About Port Monmouth Fire Co.
Founding the Port Monmouth Fire Company
In the summer of 1922, a small group of civic-minded residents gathered to establish organized fire protection in Port Monmouth. Inspired by Ed Oakes and Tom Williams of Red Bank, who advocated for the necessity of a local department, founders Henry Pulsch, Ernest Rutt, Percy De Grote, Lloyd Carhardt, Charles Meyers, and George Burlew led the initial effort.
In November 1922, a formal meeting took place at the Port Monmouth School to incorporate the Port Monmouth Fire Company No. 1. Marcus Moller was elected President by acclamation, with acting secretary Louis Jensen casting the deciding ballot. The official charter was promptly executed by M. Moller, L. Jensen, H. DeGrote, Walter DeGrote, John Dowens, Charles Rutt Sr., C. Meyers, Ben Mills, Arthur Aker, and Jim Hepburn.
Through community fundraising campaigns, the company raised enough capital to purchase a parcel of land from Cowalton Realty Company for $300. The members constructed a frame garage on the site and acquired the company's first fire apparatus, a Ford truck delivered in July 1923 for $2,500. By 1926, rising operational demands led to the purchase of a 500 GPM Buffalo pumper, which was housed in Walter Walling’s barn until an addition to the station was completed.
To secure a permanent home, the company acquired the property where the station currently stands from William Coe in 1928. Construction began in the fall of 1932 at a total cost of $11,900. By the spring of 1933, the brick firehouse was completed and officially occupied.
1940 to 1960: Mid-Century Growth and Resilience
The company expanded its fleet in 1940 with the acquisition of a GMC apparatus equipped with a 250 GPM pump, a 750-foot hose bed, and emergency floodlights. In 1946, the company invested $15,500 to purchase its first 1,000 GPM pumper, an Ahrens-Fox Model HT. Twelve years later, in 1958, an American LaFrance 750 GPM pumper was placed into service, quickly becoming the cornerstone of the company's frontline operations.
The department faced a major setback on December 18, 1960, when an early morning fire broke out in the upstairs hall, resulting in approximately $30,000 in damages. Undeterred, the membership completed a full $50,000 restoration in 1961.
By 1965, work commenced on a new climate-controlled addition to host social gatherings and community fundraisers. Officially opened in February 1967 with a historic $1,000 bingo night, the space became known as "The Colonial Room" and served as a key financial pillar for the company for decades.
1970 to 1990: Modernization and Fleet Expansion
By 1970, with two primary apparatus exceeding 25 years of service, the company established a truck committee to select modern equipment for the coming decade. The department contracted the Seagrave Corporation to build a custom 1,000 GPM pumper featuring a 500 GPM deluge set, a 2,000-foot hose bed, a high-pressure booster unit, and an onboard auxiliary generator. Delivered in March 1973 for $47,000, the apparatus was designated as Engine 164.
In the fall of 1980, the company added Unit 160, a Pierce 500 GPM mini-attack pumper built on a Dodge chassis, designed for wildland response, vehicle fires, and secondary supply. To accommodate a growing five-vehicle fleet, members volunteered hundreds of labor hours to expand the engine bays, successfully bringing the entire fleet under one roof by late 1980.
In 1988, the company modernized again by purchasing a 1989 Hahn 1,500 GPM pumper with an enclosed seven-man cab. Designated as Engine 161, this apparatus led the department into a new operational era. During this transition, the retired American LaFrance was transferred to the Middletown Fire Academy for a nominal fee of $1.00, ensuring it remained an active training asset for future generations of firefighters.
As apparatus dimensions increased toward the end of the century, the company replaced the aging Seagrave with a 1998 Pierce pumper. Accommodating this larger unit required a major facility renovation, replacing the old Colonial Room entryway with two modern, high-clearance engine bays. With public bingo operations winding down, the former social space was leased for commercial use. The renovated station and the new Engine 164 were dedicated during the company's 75th anniversary wetdown ceremony, marking a clean transition into the 21st century.
2000 to Present: Overcoming Adversity and Shifting Roles
In the late 2000s, the department replaced the 1989 Hahn with a heavy-duty KME pumper, designated Engine 161. While this frontline workhorse proved its capabilities during several major structure fires, unprecedented regional challenges soon shifted the department's long-term operational needs.
On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy struck the New Jersey coastline. As storm surges rapidly inundated Port Monmouth, floodwaters breached the station parking lot by early evening. Members worked urgently to relocate personal vehicles and evacuate sensitive equipment, records, and frontline apparatus before water submerged the station. While major units were saved, several historic artifacts, including the out-of-service 1947 Ahrens-Fox, remained trapped in the floodwaters.
In the aftermath, the station served as a vital community relief center despite sustaining major water damage. Members whose own homes were destroyed took shelter in the building, working alongside relief agencies to distribute food, water, and critical supplies to displaced neighbors.
The post-Sandy rebuilding process transformed local architecture, as coastal regulations required homes to be elevated onto tall pilings. Single-story dwellings were replaced by multi-story elevated structures, altering local fireground tactics. In 2016, the Middletown Township Fire Department recommended that Port Monmouth transition into a dedicated truck company to provide aerial rescue and elevated master stream capabilities for the north side of Middletown.
The company voted to adopt the truck company mission and partnered with KME to build a custom aerial apparatus. Under the department deployment plan, the newly built ladder truck assumed the designation Truck 160, while Engine 161 was transferred to the Old Village Fire Company. Port Monmouth accepted delivery of Truck 160 in August 2017, placing it into frontline service. Shortly thereafter, the company acquired a brush truck from Navesink Fire Company, refurbishing and re-lettering the unit to complete the fleet
In October of 2022, the Port Monmouth Fire Company marked its centennial milestone with a community-wide celebration. A month later, the membership convened for a historic meeting, held on the precise date and hour of the original November 1922 founding assembly.
Fleet modernization continued in 2024 with the acquisition of a custom utility pickup, replacing the aging brush unit to enhance support operations across the township.
Today, the Port Monmouth Fire Company maintains a frontline fleet of three active apparatus alongside a preserved parade piece, carrying forward more than a century of dedicated volunteer service to the Township of Middletown.