Absecon Fire Co. #1 was organized and incorporated in 1913 and was housed in a building located on Station Avenue at the turn leading to North Shore Road. The building is still there today but has been converted into apartments.

Standing beside the original Fire House was a steel tower which held the large Bronze Bell that was used as a fire alarm. This same bell has been preserved and is now located at the base of the flag pole at the present Fire House.

 Absecon's First Firehouse on Station Ave.

The first officers of the company were: Chief, C.M. Kessler; President, Joseph S. Smith; Secretary, Earl Fairbrothers; and Treasurer, J.L. Giberson.

The earliest piece of fire apparatus was a used 1910 Ladder Truck purchased from the Ventnor City Fire Department. This truck was equipped with 200 feet of ladders, 12 shovels, 12 lanterns and 24 water buckets. In 1918 a new Ford chemical engine was added to the fleet.

In 1928 a new City Hall was built and an apparatus room for two fire engines was provided in the rear of the building on the New Jersey Avenue side. This building was sufficient until the city started to grow and larger facilities were needed.

On Saturday, April 28th, 1956, the new Fire House, located at New Jersey Avenue and New Road was dedicated. It was built with the cooperation of the city and the volunteers of this department. At this time the fire equipment consisted of a 1940 Chevrolet fire engine and a 1947 Peter Pirsch engine.

Since 1956 the Fire House has been expanded 3 times based on the need for service to an expanding community. These additions were also made possible through cooperation of the city and the work of the volunteers.

Current Firehouse (1957)

1964 Absecon's Firefighters inside our current Firehouse

In October of 1991, our fire department purchased Rescue 8 with funds generated by the sale of our previous 1984 Emergency One rescue vehicle which was won by our member Mr. Dale Conover who donated it to the department. We also sold our custom made 1969 light rescue/air cascade truck; this vehicle was created by local men such as Chief Sam VanSant and Bill and Don Bates: these dedicated members spear-headed the manufacture of a special frame and body to create a unique piece of apparatus.

In addition and most importantly, the use of the local residents' generous annual donations has made it possible to attain the loan from the First National Bank of Absecon, which covered the lion's share of the present Rescue 8 cost.

Expended Firehouse (2000)

In November of 1991, a committee was formed to begin the lengthy and difficult task of researching a new pumper truck to replace the present Engine 85, a 1974 Ward LaFrance, that due to new federal safety standards is no longer a practical vehicle since it can only transport two firefighters safely to an incident.

Over the next few months, the committee traveled across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware looking at many different manufacturers and models at other fire departments interviewing members and sales people. After they reviewed all the information they created a set of specifications and went out for bids. In November of 1992, we placed an order for the new Engine 85 with Emergency One of Ocala, Florida.

In January of 2001, we received another new E-ONE pumper to replace the old Engine 84. Later that month, a 2001 Ford F-350 Super Duty was delivered, which will be used to transport personnel and equipment. This truck replaced the F-88 Suburban.

In 2004, a committee was formed to research the replacement of Rescue 8. In September of 2005, a new custom-designed Pierce Rescue Pumper was delivered. The truck has been outfitted with the latest fire and rescue equipment.

For a full listing and pictures of our current fleet, please see our Apparatus page.