The History of the Port Jervis Fire Department

The Port Jervis community’s first settlers came to the area in 1692. As the community grew with the advent of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware and Hudson Canal, the need for fire protection on the banks of the Neversink and Delaware Rivers increased. The first fire company in Port Jervis was given legal status in 1847 by a certificate granted from the supervisor, and with the appointment by the town board of N. B. Mondon as a fireman.

In 1850, the company was known as Port Jervis Fire Company No.1.  It was privately owned and would remain so for many years.  In the year of 1850, the first Volunteer Fireman's Parade was also held in Port Jervis.  This is an annual tradition that continues today, well over a century-and-a-half later.

The fire department’s first vehicle was a wooden-decked, hand-operated unit known as a "goose neck" because of its unusual appearance. It required twelve men to force the handles on either side up and down in order to pump. Whether or not it was better than the bucket brigade was probably a subject of discussion in fire circles at the time.

On February 27, 1857, the first company was reorganized and renamed H.H. Farnum Co., with A.B. Gooddale as foreman. On July 14, 1873, the name was again changed to Abbot Steam Fire Engine Company.

Meanwhile, the village was deciding on whether to have another fire company, and in May of 1870, 68 members signed up and chose the name Neversink Hose Company No.1, with S. D. Boyce as foreman.   In 1876, the privately owned Abbot Steam Fire Engine Company was legally disbanded and its house on Orange Street and equipment were  given over to the village company, Neversink Hose Company No.1, where they Port Jervis Fire Department Museum is now located.

The other companies within the department were also organized in this 20 year period, back in the mid-1800’s. In June 1855, Maghogomock Hook and Ladder Company was founded. They received their first truck in 1858. Since that time, the Company has, among other equipment, operated two horse-drawn trucks, two motor-powered ladder trucks, and two aerial ladders.

On February 12, 1857, Delaware Engine Company No.2 had its origin. One year later, Jacob Brant of this Company was elected the first Chief Engineer. Among the company’s vehicles was "The Claremont", a winner at the Boston State Fair. Local residents were surprised, it was reported, by The Claremont's "bright yellow running gear, wide gold stripes, polished steel springs and heavily silvered body”. The company claimed another first in Port Jervis and in the county when it accepted delivery of a new white cab-forward diesel engine in 1967.  It now operates a KME 2000-gallon a minute pumper which was delivered in 2007, Port Jervis’ Centennial Year.  The apparatus features an enclosed top-mounted pump operator’s area to keep the driver out of the elements while pumping hour-after-hour at major incidents.

March 1, 1857 saw the formation of Fowler Engine Company No. 3. After serving as an engine company for 93 years, in 1954 Fowler accepted delivery of a rescue and salvage truck and changed its name to Fowler Rescue and Salvage Company No. 3. The company is now housed with its current white truck in a brick building next to the Municipal Building on Hammond Street in Port Jervis.   It shares quarters with Delaware Engine Company No. 2. In 1961, a diving squad was officially formed and made a part of Rescue 3.  The diving squad is now called the “Water Operations Team”.  The Water Operations Team took possession of a new boat in 2006 to replace the “Chipper H”, which was retired.

In October of 1877, Port Jervis Hose Company No. 4 was founded. Upon the death of Howard Wheat, the chief of Port Jervis Fire Department for twenty-five years and a member of Hose Company No. 4, the company’s name was changed to Howard Wheat Engine Company No. 4.  Among its many interesting vehicles, perhaps the most noteworthy was the one received in 1976 by the company. It was a Lime Green/Yellow, American LaFrance with a “Squrt” which is an articulating boom, the first in the county of this type articulating boom.  That vehicle has been replaced by an American LaFrance engine that also has a “SQURT”.

On December 9, 1873, Excelsior Engine Company No. 1 was founded. For many years, it operated with a hand-drawn rig, but in 1917 accepted delivery of its first mechanized unit, a motorized hose and chemical truck with a Hann chassis. In 1937, the Company was reorganized under the name Excelsior Engine Company No. 5.  It is housed on West Main Street, where it shares a building with the Fire Police squad.  In 2006, the company received delivery of a new Seagrave 2000 Galen Pumper.

In December of 1890, the youngest of the department’s companies came into existence with the formation of Tri-States Hose Company No.6. This company is located in the Tri-States section of the city and has protected the Tri-States area of Port Jervis since its inception.

In 1917, the Fire Police was organized. This unit is comprised of members from each of the other companies and serves the department well with its equipment van.  Its function is to protect the firefighters and residents from danger during a fire department call.  Fire Police members assist with traffic control, crowd control, and other duties during calls as well as assist the local police department when needed.  They also provide services to local community groups, as requested.

The year 2006 was a year of much action within the fire department, including responses to five major house fires, flooding in the Tri-States and Acre areas and 430 alarms overall.  Membership was 365.  It was the year that Excelsior Engine Company #5 received its new Seagrave 2000 Galen Pumper and the citizens of the community voted approval for Delaware Engine Co. #2 to acquire a KME 2000-gallon a minute pumper which was delivered in 2007, Port Jervis’ Centennial Year.  This apparatus features an enclosed top-mounted pump operator’s area to keep the driver out of the elements while pumping hour-after-hour at major incidents.   The Port Jervis Fireman’s Museum, which Chief Joseph Kowal and other volunteers had been diligently working to establish since 1996, was nearly complete, and was opened and dedicated in 2007.  This museum, located in Port Jervis’ historic first firehouse, is a state-of-the-art training facility which is used by the members of the fire, police, public works other city offices and departments.  Working with the Emergency Management office, updated equipment was purchased which brought the department up to high modern standards.

In 2008 & 2009, PJFD applied for and received a more than--$200,000.00 grant from the federal government. It was used for the purchase of very much needed firefighting turnout gear.