HISTORY
In June of 1922, a group of concerned residents of Elsmere started the necessary legal procedures to form a Volunteer Fire Company. This included informational meetings for the residents and the signing of petitions approving the formation of such an organization. The petitions were then presented to the Town Board and a special election was requested to authorize the formation of a Fire Company, the raising of funds for the initial costs and to outline the territory to be protected. The special election was held on November 18, 1922. The proposition passed.
The first official meeting of the Fire Company was held on December 2, 1922 at which time officers were elected, a constitution was approved, and meeting dates and training times were established. The last Friday of each month was selected for monthly business meetings and Sunday afternoons were picked for training sessions. Sundays were selected for training because at the time everyone worked a six-days week, and evenings were needed to accomplish household chores. Much later in our history, when the five day work week arrived and people wanted weekends free, the meeting night was changed to the last Thursday of each month and weekly drills were scheduled for each Tuesday evening. In May of 1923, the Company was incorporated and a Board of Directors was elected. The first fire engine was a Model "T" Ford chemical truck purchased second hand and it continued in active service until 1929 when it was replaced with a "Buffalo" pumper. The model "T", affectionately known as the "Dinky", is still owned by the Fire Company and is used in parades and other special functions.
In 1928, a Fire District was formed in accordance with the State and Town laws and a Board of Fire Commissioners was elected consisting of three Commissioners and Secretary/Treasurer. In 1933, the number of commissioners was increased to five members with one elected annually to serve for a term of five years. Also in 1933, the first Chief of the Company was elected. Until 1933, the Captain was the highest ranking line officer as well as the chief executive officer of the Company. In 1962, the constitution was changed establishing the offices of President and Vice President to handle the administration of the Fire Company business and the Captain then became strictly a line officer.
The original two story fire station was erected in 1929 and a coded siren alarm system installed to replace the hand operated alarm system which consisted of three locomotive tires erected in three different locations in the community. To sound this alarm, a sledge hammer placed by each tire or ring was used to pound on the metal ring and the sound was that of a large bell. In contrast, today we use a triple air horn mounted atop the fire house roof as an audible alarm and each firefighter has a minitor radio paging device to alert him/her for an alarm of fire or emergency.
The Adams Memorial Building
Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives in war defending Our Country. Each year the members of the Elsmere Fire Company conduct a ceremony at the Holy Spirit Lutheran Cemetery on Feura Bush Road and place a wreath on the grave of one of our members who lost his life in World War II, William C. (Bill) Adams. Bill was a dedicated and enthusiastic member of our fire company and was destined to become a leader in the fire service. Bill was born on February 16, 1916 and was killed in Germany on December 27, 1944.
On November 23, 1947 the Elsmere Fire Station was named the Adams Memorial Building in his honor. The plaque which was placed on the outside of the building at that time has since been mounted on the inside of the building on the wall near the Chiefs office.
Below is the text from a newspaper article that gives a brief description of the dedication and some information about "BILL".
Elsmere Fire Hall Named After Hero
The Elsmere Fire Hall was named Adams Memorial Building yesterday at a rededication ceremony conducted by members of the Elsmere Fire Company. The building was named in honor of Sgt. William C. Adams, killed in Germany Dec 27, 1944. He joined the fire company in 1933 and was a first lieutenant in the company when he entered the Army. Sergeant Adams served with the 47th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Silver Star before he was killed in action. He was the only member of the fire company killed during the war.
Ken McNary
Historian
In 1963, our building was remodeled and a three bay garage was added to house three pumpers. The engine bays were further extended in 1969 to house the aerial platform. As with most organizations, the Company and District continued to grow. Consequently, we outgrew our building, necessitating another addition and complete redecoration in 1978. A new office for the Chief, a workroom, a storage room, a new kitchen, an expanded meeting/banquet room and an area for a museum was added, giving us much needed operating space.
Photo: Fred Webster comparing 1917 "Old Dinky" to the Elsmere Fire Department's new snorkel truck in 1972. This photo appeared in Floyd Brewer's "Bethlehem Revisited, A Bicentennial Story 1793 - 1993". This was Elsmere's 1952 Ward LaFrance at the Hudson River near the train trestle conducting a pump test. It is believed to be Ken McNary standing next to the Deck Gun. |
1972 Young Crusader 85' Snorkel
In 1982, the Elsmere Fire Company hosted the Albany County Volunteer Firefighter's Association convention in conjunction with the celebration of the Company's 60th Anniversary. To celebrate it's 70th Anniversary, we hosted the 65th Annual Hudson-Mohawk Volunteer Firefighter's Association convention. Both conventions were a huge success.
Also in the 1980s as is the case today, the volunteer firefighter service saw a large decline in active membership. To combat this threatening trend, Elsmere Fire Company established a Recruitment and Retention Committee to address this issue. The "R&R" Committee (many of the original members continue to serve on it today) reversed this trend at Elsmere. In fact, many of the practices incorporated locally to ensure adequate membership at our organization have been used at the Albany County level where an official task force was established several years ago to address this problem.
1990 saw another expansion of our facilities. A large 3-bay garage was constructed at the rear of the property affording an attic storage area, work area, garage space for our bus, utility trailer and drill team truck. The 1990's was also the decade in which we upgraded our apparatus. We placed into service in 1991, a new Pierce pumper (now Engine 32), in 1993 a new 100 foot Pierce platform aerial (Truck 30), in 1997 another new Pierce pumper (now Engine 31) and in 1999 a Pierce utility/squad truck (Squad 33). Additionally, in 2001 the Company took possession of a new International 27 passenger bus which is used by the fire company for firematic activities and special events. It is part of the New York State Urban Search and Rescue Team and served proudly as a transport vehicle at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001.
The following press release announced the Elsmere Fire Company A, Inc.'s 75th Anniversary....
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997
ELSMERE FIRE COMPANY CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY
The Elsmere Fire Company, located in the Town of Bethlehem, Albany County, this year will celebrate their 75th anniversary. In June of 1922 a local committee circulated a petition asking for a proposition to appropriate funds for the of purchase of fire fighting equipment. The proposition was finally presented to the taxpayers for approval at a special election held on November 18, 1922. The first fire company meeting was held on December 4, 1922 at which the Fire Company was duly organized and a full slate of officers were elected. There were 47 charter members.
In 1928, a fire district was established in accordance with town and county procedures. A Board of Fire Commissioners was elected. Peter Klein was elected as the first Chairman and he was also named the first Chief of the Department.
The original two story fire station on Poplar Drive was erected in 1929, a coded fire alarm system installed and a 1917 750 GPM fully equipped American LaFrance pumper was purchased. This building was remodeled and extended to house three pumpers in 1963 and further enlarged to house the "Snorkel" in 1969. The original pumper was purchased for $700.00, and is still owned by the Fire Company.
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Fire Company was organized on May 12, 1938 and has been a valuable supporting organization to the Fire Company.
The Fire Company holds regular meetings on the last Thursday of each month, an annual meeting for the election of officers in December, as prescribed by law and the anniversary meeting held on the first Friday in December.
The Fire Company operates under a Fire District, which has a Board of Fire Commissioners, elected by the voters of the Fire District. The Board of Fire Commissioners is responsible for the purchase and maintenance of the fire apparatus and the fire station. They also exercise supervision of the Fire Company through the Fire Chief and his Assistant Chiefs.
The present apparatus fleet consists of three pumpers; a 1970 Young 1250 GPM, a 1980 1250 GPM Pierce, and a 1991 1750 GPM Pierce, and a 1993 Pierce 100' Tower Ladder with a 1500 GPM pump. Present membership includes 70 active fire fighters, including 10 fire police and 9 officers.
The early 2000s saw another substantial building renovation due to the extensive growth and space requirements, as well as future expectations for our organization. In 2001-2002, our building went through a complete renovation adding a second floor above the engine bays which now houses a meeting/class room, Company and District offices, new kitchen and a new members room. Additionally, an area was built (now storage) as a "bunk room" should the District be required to bunk emergency response crews sometime in the future. The first floor moved the Chief and Line Officers into more adequate offices, a conference/meeting room was added, a new turnout gear room and a larger workroom was built. Elsmere Fire Company can now house gear for 80 firefighters.
Our history would not be complete without mention of our most seasoned firefighter, Kenneth E. McNary. Mr. McNary joined Elsmere Fire Company in 1930 and served as an active firefighter until 2003. The fire company hosted a gala reception in honor of Mr. McNary, in January of 1990. January 30, 1990 marked the 60th anniversary of Mr. McNary's active service in the company. The Supervisor of the Town of Bethlehem declared January 30, 1990 to be "KENNETH E. McNARY DAY" in the Town of Bethlehem. The Chamber of Commerce named him "Citizen of the Year" in February 1990. Furthermore, the Company recognized Mr. McNary's service and dedication to our organization by creating the "Kenneth E. McNary" award which is presented annually to a qualifying firefighter nominated and selected by our Recruitment and Retention Committee. We paid great tribute to Mr. McNary in 2000 to celebrate his 70th year of active service to us. Mr. McNary was named Firefighter of the Year by the Elsmere Fire Company, Albany County Firefighter of the Year and received numerous proclamations and accolades for his 70 years of service. Although Ken "retired" from active service, he continued to remain active around the firehouse. Sadly, Ken passed away on July 9, 2006.
Today, the Elsmere Fire Company has the required and necessary facilities, equipment, training and apparatus to handle the most complicated emergencies. Each firefighter has his/her own complete set of protective clothing and many are specially trained in various specialties ranging from EMS/Paramedic to Hazardous Material mitigation/decontamination to Firefighter Rescue (FAST) to specialty Search & Rescue. We take much pride in our equipment, building and capabilities as trained professional firefighters/emergency personnel. The Elsmere Fire Company "A", Inc. continues to earn the title "PRIDE OF BETHLEHEM" with an impressive active roster of eighty active members!
Elsmere Fire Company A, Inc.
15 West Poplar Drive
Delmar, NY 12054
(518) 439-9144
efcwebmaster@elsmerefire.org
