Just to give everyone an idea of the changes on the job and why I felt the need to start my little oral history project. The earliest appointment date of the people I've interviewed is 1940.So, that the start date of the oral history. Here's a taste of what the NFD was like in 1940.

In 1940 the NFD consisted of 43 companies.

These included 12 Trucks, 30 Engines (Engine 33 was the Fireboat). 10 of the Engines were two piece companies which means they had a rig with a higher pumping capacity and rig with a lower pumping capacity. The larger rig was called the engine, the smaller rig was the hose wagon. The wagon usually responded ahead of the engine and would stretch in from the hydrant. The engine would take the hydrant and pump through the wagon’s line. There was also a Rescue Squad. For the most part rigs had open cabs and were chain driven. The men rode on the back step of engines or clung to the side of the trucks. There were 2 Deputy Chiefs & 5 Battalion Chiefs. The insurance companies maintained a Salvage Corps which responded to fires, but its members did not become part of the fire department until 1951.

These units were manned by 2 “platoons” who worked 84 hours a week. Their schedule was two days on, twenty-four on, two nights on, and then twenty-four off. Salary was $2,100 a year for a firefighter. There were no benefits. (Before 1918 they worked “straight-time.” As best I can determine, the schedule was 7 days on 24 hours, one day off. This meant you lived in the firehouse and got to visit your family once every eight days. So it was important that your family lived in the vicinity of the firehouse. Obviously, getting transferred was a major issue to be discussed with your wife. They were also given “meal tricks” which were four hour visits to your family. This resulted in “meal trick babies”. You can’t make this stuff up.)

They took a civil service test to get on the job that consisted of a written portion and a physical portion. The written was a general knowledge test. There was no requirement for a high school diploma. The test for the 1959 list was the last that required only 2 years of high school. The physical consisted of calisthenics.

The rigs and men were “tied” to the firehouse because they had no radios. The only means of communication between the field and dispatch was the telegraph system and telephone from dispatch to firehouse. The bells were 10” to 12” and described as making the firehouse sound like a boiler room. (They were finally replaced in 1969 with smaller bells with “chimes” being installed in bunk rooms. The chimes were devices that consisted of flat pieces of metal about 1” x 4” that were struck by a small rod to send out a “chime” counting out the box number of the alarm.)

All phone calls to firehouses had to go through the dispatchers (which is why they were called rumor control by the firemen).

The company journal was meticulously kept because at times the book watch could only determine if the company responded to an alarm by keeping track of what companies were out of service. Responses and automatic move ups were determined exclusively from a running book.

The Engines rode with 2 1/2” hose and a booster. The 2 1/2” was cotton jacketed and rubber lined which meant it had to be hung in the hose well to dry whenever it was wet, couplings were made of brass. All nozzles were straight bore. The Trucks had wooden ladders and spring loaded aerials that were raised manually by crank. Their tools consisted of rams, hooks, and axes. They also carried rescue nets.

They had some canister masks, but they were not really used until after WW II. The Rescue Squad was considered the mask specialists and would take over the line from an engine company when they arrived to advance it into the smoke.

Turnout gear consisted of a long rubber coat (usually worn by engine men) or a canvas coat (usually worn by truck men), 3/4 boots that needed a leather insert to protect against nails, and a leather helmet. Gloves were worn by some; the type of glove worn was up to the individual; and all turnout gear was purchased by the men.

The station uniform was khaki pants and a light blue shirt, again purchased by the men.

Both platoons lined up at the change of tours for inspection before the relieved tour went off duty.

When they stood for the annual inspection, both tours reported to the firehouse, but no one received overtime. Instead of overtime back then, they were given comp time. If you worked extra time, they would give you that time off sometime in the future when roll calls permitted.

Recalls happened on a regular basis for any perceived emergency (i.e. a snow storm). Again no overtime was given, only comp time.

Personnel of the department were of predominantly German and Irish stock. There were a few Italians (who were the sometimes un-welcomed new comers), as well as, Jewish, Polish, & even Lithuanian firefighters. All seem to agree that discipline on the department had been instilled by the German officers. (Remember in 19th century Europe it was said that Germany was an army looking for a country.) There were no black or Hispanic personnel. Out of a population of 429,760 in Newark, 45,760 were African-Americans, 114 were born in Puerto Rico, 10 were Mexicans, and 298 were Chinese. The first black firefighter was appointed in the early 1950’s, the first Hispanic in 1965. (Up until that point, there had been only one black chief’s driver on the NFD. Lorenzo “Alfonzo” Trent was given the position of Chief’s Driver after one of the Fire Chiefs wrecked a gig while responding to an alarm.)

Why did guys take the job at the time? (There were lawyers and CPAs on the job in 1940.) They became firemen because jobs were still scarce and layoffs frequent. The country didn’t fully recover from the Depression until the Second World War. When I came on the job I was told that there had not been a layoff during the Depression. However, I did some research in company journals and came across an entry stating firefighters had been laid off, but were then brought back in a matter of hours. Have to research that topic more.

I don’t have the number of personnel in 1940 right now. In 1951 the department consisted of 645 Firefighters, 145 Captains, 18 Battalion Chiefs, and 9 Deputy Chiefs on 3 tours. By 1958 the number was 661 Firefighters, 139 Captains, 18 Battalion Chiefs, and 10 Deputy Chiefs. In 1974 the number had climbed to 788 Firefighters, 185 Captains, 38 Battalion Chiefs, and 23 Deputy Chiefs on 4 tours. (The third tour was added in 1949, the fourth tour a decade later in 1959.)

How did we get from that time to today? That’s what the oral history project is all about. The idea is to have as many voices as possible answering the same questions. This will give a broad, accurate picture of the NFD through the 80 years covered. I use small bits of recollections from multiple NFD personnel to piece together the story. 90% of every interview tells the individual story of the person I’m interviewing. They can then pass it on to their family and 100 years from now their descendants will hear why great-great grandpa (or grandma now) became a Newark firefighter.