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 petitions being signed 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 picked for training because at this period in our history everyone worked six days per 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.

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.

In 1982, the Elsmere Fire Company hosted the Albany County Volunteer Firefighter's Association convention in conjunction with the celebration of the Company's 60^th Anniversary.  To celebrate it's 70^th Anniversary, we hosted the 65^th Annual Hudson-Mohawk Volunteer Firefighter's Association convention.  Both conventions were a huge success.

Also in the 1980s as continues 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 yet further 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 early 2000s saw another massive building renovation again due to the extensive growth and space requirements as well as future expectations of 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/banquet 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 maintain a paid force 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 gear room and a larger workroom was built.  Elsmere Fire Company can now house gear for 80 firefighters and is positioned to excel well into the future.

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 60^th 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.  Further, 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 70^th 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 with us a couple of years ago, he still makes most Tuesday evening drills and monthly meetings.  He continues to remain an active part of Elsmere Fire Company.

Today, Elsmere Fire Company has the required and necessary facilities, equipment, training and apparatus to handle the most complicated emergencies.   Each firefighter has their 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!