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HISTORY OF
THE LAKE HIAWATHA FIRE DEPARTMENT Lake Hiawatha was born like all towns
with a pioneer spirit. People came, looked at its beauty and determined that
this would be the best place for them and their children to build homes and
lasting friendships. One danger to these goals was fire. As in the days of the
early pioneers who blazed the West, residents of Lake Hiawatha felt a commitment
to aid their neighbors when and if a fire occurred. Two years after the development of Lake
Hiawatha began, six pioneers met to discuss the need for a fire department. In
the basement of Ferdinand Kaiser's house, the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department was
conceived. Along with Mr. Kaiser; Al Hoffman, George Eiscamp, Art Everly, Ted
Spatz and Richard Thompson laid the foundation for what has proven to be a
dedicated and professional fire department over the last fifty years. In the months that followed, more men
became interested in forming a fire department. On February 25, 1935, the first
organizational meeting was held and the Lake Hiawatha Volunteer Fire Department
was born. It was at this meeting, held at the Club House, that the first
officers were elected. Mr. Theodore Spatz was elected Chief and Mr. Fred Kaizer,
President. In the beginning, there was no fire
truck; which was good in a sense that there was no place to house it. The only
means of fire fighting was either to use the three Indian tanks or call in
Rockaway Neck and/or Parsippany-Troy Hills' fire companies. The Indian tanks
along with hydrant wrenches were kept at Mr. Hendershaw's garage and Mini and Al
Hoffman's Hiawatha Bar and Grill. The first siren was also located on the roof
of Al Hoffman's establishment (later it was Primo's Restaurant which succumbed
to fire, currently it is The Stephen
J. Priola Parsippany Funeral Service). Anyone could operate
the siren just by breaking its glass. Throughout 1935, the firemen moved fast
to acquire money to buy a fire truck and construct a fire house. The first fund
raising event was professional boxing bouts held on June 21st. Residents paid 50¢ The fire department now had a truck with
no firehouse. However, they did acquire land on which to build. In September
1935, Mr. Benjamin Kline donated two lots on Lake Shore Drive for this purpose.
The plan called for a building 30 x 36 feet to be built of cement blocks with
stucco finish. There would be two bays, an office and a wash room. The cost of
construction was $1,000. The firemen worked in their spare time in constructing the house themselves. By looking at the original building materials list, one can understand the amount of time and hard work that the volunteers put in to provide the best fire protection for the residents of Lake Hiawatha. The highlight of the October 27, 1935
dedication ceremony was the laying of the cornerstone by Mr. Kline. Placed
inside the cornerstone was a scroll bearing the charter member's signatures. Now
that there was a firehouse, there was no longer a need to have the siren on Mr.
Hoffman's Bar and Grill. The fire department purchased a new siren for its roof
from the Upper Greenwood Lake Fire Department for $20.00. Mr. Jesse Hendershaw
worked as a paid caretaker for the firehouse. Among his duties were maintaining
a 40 degree year round temperature and turning the outside red light on at
sundown and off at daybreak. He received $5.00 a month for his services. The fire department's rules and
regulations are spelled out in its Constitution and By-Laws. The first
Constitution and By-Laws was approved by the membership in 1935. Under the
original, the department would have the following officers: Chief, Assistant
Chief and three Foremen. However, the word, foreman, was changed to Lieutenant
at the next meeting. In following years, that list was amended to include one
Captain. In 1947, the office of Captain was dropped and one more Lieutenant was
added. In 1994 the department reverted to the Captain and 3 Lieutenant
arrangement once again. Since 1935, the Board of Fire Officers has consisted of
a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Financial
Secretary. Over the years, the Constitution and ByLaws have undergone many
revisions. Noteworthy was Article X, Section 2a of the original document which
has long been dropped: Section 2. (a) Any officer or
member of this Association shall be subject to the following fines in the amount
for the reasons given below. Or if the conditions warrant they may be suspended
and brought before the Board of Fire Officers on charges.
In January 1936 in conjunction with the
other fire departments of Parsippany-Troy Hills, Lake Hiawatha became Fire
District #4 with its own Board of Fire Commissioners. The Fire Commissioners are
elected by the registered voters of Lake Hiawatha and they purchase all fire
fighting equipment needed to combat fires in Lake Hiawatha. The equipment is
paid for through taxation. However, money for maintenance of the fire house and
its grounds are collected from donations. The first elected Fire Commissioners
were: Dr. Herman Minzesheimer, Al Edelman, Vincent Lubrano, Sr., George Eiscamp
and George Glaser. On May 1, 1939, the New Jersey State
Firemen's Association approved the formation of a Firemen's Relief Association
in the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills. The purpose of this association is to
provide relief for indigent and disabled firemen who are eligible under a quota
based on the population of the township. All funds for this purpose are derived
from a 2% tax on fire insurance premiums paid to fire insurance companies not
chartered under the laws of the state of New Jersey. This tax has been paid by
the insurance company, not by the insurance broker, agent or owner of the
property insured. The Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Firemen's Relief
Association is governed by representatives of the township's six fire companies.
Lake Hiawatha received its state charter on April 25, 1935. Through a 1936 article in The Hiawatha
Trail, residents were given instructions on how to report a fire: "HOW TO REPORT A FIRE: Arrangements have been made with the
telephone company for three listings for fire calls. They are Mr. Hoffman, Mr.
Hendershaw, and Chief Thompson. Loud ringing extensions have been installed on
these telephones." "In case of fire, call the operator
and say, 'I wish to report a fire in Fire District #4, Lake Hiawatha (example
only). The fire is in Section One, near Minnehaha and Nokomis Avenues. 'If you
have a car, or are only a few blocks away from the firehouse, tell the operator
you are going to the firehouse. When you get to the Firehouse, hold down the
siren button until a fireman reaches the firehouse. Tell him the exact location
of the fire and he will give the proper signal. By going to the firehouse after
making the call, you will have double assurance that the firemen will received
the call to respond. If the distance is too great and you have no car, go to the
home of the fireman nearest your home. In the next issue of the Trail, there
will appear a list of all the firemen, showing whether Summer or Winter
residents. There will also appear a list of telephone subscribers in this
District, their addresses and whether Summer or all year residents." In 1938, an extension to the control
button for the siren was hooked up in the homes of firemen Hendershaw, Gray and
Hoffman. In 1945, an extension to the control button was placed in the Club
House. As the town grew, so did it's fire
department. In 1939, members made plans to build an addition onto the firehouse.
The addition would serve as a meeting room. Once again, the firemen appealed to
the residents of Lake Hiawatha for donations. Besides soliciting outright
donations, the men raised money by holding "Amateur Nights" and a
carnival. On July 4th, 1940, firemen went door to door in what was know as tag
day. Each resident that contributed to the building fund was given a tag
identifying them as contributors. The 30 x 39 feet addition was completed in
1940. Each fireman had to put in 20 hours of work or pay a 40¢ When completed, the addition not only
contained a meeting room but also a kitchen. The addition became known as the
"Club Room". In time, there was a bar, pool table, shuffleboard, piano
and jukebox. A heating system at a cost of $760.00 was installed that was
guaranteed to heat the entire building at 70 degrees with an outside temperature
at zero. At the September 1940 monthly meeting the rules for the usage of the
club room were approved. On Tuesday nights, only women could use the room;
Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, men and women, and on Wednesday and
Friday nights, men only. The firehouse was open for public inspection on August
24, 1940 to thank those who donated to the building fund. After the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Americans rallied to support their country in time of war. So was true
for the men of Lake Hiawatha District No. 4. The Lake Hiawatha Fire Department
joined the Military Service Organization of Parsippany-Troy Hills. The
department conducted air raid drills, purchased black-out shades and collected
$80.00 in a 1942 scrap drive. The office of Price Administration limited the
department to ration coupons good for only 1,650 gallons of fuel oil. Throughout
the war years, the fire department purchased war bonds. The firehouse was open
for Red Cross drives and as an Armed Forces enlistment center. Those firemen who
were of age enlisted and were granted military leave so as not to affect their
standing in the department. A service flag was prominently displayed in the
firehouse. At Christmas the fire department sent cards and gifts to its members
overseas. Due to their friendship and support of their brother firemen, those
that stayed home banned social gatherings during times of mourning, erected a
flag pole and began the practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before
each meeting. Upon their return home, each former serviceman received $100.00 in
cash, a scroll and a dinner party. After the war the fire department
continued much the same way as it had done before. That was until 1960. In 1960
the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department held a gala celebration in honor of its 25th
Anniversary. The highlight of the week long celebration was a parade held on May
28th. There were 38 entrants in the line of march including Miss Morris County,
Terry Conicelli. The participating fire companies competed for trophies. The
first place trophy for best appearing company in regulation uniform with music
went to Boonton.
Rockaway Boro took second place. Other winners in different
categories were: Jefferson Township,
Mount Tabor,
Denville,
Boonton Township and
Boonton. The Lake Hiawatha Fire Department
started its next 25 years by deciding to build a new firehouse. Ground breaking
for the current firehouse took place in 1969. An extensive building fund
campaign for the $140,000 construction was kicked off with a parade in 1968.
This was larger than the parade for the silver anniversary. Much of the
construction as in the past was done by the firemen themselves. Several faiths have used the old
firehouse for services when they had no buildings of their own. In the July 21, 1968 bulletin for St. Peter the Apostle Church, Father William Wanerka used his weekly column to defend his action of donating church funds to the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department's building fund. As Pastor, Father Wanerka donated $500.00 for what he termed, "rent long overdue". He concluded by writing that, "St. Peter's had come a long way since then, and we are proud to remember." The first Sunday at the
new parish of St. Peter the Apostle Parsippany-Troy Hills, N. J., June26, 1938
The fire department annually opens its
doors to the residents of Lake Hiawatha for an open house during Fire Prevention
Week. Many school children are given tours of the firehouse and are explained
the techniques of fire prevention. When one joins the Lake Hiawatha Fire
Department he finds himself not just fighting fires but also performing a wide
range of community services. One also finds himself being a yearly escort for
Parsippany High School's Home Coming Parade and Santa Claus. Occasionally
members of District #4 are honored for their community involvement. Arthur
Everly, Steve Yates, Ted LeMaster, Jack Lamb and Ladies Auxiliary member Mrs.
Viola Youngclaus have been recognized as outstanding citizens of the year by the
Lake Hiawatha Swim Club. Most recently George Clark, Dave Hess, Paul Koert
and Jack Weinners have been honored by the Parsippany Jaycees. At the Jaycees
award dinner this year, the members of the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department were
honored with an Outstanding Service Award for aiding Lake Hiawatha during the
floods. Their second such award from the Jaycees. In 1972, Vincent Lubrano was
named Fireman of the Year by the Schaefer Brewing Company and James Gill was the
Schlitz Fireman in 1978. The men of the Lake Hiawatha Fire
Department have aided the town's residents through fires, floods, ice storms and
in locating missing children. In the 1980's they provided protection for Vice
President George Bush when he came to Parsippany-Troy Hills. They receive no
monetary reward for their services. They are truly volunteers in the finest
sense of the word. |
