Camden Fire Department — Rescue Company 1

Rescue Company 1 was organized on June 28, 1951 and entered service on that date at Fire Headquarters, 29 North 5th Street at the corner of North 5th and Arch Street in center city Camden. In 1961 the unit relocated to the new headquarters, a converted factory building that had once been the home of the Camden Courier-Post newspaper at 3 North 3rd Street, the corner of North 3rd and Arch Street. On November 7, 1978 Rescue 1 moved across the street to the new Fire Headquarters building at 2 North 3rd Street. In 1993 Rescue Company again moved, this time to 619 Kaighn Avenue, the former home of Ladder Company 2 in South Camden, where it shared the building with the Fire Department Property Maintenance Unit. On December 7, 1998 Rescue Company 1 moved to its present location at the Liberty Station at 1301 Broadway, the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street.

This vehicle entered service in 1956 and remained in use until December 9, 1967, when it was involved in an accident where the driver, Fireman Ernest Tartaglia, was killed.

Woman Gas Victim Saved by Camden Rescue Squad

The hour-long effort of a fire department rescue squad Friday night saved a woman who tried to kill herself by gas.

Police said Mrs. Florence Marshall, 46, of 330 North Tenth Street, locked herself in the bathroom and turned on a gas jet. They added she was despondent because her daughter, Eva, 22, was planning to marry and leave home.

A son, William, 19, broke down the bathroom door and dragged the mother from the room. Patrolmen John Voll and Harrison Wilkinson were called and summoned the rescue squad headed by Captains Godfrey Patterson and George Boone.

It took the squad an hour to revive Mrs. Marshall by artificial respiration. She was taken to Cooper hospital and later to police headquarters, where she was released for a hearing Monday on a charge of attempted suicide.

Other members of rescue squad 1 are George Baxter, William Watkin, John Mogck, Edward Brendlinger, Arthur Ballinghoff, Christopher Moll, Edwin Decker, Carl Wirtz, Robert Olesiewicz, John Kolessar and Raymond Banford.

Firemen Here Get Advanced First Aid Course

More than 40 members of the Camden Fire Department have completed the Red Cross course in advanced first aid according to announcement today by Howard F. Keller, Collingswood, chairman of the Camden County Chapter’s first aid committee.

Instruction sessions were under the direction of Fire Chief William V. Pfefferle, Drillmaster Anthony Dzinski, a member of the local chapter first aid group, assisted by Nicholas E. George, were instructors. Dzinski is a member of the Red Cross faculty at the National Aquatic School held in this area each year for instruction in advance safety techniques. Dick Harris, director of Red Cross safety services, supervised.

All members of the graduating class are personnel of several units housed at fire department headquarters here. These include the Headquarters Company, Engine Company 2, rescue squad 1 and Truck Company 1. These groups include:

Rescue Squad: Captains Arthur Batten, Philip A. Stinger and Albert Weller; Edward Brendlinger, Harrison MacNier, Robert Olesiewicz and James W. Smith.

Headquarters Company: Raymond Banford, John K. Voll and John W. Yates.

Truck Company 1: Captains Daniel Jiannetto, Robert E. Dukes and Otto V. Kaiser; William Watkin, Chester Gedrich, George Baxter, John Mogck, George C. Hennessy, Charles Devlin, Ambrose W. Faust, Joseph McTaggart, Howard R. Taggart, William G. Winstanley and Elmer Johnson Jr.

Engine Company 2: Captains James R. Asher, Thomas Winstanley; Carl Wirtz, James McGrory, Edwin V. Decker, James Stewart, Francis X. McTaggart, Anthony T. Orme, Mario D. Fattore, James O. Jones, Francis P. Stibi, William Hopkins, Robert E. Briggs, John Guiliano, Casper Martelli, Harold H. Pike, John J. Vane, William Stibi, John DiMaggio and Harry Kleinfelder.

A reported dwelling fire with a report on an infant trapped was dispatched in Camden City at 0042 hrs. Engine 10, Squad 7, Engine 8, Ladder 2, Rescue 1, and Battalion 1 responded to 2419 Arnold Street. Camden County Radio advised crews a neighbor reported that an infant was still inside on the 2nd floor. Engine 10 arrived on location with heavy fire showing from division 2 of a 2 story middle of the row occupied dwelling. Battalion 1 arrived and struck the all hands. Battalion 1 also requested another engine and ladder crew. Rescue 1 arrived and searched the dwelling with negative results. Secondary searches also were negative. Crews contained the fire to 1 unit with no exposure damage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Camden Fire Marshals.

Story and Photo: Ted Aurig

Busy 24 Hours in Camden NJ — 6 Working Fires along with a Rescue

Camden Firefighters had a busy 24 hour tour starting on June 16th and ending on June 17th with four all hands fires and two second alarms all in the South Camden section of the city.

The first job was a working fire in a row of two story dwellings in the 1200 block Morton Street. Later that day they had a working fire in the middle of a row of two story dwellings in the 700 block of Spruce Street. A few hours later in the AM hours they were called to the 700 block of Cherry Street.

First in companies found heavy fire showing in a large 3 story brick dwelling that put all companies to work within minutes. Part of the structure collapsed and Battalion 1 called for a second alarm. A few minutes later while the fire was going, another alarm came in for a working fire at 908 Haddon Avenue, about 6 blocks away.

As the companies were coming in they found another blaze a block away from the first job, in a row of 2 story dwellings at 903 Haddon Avenue.

Fire Radio put in a special call to Camden County Fire Units to respond into the city. Fire companies from Gloucester City, Oaklyn, Westmont, Collingswood, and Pennsauken Township were put to work fighting these blazes. By 4:30 AM all the fires were placed under control.

A few hours later firefighters were dispatched to 620 Sycamore Street for an explosion and fire with reports of people trapped. Engine 8 was first in with Captain Dan Baker. He reported he had the end of a row brick 2 story dwelling that had exploded and had numerous people injured and one victim still trapped on the collapsed second floor, and he requested the second alarm to be transmitted.

Rescue 1 was arriving with Captain Frank Sandrock and Battalion 1 Chief Daryl Lewison along with Squad 7 and Engine 1 and Ladder Companies 2 and 1 and Battalion Chief 2 Mike DiPascale on the second alarm with Engine Companies 6 and 9, Ladder 3 and Special Operations Rescue unit and Car 3 with Deputy Chief Mike Harper and Chief of Department Joseph Marini in Car 1.

Firefighters could hear a female calling for help from the collapsed second floor. Firefighters went to work shoring up the collapsed building. Captain Sandrock of Rescue 1 was OPS Officer. About 30 minutes later firefighters were able to get to the badly injured woman. She had burns over 70 percent of her body. Rescue 1 firefighter Eli Hall was sent up the ladder to bring her down. Camden EMS removed her to Cooper Hospital Trauma.

Two other males were blown out of the second floor of the building onto the street and were taken to the hospital by Camden EMS. Two of the victims were admitted in critical condition. Car 3 Harper placed the assignment under control.

The explosion is under investigation by the Camden Fire Marshal Office and Camden Police Arson Unit along with the ATF. Cherry Hill Twp Canteen Unit, RIT team and Rehab Unit, and County Fire Police and Camden County Field Com units were special called. This was a busy 24 hours with 4 all hands and 2 second alarm fires and a life saving rescue.

September 2007 has started out to be a busy month for members of the Camden City NJ Fire Department. Especially Rescue Company 1. You never know when the unusual is going to happen. Within the last few days they were called to a construction accident with a construction worker being injured on an eight story high rise building under construction, extrication on the North-South Freeway, a person with his leg caught in a piece of machinery, and numerous working dwelling fires in which firefighters have to search for possible victims trapped—and still the unusual was about to happen.

Group 4 was working a 24 hour tour and Captain Ed Glassman was in his office finishing up his fire reports for the day. Firefighter Joe Cunningham was working the Watch Desk. Firefighters Eddie Frontado, Mike Miller and Mike Labar were on the apparatus floor checking equipment because they just came back from a working dwelling fire. Firefighter Labar was about to close the apparatus doors when a pregnant female came walking into the fire station. He took one look at her and knew that she was about to deliver.

He called to firefighter Cunningham to announce on the P.A. System for all members of Rescue 1 to report to the apparatus floor for a medical emergency. Firefighters assisted her to the rear of the station and Captain Glassman had firefighters Miller and Frontado gather up some clean towels, as firefighter Labar was able to find a large cardboard box so she could be placed in it instead of laying on the bare apparatus floor.

That was all the Rescue 1 members could do for her at the present time. She was no stranger to the firefighters at Liberty Street Station, especially to firefighter Danny Stratton of three group, who was off duty at the time. He especially took care of her, making sure she had plenty of food to eat—and as you can see by the photos, she is Smokey the fire house cat. She is an unofficial member, just a neighborhood stray and a city cat who would stop by for a free handout. Firefighters did all they could for her at the present time by making things comfortable and giving her a safe place to stay for the delivery. Later on that morning firefighter Labar looked in on her to check how things were going and saw that she had given birth to four kittens; unfortunately, one had died. She was given cat food and milk and is presently still in her back corner of the Liberty Street Station taking care of her remaining three kittens. Firefighters hope that someone will adopt them and possibly give Smokey a better environment to grow up in instead of walking the city streets of Camden.

Camden NJ Fire Fighters Battle Smoky 2-Alarm Blaze

Shortly after 1:00 PM on December 13, 2007 a police car on patrol spotted heavy smoke coming from a row of vacant dwellings in the 600 block of Bailey Street in the North Camden section of the city. At the same time Camden County Fire Radio and Camden Police 911 Center were receiving calls for the same fire location. Companies were now dispatched along with Battalion 2 Chief Mike DiPascale. Fire Radio informed Battalion 2 that they were receiving numerous calls and were adding the extra Engine Company to the Box.

Engine Company 6, under the command of Captain Sandrock, was first on location and reported that he had a row of two story vacant dwellings with the first two dwellings heavily involved and that he was going in service. Battalion 2 was now on location and informed Fire Radio to strike an All Hands Box and requested an additional Engine and Ladder Company to be dispatched.

It was a rainy, misty day and the smoke was so heavy that firefighters had a hard time trying to see up the street to where the fire was located. All of the dwellings were heavily boarded up, making it extremely hard for the firefighters to make entry. Truck Companies went up to the roof to ventilate. Six 1¾” lines were now in service as firefighters were making good progress attacking the fire. They were able to contain the blaze to two dwellings with some damage to the third dwelling. About 40 minutes into the fire Chief DiPascale placed the fire under control. The fire is being investigated by the Camden City Fire Marshal’s Office and the Camden Police Department Arson Squad.

Many of the photographs on this website are from the limited edition book “Fire Department Camden NJ 125 Anniversary 1869–1994” and were taken by Department Photographer Bob Bartosz. Others are courtesy of Joel Bain of the Camden Fire Department. More recent photos are by Gabe Angemi and Phil Cohen.

Be sure to visit Rescue Company 1’s excellent “unofficial” web-page, an excellent site with much information about the Camden Fire Department.