Salamander Hook, Ladder & Bucket Company
HISTORY
The Beginning
The Salamander Hook, Ladder & Bucket Company was founded on March 1, 1902, in the home of Thomas T. Ramsden. He and a handful of residents had been discussing the fire protection problem facing the increasing population of Ocean Side after a fire had destroyed a farmhouse near the present-day intersection of Brower Avenue and Harold Street.
At this time, bucket brigades were the most common mode of fire protection. Ramsden and the others present wished to form a body of men upon which neighbors could depend to answer calls for help at any time of day and in any weather condition. Twenty men met with Ramsden at his home on Oceanside Road on that Saturday in 1902 and proposed to form a fire company for the hamlet of Oceanside. On this day, the men agreed to name the organization in honor of the salamander.
Legend holds that Ramsden, in his travels as an oyster salesman, frequently stopped at a firehouse between Oceanside and the City of New York. At this fire station, the firefighting equipment was pulled by a horse bearing the name of Salamander. In nature, salamanders are amphibians which have been known to nest in decaying trees. When men would burn these logs, the salamander would be seen walking forth from the fire, giving the creature the reputation of being born of the fire and capable of living in the fire. Such a reputation would certainly be fitting of the men who intended to fight the beast of fire.
In subsequent months, the men of Salamander Company met with the leaders of other local fire companies in order to establish borders. Although no written records may be located, it is generally believed that prior to the formation of the Salamander Company, the East Rockaway Fire Department protected all area west of Oceanside Road. Upon formation of the company in Oceanside to the west of that road, a new border was established in the vicinity of Court Street. The boundary continued to move west upon the formation of other fire companies in town. When Columbia Engine Company formed later in 1902, the boundary was moved to Terrell Avenue. The boundary was moved to its present-day location with the creation of the Oceanside Hose Company in 1906.
In 1903, the men of the company approved the purchase of an American La France hook and ladder truck from the Hayward Company for the price of $368. In late 1905, Mary A. Bennett donated a plot of land on School Street for the construction of the permanent fire station. This plot is still the location of the fire station today, now known as 65 Foxhurst Road. Using plans drafted by George Hill, and under his supervision, the men of Salamander constructed the first Salamander Fire Hall. Construction was completed and the company occupied the building by 1906. For 59 years, the company would call this building home. The treasury of the company raised funds by renting the hall to community groups. By 1908, the building enjoyed electricity.
In 1914 a committee was formed for the purposed of working alongside Columbia Engine Company, Oceanside Hose Company, and the Civic Association in efforts to establish a fire protection district in Oceanside. These efforts were rewarded on March 18, 1917, with the ratification of Proposition Number Two by the Board of Supervisors of Nassau County. The Oceanside Fire District was established on this day and included all lands of Oceanside as of 1917.
Prior to the formation of the Oceanside Fire District, Columbia Engine Company and Oceanside Hose Company had joined together in an effort to establish an Oceanside Fire Department consisting of all fire companies in town. Though Salamander had previously rejected the idea, the men voted on April 9, 1917 to join the other two fire companies.
1917 also brought with it the entrance of the United States into World War I. Salamander hung the gold star eight times over the course of the war. The men who remained home during the war passed a motion allowing all those members serving in the conflict to be carried as members in good standing until their return.
The Twenties
The Twenties brought many improvements in firefighting to Oceanside. The Board of Fire Commissioners asked the taxpayers to approve a bond for $7500 in order to purchase three motorized fire apparatus for use by the three fire companies of Oceanside. With these moneys, Salamander was awarded a new motorized hook and ladder wagon, commonly known as a City Service truck. The company raised $1125 to supplement the District budget for the apparatus, and they soon took delivery of a chain-driven Mack Hook, Ladder, Chemical and Motor Hose Wagon. The company suggested installing a water pump on the apparatus, but the District denied this request, as two new pumps had been purchased for the other fire companies.
In 1927 the Salamander Fire Hall opened its doors to two new community organizations. The first of these was a group of Catholics who were in need of a place to worship until a proper church could be constructed. This group became the first parishioners of Saint Anthony’s Church. The second group of individuals met to form Oceanside’s fourth fire company, South Side Hose Company. The men of South Side Company met at the Salamander Fire Hall until their fire hall was constructed on Oceanside Road. 1928 saw the formation of Oceanside’s fifth fire company, Terrace Hose & Chemical Company.
The Thirties and Forties
The Great Depression years saw a rash of fires in Oceanside. The fires were so prominent that the town received the nickname “Arson-side.” The Thirties also saw the creation of Oceanside’s first dispatching system. Previously, an emergency telephone number activated a telephone within the quarters of Columbia Engine Company on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Davison Street. A police officer in the booth across the street could hear the telephone and then activate the sirens. In 1931, Christopher Catalanotto, owner of the Yankee Service Station on Foxhurst and Oceanside Roads, effectively became the Department’s first dispatcher. His home was always occupied, and so the emergency phone rung in his home. Chris and his wife would then sound the alarms to summon the firemen. This system was used for almost twenty years, until a new dispatch office was installed at Columbia’s new quarters on Smith Street.
1932 saw the formation of a department rescue squad, consisting of members from all five fire companies. The rescue squad attended to injured firemen and transported them to local hospitals. The Salamander Fire Hall was used for meetings.
By 1939, Salamander had finally raised enough funds to cover their operating budget with a surplus, and opened its first savings account. Also in 1939, members of Salamander and the Oceanside Fire Department attended the State Firemen’s Convention, held at the site of the World’s Fair. In this year, the men of Salamander voted to exempt from dues all members with twenty-five years’ service to the company.
In 1947, the Oceanside Fire District planned for the purchase of its first aerial ladder device. The apparatus was ordered in 1948, and delivery of the Seagrave aerial was taken in 1950. The company’s old apparatus was sold to the Naer Tomid Society of the New York Fire Department. The society of Jewish firemen restored the truck and then donated it to the fire department of the newly-formed nation of Israel. The apparatus served that department for a number of years and then went to rest in a Tel Aviv museum.
Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies
In May 1963, the men of Salamander met to discuss the serious issue of real estate. The Oceanside Fire District made a proposal to the company to purchase their land in order to build a new district house. A committee was appointed to investigate the matter, and by February 1964 made its official report. The men voted 31 to 15 in favor of the sale of the property to the Oceanside Fire District. The following month, the company empowered the committee to negotiate a price of sale with the Fire District for a total of no less than $60,000. The sale would be subject to final approval of a company vote. The Salamander Fire Hall was demolished and replaced by the current Oceanside Fire District headquarters.
In 1971, a new Mack Tower Ladder arrived in Oceanside. The state-of-the-art apparatus was designated unit 244 and served faithfully for over twenty years.
Eighties and Nineties
In early 1982, Salamander received an Emergency One aerial ladder to replace the 1947 Seagrave aerial. The 1947 truck was sold to the Sag Harbor Fire Department, which used the apparatus until its sale to a private contractor. The truck has since been junked.
July 1988 saw the Game of Oceanside make its way into homes. Based on the popular board game Monopoly and featuring many local businesses, the game was instantly popular and a successful fundraiser for the company.
In 1989, the Board of Fire Commissioners began production of a Hahn aerial ladder to replace the Emergency One. Unfortunately, the Hahn corporation folded before the apparatus could be produced. The decision was also made to sell the existing ladder, leaving only the Mack tower to respond. The Mack suffered its own mechanical problems, leaving an array of vehicles to respond during that time. Among these vehicles were the department’s spare box truck, pumpers from other Oceanside companies, a 1962 Seagrave from Valley Stream, a 1950 Mack from West Hempstead, and even a sedan filled with tools. By 1991, a new apparatus arrived. The Pierce aerial ladder remains in service at the time of this writing. In 1993 the company said goodbye to the Mack tower and welcomed a new Pierce rear-mount tower. Also in 1989, the kitchen was refurbished for the first time since the opening of the building in 1965.
In 1996, Salamander and the Oceanside Fire Department shifted our operational year to match the calendar year. Elections and the annual installation were moved accordingly.
In 1998, the members of Terrace Hose & Chemical Company moved into headquarters during renovations to their fire station. The “Big House,” as it was known, lasted for a few years until Terrace was able to move back to their quarters.
2000 and Beyond
September 11, 2001 saw one of the worst tragedies and largest emergency mobilizations in our nation’s history with the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Salamander was called to assist the Fire Department of New York City, and staged at Belmont Race Track. The members were not called upon to respond to the site of the emergency and were released after a few hours.
2002 was a year of celebration in Salamander, as the membership celebrated 100 years of service to Oceanside. A number of anniversary events were held, including a cocktail party for members and families, cash raffle, and the Nassau County Parade, and a commemorative video.
2003 tested the resolve of Salamander and the Oceanside Fire Department. In late June, an explosion at the Oceanside Laundry injured 22 Oceanside firefighters. Eight Oceanside men, including five from Salamander, and one Baldwin Chief were held in the Nassau County Burn Center for about one month, where they received treatment for serious burns to the face and hands. Salamander, the Oceanside Fire Department, and neighbors all rallied around the injured firefighters. This writer is happy to report that all of those injured in the blaze have since returned to active firefighting duties.
In 2008, the Oceanside Fire District sold the 1993 Pierce Aerial Platform (244). The company’s truck committee had ordered a new Seagrave mid-mount tower ladder to replace it. In the interim, some department members had déjà vu, as a 1981 Mack tower ladder had been leased from the manufacturer until the new apparatus arrived in the summer of 2009.
2009 also saw a major renovation of Salamander’s quarters. The company room, which remained largely unchanged since its construction in 1965, was in for a complete overhaul. The old wood paneling walls left and were replaced by wallpaper and paneled wainscoting. The refreshment counter was completely rebuilt and topped off with new storage space above and behind the bar. To keep the old in with the new, a ladder from Salamander’s original hand-drawn truck was hung on the wall.
In early 2010, the Board of Fire Commissioners approved the formation of a truck committee to replace the aging Pierce Ladder 2442, which has been with the company since 1991. Specifications are being drawn up at the time of this writing.