The Newsmagazine of Long Beach Island and Southern Ocean County
By David Biggy | on September 09, 2022
The Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Co. definitely doesn’t look and feel the same as it did on July 24, 1922.
First established as the Manahawkin Volunteer Fire Co. before it officially had its name changed to its current one in 1936, the Stafford fire department has altered and grown a lot during the past 100 years, and the men and women of the department invite the community to celebrate its centennial at a special gathering from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Throughout the illustrious history of the STFVC, from its humble beginnings when George Pharo was chief and Stephen Johnson was president, the mission always has been to serve the community through volunteer service, which continues today. In 1923, the first set of equipment consisted of 24 buckets, four ladders and 100 feet of ¾-inch rope, about a year before the department purchased its first Reo fire engine, equipped with a Haley rotary pump, booster and chemical tank, for $4,355.
CHECK ’EM OUT: Both the original Reo fire truck (foreground) and the company’s newest apparatus, a Pierce Enforcer 107-foot aerial ladder truck, will be on hand for the Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Co.’s 100th anniversary celebration later this month. (Supplied Photo)
A parade will get the party started at noon. It will begin at the Stafford Township municipal complex, before trekking along East Bay Avenue, then Letts Avenue, past the firehouse on Stafford Avenue and end back at town hall. The celebration then will continue with music, food, fun and memories galore at the Fire Co. No. 1’s station on Stafford Avenue through the afternoon.
Guests will enjoy live music by Ned Ryerson and the Groundhogs, The Danksters and Chuck DeBruyn, food from Blue Collar Catering – the menu will include hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled pork – and a beer truck for which identifications will be checked and wristbands provided. While the event is free to attend, food will be $15 per person and food and beer will be $25 per individual.
Commemorative glasses and shirts will be available to purchase, and trophies will be doled out to the best among fire trucks, ambulances, chiefs’ vehicles and more. Children also can enjoy various bounce houses. —D.B.
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