ZEST Keyport firefighters share a proud history
Keyport Firefighting' surveys 132-year fire dept. history
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer

Above: In 1915 the Raritan Hose Company No. 2 turned out in their gray wool dress coats for inspection. Left: In 1985 Keyport Engine Company members dug out the 1891 cornerstone to uncover the company's time capsule.

KEYPORT — Some of the borough's bravest men and women can be found immortalized on the pages of a new book chronicling the 132-year history of the Keyport Fire Department,

"Keyport Firefighting," an Images of America book from Arcadia Publishing, commemorates the strides and accomplishments made by the borough's fire department since its inception in 1877.

Written by Keyport firefighters Tom Gallo, Tim Regan, an ex-fire chief, and Jim McTernan, who is currently a first assistant chief in the department, the book, in addition to individual sales, will be given to local libraries and schools to educate and spread awareness of fire safety and the borough's firefighting brigade.

"We started writing the book about seven months ago, but there had always been talk about doing something like this," Gallo explained.

Gallo, a lifelong resident of the borough, has been a firefighter in Keyport for the past four years and normally writes about historic railroads as a hobby, he said.

"Eighty percent of the research materials used for the book came out of the Keyport Fire Museum and Educational Center on Broad Street," Gallo said, "and that all came from former members who were more than happy to share the stories and memories of the department."

Both Gallo and Regan, a 24- year veteran of the department, have authored books before, while McTernan brought 20 years of local firefighting experience and knowledge of local history to the project.

According to Gallo, the department was formed in 1877 after a devastating fire wiped out more than half of the business district.

"From then through 1907, seven different companies formed in various parts of town to provide protection in those areas, keeping in mind, members ran to the firehouses," Gallo explained. "Initially they pulled hose carts, then with motorized equipment were able to drive and of course carry more firefighting equipment on board, including their protective gear.

"Keyport Fire Department has been completely volunteer since its inception, with our newest 18- year-old members going through basic firefighting courses provided by Monmouth County."

Currently, two fire companies are consolidated, giving the town six firehouses, owned by each company and maintained by the members through fundraising events, Gallo said.

According to Gallo, Keyport is the first town in Monmouth County to have its own museum dedicated to its firefighters.

The Keyport Fire Museum and Education Center is located at 86 Broad St. in what else but an old firehouse.

"Our museum opened up about three or four years ago," Gallo said. "I first joined the department when they were building the museum and since then, we have acquired some great stuff."

Among that stuff, Gallo said, is an antique pull-cart, a large wagontype vehicle that was used to transport hoses and was pulled by horses.

"We have a pull-cart from the turn of the century that we got from the state's historic collection," Gallo said. According to Gallo, the museum was a firehouse until 1969, but dates back to the early 20th century.

"The building is much older and was actually moved from its original location because it was up a hill, and the men and horses could not pull all the equipment up the hill in the mud," Gallo explained.

According to the department's website, the Broad Street building was built in 1900 and is the former quarters of Raritan Hose Company No. 2. It was moved to its current site in 1919 and opened as a museum in 2003.

"Monmouth County gave the borough about $65,000 in grant money to restore it and the borough later sold it to the fire department," Gallo said. "About 80 percent of our department are volunteer members and about 20 percent are nonvolunteer members."

Gallo said chronicling the department's history was important to the authors, and they wanted it to resonate with readers.

"There are some key elements when you do a book, and one is people," Gallo explained. "People always connect the book to the reader and in this case it is the firefighters."

The 127-page book dedicates a chapter to the current and former members of the Keyport Fire Department, as well as a chapter to the Keyport First Aid Squad.

Other topics covered in the book include historic fires and apparatus.

"We focused on the members and then the equipment, because the technology used to fight fires has evolved quite a bit," Gallo said. "The book is not technical, but educational in itself."

Gallo said that since he joined the fire department as an adult, he had a bit of a different perspective.

"Joining the fire department a little later in life added a different element because I belonged to other organizations like the historical society and the board of health," Gallo said. "This is a different element of Keyport that I have gotten to know."