COMPANY 1

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Growing With The Times

     A time of change and tremendous growth for the department, the 60's were years to remember. It was in 1960 that Lloyd Ronchetti was appointed as part-time Director of the department, a position his father had held in the early 1950's. Nine years after his first appointment, due to the increase in the size of the department and the number of fires, Ronchetti was appointed as full-time Director.
     Under Director Ronchetti's administration, an expansion program in the city's water and fire hydrant system, which had originated in the late 1800's at the Keighly Shoe Factory, began. Every year since, the system has expanded to other parts of the city until today there are approximately 1500 fire hydrants throughout Vineland.

     Volunteering to help in civic needs and with the underprivileged is second nature to firefighters. Vineland's firemen today are no different from their predecessors. Company 1 operated an Ambulance Service from headquarters. The service was started in October of 1958 with a 1949 Buick Ambulance which was replaced later by a 1958 Pontiac. Although the service was discontinued in early 1963, it was a helpful asset to the city in the five years of fine service in rendered.
     Firemen also volunteered their time one Labor Day weekend in the early sixties to answer telephone for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Distrophy Telethon and have been manning the phones ever since. Soon after, the firemen's wives joined their husbands in this civic effort. Director Ronchetti became chairman for the Vineland Telethon in 1967 and in 1970 he was given the Chairmanship for the entire Southern New Jersey MDA Telethon. From the early hours of the night until morning and throughout the daylight hours on each Labor Day Weekend, the Fire Hall becomes a heartbeat of caring people giving their time to make life a little happier for the less fortunate

Company 1 • East & Wood Street • Vineland, NJ 08360
856-205-7366 • 856-205-7367 Fax

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