Secretary…………. Raymond Evelan
The Fire Company received the Charter in June 1935 and in August 1935, Roy Bohr was elected as the first Fire Chief.
The first fire the men went to was at the H.C. Moore Manufacturing Company. As they had no truck at the time, the men used a hand-pulled hose cart.
In July 1937, a Block Party was held as a fund raiser with the proceeds going towards a firehouse and fire fighting equipment.
The land where the present firehouse stands today was purchased in July 1937 from Pine Grove Borough for $1.00
A Ladies Auxiliary was organized in August of 1938.
A 1939 Ford 500 gallons per minute (GPM) “front-end” pumper was ordered from W.S. Darley Company in December 1938 for a price of $2,366.00 and is still in service today. The fire truck was housed in the second story of Smith’s Garage until a firehouse was erected in 1942. Smith’s Garage is now the Gold Mills / Penn Dye Personnel Office.
We added a new addition to the back of the Truck Room in 1957 which now serves as the Social Room.
In 1965, the fire company purchased a Ford Chassis from Long’s Gas Company; and Watkins Motors, Tower City, donated a 1,500 gallon tank. These items were used to make a 1,500 gallon tanker with a 200(GPM) pump. This was one of the first tankers in Schuylkill County.
After paying off the mortgage on the social room in 1966, a mortgage burning ceremony was held.
We purchased the Paul Walters home in 1969 and built a new addition in 1977 to house the 1976 Hahn.
In May 1969 the Ladies Auxiliary was Chartered.
June 1972 the firehouse was flooded with 15 inches of water from Hurricane Agnes. When the waters receded, the firehouse was cleaned out. After the job was done, the members then began pumping cellars in Pine Grove and surrounding areas.
In May 1974, a new fire truck was ordered.
For future expansion, 14 acres of Reading Railroad Company land was purchased in August 1974.
In February 1976, the new Hahn Custom 1,000 GPM Pumper was delivered at a cost of $55,440.00. Additional equipment cost $15,000.00 for a total purchase price of $70,440.00.
Junior Firemen were accepted in April 1977.
In 1978, SCAM workers put in the ceiling and painted the truck room.
Two – way radios were purchased and installed in fire trucks on the 46.500 Fire Band in 1979.
In 1981, the fire company purchased a 1970 Chevy truck with an aluminum 2,500 gallon tank. This truck was made into a 2,500 gallon tanker with a 400GPM P.T.O. Pump. A quick dump system was installed with a dump capacity of 1,850 GPM. This tanker has one of the fastest dumping capacities in the State of Pennsylvania. The fire company built and equipped this truck for approximately $30,000.00 compared to the price of a new one at $100,000.00. The chassis was replaced in 2001 with a Volvo/White but the aluminum tank was re-used. Again, great savings were realized as this chassis only cost $10,000 and the membership performed the transition work.
Pagers and siren control were purchased in 1983. These systems enable Schuylkill County Control to alert firemen and blow the siren in cases of fires or emergencies.
In 1984 plans were made to hold a 50th Anniversary Celebration in June of 1985.
In 1997 we purchased the 1969 International 750GPM Pumper from Donaldson FC to use at Motor Vehicle Accidents—to reduce wear and tear on the Hahn In 1999 the company embarked on a new era of fire fighting for Pine Grove with the purchase of a 100 foot American La France aerial ladder truck from Sharpsburg Borough in Pennsylvania. This is the first ladder truck ever owner by a Pine Grove Fire Company. In year 2000 the new fire house was completed next door to the old building. It is large enough to accommodate the new ladder truck in addition to the Hahn and tanker. Along with the building a 55 foot steel tower and a new 10 horsepower fire siren manufactured by Federal Signal Corporation was installed. The tower and siren were donated for free to the North end Fire Company by Cornwall Township in Lebanon County through the efforts of Rexmont Fire Company. The tower also holds communications antenna equipment for both high band and low band base stations to aid in communications during disasters. The operation center on the mezzanine in the back of the fire station was activated during Hurricane Ivan on September 18, 2004 and in June 2006; both large scale floods comparable to Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and spreading large scale devastation.
Through the Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant administrated by FEMA, the North End Fire Company was awarded funding to purchase a new fire engine to replace the aging Hahn in 2003. We acquired a show room condition E-One, Cyclone II, 1250 GPM pumper from the Monticello Fire Department in Mississippi. This puts the company years ahead in replacing antiquated fire apparatus and allows us to focus on replacing the ladder truck a decade sooner than was anticipated.
The spring of 2006 saw the addition of a 1999 Chevy suburban squad truck. Currently, in November 2006 by unanimous vote of the fire company, we are seeking to purchase a new ladder truck from Woodbridge New Jersey Fire Department. This 1994 Seagraves, 110 foot aerial ladder would replace the older ladder currently in service. The North End Fire Company membership, both past and present can be proud of an active heritage, providing the Pine Grove Area with first rate fire protection.
