Inwood Fire Department at 125 years

Long before there was a "Five Towns,"  residents of The Branch formed fire companies to protect their property.  In the days before the introduction of electricity minimized the risk from coal stoves and open fireplaces, fire was a constant threat to safety.  Since wooden buildings were far more common than brick structures, a neighbor's fire might quickly turn into a community's disaster.

On January 19, 1887, at a  meeting in the Lord Avenue cottage of  Edward Rhinehart and his wife, plans were made for the organization of a fire company for their community, which was then called Westville.  At that meeting, the Electric Hook and Ladder Company was created.  A year later, when a post office was established, the community was renamed Inwood.  A second company, the Citizen Hose and Engine Company, was formed in 1902 by some of the younger members of Electric Hook and Ladder Company.

The first Inwood firehouse (above) was crowned by an observation tower so fires might be spotted before they became a problem.

Members Edward Archibald and Frank Parise have produced a comprehensive history of the department.  Their work spotlights development in Inwood's firefighting community from its inception through the events of September 11, 2001.



Part of the comaraderie of fire companies has always been the drill competitions.  Here the "Mud Ducks," Inwood's drill team (above), excelled early in their history.  Only three years after their founding, Citizen Hose and Engine Company took first place in the 1905 Southern New York Tournament.



Archibald and Parise also mention that Inwood still holds the World's Record (established in 1919) for the horse drawn hose contest.

The early years were punctuated by the purchase of the first motorized apparatus (1917) and the construction in 1926 of a new fire headquarters, erected on the northeast corner of Wanser and Doughty Boulevard (above).  The building was extended in 1952 and an annex built in 1984.  The years that followed have seen improvements in equipment and communications, but the dedication shown by the members of our local fire departments have always set the highest standards.  We salute you all.




Further reading:
http://www.inwoodfd.com/
http://www.liherald.com/fivetowns/stories/Inwood-Fire-Department-celebrates-125-years,42586

Local Fire Departments

Local volunteer fire departments have always been a mainstay of Long Island communities. The Hewlett Fire Department has provided volunteer service to the community since 1891. The picture below shows Empire Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 of Woodmere, about 1905. The Nassau County Firemen's Association was founded in 1903 and since then Nassau County summers have been punctuated with parades and tournaments which spotlight the friendly competition between neighboring fire departments.


A 1909 article in The New York Times recounts how 20,000 people assembled to view a parade of 4,000
firemen to the Fulton Field area of Hempstead (near Hempstead Town Hall).

Empire Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 (Woodmere)

The accompanying picture (left) was taken June 19, 1950 at the 40th Annual Nassau County Firemen's Association Tournament, held on the tournament grounds at Prospect and Union Avenues. An article in the June 16th issue of the Nassau Herald portrays the expected festivities:

"Some 45 departments will be represented in line of march together with 40 bands and a total of over 3300 men and women and 175 fire engines. The marchers will assemble on the corner of Prospect Ave. and Broadway. Grant Park, Hewlett and will parade on Broadway to Franklin Place, Woodmere, pass a reviewing stand at the corner of Hartwell Place and Broadway and return to the tournament grounds ..."

Attending dignitaries included Grand Marshall George Metzler, former chief of the Hewlett Fire Department; Superintendent of School District 14 Chauncey Ogden; County Executive J. Russel Sprague, and local clergy.

Links

Hewlett Fire Department

Woodmere Fire Department

Nassau County Firemen's Association