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A History of Vineland Fire Company One
The first volunteer fire company was formed under the name "Vineland Hook and Ladder". Several years later, it was renamed "Niagara Hose Company". No one is sure why or how this name came to be, but by 1880 the fire company would be reorganized into the "Pioneer Volunteer Fire Company 1". This company was made up of strictly protestant men. Not one non-protestant man would ever be considered for membership. Their fire house was on North Sixth Street, where the Vineland Police Headquarters now stands.
Somewhere between 1915 and 1918 the non-protestant men of Vineland decided to form their own fire company. They formed the "Reliance Fire Company 1". Their fire station was built on South Sixth Street, between Landis and Elmer. This building still stands today between the beauty supply and liquor stores. This put the two fire companies only two blocks apart and created a small rivalry.
In 1935, Vineland hired its first paid firemen. These men where hired from the ranks of the volunteers to be paid drivers for the trucks. This was to assure the apparatus always responded and had a qualified driver at all times. They were paid for the time they were on duty, but still volunteers when not on duty.
1952 brought the consolidation of the Borough of Vineland and Landis Township into the City of Vineland. The city fathers saw no need for two fire companies for the same district. So, Pioneer and Reliance were forced to merge into what is now "Vineland Volunteer Fire Company One". For about ten years Company 1 operated out of both the Pioneer and Reliance fire halls. In 1962, the company was consolidated to the building now at Fourth and Wood Streets.
Through the late 1960's, 1970's and early 1980's, Company 1's paid firefighters evolved into a fully staffed fire company, having three shifts of 4-6 men on duty for 24 hours and off duty for 48. These men were still considered part of Company 1, and some still responded as volunteers when not on duty. Then in the mid 1980's the federal government struck a blow to volunteer/paid combination companies all over America, including Vineland. They adopted the "Fair Labor Standards Act". This Act, in part, said that a firefighter could not be paid and volunteer firefighter in the same fire department. Company 1 immediately saw a large cut in the number of volunteers on the active roll call. This Act was also was one of several reasons the paid firemen became "Company 6".
Throughout the rest of the 1980's and most of the 1990's, Stations 1 & 6 ran together with Station 6 operating the fire apparatus and both sharing firefighting duties. Then in 1997, Station 1 asked for and received its first solely volunteer operated engine. Engine 10 was a 1959 Ford/Young that had been refurbished in 1980. This engine was retired in 1998 and was replaced with a 1989 Ford Grumman. Both Engine 10s were operated out of Fire Headquarters until March 1999 when Staion 1 moved to its current location at East Avenue and Wood Street.
Station 1 has 24 members on its active roll call. The current line officers are Chief James Rudd, Assistant Chief Wesley Howe, Captain Wayne Cummings, Lieutenant Darrin Malone and Lieutenant Edward McMahon. In 2000, Station 1 responded to 242 calls.
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Brief History
History Written By Linda M. Kandle in 1976.
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