthefiremenhadtodigoutandextinguisheverysparkthereintheroof.Totheboywatchingfromtheground,itseemedthatitwasalloververyquickly.Hedidnotnoticethat

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thesunhadfinallysetanddarknesshadbeguntosettleonthecommu-nity.Hewatchedinwondermentasthefiremencontinuedtospraywaterontherooffromtheground,butthen-whatwasthis-thefiremenwerepullingasmallerhoseinthefrontdoorofthehouse.Fromhisvantagepointacrossthestreet,hecouldseethattheywerepullingitupthestairwayinsidethedoor.Shortlyafiremanwithanaxeappearedinthegapingholewhichhadbeenthepeakoftheroofandwithanothermanbegantochipawayatthejaggededgesandwettheareawithwater. Backhome,MotherandDadwerebeginningtoworryalittleabouttheboywhohadsoimpulsivelyjumpedonhisbikeandwenttearingdowntheroad.Itwasgettingdarknow-wherecouldhebe?Stillthefireengineshadn’treturnedyetsoperhapstherereallywasn’tneedtoworry.

Finally-somewhatsadly-theboyremountedhisbike.Therewasn’tmuchlefttosee.Thefiremenhadrolledupmostoftheirhosesandoneofthetruckswasjustabouttoleave.Ratherslowly,hepointedthebicycletowardhome.Whathadstartedouttobearatherdull,routineeveninghadsuddenlyeruptedintoonepackedwithexcitement!Onthewayhome,hebegantothink-it’stoobadMr.Kleinhadn’tbeensofor-tunatewhenhisbigchickenhouseburneddown,butthentherewasnowateravailableandthefiremenhadtojuststandandwatchitburn;thesamethinghadhappenedonotheroccasions,butwhyworryaboutit,forwhatcouldatenyearolddoaboutit?

* Theaboveisanaccountofanactualfirethatoccurred inBeesley’sPointinthelate1930’s.Theexactdate isunknown.Somedetailshavebeenadded.The housewasrepairedandstillstandsnotfarfrom thebayinBeesley’sPoint.

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Itwasnearlytenyearslater,andaWorldWarhadbeenfought.Theboyhadnearlyforgottenhisthoughtsofthatevening.“Alotofwaterhadflowedunderthebridge”,asthesayinggoes.Hisfamilyhadmovedawayandthen,afterthewar,hadmovedbacktoMarmora.Hewasgraduatingfromhighschoolandgettingreadytogotocollege.Fornearlyanotherdecadethepeopleoftheareahadacceptedthefactthat,ifahousecaughtfire,itwouldmostlikelyburndown-fewwereasfortunateasthehousenearthebayhadbeen.

Marmoraandthesurroundingareawasarathersmallplaceinthosedays-muchsmallerthanitistoday.Therewerenotverymanypeopleandonlyafewbusinesses.Anumberofthemenfromthearea-MarmoraandBeesley’sPoint-hungoutattheTexacogasstationatthecornerofShoreRoadandRooseveltBoulevard.Infact,therewasabackroomwithchairs,apooltableandadartboard.Manythings-theweather,politicsandmaybepeople“gottalkedabout”there.Itwasprobablythereinthegasstationduring1946thattheideaofa“MarmoraVolunteerFireCompany”wasconceived.

Exactlywhatsparkedthediscussionofformingafirecompany,wecan’tbesure.Itmayhavebeenadisastrousfirethatclaimedchildren’slivesinDennisvilleoritmayhavebeenseveralseriousbrushfiresthatoccurredinSouthJerseyduringthemiddle1940’s.Atanyrate,theideadevelopedand,inlate1946,themenoftheareaheldseveralmeetings.Thesewereinformalmeetings-probablysomeofthemrightthereatthegasstation.OthermeetingswereheldattheclamandseafoodplacethatRalphClayton,Sr.hadalongRooseveltBoulevardbythedrawbridge.Atleastonceortwice,meetingswereheldinthebasementofSalFrasca’shomeonSouthShoreRoad.

Atsomepointintime,theyorganizedinformally.OnDecember17,1946,incorporationpapersweredrawnupandsigned.Thesixmenwhosignedthisdocumentwere:ClintonWalker,RalphClayton,Sr.,SamuelBeyel,WilliamGodfrey,M.SpencerYoung,andMahlonMcMaster.ThesepapersweredrawnupbyaMr.Scottwhowasanattorney

The First Years…

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inAtlanticCountyandwhodidtheearlylegalworkfortheFireCompany.HelivedinBeesley’sPointattheendofHarborRoad.

Onthe7thofJanuary1947,themembersmetandelectedSpencerYoungastemporarychairman.Heimmediatelycalledfornominationsofofficersandupontheirelectionatthatmeeting,relinquishedhispositionaschairman.Thoseelectedforoneyeartermswere: President: WilliamGodfrey VicePres.: ClintonWalker Secretary: SamuelBeyel Treasurer: JosephLovette FireChief: MahlonMcMaster Asst.Chief:CharlesCossaboone JosephLovette

Mr.GodfreywastednotimeappointingcommitteestogettoworkonthreeimportantareasofconcerntothenewFireCompany.Thesecom-mitteeswereFundRaising,EquipmentandBy-Laws.Thecommitteechairmenandmemberswere: FundRaisingCommittee:SpencerYoung,Chairman,AlbertCorson, HobartSapp,SalFrasca,andClarenceWilkie EquipmentCommittee:MahlonMcMaster,Chairman,Clinton Walker,LouSanders,EarlSapp,JoeLovette, AndrewYoung,andCharlesCossaboone ByLawsCommittee:WilliamGodfrey,Chairman,SalFrasca, SpencerYoung,NormanSchenck, andClintonWalker

ThepaperswerefiledintheCapeMayCountyCourthouseonJanuary24,1947andtheCertificateofIncorporationwasfiledwiththeSecretaryofStateinTrentononthe28thofJanuary.MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywasofficial!

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Sourcesofrevenueforthenewfirecompanywereprettyslim!Itisnotrecordedanywhere,butitislikelythattheindividualmembers-oratleastsomeofthem-puttheirownmoney“inthehat”inordertopayforthenecessaryexpensestogetthingsstarted.Therewasnoapparatus,nofirehouse,andnolandonwhichtobuildafirehouse.But,therewasavisionofthefuture!Atthatfirstmeeting,duesformembershipintheneworganizationweresetattwodollarsperyear.ThemembersagreedtoholdmeetingseveryfirstandthirdTuesdayandto“holdfirefightingandfirstaidclasseseveryThursday”.

ThenewMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanybegantogetdonationsalmostimmediately.Infact,atthatfirstmeetingonJanuary7th,itwasreportedthatalargesirenhadbeendonatedbytheCityofOceanCity.Thesirenhadbeenpartoftheairraidwarningsystemduringthewarandwasnolongerneeded.ThissirenbecamepartofthefirstalertingsystemforMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.Itwassetuponapoleontopofthegasstation.Aswitchwasinstalledonthesideofthebuildingandnowanyonethatneededtoalertthefirementoaproblemsimplyhadtoruntothegasstationandpushthebutton.Ofcourse,alotoftimewaslost!

Itwasn’ttoolonguntilCharlesBrown,wholivednearthegasstationvolunteeredhimselfandhisfamilytoreceivefirecallsonhisownprivatetelephoneline.Thus,thesefamilymembersbecamethefirstdispatchersforMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.Buttheswitchwasstillonthegasstation,andwhenanalarmcamein,someonehadtorunacrossShoreRoadtothegasstationbeforethesirenwouldstarttoblow.(Fortunately,thetrafficonShoreRoadandRooseveltBoulevardwasalmostnon-exis-tentthen!)

Thesirensofthosedays,andeventoday,havealimitedrangebecausesoundwilltraveljustsofar.AlertingitsmemberswasaproblemforthenewMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanybecausethesoundofthesirenonlyreachedaboutahalfamileunlessthewindwasblowing.Thenthe

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peopledownwindmighthearitwhilethepeopleupwinddidnot.TheseproblemsplaguedtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyformanyyears.

Otherkindsofequipmentbegantobeprocured-againmostlybydona-tion.SomeusedCivilDefensehoseandsomeappliances(nozzles,wyes,etc.)weredonatedtotheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.Thishosehadironpipethreads!Thus,thelongtraditionofironpipethreadsoninchandahalfhosebegan.

ThefirstequipmentpurchasedbytheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywassixIndianTanksandadozenbrooms.Thequotedpricewas$18.00eachfortheIndianCansand$1.50eachforthebrooms.ThispurchasewasauthorizedatameetingonApril1,1947.Grassfireswerethemostcommontypeoffireinthosedays.Withnoapparatusandnofiresta-tion,thisnewequipmentwaskeptatacentrallocationwhereitcouldbepickedupquicklywhentherewasafire.Responsetimemusthavebeenextremelylongsometimes.

Theequipmentcommitteeworkedhardtryingtofindapieceofappa-ratusthatwasworkable,adaptabletotheMarmorasituationandafford-able.OnApril14,1947,anapparatuswaspurchasedfromthePerkinsMotorCompany.Thepurchasepricewas$1200.00.Itwasa“19426-cylinderFordFireTruck”butastheminutesofApril15threveal,“the100gallonperminutepump[is]outoforder”!ByearlyMay,two500gallonperminuteBartonpumpshadbeenlocatedandpurchased-oneforthetruckandoneforspare.ThepumperhadbeenusedduringthewarbytheNavyasafireapparatus.Ithada500gallonwatertank.Thepumpwasfrontmountedandthatcausedproblemsinlateryears,butfornowtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadapieceoffirefightingappara-tusandanextrapump.Thiswasthefirstfireengine.

TheFordpumperworkedwellanddidagoodjob,butwithonly500gal-lonsofwaterinthetank,itwouldoftenrunoutofwaterbeforemutualaidcouldgettothescenetohelp.Forovertwoyears,thecompanyenduredthisproblem.Inlate1949,acommitteewasappointedtofindatanktruck

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thatcouldsupportthepumper.AtthemeetingofJanuary2,1950,thecommitteereportedthattheyhad“foundonewecouldgetnow”.ItwasaDodgetruckwitha1300gallontankonit.Thepricewas$850plusanextrachargeforinstallingthesparepumpthefirecompanyhad.AswasdonefrequentlyintheearlydaysoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany,thecommittee“wasauthorizedtoactastheyseefit.”Notonlydidtheearlymembershaveavisionforthefuture,buttheyoftenexhibitedarespectforthejudgmentofothersinmattersthatwereforthegoodofthecompany.Apparentlythereweresomeotherextrasinadditiontomount-ingthatpump.PossiblytheyaddedabrightredpaintjobbecauseonJanuary17,1950thecommitteereportedthatithadpurchasedthetankerwitha$500downpayment.$1000morewouldbedueondeliveryandtheremaining$185wouldbecarriedona60-daynote.Thetotalpriceof$1685wasnearlydoubletheoriginalprice.WhentheOceanCityPoliceDepartmentdonatedausedsirenforthetanktruck,itwasabighelp!

Therewassomethinginnovativewiththistruck-nottoomanyfireengineshavebeenbuiltwiththeengineupfrontandthepumpbackontherearstep.Alongshaftwasrequiredtodrivethispumpanditwassoonfoundthatthisshaftvibratedbadlywhentheenginespeedwasincreased.Severalrevisionsweremadeoverthesubsequentyearstoimprovethedesign.TheDodgetankerservedMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywellformanyyears.ItwastakenoutofserviceonDecember1,1964.

Theyearof1950mightbeknownastheYearofApparatusAcquisitionintheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.NotonlywastheDodgetankerpurchasedbutalsotwootherusedapparatuswereacquired.Thefirstone,a1927Halecityserviceladdertruck,waspurchasedinMarch1950fromtheDefenderFireCompanyinRunnemede,NewJerseyfor$300.Itcameequippedwithafullsetofwoodengroundladdersincludinga55footBangorladder.Itwasagoodrunningtruckbutthat55footmainladderextendedsofarbehindtherearwheelsthattheendoftheladdermovedasfarinonedirectionasthefrontwheelsmovedintheoppositedirectionwhenitwassteered.Gettinginandoutofthefirehousewas

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tricky!Therewasalotofequipmentonthattruckinadditiontotheladders,andformanyyears,Marmorausedaxesandothertoolswith“DFC”-DefenderFireCompany-brandedinthehandle.TheladdertruckwasremovedfromserviceandsoldinMarch1958. Sometimein1949,itwasdiscoveredthatOceanCityhadaskidpump-a500gpmHalepumpcoupleddirectlytoaChryslerengine-thatwasnotbeingused.AfterdiscussionswiththeauthoritiesinOceanCity,itwasagreedthatMarmoracouldhaveitonloanwiththeconditionthatifOceanCityneededit,theunitwouldbereturned.Foratime,afour-wheelfarmwagonwasusedforthispump.Itwouldbepickedupandtowedbyamembertothepointwhereitwasneeded.Usually,itwastakentowhatwascalled“thewaterhole”-anareawhereVernonRoadendedatasandpit.Therewaswaterinthepitandaboxhadbeenbuiltfordraftingpurposes.Thiswastheprimarysourceofwaterforseveralyears.

InMay1950,OceanCityadvertisedoneoftheiroldfireenginesforsale!Theapparatushadbeenoutofserviceforseveralyears.Itwasa1922Whitepumperwitha350gallonperminuterotarypumpunderthedriver’sseatandawatertankthatheldabout25gallons.Thetruckhadahugehosebed-probablycapableofholdingabout2000feetof2-1/2”hose.MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanydidn’thavethatmuchhosebuttheyhadadifferentuseforthetruck.Thebidwas$100andMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywon.Theskidpumpwasloadedintothehosebed.Thustheyhadamotorizedapparatustocarrythepumpunit.OceanCityrecalledtheskidpumpunitinJune1952andtheWhitePumperwaslatersold.

During1950,MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyorderedandreceiveditsfirstnewfirehose.InAugust,theChiefreportedthathehadordered1000feetofinchandahalfhose.FivehundredfeetarrivedinOctoberandtheremainderoftheorderwasdeliveredinNovember.Thecostwas$1120.70-about$1.12perfoot!ItisinterestingtonotethatseverallengthsofthishosewereremovedfromtheapparatusinOctober1978

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whentheentirehoseloadhadfinallybeenconvertedtosyntheticfiberhosetoreplacethecottonhose.

Withapparatusandequipmentbeingacquired,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyneededaplacetokeepit.BythetimetheFordfiretruckwasreceived,itwaswarmenoughthatnoprotectionfromcoldweatherwasneeded,sothroughmostofthesummerof1947,thepumperwasparkedbythegasstationwhereitcouldbemannedbywhatevervolun-teersresponded.Whencoldweatherarrivedinthelatefallsomekindofshelterhadtobefoundforit.AbarnlocatedatthecornerofShoreRoadandTuckahoeRoadwasofferedasaplacewherethetruckcouldbekept.Thiswasabarn-notafirehouse-andheatingitwasaproblemfromtheverystart.Akeroseneheaterwasprocuredandplacedinthebarnandthishelped,buttherewastheproblemoftendingtheheaterandwhenthetemperaturegotverycold,itwasinsufficient.Twoorthreefreeze-upproblemsoccurredduringthatwinterof1947-48.

Earlyin1947,acommitteehadbeenformedtolookintosecuringpropertyonwhichtobuildafirehouse.Thememberswantedthefire-housetobeonShoreRoadinMarmora,butmostofthelandinthatareawasalreadyinuse.ItwasthoughtthatagoodalternatelocationwouldbeintheWestOceanCitysubdivision.(Thiswasa1920’ssub-divisionthathadlainidlefornearly20years.)TherewasagentlemanthatownedpartofthistractthatranallthewaydownRooseveltBoulevard.Hewasapproachedaboutsellingaparcelforthefirehouse.Herespondedthathewouldbegladtodonateabuildinglot,butinhisformalofferoftheland,heplacedastipulationthatthepropertymustbeusedforevertohouseamotorizedfireapparatusandthatif,atanytime,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyfailedtodothis,thepropertyandanyimprove-mentswouldreverttohim.Thisdidnotsetwellwiththemembership.

AboutthesametimeMissMabelClarkwhoownedthenextsectionoftheWestOceanCitytractofferedalottothefirecompanywithoutcostandwithoutanyconditions.AlltheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadtodowaspaytheclosingcosts.MissMabelsuggestedapiece

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onNorwoodRoadthatwasrightnexttoherboundarylineonthesouthside.Thisactuallygavethefirecompanyalittlemorethanonelot.Thefirecompanyendedupwith50feetinsteadof40feet.Ingratitudeforhergenerousgift,themembersoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyvotedinApril1947tomakeMissMabelClarkaLifeMember.Shewasthefirsttobesohonored.

Abuildingcommitteewasappointed.Inadditiontoplanningthebuilding,thecommitteehadaconcurrenttaskofprocuringfinancing.InSeptemberandNovemberof1947,itwasreportedthatapplicationsforloanshadbeenturneddownbytwodifferentlenders.AtthemeetingonDecember2,1947,theminutesrecord:“Itwasdecidedtostartournewfirehouseafterthefirstoftheyear,astheapproachingholidaysanddeerseasonwouldtakemostofthemenstimeup.”

Fund-raisingwasaccomplishedinvariousways.DonationswereamajorsourceoffundsfortheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyandmanypeopledonatedmaterialsormoneyforthefirehouse.Adisplaywassetupinthegeneralstoreandthegasstationgivingpeopletheopportunitytobuyconcreteblocksforthenewfirehouse.Manypeople“boughtablock”andthebuildingfundbegantogrow.

InJanuary1948,authorizationwasgivenbythecompanyfortheelectriccompanytosetapoleontheproperty.Apparentlyatwo-storystructurewasinitiallyplannedfortheminutesofMarch2,1948reportthattheplanswerechangedtoa“onestorybuilding,size32x70”.

ThustheMarmorafirehousewasconstructedonNorwoodRoadaboutoneblockfromRooseveltBoulevardandtwoblocksoffShoreRoad.ThiswastoprovetobeaprettygoodlocationandtheFireCompanyoccupiedthislocationforover30years.Alotoftimeandlaborwasdonatedandverylittlewasexpendedforanythingotherthanmaterials.

Recognizingtheneedforasteadyandreliablesourceofrevenueforthefledglingfirecompany,thememberssoughttocreateafiredistrict.

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TheminutesofSeptember7,1948containamotion“...thatweappointacommittee,forthepurpose,ofmakingafiredistrict.”Asaresult,acommitteeconsistingofSpencerYoung,Chairman,ClintWalkerandJoeLovettewasappointed.

ThefirstFireCommissionersforFireDistrict#3wereelectedinFebruary1949.Theywere:CharlesBrown,Chairman,JoeLovette,HobartSapp,HaroldGannonandSalFrasca.Theamounttoberaisedbytaxationwas$1,000.00.Thisprovidedenoughmoneytopaytheannualinsurancebill.Otherexpenseswouldstillbefundedbydonationsandfund-raisingevents.

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Astheyearswentbymoreapparatuswasacquired.OneofthebigdatesintheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywaswhena“real”fireenginewasbackedintothefirehouse.ThisoccurredinJanuary1953.ThecompanyhaddecidedthattheyneededsomethingbettertoreplacetheFordwhichhadservedwellbutwashavingmoreandmorebreak-downs.NewJerseyFireEquipmentCompanywascontacted.TheyhadtakenapumperintradethathadbelongedtoHopeHoseCompanyinBordentown,NewJersey.ItwasbuiltonaDiamond-Tchassis,hadanopencab,abighosebed,a500gallonperminutepump,butithadonlya275gallontank.Itwasanicerunningtruckthatwasnottoobig-itwasespeciallylowsoiteasilyfitinthefirehouse.Thewatercapacitywasaproblembecauseifthealarmwasatadistancefromthefirehouse,theinitialattackhadtobemodifiedinordertokeepthewaterflowinguntilthetankercouldgetthereandgethookedup.Nevertheless,theMar-moraVolunteerswerequiteproudoftheir“new”fireengine.Theypaid$8000,gotatrade-inof$825ontheFordandfinanceditoverfouryears.

Tactically,intheearlydays,thephilosophywas:“weneedtokeepwaterflowingonthefireatalltimes”andallattemptsweremadetopreventlossofwaterflow.Forinstance,ifaninch-and-a-halfhosewasrequired,aboosterlinewasoftenusedinorderto“savethewater”.Thenetresultwasthatoftenthecompany(andsometimesmutualaidunits)wereoutforextendedperiodsoftimehaulingwater.Afterwards,theywouldcongratulatethemselvesthattheynever“lostwater”buttheylostthebuilding.Thiswasnotuncommonamongfiredepartmentsofthatera.Thephilosophyofastrongaggressiveattackwasoftenforgotteninthedesiretokeepthewaterflowing.

Incidentally,theDiamond-Twasthefirstvehicletobeequippedwitharadio.InApril1957,itwasreportedthataradiowouldbeinstalledandthatthecallnumberwouldbe“MF-9”.TheChiefhadmadearrange-mentstohavethisradiooperateunderthelicenseofOceanCityFireDepartment.InMayof1958asecondradiowasinstalledintheDodgetanktruck.ThecompanyultimatelyoperateduptofourmobileradiosincooperationwithOceanCityuntil,in1967,MarmoraVolunteerFire

…Fire Engines, etc. …

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CompanyreceivedalicensetooperateontheCapeMayCountyfirefrequency.

InSeptember1954,thecompanyapproved$250forthepurchaseofa“Fordchassis”.Thischassiscametobeknownastheold“bombtruck”.AgentlemanwholivedinBeesley’sPointhadgottenasurplusWorldWarIIbombhandlingvehicle.ItwasaFord4-wheeldrive,cabforwardvehiclebutithadnocab!.Ithadgoodenginewhenyoucouldkeepitrunning.SomemembersgottheideathatiftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanycouldgetthattruck,theycouldbuildatankonit,mountaportablepumpanduseitasapumperortoshuttlewater.Actually,whenitwasallfinalizedthemandonatedthevehicletothefirecompany.Theygotsteeltomakethetankandfabricatedcabinetsoutofgalvanizedsheetmetal.Theymountedtheportablepumpandhosereel.Infact,thetruckwasusedonacoupleofoccasionstoshuttlewater,butmostofthetimeitwasawhiteelephant-thealarmwouldsoundandamemberwouldstartitandbegintheresponse.Italwaysstartedeasily,butmostofthetime,itwouldgetpartwaytothefireandtheenginewoulddie.Noamountofcrankingwouldstartit.Thedriverwouldjusthavetositandwaituntilsomeone(usuallyreturningfromthefire)camealong.Thenfol-lowedtheembarrassingtowbacktothefirehouse.Itsuseonanactualfirewasrare.

In1958,theChiefrecommendedthepurchaseofautilityvehicletocarryequipmentandtoprovideanemergencyvehicletohandleopera-tionssuchasfirstaid,resuscitatorcallsandautomobileaccidents.TheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadacquiredaresuscitatorin1951andhaduseditmanytimes.Theresuscitatorhadalwaysbeeninacompart-mentonafireengine.Usually,whenitwasneededamemberwouldruntothefirehouse,pickuptheresuscitatorandrespondtotheemergencyinhisprivatevehicle.Thiswasrecognizedasasafetyhazard.Italsoconsumedvaluabletime,astheheavyequipmentwastransferredfromthefirehousetoacarandthenrushedtothesceneinavehiclewithoutanyemergencystatus.ApanelbodytruckwasorderedanddeliveredtothecompanyinJune1958.Thevehiclewassoldin1967.

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AnotherpieceofapparatusthatservedtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywellforalongtimedidn’tcostanythingtoacquire.ThefirstmentionoftheInternational(WoodsTruckasitcametobecalled)isfoundintheminutesofNovember1,1960whenadiscussionwasheldregardingthepossibilityoforganizinga“VolunteerFireGroup”intheSeavillearea.Itwasthoughtthatifsuchagroupcouldbeorganizedthattheycouldusethistruck.HowthevehiclecametoMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyisbothoddandinteresting-itneedstobetold.

Someyearsbefore,therewasaCommandingOfficeratthePalermoRadarStationwhohadbeeninvolvedwithafireduringapreviousassignment.Asaresult,hewasveryfireconscious.Ononeoccasion,whenattheoldAtlanticCityNavalAirStation,hevisitedthesalvagearea.TheretheColonelfoundavehiclethathadbeenacrashtruckonthebase.ItwasonanInternationalchassisandhadaHaleskidpumpmountedacrossthechassiswitha500gallonwatertankandtwohosereelsonit.TheNavyhadapparentlywrittenitofftheactiveinventoryandthecommanderwasabletogetthefiretrucksignedovertothePalermoStation.

Personnelthererefurbishedthevehicleandgotittobeaworkingfiretruck.Commanderschangedacoupleoftimesandinthelate1950’s,acolonelwhowasapparentlynotsofireconsciousbutwasconcernedwithstrictinterpretationofregulationswasnowincharge.Ononeoc-casionwhilepreparingforaninspection,hediscoveredthathehadafireenginethatwasnotauthorized.Heorderedhissubordinatestogetridofit,buttheyfoundthatsincetheNavyhadlefttheAtlanticCityairport,itcouldn’tgobackthere.TheydroveittotheMarmorafirehouseandparkeditonthesidelot.TheystoppedatthegasstationandverballygavethemessagethatthefireenginewasnowMarmora’s,thattheydidn’twanttohearanythingaboutitagainandthatthecolonelneverwantedtoseeitonthePalermoRadarStation.Thispresentedsomeproblems.Itwasawelcomeaddition-itpumped,carriedwateranditran-allthenecessaryqualificationsforuse.Buttherewasnotitleforitandwithoutatitleitcouldn’tbeinsured.Itapparentlystillbelonged

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totheNavy,buttheyhadlongsincewrittenitofftheirinventory.Aftermuchresearch,arepresentativeoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadtogotoPortsmouth,NewHampshire,wheretheNavycoulddigouttherecordsandmakethetransfer.Finally,inJune1961,itbelongedtoMarmoraandcouldbeplacedinservice.

Thistruckreallycouldn’tbehurtbecauseitwasalreadyinprettyroughcondition,butitworked!The“woodstruck”wasusedprimarilyforoperationsinoff-roadandforestfiresituations.Aftermanyyearsofthatkindofservice,itwasfinallyretiredin1972whenitwasreplacedbythe1968GMC.

Theold“wood’struck”wasrefurbishedbythemembers,repaintedandusedforseveralmoreyearsasaparadevehicle.Foratimethecompanymembersuseditasafocalpointfortheircomedyteam.Duringtheseyears,ittraveledtonumerousparadesinNewJerseyandventuredintoPennsylvania.Twootherdistinctionscameitsway.First,apictureofthetruck,takenduringoneofthoseparades,waspublishedinabooktitled,AmericanVolunteerFireTrucksbyWoodandSorenson.ItmaybetheonlyMarmoraapparatustohavebeenillustratedinapublishedbookoffireapparatus.ThesecondeventwastheentryofMarmora’scomedyteaminthe1970MissAmericaParade.The“woodstruck”mayhavebeentheonlyfireapparatustoevertakepartinthateventasanentry.

IntheminutesofDecember20,1960,thefollowingisrecorded:“PastPresidentLovetteaskedthatthecompanyconsidermakingasitsgoalfor1961,thepurchaseofanewpieceofequipment.”Asaresultthepresidentappointedacommitteetopresentrecommendations.ThatcommitteeconsistedofJoeLovette,Chairman,CarlMadden,FrankFoglioandHaroldGannon,Sr.ThiscommitteemetandatthemeetingofJune6,1961,thepurchaseofanewapparatusandthetrade-inoftheDiamond-Twasauthorized.ThenewapparatuswastobepurchasedfromNewJerseyFireEquipmentCo.atapriceof$15,180lessa$2000trade-in.

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Thisbrandnewapparatus,builtespeciallyforMarmora,wasdeliveredinmid-November1961.A750gallonperminutepumperwitha1000gal-lontank,itwasbuiltonaGMCchassiswithaV-6engineanda5speedtransmission.Ithadalimitedhosebed,aboosterreel,andapre-con-nectedattackline.Asecondpre-connectwasaddedlater.Whenthistruckwasdeliveredthedoorheightinthefirehousewasonlyeightfeetandthevehiclewouldn’tgothroughthedoors!ItwassenttoahydrantinOceanCityandfilledwithwater.Withtheaddedweight,itslidintothefirehousewithbarelyoneinchofclearanceattherearwarninglights.The‘62GMCwasaverygoodpieceofapparatusandabigimprovementinthefirefightingcapabilitiesoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.

Shortlyafterthedeliveryofthe‘62GMC,alocalfueloildistributorhadatanktruckforsale.MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyboughtitfor$300andaftermakingadjustmentsinthespringstocarrythewaterloadanddoingsomepipingchanges,itwasplacedinservice.Inusethetankerprovidedwaterdirectlytoapumperusinghardsuctionorusedaportablepumptorelaywater.Builtona1948Internationalchassis,ithadan1800gallontank.Thisadditionalamountofwater(theDodgetankerwasstillinservice)madeitmuchmorefeasibletomakeanaggressiveattack.Officially,thestandingordersweretomakesuchanattackevenattheriskofrunningoutofwater,butoldhabitsarehardtobreakandforaperiodof4or5years,therewerestilltimeswhentheattackwasnotveryvigorous.However,afteratimetheattacksbecamemoreaggres-siveandtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanybegantouseitswatertosavebuildings.Ironically,somethingelsehappenedthatwasnotdiscoveredforseveralyears.Whenresearchingthefirerecordspriortothepurchaseofanewapparatus,itbecameclearthatwiththeconsis-tentdevelopmentoftheaggressiveattackphilosophy,waterconsump-tionhaddroppedfromover900gallonsontheaveragefiretoabout300gallonsperfire!

MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanydidnotstandstillwiththeacquisitionofthe‘62GMC.Thispumperwaspaidoffinjustoverthreeyearsand,inOctober1965,thePresidentappointedacommitteetoinvestigatethe

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purchaseofanewapparatus.Thecommitteewasthinkingaboutanother750gallonperminutepumper,butthistimeitwouldhavea1500gallonwatertank.Aproblemdevelopedwiththistruckbeforeitevengotoffthedrawingboard.Becauseoftheaddedwater,thechassishadtobebig-gerthantheearlierpumperandthusthetruckwouldhavetobehigher.

WhenthiswasreportedtothecompanyinFebruary1966,thecommit-teealsoreportedthattheywerelookingintothecostofincreasingthedoorheight.Notknowingwhetheritwouldfitinthestation,butwiththevisionandself-confidencethatthefoundershadshownnearlytwentyyearsbefore,themembersauthorizedthecommitteetoorderthenewpumper!Itwouldbeaboutayearbeforethevehiclewouldbedeliveredand,inthemeantime,thedoorheightwouldbeincreased.ThiswasreportedaccomplishedinOctober1966.Eventhen,whenthenewappa-ratusarrivedinMarch1967,ithadtobefilledwithwatertogetitthroughthedoors.Onthepositiveside,thedoorheightnolongerrepresentedaproblemforthe‘62pumperorthetankers.

Withthe‘67pumperinservice,themembersimmediatelybeganthink-ingaboutanewtanker.TheDodgehadfinallygivenout.AfireontheUpperTownshiplandfillonenightin1964keptthemembersbusyallnightshuttlingwaterfromtheairbase.TheoldDodgeworkeditslastfireonthistrashfire.Takenoutofservice,itwassoldandthebuyerusedthetankonanotherchassisforseveralmoreyears.AnewtruckcommitteewasappointedinApril1969.Thiscommitteepreparedspecificationsforatankvehicle.

Inthosedays,ittookayearormoretogetanapparatusdelivered.BackedupwithordersforClassApumpers,themanufacturersdidnotneedto“experiment”withatanker.Asaresult,allthebidssubmitteddescribedtheClassApumperthattheywantedtobuild.Mostimportanteverysetofspecificationscutthewatertankcapacityto500or750gal-lonsinsteadoftheminimum2000gallontankinthefirecompanyspeci-fications.Allbidswererejectedandthecommitteebegantolookforadifferentway.

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TheownerofMoyerFordinOceanCitywasamemberofMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.ThroughhimthecompanyboughtaFordtilt-cabchassisandhaditdeliveredtoatanktruckmanufacturerinCollegeville,PA.Theyputtogetheratanktruckcapableofcarrying2000gallonsofwaterwithapower-take-offpumpthatwoulddeliver450gallonspermin-ute.Theunithadlimitedcompartmentspaceinwhichtocarryabasichoseloadandtools.Therewasapre-connectedattacklineandapre-connectedtwoandahalfinchlinetofeedapumper.MarmoraVolun-teerFireCompanynowhadatankunitthatcouldfunctioninbothwatershuttleandattackmodes.Formerly,thetankershasrequiredtwoormorepersonneltomanthem.Thisnewtankerwasdesignedsothedriveralonecouldefficientlydeliverwaterquicklytoapumperandwhenemptythedrivercouldrefillitjustaseasilyfromthehydrant.Thisspeededupoperationsandreducedthemanpowerrequired.TheFordtankerwasa1970model.Thecompletedapparatuscostlessthan$20,000(asopposedtoquotesofupto$60,000thatthefireapparatusmanufacturershadmade).TheFordtankerwasrefurbishedin1982andcontinuedtoservewelluntilabout1990whenitwasreplacedandsoldtoTownBankFireCompanywhereitisstillinservice.

Anothermemberofthefirecompanywasaffiliatedwithamajoroilcompany.Hefoundthathiscompanyhadausedtanktrailerthatcouldbegiventoafiredepartment.AtthefirecompanymeetingonMarch2,1971,themembersagreedtogoaheadwithprocuringthistrailer.Obvi-ously,atractorwouldberequiredandinJune1971,thecompanypaid$1200forasmallBrockwaytractor.ThetrailerwasbroughttoMarmorafromtheoilcompanysalvageyardinNorthJersey.Thetrailerneededalotofworkandalthoughusedfordrillpurposesafewtimes,the6300gal-lonunitwasnotusedforfirefightingforsometime.Finally,afteracoupleoffalsestartsthetractortrailertanker,(withadifferenttractorthatwaspurchasedfromRioGrandeFireCompany),wasputintoserviceonthe3rdofJuly1976.Onthatday,atthe4thofJulyparadeinTuckahoe,thetankerwaspubliclydisplayedasaMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyunit.Theverynextdaythetractor-trailersawserviceonitsfirstfireattheBaysideTrainingSchoolinBeesley’sPoint.Onceagaintacticschanged

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asthepresenceofthislargereservoirofwateronthescenemadepos-sibletheuseoflargerlinesintheattack.

Intheearly1980’s,anewertractorwasacquiredforthisunit.ThiswasaMackModelRtractor.Afewmonthslateranothertrailerwassecuredtoreplacetheaging(andleaking)tanktrailer.Combinedwiththetrac-tor,thisunitcouldhaulupto8500gallonsofwater.Animprovementovertheearliertractor-trailerwastheadditionofaself-poweredpumponthetrailer.

InDecember1971,asmallpumperwasacquiredfromafiredepartmentinMiddletown,Pennsylvania.ItwasactuallyanoldAmericanLaFrancefireenginebodythathadbeenmountedona1968GMCchassis.Thepumphadbeenreplacedbyaself-powered350gallonperminutepump.Thewatertankhadacapacityofabout400gallons.Thisvehicleservedasaquickattackapparatusforanumberofyearsuntilitwasreplacedin1982byanEmergencyOnemidi-pumper.Thepumpwasremovedfromthe‘68GMCandmountedonthetractor-trailertanktruck.

ThePresidentappointedanewapparatuscommitteein1978.Thiscommitteedevelopedspecificationsforalargeapparatuswitha1250gallonperminutepumpanda2500gallonwatertank.Whencompletedin1980,itwasconstructedona1979Hendricksonchassis.Itsdieselengine,automatictransmissionandtandemrearaxlewereall“firsts”forMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.ThisunitwasformallyhousedinMayof1980duringthesameceremoniesatwhichthenewfirestationonOldTuckahoeRoadwasdedicated.Refurbishedin1985,itisstillinservice.

In1982anewGMCattackpumperwasdeliveredtotheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.BuiltbyEmergencyOne,thisfourwheeldrivevehiclehada750gallonperminutepumpanda500gallontank.Itwasinserviceuntil1991,whenitwassoldtoStrathmereVolunteerFireCom-pany.Itisstillinservicethere.

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In1984,MarmoraFireCompanyscoredanotherfirst.Duringthisyear,aFordpumperwitha55’telesquirtwasplacedinservice.ThisunitwasthefirstaerialapparatusinactiveserviceinUpperTownship.Theapparatusincludeda1250gallonperminutepumpanda500gallonwatertank.

In1984,theChiefwasabletosecureausedstationwagoninverygoodcondition.Thevehiclewaspaintedredandwhite.LetteringwasappliedtomakeitanofficialMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyvehicle.Usedforavarietyofactivitiesincludingthetransportationofmemberstotraining,fireassociationmeetingsandothersuchpurposes,thestationwagonwasinserviceforabouttwoyearswhenitwasreplacedbyanew1986FordLTDstationwagon.The1986wagonisstillusedbythefirecompanyfortransportationduties.

A1250gallonperminutepumperbuiltonaFordC-serieschassiswasthenextapparatusdeliveredtotheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.Thisvehiclehasa1200gallonwatertank.Thisapparatuswasthefirstonewithahoseloadthatincludedlargediameter(5inch)hose.Thisenginewasdeliveredin1988andisstillinservice.

Abouttwoyearslater,in1990,MarmoraFireCompanyreceivedaGrummanSupertanker.Thislargetandemrearapparatushasa1500gallonperminutepumpanda3000gallonwatertank.AfirstforMarmoraonthisengineisthe8mancabsoallfirefightersrideinsidethevehiclewhenonaresponse.SafetyisofprimeimportanceinMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyandnooneisallowedtorideonthetailboardoranywhereelseontheoutsiudeofanyapparatus.

Alsoin1990,thefirecompanyaddedaFordExplorertobeusedasacommandvehicle.TheExplorer,equippedwithlights,sirenandcommuni-cationsequipment,providesthefacilitiesofacommandpost.Italsocanbeusedforthesafetransportationofpersonneltoandfromthesceneofanemergency.

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Ayearlater,in1991,arescuetruck,builtonanInternationalchassiswasalsoaddedtotheMarmoraapparatus.Thisapparatusisdesignedtodeliverrescueequipmenttotheemergencyscene.Amongthemanyitemsofequipmentisthe“JawsofLife”.Thearrivalofthisnewequip-mentbroughtwithittheneedforadditionaltraininginvehicleextricationandrescuetechniquesincludinghighanglerescue.

ThemostrecentvehicleacquiredbytheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyarrivedin1995.Thisvehicleisa1995ChevroletSuburban.ItisusedbytheFirstResponderswhorespondtomedicalemergenciesintheMarmoraFireDistrict.Althoughitisnotusedforthetransportationofpatients,thevehicleprovidesfortherapidandsaferesponseofperson-nelandtheirequipmenttotheemergencyscene.

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ConstructedonNorwoodRoadnearWistarAvenue,thefirstMarmorafirehousewasbuilttoalargeextentwithdonatedlabor.Thememberspitchedinandworkedhardtogetthebuildingupandunderroof.ActualconstructionbeganinJanuary1948.Itisnotrecordedwhentheprojectwasfinishedbutabillof$461.16forconcreteblockswaspaidinMay1948,andtheminutesnotelatein1948thattheheatingcontractorisgo-ingaheadwiththeductwork.

Thebuildingwasplannedinitiallytobe32feetby70feet.Thefloorwaspouredthatsize.Thelotwasabout4feetabovethestreet,and,inordertoputa70’buildingona90’lotandobeytheproperset-offsfromthebacklineitwasnecessarytohavethefirehouseratherclosetothestreet.Withonlyabout16feetfromthestreetlinetheapronhadtobeprettysteep.Themembersofthebuildingcommitteeplannedtohavethelotexcavatedtogetthebuildinglower.Theyhadacontractorwhowaswillingtobringinhisgradingequipmentanddonatethework,butitwasoffonanotherjobandwouldn’tbeavailablefortwoorthreeweeks.Themembersgotanxiousandtheywentahead,settheformsandpouredtheflooronthehigherlevel.

Thiswastoprovesomewhatcostlyinlateryearsespeciallyasfireapparatusgotheavierandhigher.Thesteepgradecausedthefailureofclutchesandlimitedtheheightofapparatus.Butinitiallyitwasgreat!Infact,itwasahelpintheearlydaysbecauseiftherewastroublestartingtheapparatus,allyouhadtodowasgetthefrontwheelsoverthelipandstarteddownthegrade.Thisgavethetruckagoodrollontothestreetandthedrivercould“pop”theclutchandgetitstarted-toughonappa-ratusbutitworked.

VariousfriendsoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanygavetheirtimetohelpbuildthefirehouse.Forexample,thefirecompanyboughtthenecessarystone,sandandcementtopourthefloor.Aconcretecontrac-torinOceanCitybroughthismixertothesite,-therewasn’ttransitmixinthosedays-mixedtheconcrete,andsupervisedthemembersinpouringthefloor.

…Fire Houses and Other Things…

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Thebuildingwastobeaconcreteblockbuilding.Otherfriends,amasonrycontractorandhissonagreedtolaytheconcreteblocksforthewallsatnocost.Thecompanyboughttheblocksandthemembershelpedbymixingmortar,carryingblocks,andthemanyothertasksrequired.

Fortheroofstructuretheyneededsomelumber.OneofthecommitteememberscontactedsomeoneinthePublicWorksDepartmentinOceanCity.Justwhothatpersonwas,wedon’tknow,butpermissionwasobtainedfortheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanytotakewhatlumberitneededfromtheareaofthedumpinOceanCity.Atthattime,theland-fillwaslocatedaboutwheretheairportbuildingistoday.AsthePublicWorkscrewswouldremovelumberfromvariouslocations-especiallytheboardwalk-theywouldstackitatthelandfilluntilausecouldbefoundforit.Itwaswellweatheredlumberhavingbeenontheboardwalkmanyyears.Thereasonforitsremovalfromtheboardwalkwasthatitwasbecomingsplinteryandwasthereforeasafetyhazard.ButthewoodwasstillsoundanditworkedoutjustfineforbuildingthetrussesandpurloinsfortheroofofthenewMarmorafirehouse.Thusthemateri-alsfortheroofweredonatedandthemembersassembledtrussesanderectedtheroof.TheroofwasshingledandtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyfirehousewasinoperation.

Afirehouseneedsdoors.Justwhatkindofdoorswereintheoriginalfirehouseisnotknown.Itappearsthatinitiallythedoorswererathermakeshift-maybeevenonesthatsimplyhadtobepickedupandslidoutofthewayinordertoopenitupandletthefireapparatusout.Atanyrate,overheaddoorswereinstalledwithinthefirstyear.

Inordertoconserveheatatemporarywallwasbuiltabouthalfwaybackinthebuildingsotherewasn’tasmuchspacetobeheatedinthewinter.Sincetherewasonlyonepieceofapparatus,allthatspacewasn’tneeded.Nodoubtthereweresomememberswhowouldhavebeensatisfiedwithasinglebayfirehouse,butthemajorityhadavisionofthefutureandcouldseethattheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywouldgrowbeyonditssingleenginebeginnings.

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Apparentlyduringtheconstructionofthefirehouse,therewassomecontroversy,becauseintheminutesofMarch16,1948,itwasmovedandpassed,“...thatwebuildthefirehouse,size32x30,andputinfullfootingforsize32x70,andinstalltemporaryback.Buildingcommitteetogoahead,andbaralldiscussions,pertainingtothem,atfuturemeetings,tillthebuildingisdone.”Itisquestionablewhetherthistypeoftacticwouldworkinthepresentday,butcertainlythemembersofthecompanyhadfaithintheirbuildingcommitteemembersandwerewillingtoforegotalk-ingaboutituntilthejobwasdone.

Atanyrate,thebuildingwasfinishedasasimpleconcreteblockstruc-ture(32feetby70feet)withtwodoorsinthefront.Thedoorswereninefeetwideandeightfeethigh.Althoughthesedoorswerelargeenoughforanythingavailableinthelate1940’s,thisbecameaprobleminlaterdayswhenthecompanybegantobuyapparatusthatwasbiggeranditneededmuchmoreheadroomthan8feet.

Additionsweremadetotheoriginalfirehouse.Thefirstonewasonthesouthwestcornerofthebuilding.Thiswasdonetohouserestroomsandakitchen.Severalyearslaterameetingroomwasadded.Thesewereofthesameconcreteblockconstructionastherestofthebuilding.Theadditionshadanearlyflatshedroofthatextendedouttothesouthsideofthefirehouse.

Sometimeinthemid1950’ssomeoneacquiredametaltowerthathadbeenusedonafarmforawindmill.Itwasabout10’acrossthebottom,about3’acrossatthetopandabout30’high.Althoughtheroofwasprobablynotdesignedtotakethatkindofweight,thistowerwasmount-edonthefrontportionoftheroofofthefirehouse.Itwasenclosedwithplywoodinordertoformahosedryingtower.Formanyyears,aftereachalarmthewethosewasdrapedoverapipeframeandhauledwithblockandtackletothetopofthetowertodry.Afewyearsaftertheinstalla-tionofthetower,itwasdecidedthatanewsirencouldbeplacedontopofthetower.A5horsepowerhorizontalsirenwaspurchased.Thiswasanimprovementinthealertingsystembuthearingitstilldependedontheweatherandthedistancefromthefirehouse.

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MorechangestothefirehouseonNorwoodRoadweremadeinthe1966whenitsimplybecameimpossibletobuyafireenginethatwaslowenoughtopassthroughthoseeightfootdoors.Thefirehousehadbeenconstructedwithaheavypouredreinforcedconcretebeamacrossthefrontofthebuildingabovethedoors.Boththedoorwidthandheightneededtobeincreasedandthatbeamhadtoberemoved.Thisbeamwasabout18”highand8”thickandatleast24feetlong.

Aworkcrewofmembersplannedoutthejob,shoredupthetrussworkacrossthefrontofthebuildingandremovedthebeam.Theyreplacedtheconcretebeamwithasteelbeamofsmallerheightandgainedaboutafootinheadroom.Afternewdoorswereinstalledtheopeningswere10’wideand9’2”high.Thedoorswerestillrestrictive,butatleast,itwaspossibletogetanapparatusthatwouldfitthroughthem.Anotherrestric-tiveaspectoftheoriginalfirehousewasthe10’ceilingheightinsidethebuilding.Simplechoreslikepackinghoseandworkingontheapparatusoftenrequiredthatvehiclebepulledoutside.

Inthelate1960’s,asixtankbreathingaircascadesystemwasinstalledinthefirehouse.Thissystemwasusedtofilltheairtanksoftheselfcontainedbreathingapparatus.Priortothisimprovement,airtankshadtobetakentoOceanCitywherethefiredepartmentfilledthemattheir9thStreetstation.Thiscascadewassuppliedbyhavinganindustrialgasdistributorbringinfulltanksinexchangeforemptyones.Thisinstallationprovidedforincreasedtrainingwiththebreathingapparatusandthusincreaseduseofthemonfires.

Severalyearslater,whenthecompanymovedtoitsnewquartersonOldTuckahoeRoad,thecascadewasmoved.Later,inthemid1980’s,ahighpressurecompressorwasaddedsothattherewouldnolongerbedependenceonthedistributor.

Becausethetowerwascausingstressontheroofstructureofthefirehouse,itwasdecided,in1967,toremoveit.Shortlyafterthedismantlingofthetower,itwasdiscoveredthattheroofshingleswereinbadshape

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andneededreplacement.Abidof$800wasreceivedfromacontractortodothework.AtameetinginJuly1967,themembersdecidedtodotheworkthemselves.Twoeveningslatertheroofwasfinishedatacostof$275.

Itwasobviousforanumberofyearsthatneworenlargedquarterswouldbenecessaryatsometimeinthefuture.SeveralsuggestionsastohowthefirestationonNorwoodRoadcouldbealteredwerediscussedandsomeplanswereevendrawn.Theproblemofhowtopayforanysuchchangeswasalwaysaroadblocktotheplans.Furthermore,thelowceiling,limiteddoorsizeandotherdifficultieswiththeoldfirehousewouldstillbepresent.

Abuildingfundwasestablishedduringthe1970’s,whentheLadiesAuxiliarysenta$200checktothecompanyfor“anewbuilding”.Thememberswerenotsurewhattodowiththismoney,butafterdiscussionitwasdecidedtoestablishaseparatefundforthepurpose.Spurredbythebeginningofthefund,asearchwasbegunforapieceofpropertyonwhichtobuild.ThebuildingcommitteefoundaparcelalongOldTucka-hoeRoad.Theowners,EdgarandMaryCorsonwereapproachedaboutsellingthelandwhichwasanabandonedsandpit.TheyindicatedthattheywouldbewillingtotransferownershiptotheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyfortheamounttheyhadinvestedintheproperty.Thisamountedtoaboutonethousanddollars.Thetransferwascompletedandasignwaserectedannouncingthefuturelocationofthenewfirestation.Progresstowardthegoalofnewquarterswasslow,butfinally,inFebruary1979,groundwasbrokenatthesiteforthenewMarmoraFirehouse.

Completedin1980,thenewfirestationwasasteelstructure.Withoveralldimensions80by90feet,itwaslargeenoughtohavecompletelycontainedtheoldfirehouse!Therewerethreeenginebays,twoofwhichweredrive-through.A30-footsectionontheeastsideofthebuildingwasseparatedbyafirewallanddesignatedasameetinghall.Akitchenwasarrangedatoneendofthissection.Abovethismeetingroomarea,

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offices,acompanymeetingroom,recreationroomandstorageareaswereprovided.Acommunicationroomandshopareawerelocatedontheengineroomfloor.

Oneoftheobviousadvantagesofthenewstationwastheceilingheightinthenewbuilding.Withatleast16feetclearabovethefloor,packinghoseinsidethefirehousewasnolongeraproblemandwithdoors12feetwideand14feethigh,theproblemsoftheoldstation’ssmalldoorswaseliminated.Marmora’snewfirehousewasdedicatedinMay1980.The1979Continentalpumpertankerwashousedatthesametime.Theparadeassociatedwiththeseceremoniesincludedoveronehundredpiecesoffireandrescueapparatus.

Feelingtheneedformorespacebothintheengineroomandintheofficesupstairs,themembersrecognizedtheneedtoaddontothefirehouse.Intheearly1990’s,aadditionaldrivethroughvehiclebaywasconstructedalongtheentirelengthattherearofthebuilding.Partofthefirstbaybehindthemeetingroomwasusedtoprovidemorespaceforserviceareaonbothfloors.Thenthespacesontheupperlevelwerecompletelyrenovatedtomakeofficesavailableforthevariousmemberswithpositionsofcommandandadministrativeresponsibility.Provisionsforalibraryandlearningcenterwerealsomade.

Soonaftertheserenovationswerecomplete,theMarmoraFireCompanyacquiredasubstantialstructurethatcouldbeusedasatrain-ingtower.Withthisacquisition,theareanorthwestofthemainstructurewasfencedanddevelopedasatrainingcenter.ThiscenterincludesvariousfacilitiestoenablethememberstotraininMarmorainsteadoftravelingtoCapeMayCourtHousetousethetrainingcenteratthecountycomplex.Inadditiontothetower,thetrainingcenterincludesa“smokeandburn”buildingaswellasastoragebuildingfortrainingsupplies.

Aboutthesametimethatthetrainingcenterwasbeingdeveloped,astudyofthemembersandtheirfamilysituationswasmade.Itwasde-

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terminedthatatalmosteveryalarm-especiallyinthedaytime-severalmorememberswouldbeabletorespondifameansofcaringfortheirchildrencouldbeprovided.Itwasfurtherfoundthatthesamesituationprevailedforworksessionsandtraining.Theideaofaplayareawasintroducedandthemembersapprovedit.Costswereheldtoaminimumbecausethemembersprovidedallthelabor.Whentheplaygroundwasfinisheditwasmadeavailabletothechildrenoftheneighborhoodaswellasthechildrenofmembers.Thus,insolvingaproblem,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhasprovidedanadditionalserviceforthecom-munity.

In1993,a30kWstandbygeneratorwasacquiredandinstalledinitsownenclosuretothenorthsideofthebuilding.Providingsufficientpowertosupplyallessentialelectricalrequirementsofthefirehouse,thisadditionmadetheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyheadquartersself-sufficientinanyemergency.Theunitautomaticallystartswhenapoweroutageoccurssothatbuildingfunctionscontinuewithoutinterruption.

ForfiftyyearstheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhasbeena“tanktruck”company,haulingthewaterthatitneededforfirefighting.Intheearlydays,thewatersourcewastwoorthreedraftingpoints.Later,themutualaidagreementwiththeOceanCityFireDepartment,gavepermissionforMarmoratofillwatertanksatoneortwohydrantsalong34thStreet.Then,withtheconstructionoftheB.L.EnglandGeneratingStation,abouttenhydrantswereinstalledthereandMarmorawasgivenpermissiontousethem.AccesstothesehydrantsbehindthefencewassometimeslimitedandrunstoOceanCityhydrantscontinuedtobecom-monplace. Then,intheearly1980’s,abouttwoyearsafteroccupyingthenewfirestation,themembershipauthorizedthedrillingofa10inchwellonthebackoftheproperty.Withtheinstallationofasubmersiblepump,thewellcoulddeliverseveralhundredgallonsofwatereachminute.NowtherewasawatersourceforfillingthetankswithouthavingtogotoahydrantinOceanCity.Thiswellisstilloperatingasawatersourceforfirefightingwatersupply.

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ThemostrecentdevelopmentinthewatersupplysituationoccurredinJanuary1997,when14hydrantswentintoserviceinthe“Downtown”Marmoraarea.Thisrepresentsabigstepforwardinthefireprotectionofthisarea,butlargeportionsoftheMarmoraFireDistrictstillrequirethetanktrucksforfirefightingwatersupply.

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Overits50yearsofexistenceMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhasengagedinthesuppressionofthousandsoffires.Itwouldbeimpos-sibleandquiteboringtoattempttoreviewalloftheseoperations.Onthefollowingpagesareaccountsofnotableoperations-notablebecauseoftheirmagnitudeorforsomeotherreasonthatmakesthemespeciallymemorabletoMarmorafiremen.

Thefirstenginedidn’tgetintotownintimeforthefirstfire!Actuallytherewereacoupleofsmallgrassfirespriortothearrivalofthatpumper.Infact,thefirstgrassfireaftertheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyorganizedhadtobehandledbyOceanCityFireDepartmentwhichcametoMarmoratoputoutafirerightalongRooseveltBoulevardatVernonRoad.

1947 PigPenFire

AlsobeforethepumperarrivedinMay1947,thefirstrealstructuralfireoccurred.TheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadtheIndiancansandbroomsbutnopumperandsotheveryfirststructuralfirewasfoughtbymutualaidunits.Butimportantlythoseunitswouldnolongerbecalledbyindividualcitizensseekinghelp,butinsteadtheywerecalledbythefledglingMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyasamutualaidresponse.Thisbeganthecontinuingtraditionofcooperationwithsurroundingunitsthatisaliveandwelltoday.OceanCity,OceanViewandTuckahoeallsenthelponthisoccasion.

Ironically,thefirewasinthepigpenandoneoftheout-buildingsonMahlonMcMaster’sfarm-yes,thefirststructuralfireexperiencedbythenewMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywasonthepropertyoftheFireChief.Thebuildingswerenotsavedandsomepigsdied,butseveralpigsweresavedandthefirespreadwaslimitedtothebuildingswhereitstarted.

Manyyearslater,afterthefarmhadbeensold,thefarmhousewasthesceneofarapidlyspreadingfire,theleveledtheentirebuilding.Atthat

…Notable Fires and Events…

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timetheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywasassistedbybothTucka-hoeandSeavilleFireCompanieswhowerecalledformutualaid.

July1949 StagecoachRoadFire

Itreallywasn’taninfernonorwasitahugebuilding!Actually,thebuildingonStagecoachRoadmidwaybetweenTuckahoeandChurchRoadswasasmallonestoryhousewithanatticlikemanyoftheoldhousesinMarmora-tworoomsandashedroofkitchendownstairsandoneortworoomsupstairsundertheslopingroof.

Thesirenblewabout6:00P.M.callingtheMarmoravolunteersfromtheirsuppers.Theboyof10yearsago,washomefromcollegeforthesummer.Dadjumpedupfromthetable,ranoutthedoor,andheadedforthefirehousejustacoupleofblocksaway.Thestudentfinishedhissup-perand,althoughnotamemberofthefirecompany,hewantedtohelp.Soonthesirenofafiretruckcouldbeheardgettingcloserandcloserasthepumperwithitsemptytankcamedownthestreetinfrontofhishousetogetwaterfromthe“waterhole”.Hewentoutandaskedthefiremenifhecouldhelp.TheysenthimtoRooseveltBoulevardandVernonRoadtogivethema“go”or“no-go”signalastheyheadedbacktothefire.Presently,otherfireenginesfromTuckahoeandOceanViewcametothewaterpointtorefill.Eachtruckmaderepeatedrunsfromthefiretothewaterholeandbacktothefire.

VerylittlewassavedandtoaddtotheproblemsoftheMarmoraVol-unteerFireCompany,theFordpumperblewitsengine.AnemergencymeetingwasheldlatethatnighttoauthorizeanewenginefortheFordandtotrytofigureouthowtopayforit!

Theyoungmanwenthomefeelingsatisfiedthathedonesomethingtohelp!Dadproposedhimformembershipatthenextmeeting.Thus,hejoinedtheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.

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1957 TheIrrigationPondTragedy

Ithadbeenanexceptionallycoldmonth.IcehadformedonmanyofthepondsintheMarmoraFireDistrict.LateoneafternoonacallforhelpcamefromthePalermoRadarStation.Threeofthechildrenofpersonnellivingindependenthousingweremissing!

Therecordsdonotindicatehowtheirrigationpondjustsouthofthehousingareawaspin-pointedasthesite,butbrokeniceonthepondandsmallfootprintsonthebankledtotheconclusionthattheboyshadfallenintothewater.FirecompaniesfromMarmora,OceanCityandOceanViewaswellastheRescueSquadfromOceanCityresponded.Allthefiretruckstherebegantodraftwaterfromthepondtolowerthewaterlevelwhilerescuesquaddiversattemptedtolocatetheboys.AlargetwinrotorhelicoptercalledbytheAirForcesearchedthesurroundingarea.

Finally,itbecameadraggingoperationandafterseveralhours,thethreesmallbodieswerepulledonebyonefromthepond.Theentireareawasstunnedbythedeaths.Althoughnota“first”tobecheered,MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhadexperienceditsfirstfatalitiesonanemergencyoperation.

Dec.31,1961 Beesley’sPointHotelFire

Everysmalltownfiredepartmenthasatleastonebuildingthatistheir“ifthatoneevergoes”location.Themembers,whenidlytalkingaboutpossiblefiresintheirarea,frequentlyrefertothelocationastheplacewhereabadsituationcoulddevelop.Marmorafiremenfromtheverybeginninghadoftensaid“iftheBeesley’sPointHotelevergoes!”TheBeesley’sPointHotelwasalargefour-storyframebuildingthathasstoodatShoreRoadandthebaysincebeforetheturnofthecentury.Itwasalocallandmark.Inthelate1950’s,thehotelwasmostlyvacantexceptfortherestaurantandbarthatoperatedonthegroundfloor.Thenthe

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electriccompanydecidedtoconstructapowerstationinBeesley’sPoint.Quicklythehotelwasaliveasout-of-townworkersoccupiedmanyoftherooms.

OnNewYear’sEve1961,theBeesley’sPointHotel“went”!TheMarmoraVolunteersfoundthemselvescelebratingthebeginningof1962fightingamajorfire.Thefirehadbegunintheheaterroomonthegroundfloorandhadracedtothefourthfloorviaanopenstairway.QuickresponsebyfireunitsfromOceanCity,SomersPointandTuckahoetoassisttheMarmorafiremenresultedinstoppingthefirewithonlyonewingdamaged,butthedamagewasenoughthatconsideringitstheownersdecidedtodemolishthebuilding.

Mar.6-7,1962 March‘62Storm

NooneinMarmora(noranyoneintheSouthJerseyarea,forthatmat-ter)wasparticularlyconcernedabouttheweatherconditionsinearlyMarch1962.Anortheasterwasbrewing,butasusual,theprospectsofsuchastormweremetwiththenormal“ho-hum”attitudeofpeoplewhohadexperiencedthreeorfoursuchstormseveryyearaslongastheycouldremember.Butthisonewouldbedifferent!TheconvergenceofthreelowpressureareasalongtheAtlanticseaboardbroughtunprece-dentedhightidesandsustainedwindsthatrakedtheSouthJerseycoastfortwofulldaysandleftthebarrierislandswithtremendousdamage.

InMarmora,theoperationsbeganonMonday,March5thwithanearlyeveningfirealarminPalermo.Completelyunassociatedwiththestorm,thealarmwasfortheodorofsmokeinahome.Apartiallycloggedflueonaspaceheaterwasthecause,andtheMarmoraunitsreturnedtotheirstation.Importantly,thecoincidentfirealarmhadtheeffectofcallingthefirementoduty.Theyremainedatthestationforthenext72hours.

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ThetidewashighandwasbeginningtoencroachonRooseveltBou-levard.Ashadbeendoneinthepastinsimilarsituations,aMarmorafiretruckwasdispatchedtothewater’sedgetostoptrafficandadvisemotoriststhatattemptingtogointoOceanCitywasunsafe.BythetimeofthenexthightideonTuesdaymorning,waveswerebreakingacrosstheBoulevard.ThefiretruckwasmovedtothewestsideoftheParkway.Eachsucceedingtidecameinhigherthantheonebefore,anditsoonbecameobviousthatfloodingdamageinOceanCitywouldbeextensive.

TheMarmorafiremenaccomplishedtheevacuationbyboatofasmallgroupofresidentsfromtheCedarSwampCreekareaofTuckahoeRoad.TheycontinuedtomaintaintheroadblockontheBoulevard.Thefire-housebecameashelterforafewstrandedmotorists.

Finallythewinddieddownandthewaterbegantorecede.AssoonasitwaspossibletogettoOceanCity,aidwassent.Sincemostoftheirhydrantswerecoveredbysandandcouldnoteasilybefound,Marmora’stanktruckwasstationedforaboutaweekatOceanCity’s29thStreetfirestation.Every8hoursanewdriverwassenttothatstation.MembersoftheMarmoraFireCompanyalsoservedasvolunteerguardstomantheroadblocksat34thStreet,keepingthecuriousfromenteringtheareaofgreatestdestruction.

1963 AtlanticCountyForestFires

Ithadbeenaratherdryspringandthewoodsweretinder.SeveralsmokecloudsrisingfromAtlanticCountycouldbeseenfromMarmora.Inthelatemorning,acallwasreceivedrequestingassistance.TheInternational“wood’struck”andatanktruckweredispatched.TheyweredirectedtoreporttotheBargaintownFireHouse.Arrivingthere,theMarmoraunitswereimmediatelysenttoTiltonRoadwheretheywereusedtoprotectstructuresasthefirecamethroughthewoods.Asthecrownfirepassed,MarmorawasreassignedtotheBlackHorsePikewheretheunitsparticipatedinthefinalstandthatstoppedtheforestfirethathadcutawideswathacrossSouthJersey.

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SenttotheNorthfieldFireStation,theMarmorafiremenwerethereonlylongenoughtograbasandwichandcupofcoffeebeforetheyweredispatchedtoZionRoad.Therethetanktruckwasheldinastagingareawhilethewood’struckwithafivemancrewwassenttoprotectthreenewlycompletedhousesalongZionRoad.Thefire,runningparalleltothecourseofthefireearlierintheday,destroyednearlyeverythinginitspathexceptwhereafiretruckhadbeenstationed.ThethreehousesprotectedbyMarmorafiremenstoodunharmedincontrasttothecompletelyblackenedwoodlandsurroundingthem.Otherbuildingsalongtheroadweredestroyedbecausetherewasnotenoughfireapparatusavailable.

Nov.1964 BigDumpFire

WhentheMarmoraFireCompanywasfirstorganized,therewasasmalltrashdumpprovidedbytheTownshipfortheuseofresidentsintheMarmoraarea.*Itwasnotaverylargearea,butitseemsthatthetrashcaughtfireperiodically.Infact,thefirecompanyminutesofJune21,1949reportthat“TheChiefandthePresidentwenttotheTownshipCommitteeaboutthedumpandtherecentfiresthere.Asaresulttheywereappointedwatchmen.”

Afterafewyears,thisdumpwasclosedandUpperTownshipes-tablishedthetownshiplandfillonButterRoadinPalermo.ThiswasinMarmora’sfiredistrict.Likeitspredecessor,thePalermolandfillhadfiresoccuronitfromtimetotime.Mostofthetime,thefirewassmallandeasilycontrolledwiththewaterfromasinglepumperortanker.In1964,however,afirereportedonthelandfillwasdifferent.ArrivingunitsfromMarmorafoundthedumponfirefromoneendtotheother-about200yardsoftrashblazingandthreateningtospreadtothesurroundingwoodland.ItwasaSaturdayeveningandallMarmorafiremenandequipmentquicklybecameinvolvedintheattempttocontrolthefire.

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Thefightcontinuedallnightwithverylittleresults.Duringtheearlymorninghourstherewerethreeexplosions.Alsotwomenwerealmostlostwhenthetrashbankcavedinsuddenlydroppingthemseveralfeetintoacavityinthepile.Fortunately,theybothhadpresenceofmindtohangontothehoselineandthemantendingthehoseupabovewasabletohelpthembackuptothetop.(Itwaslaterlearnedthatoldcarbodieswiththefueltanksstillinthemhadbeenpushedovertheedgeofthetrashpilewhichwasinseveralplacesatleasttwentyfeethigh.)AsSundaymorningdawnedtheflameswereunabated.TheTownshipmayorwascalledtoprovideabulldozerandtruckloadsofgraveltobeginthetaskofburyingthefire.

ThiswasthelasttimethattheMarmoraFireCompanyattemptedtofightadumpfire.FromthenonthetacticschangedtopurelydefensiveoperationsuntiltheTownshipworkerscouldgettothelandfilltocoverit.

*(ItmaybeofinterestthatthetrainingfacilityattheMarmoraFireStationislocatedonthesiteoftheoldtrashdumpmentionedinthe1949minutes.)

Feb.20,1972 TrainWreck

Abouttwoo’clockontheSaturdayafternoonofFebruary20,1972,theMarmoraFireCompanydispatcherreceivedacallreportingthatatraindeliveringoiltotheB.L.EnglandGeneratingStationhadderailedintheareaoftherailroadcrossingonTuckahoeRoad.Respondingunitsfoundthewreckedtraindownadirtroadabout400yardsfromthepavedhighway.Theodoroffueloilhungintheairandcouldbedetected300feetawayfromthetankcarthatwasintheworstcondition.Itwassoonevidentthatthistankcarwasleakingitscrudeoilcargoatamoderaterate.Probablyathousandgallonsormorehadescapedbythetimefire-menarrived.

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Sixothertankcarsthatwerealsoderailedweredeterminedtobesoundandnotleaking.Actinguponadvicefromanelectriccompanyrep-resentativeto“treatitlikegasoline”,thespillareawasquicklyfoamed.AcallwasmadetoOceanCityforadditionalfoamsupplieswhichwerepromptlydeliveredtothescene.AMarmorafiremanwasabletosignifi-cantlyslowtheleakwithatiretubeandsomehoseclamps.Tofurtherreducethehazards,therailroadremovedaboutthirtyothertankcarsthatwerestillonthetracksandundamaged.

Marmoracrewswererotatedaroundtheclockforthenext72hours.(Actuallyhardlyanyoneleftthesceneforthiswasthefirsttrainwreckmostofthemembershadeverwitnessedandtheydidn’twanttomissanything.)MembersoftheLadiesAuxiliarywenttothefirehouseandfortheentirethreedayoperationpreparedsoupandotherfoodtobetrans-portedtotheincidentscenetofeedthefiremenandworkersthere.

Sincethetemperaturesthroughouttheoperationwerebelowfreezing,itwasnecessarytoreplacehoseseverytimereplenishmentofthefoamblanketwasneeded.Thewethosewasreturnedtothefirehousetobedried.Finally,onthethirdday,thederailedcarswereallreturnedtotherebuiltroadbedandtracks.Withallthesetankcarsmovedsafelytothepowerplant,theMarmorafiremenreturnedtotheirstation.Ahazardousjobhadbeencompletedsafelyandefficiently.

May10,1979 HarborRoadFire

Thefireapparentlybeganabout7:30inthemorning,buttheMarmoraFireCompanywasnotnotifieduntilnearlynineo’clock.Bythetimethefirstarrivingunitswereonthescene,thegaragewasfullyinvolvedandtheflameswerecomingthroughtheroof.Notingsmokealsocomingfromthesecondfloorofthehousethatwasstillunderconstruction,Marmora’sAssistantChiefcalledimmediatelyforassistancefromSeaville,Tuckahoe,SomersPointandOceanCity.

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Astheattackprogressedagainstthefireinthehouse,theSeavillefire-menweredirectedtoprovideanattacklineonthefireinthegaragetoreducetheexposuretothehouse.Asthelinewasmaneuveredintoposition,itgotcaughtonsomethingnearthegarage.Quickly,aSeavillemanjumpedintofreethelineandatthatmomenttheconcreteblockwallsofthegaragecollapsed.Struckbysomeoftheseblocks,CurtisCorsonsufferedfatalinjuries.ThetragedyhittheentireUpperTownshipareahardandfocusedmuchattentiononthefirecompanies.

Theinvestigationofthefiredeterminedthefiretobeofincendiaryoriginbecausetherewereseveralpointsoforigininthehouseandgarage.Becauseofthedeathofthefirefighter,thefirewasdeclaredan“arson-homocide”.Unfortunatelytheperpetratorwasneveridentifiednorapprehended.

Early1980’s HoltzBoatWorks

TheboatyardandrepairfacilityonTuckahoeRoadatCedarSwampCreekwaspackedwithavarietyofcraft.Manywereinstoragefortheseason-somewerebeingoverhauledintheshops.Afirebrokeoutandquicklyinvolvedoneofthebuildings.Severalboatsandoneofthebuildingswerelost,butthemajorityoftheboatsandtheotherbuild-ingsweresavedfromthedestructiveflames.Complicatingthesituationwereadverseweatherconditionsincludinghighwindswhichcouldhavedriventhefireintotheexposedbuildings,butwhichweresparedbytheaggressiveoperationsoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.

1987 TireFireinElwood,NJ

Withoveramilliontiresablazeandlittleornowateravailable,thefiremenofAtlanticCountyneededhelp.Thehelptheyneededcameintheformoftanktrucksfrommanyplaces.MarmoraVolunteerFireCom-pany,inwhatmaybethelongestdistanceevertraveledbyMarmorato

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supplymutualaid,sentthetractor-trailertanktruckandotherapparatuswithpersonneltothescene.Marmoraapparatuswasonthesceneforafullweek.

1987 ChristmasDayonHilltopDrive

ThelastthinganyfirefighterwantstohearisanalarmforahousefireespeciallyonChristmasDay.Marmorafiremenarenodifferent.OnChristmasDay1987,alargehouseonHilltopDrivecaughtfire!MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyrespondedandimmediatelyrequestedmutualaidfromneighboringSeavilleandTuckahoe.Truetotradition,over100membersofthethreecompaniesrespondedtothescene.Althoughthefirebadlydamagedtheupperportionofthehouse,enoughwassavedtopermitthehousetoberebuilt.

March1992 B.L.EnglandCoalPitFire

CalledtotheB.L.EnglandGeneratingStationforacoalfire,mostrespondingMarmorafiremenprobablythoughttheyweregoingtowhatwouldbeaboring,dirtyjob.Uponarrival,theyfoundthatfirewasseveralstoriesdowninthegroundinapitbelowthecoalcarunloadingfacility.Itwasalong,dirty,dangerousjob.Involvedinthefirewastheconveyorsystemthatbringsthecoaltothesurfacefromitsundergroundstoragearea.ThisfireisprobablythelargestdollarlossfireinthehistoryofMar-moraVolunteerFireCompany.

September1993 SouthShoreAutoWorld

ItwasaSaturdaymorninginSeptemberandeverythinginMarmoraseemedcalmandquiet.TheFireChiefhadlefttownearlytogototheNewJerseyStateFiremen’sConventioninWildwoodtoregisterMarmora’sunitsintheparade.ThiswasthedayofthehugeFiremen’s

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ParadeinwhichMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyexpectedtopartici-pateandhopefullybringhomeatrophyastheyhadinthepast.

ThealarmwassoundedforafireatSouthShoreAutoWorldonShoreRoadjustsouthofTuckahoeRoad.Firstarrivingunitsreportedheavysmokeandcalledformoreresponse.WithouttheChiefto“runtheshow”,ayoungDeputyChiefsteppedin,tookcontrolofthesituationandbythetimetheChiefcouldreturntoMarmorafromWildwood,theMar-morafiremenwereoverhaulingthefire.Damagewasheavybutthemainproductionpartofthebuildinghadbeensaved.

OceanCityMutualAid

FromalmosttheverybeginningoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany,therehasbeencooperationwiththeOceanCityFireDepartment.OceanCityofficersconductedfrequenttrainingsessionsforthemembersofthefledglingfirecompany.MutualaidbegansoonafterMarmorawasorganizedandcontinuestothepresent.OneofthefirstrecordedopportunitiesinwhichMarmorahelpedtheOceanCityfiremenoccurredinAugust1954,whenamassivegrassfireoccurredalongBayAvenueinOceanCity.InthosedaysBayAvenuewaslinedwithcat-tailsandreedsfrom24thto34thStreet.TheMarmoratankerwasusedtosupplywatertothepumpersattackingthefires.

Asthenewcompanybecamemorecompetentandbetterequipped,itwascalledformutualaidwheneverOceanCityhadafirebigenoughtorequireageneralalarm.Onsuchoccasions,aMarmoraengineandcrewreportedtoOceanCity’s29thStreetStationandstoodbyinthatsta-tiontocovertheentiresouthernportionoftheisland.Later,inthe1970’swhenOceanCitybuiltanewstationatthesouthendoftheislandandMarmorahadmoreapparatusandpersonnel,theMarmoraFireCompanysentmenandapparatustobothofthosestations.

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Intheearly1980’s,OceanCityhadafireinthe800blockofCentralAvenue.Onthisoccasion,Marmorawascalledtothesceneandassignedapositionattherearofthefirebuildingtoprotectexposures.ThiswasthefirsttimethataMarmoraunithadeverbeencalledtoworkonthesceneofageneralalarmfireinOceanCity.Itwouldnotbethelasttime.

WhentheVillageTheaterontheBoardwalkinOceanCityburned,Marmorawasagaincalledtothefirescenetoassist.Anothersuchsituationoccurredinthe900blockoftheOceanCityBoardwalkwhenfireclaimedanareaknownasFisherman’sWharf.

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Whilereviewingrecordsandnotesfromthepast,anumberofinterest-ingitemsseemedto“jumpoffthepage”.Thefollowingnotescontainsomeofthe“flavor”ofthefirst25yearsoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywhenthingsweredifferentthantheyaretoday.

“...Alsoan[anomous,]letter,fromsomecrank, tellingushowtorunthecompany.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Feb.18,1947

“...ThatwepaySpencerYoung$16.00fornozzles andthatwebuy500ftofhose,attencentsafoot, andsomenecessarynozzles.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Aug.5,1947

NoticewasgiventoamendtheBy-Lawstotake intheLadiesAuxiliary“asaunittofunction forthebenefitandwelfareofthefirecompany.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Nov.2,1948 [Note:Thisamendmentwasapprovedandthe LadieshavebeenanactivepartofMarmora VolunteerFireCompanyeversince.]

...votedtobuylicenseplatetagstoread “MarmoraFireDept.”100for$37.50 -fromCompanyMinutes,Dec.7,1948

“Hereafterbesurethat[before]leavingfora fire,thatthelocationispostedontheboard.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.17,1950 Movedthatanymemberingoodstandingbeing

…And a Little of Something Else…

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draftedorenlistinginarmedservicesbecarried onrollaspaidupuntilhonorablydischarged. -fromCompanyMinutes,Apr.17,1951

Noregularmeetingthisdatedueto“avery importantmeetingoftheSchoolBoard” -fromCompanyMinutes,Sep.7,1954

“AcaseofAthlete’sFoothasbeenreported. Bootsaresuspected.Adisinfectantistobe procuredandeachpairofbootstobedusted withthisatfrequentintervals.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.5,1954

“Amotionwasmadeandcarriedthatwepayour CountyAssn.dues.Howevertheyaretobepaid incash.TheTreasurerwillmakeacheckpayable tothesecretarywhowillcashsameandpaydues atthemeetingtomorrownight.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Feb.7,1956

Duetocomplaintsregardingsoundingofsiren itwasdecidedtotestinfutureatnoonon Saturday-priortothishadblownsirenone blasttosignalmeetingsanddrillsonTuesday eveningat7:00P.M. -fromCompanyMinutes,Mar.18,1958

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“Itwasmoved,secondedandcarriedthatbetween November1standMarch31stthefirehallwill berentedonlyifadequatesubstitutehousing oftheequipmentcanbearrangedbythehouse committeechairmanorbythepersonsdesiringto rentthehall.Thepurposeofthismotionwas explainedtobethatthepumperandtanktruck beproperlyprotectedduringsevereweather.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Nov.21,1961

WordofthanksfromL.Lilly,Jr.toMarmoraforefforts toorganizeavolunteerfirecompanyinSeaville. Duetolackofmenatthistimenothingcameofit. [Marmorahadputthe“bombtruck”inLilly’sgasstation.] -fromCompanyMinutes,Dec.19,1961

ReportedthatwesuppliedStainton’sdredgewith 2000gallonsofwater.Wearetoget1000gallons offueloilforthefirehouseinreturn. -fromCompanyMinutes,Feb.19,1963 [Note:That1000gallonsoffuel oilneverranout!Mr.Stainton, alwaysafriendoftheMarmoraFire Company,suppliedtheheatingoil forthefirehouseuntilhisdeath!]

“NoMeeting,Presidentabsent.VicePres. absent.NoofficerspresenttoconductMeeting. Allbills&businesscarried”[Abovenote hand-writtenonapageintheminutes.] -fromCompanyMinutes,Mar.19,1964

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Notemadeof“newlyorganizedSeavilleGroup” MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywentonrecord wishingtheorganization“muchencouragementand bestwishes”. -fromCompanyMinutes,Aug.4,1964

“AresolutionwasmadestatingthattheCompany wishedtobackupourFireCommissionersonour BoundaryLimitsoftheFireDistrict.Itwas decidedtocheckthelegalstatusofsuchamove byanotherFireDistrictandtheTownshipCommittee.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Apr.20,1965

MeetingwithrepresentativesofSeavilleFireCompany reported. -fromCompanyMinutes,Jul.6,1965

More“problems”mentionedregardingSeaville FireCo.anditsterritory.FireCommissioners aretomeetwithSeavilleCo.andsolicitors atTownshipmeeting. -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.5,1965

Christmastreesarehereandsetoutonsidelot. -fromCompanyMinutes,Dec.7,1965

“...discussedtheadvisabilityofcallingOceanCityFire Dept.ifnomembershowsupwithinfiveminutes...” -fromCompanyMinutes,Jan.18,1966

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“H.SchneidermadementionofthefacttheFire CommissionersmetwiththeTownshipCommittee onJan24,1966.Therewillbe5candidatesontheballot andtherewillonlybea24hourperiodwhentherewill benoFireCommission.DissolvedFeb18,electionFeb19.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Feb.1,1966

Foley,Grubb,Sharp,MitchellandSchneider electedFireCommissioners. -fromCompanyMinutes,Mar.1,1966

Firehouseneedsnewroof-gotpriceof$800from EarlShaw-decidedtopurchasematerialsfor$330 anddoworkourselves -fromCompanyMinutes,Jul.11,1967

Rooffinishedexceptforcap-costabout$275 -fromCompanyMinutes,Aug.1,1967

Twowalkie-talkieradios(CB)wereauth. -fromCompanyMinutes,May2,1967

Chiefauthorizedtopurchase3Survivairmasks. ThreeoldoxygenmaskstobedonatedtoSVFC. -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.15,1968

TrusteesandFireCommissionersauthorizedto investigateelectricdooroperatorsforthefirehouse. -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.15,1968

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LettertoFireCommissionersrequesting installationofdooroperators. -fromCompanyMinutes,Nov.6,1968

“Acardfromoneofthebuspassengersfrom Shamokin,Pa.wasreadtellingusthathewas sendingaboxofpeanutsfortheholidays.It wasreportedthatthesehadbeenreceivedand consumed.”[Thiswastheresultofusingthe firehousetoshelterthepassengersofabus brokendownontheParkwayduringtheprevious LaborDayweekend.-reported9/3/68] -fromCompanyMinutes,Jan.7,1969

Suggestionthatcompanyshouldprovidearadio fortheChief’s(private)car.[Thisdidn’t happen,buttheChief’swifegavehimaused radioforChristmas.] -fromCompanyMinutes,Feb.2.1970

“...askedPresidenttocontactthetreasurer andseeifheisgoingtoattendmeetingsor giveupbeingtreasurer.” -fromCompanyMinutes,Mar.17,1970

SeavilleVolunteerFireCompanyrequestedto operatethreemobileradiosonourlicense.Will applyformoremobilesonlicense. -fromCompanyMinutes,Jun.17,1970

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FireComm.purchasednewrevolvingamberlight forsirenpoles -fromCompanyMinutes,Jul.7,1970

MotionthatChiefapproachTownshipCommittee aboutrequestingthemtoreimburseforfire schoolcosts. -fromCompanyMinutes,Sep.15,1970

CallforanyoneinterestedinjoiningUpper TownshipRescueSquad.Therewillbeameeting Oct.21,1971. -fromCompanyMinutes,Oct.19,1971 [Note:Thepurposeofthismeetingwastoget theSquadtostationanambulanceinMarmora. About15membersoftheFireCompanyandthe LadiesAuxiliaryattended.Asaresultanambulance wasstationedinMarmorauntiltheSquadmovedto itsbuildinginPetersburgabouttenyearslater.]

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Thatboyofthelate1930’sgrewupandmarried,andafterlivingawayfromMarmoraforafewyears,hereturnedtolivehere.Renewingactiv-ityinthefirecompanyseemedanaturalthingtodo.Henowhasgrand-childrenwhoareolderthanhewaswhenhechasedthefireenginesupShoreRoad.HehasfollowedwithinterestthegrowthoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyoverthepastfiftyyearsandtakesprideinthefactthathehadapartinthatdevelopment.

MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhasprogressedtremendouslysincethoseslow,almostpainful,beginningsfiftyyearsago.TheexpandedfirestationonOldTuckahoeRoadcontainsafleetof“state-of-the-art”appa-ratus.Withatotalpumpingcapacityofover5000gallonsperminuteandtheabilitytocarryover15,000gallonsofwaterintanks,thefirecompanyisreadytomeettheemergencyneedsofthecommunity.Comparedtothe500gallonsperminutepumpandthe500gallonwatertankonthatfirstfiretruck,itisobviousthatMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhas“comealongway”!

Seeminglyendlesssetsofturnoutgearlinetheengineroomwallsinreadinessforthenextalarm.Theamountofpersonalprotectiveequip-mentatteststothenumberofactivemembersthatexhibitahighdegreeofinterestinthedailyoperationsofthefirecompany.StatisticsareseldomveryinterestingbutinthiscasetheyrevealanimportantfactaboutthevolunteersofMarmora.During1996,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyrespondedto120firealarmsand150medicalcalls.Theav-erageresponseofpersonnelforthosefirealarmswas27inthedaytimeand44duringnighttimehours!Manyfiredepartmentsinmuchlargercitiesandtownswouldlovetobeabletoturnoutnumberslikethat.

In1995,recognizinganeedtohelpthecommunitywithmedicalre-sponse,theMVFCmembersdecidedthattheywantedtoassumeanotherservicetothecommunity.TheFirstResponderProgramwasinitiatedonAugust1,1995.Asaresult,anumberofmembersvolunteeredtotakethenecessarytrainingtobecertifiedasfirstresponders.QuiteafewofthisnumbercontinuedontobecomeEmergencyMedicalTechnicians.

…The Way It Is Now!

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Currentlythereare22EmergencyMedicalTechniciansand8FirstRespondersinthemembership.

All60activemembersoftheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyaretrainedtotheStatecertificationrequirementsoftheFireFighterIlevel.Manyhavetrainingmuchbeyondthat.SeveralmembersarequalifiedfireserviceinstructorsandatleastsixhaveLevelIIInstructorcertifica-tion.SomehavecompletedFireSciencecoursesatthecollegelevel.ThistrainingplustheequipmentavailabletothemandtheprofessionalattitudethattheyexhibitprovideanemergencyserviceofwhichthepeopleofMarmoracanbejustlyproud.

BeginninginJanuary1995,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyformallyorganizedaJuniorFirefighterProgram.Formanyyears,thesons,andsometimesdaughters,ofactivefiremenhavebeencomingtothefirehousewiththeirfathers.Sometimesthesevisitswereatthetimeofthealarmand,atothertimes,ondrillnightsorsessions.Whentheycameonalarms,therewerelongwaitseitheratthestationorinthefam-ilycar,becausetheywerenotallowedtotakeanypartintheemergencyresponse.Onrareoccasionssuchasparades,thechildrenwereallowedtorideontheapparatus.Sometimeswhentheycametodrillsorworksessions,theymayhavebeenallowedtorunerrandsorhelpcleanequip-ment.Whentheyreachedtheageofeighteentheywereeligibletojointhefirecompanyandmanyofthemdid.Therewerenoformalrulesforthisactivity-itjusthappened.

TheJuniorFirefighterProgramallows17yearoldstojointhecom-pany.Enrollmentislimitedatanytimetojustfiveindividuals.Theyarerestrictedintheduties,hoursandactivitiesinwhichtheycanpartici-pate.Theyarenotallowedtodriveapparatusorfightfire.Ontheir18thbirthday,theymaybegintheprobationaryperiodrequiredofallmembers.Uptothedateofthiswritingeveryjuniormemberhasbecomeanactivememberofthefirecompany.

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Femalefirefightersinthefireservicehavebeenacceptednationwide.TheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhascomerightalongwiththistrend.Currently,threeoftheactivemembersarefemalefirefightersandoneofthejuniormembersexpectstobecomethefourthfemalefirefight-erintheMarmoraFireCompany.

Thesuccessofanyorganizationcanbetracedtotheleadershipaswellasthemembersofthegroup.MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyleadersfor1997,theFiftiethAnniversaryYear,arelistedbelow.

AdministrativeOfficers: President: RussellBarham VicePresident: JoeBologno Secretary: JeffHogg Treasurer: CindySwenk Historian: JoeMcAfee Corr.Secretary: JoeWalters Trustees: BrianBaughman RobLea JoeMoyerII JoeMoyerIII TomSwenk DavidWood

LineOfficers: Chief: JayNewman DeputyChiefs: JeffMcIntyre(Operations) KurtAustin(Operations) DonTomlinson(Safety) EdKooker,Jr.(ChiefEngineer) Captains: JeffPierson,Sr.(Asst.Safety&Training) CarlMadden(ChiefInvestigator) ChrisBreunig RussellBarham

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Captains: TomKruegl ChuckListon BobMacom BobMillar BillMiller(FirePolice) JoeMoyerIII(FirePrevention)

ThecurrentFireCommissionersofFireDistrict#3are: BobDiNick,Chairman TomKruegl RichLee ChuckListon. BobSmith

MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhashadanongoingfirepreventioneducationprograminplaceforanumberofyears.Severalyearsago,followingaclassroomvisitattheElementarySchool,oneoftheteacherswithherclasswroteathankyoutotheMarmoraVolunteerFireCompany.Thisnoteprintedonalargepieceofposterboardoccupiesaprominentspotinthelibraryandstudyroomatthefirehouse.Itreadsasfollows: ToOurFriendsAt MarmoraVolunteerFireCompany

Wesawashinyfiretruck Allbigandbrightandred; Wemetafriendlyhelper, HisnamewasFiremanEd. FiremanJeffandFiremanBob* Bothhelpedustolearn Howtoexitsafely Ifourhouseshouldstarttoburn Welearnedtostopanddropandroll, Welearnedtocrawl,notwalk, Welearnedtocheckourdoorsforheat,

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Welearnedmuchfromtheirtalk. Isthatthefirebellringing ‘Causesmokeisintheair? Relax,theCrewisonitsway... Marmorawillsoonbethere!

LoveandThanksforComing Mrs.Denton’sKindergarten *FiremennamedareEdKooker,Jr.,JeffPierson,andBobSmith

TheresidentsoftheMarmoraareacanbeassuredthatwhentheneedarises,MarmoraVolunteerFireCompanywillbetheretohelp!Fromhumblebeginningstothefineprofessionalorganizationthatitistoday,theMarmoraVolunteerFireCompanyhascertainly“comealongway”!

Postscript***************************

Itwouldseemfittingatthispointtoinscribe“THEEND”,butthisnotnotreallytheend.Rather1997isthebeginning-thebeginningofanother50yearsofprogress,serviceanddedicationbytheVolunteersofMarmora.Letusallhopethatin2047,themembersofMarmoraVolunteerFireCom-panywillbeabletolookbackandsay,“We’vecomealongway!”

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President Years

WilliamGodfrey 1947-1948 FrankVinnacombe 1949-1950 PeterTotten 1951-1952 EdwardGetty 1953 FilbertCorson 1954-1955 EdwardGetty 1956 HankSchneider 1957-1958 RichardOnley 1959 JoeLovette 1960 BillyCabiness 1961 JoeDailey 1961 GeorgeGrubb 1962-1963 DaleAdams 1963 LeonardClark 1964 GabeSaxe 1965 ConnieLea 1966 GeorgeYoung 1967 BrunoTropeano 1968 JohnDavis 1969 BillBianchini 1969-1971 FrankMadajewski 1972 EdReese 1973-1975 RichardLee 1976-1982 JeffPierson 1983-1984 KurtAustin 1985 JayNewman 1986 JoeSeyfert 1987-1988 BobSmith 1989-1992 JeffPierson 1993-1996 RussBarham 1997

List of Fire Company Presidents

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Chief Years Assistantchiefs

MahlonMacMaster 1947 CharlesCossaboone JoeLovette

CharlesBrown 1948 EarlSapp SalFrasca

JoeLovette 1949 HaroldGannon

HaroldGannon 1950-1955 JoeLovette CarlMadden

CarlMadden 1956-1958 FilbertCorson,Jr. PeterTotten

FrankFoglio 1959-1961 CarlMadden BenGuiles StanTotten

StanTotten 1962-1980 CarlMadden JoeLovette HankSchneider CharlesBattersby CarlSinger TomWard WIlfredLea

CarlMadden 1981-1982 TomWard WilfredLea

List of Fire Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs

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Chief Years Assistantchiefs

RichardLee 1983-1994 TomWard WilfredLea BobDiNick JayNewman JeffMcIntyre BobSmith KurtAustin

JayNewman 1995-date JeffMcIntyre KurtAustin DonTomlinson EdKooker,Jr.

List of Fire Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs (Cont.)