Fords Fire Co. celebrates 100th anniversary with parade Saturday
The Fords fire department celebrates 100 years with a parade Saturday. Photo: Mark R. Sullivan
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — In 1911 the Fords section of Woodbridge was a farming village. Today it’s a densely populated blue-collar community of more than 15,000 people.
Chicken coops made way for industrial warehouses. And a fire company that first went into service with a hand-powered chemical wagon is now equipped with a three fire engines and an ambulance.
As the Fords Fire Company has grown with its community, what hasn’t change is the camaraderie among the volunteer and paid firefighters.
“We may bicker here every once in a while, but once that alarm goes off, that’s your brother you and protect him no matter what happens,” said Rich Pinter, 69, a volunteer for 48 years.
The fire company Saturday celebrates its 100th anniversary with a parade that steps off 1 p.m. at Fords Park, winds its way through King George Road and New Brunswick Avenue and back to the park for a picnic.
Fords is one of nine fire districts in the township, and one of three with paid firefighters, although the force is mostly volunteer.
Historians trace the department’s start to a meeting in 1911 at Mel Clum’s General Store. The men wanted their own fire department because a porcelain factory was soon set to open. Residents feared a repeat of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire tragedy, which months earlier had claimed 146 garment workers in New York City.
The opening of Fords Porcelain Works was a watershed moment because the company couldn’t rely on wells – it needed water from Middlesex Water Company. As a result the utility laid water mains, and fire hydrants, throughout the community.
The fire company today has 36 volunteers and six paid firefighters. Fifty years ago the company had twice as many volunteers.
“Volunteerism in everything is deteriorating,” Pinter said.
“The fire service is held together by families,” said Frank Della Pietro, 47, one of the career firefighters. Sons follow in their fathers’ footsteps.
An Explorers program organized by the Boy Scouts may buck the trend. Three graduates from the teen program Fords began four years ago have joined the volunteer ranks after turning 18.
Current fire Chief Howie Bauer, 45, joined 10 years ago because his friends were involved.
“I played softball with all the firemen. I was down here one day after a game and the buzzer went off and I was the only one left sitting here by myself,” he said.
“It takes a lot of dedication to be a volunteer,” said George Brew, 43, a member for 23 years. “School (for training and certification) is three nights a week from 7 to 11 p.m. for almost six months.”
The parade’s grand marshal is John Sam Deffler, who was asked to perform the honor before he died last month. The 78-year-old had been on the force for 51 years. The fire department was his life’s dedication.
“My wife and I when we go placed we take two vehicles,” said Carmine Minnella, 57, a 22-year volunteer who almost always is on call.
“How many times do I hear the story of guys leaving their wives at restaurants still eating to go to a fire?” said Pinter. “That’s the life of a volunteer.”
Fords Fire Facts
• The fire company responds to as many as 500 calls a year.
• First firehouse opened 1912 on Corrielle Street. Land sold by Jensen family for $185.
• Current fire station on King George Road was dedicated in 1967. Second floor added in 2006.
• First horse-drawn cart purchased in 1918. Third engine acquired in 1986.
• First paid firefighters hired in the 1940s.
• Fire Prevention Bureau added in 1986 to inspect businesses as required under a new Uniform Fire Code regulation.
• In 1999 Fords became the dispatcher for all township fire districts and ambulance squads.