Newcomerstown Volunteer
Fire Department
Fourth Annual Firemen's Jubilee
Newcomerstown, Ohio, June 7 - 12, 1954
Our Firemen
1954
Newcomerstown, Ohio Officials
Lorin D. Gadd, Mayor
Ellsworth Brenneman, Clerk
Paul Parks, Treasurer
Vernon Lee, Village Attorney
Lorin Stocker, Street Commissioner
Council Members
Melvin Little, President
Eugene Stewart
Roy Dennis
Leman Clark
Eugene Schlupp
Roy Smith
Board of Public Affairs
Carl Krebs, Sr.
John Buss
Robert Wigfield
Police Department
Elmer Marhover
Russell Reynolds
Paul Frye
Clarence Miller
Bill Ludwig
NEWCOMERSTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT
(A Brief History)
No records
have been found prior to 1879 regarding the original Oxford Fire Department.
It is known by photographs, owned by the present Chief, that their equipment
at that time consisted of a hand-pumper and hook & ladder wagon. At this
time "Leb" Sargent was fire chief. The record is blank until 1899, which
shows L.H. Kelly, J.E. Hawkshaw, Robert Bicker and John Warner as chiefs.
This Oxford
Fire Company was composed of 50 members until 1924, when Clarence Warner
was made chief of a new department. The present department was organized
at this time with twelve (12) members and the chief, all appointed by Council.
The old
Howe-Reo fire truck was purchased at this time. At the present, only two
(2) of the original department of thirteen (13) remain. Chief Bicker and
Ralph Leroy Wise,
Sr.
In 1937
a new Ahrens-Fox truck was added to the equipment.
These two
trucks served until June 1952, when a new American La France was added
and the old Reo shelved.
NEWCOMERSTOWN EMERGENCY SQUAD
(A Brief History)
The Emergency
Squad of the Newcomerstown Fire Department was born about 15 years ago
(1939-40) when the B.P.O.E. Lodge presented the Fire Department with a
resuscitator. This was the only equipment until 1945, when the department
purchased a Dodge panel truck and began to equip it for emergency. This
truck served during the Troop Train wreck at West Lafayette, Ohio and
this convinced the department that they were on the right track toward
serving the community.
In 1949,
a new Emergency Truck was designed and built with the funds of the department
and the help of the Business & Professional Women's Club.
Since that
time, the entire funds derived from our Jubilees have gone toward more
equipment for the truck. At this time we have $10,000 worth of equipment
owned by the department and serving the entire community with no limits.
During
the year 1953, we answered thirty-four (34) calls which necessitated one
hundred and forty-seven (147) follow-up calls.
Since the
first emergency truck was purchased, approximately two hundred and four
(204) original calls were answered.
THE FIREMEN'S PARADE
Saturday, June 12, 1954
6:30 p.m.
PARADE PRIZES
Equipment Coming Longest Distance
1st Prize $30.00, 2nd Prize $15.00
Best Appearing Fire Truck
1st Prize $30.00, 2nd Prize $15.00
Best Emergency Truck
1st Prize $20.00, 2nd Prize $10.00
THE FIREMEN'S CREED
Be he paid
or volunteer, when the fire fighter assumes that role he is no longer a
private citizen. Upon him rests the tremendous responsibility of safeguarding
the lives of every man, woman or child in the community regardless of race
or creed or color. It is definitely the obligation of the fire fighter
to risk life or limb, if necessary, to accomplish this purpose and he who
fails to grasp this important truth has no place in fire service. |
