What’s In a Name?

In Shakespeare’s work, Juliet asked Romeo, “What’s in a name?” The same question could be asked regarding the first fire rescue company in the United States.

I’ve been asked many times, “Didn’t Newark have a rescue company before New York?”

While it is regarded that the F.D.N.Y. had placed the first rescue company in the United States in service on March 6, 1915, it could possibly be that they had the first unit to carry the designation of “Rescue 1,” but not necessarily the first type of unit equipped to perform those duties.

In Paul Hashagen’s “Fire Rescue - The History of F.D.N.Y. Rescue Co. 1,” he wrote. “While several other fire departments had “squads” or “flying squadrons” in existence prior to 1915 that would eventually develop into rescue units, at the time that F.D.N.Y. Rescue Company 1 was organized, these other units were either manpower squads or first aid squads. New York’s Rescue 1 was the first true heavy rescue company placed in service in the United States.”

Sorry, Paul, but I beg to differ.

On October 1, 1913, the Newark Fire Department organized Searchlight Company No. 1 at 77-79 Academy Street, between Washington Street and Plane Street (University Avenue). The rig they were assigned had a body that was built by the NFD Shops on a 1913 E.R. Thomas Motor Car chassis. The unit was initially manned by Captain Peter J. McKiernan, and Firefighter Charles E. Duffy, Badge #500.

The unit was equipped with a 7,000-candlepower stationary floodlight, along with two, 700-candlepower portable floodlights that operated from a six-volt, 100-amp storage battery, which could last for up to 20 hours.

In addition to the lighting equipment, the unit was equipped with: a pulmotor (resuscitator); smoke helmets; a cutting torch; jacks; ropes;first-aid equipment, and a variety of firefighting and hand tools.

Searchlight Co. 1’s organizational orders decreed that the company was to respond to all night and multiple alarm fires, and to special calls where its specialized equipment was needed.

The new unit proved to be so successful that in 1914, Firefighters William Drucker, Badge #458; Samuel R. Grouney, Badge #465, and Frank T. Doninger, Badge #556 were assigned to the company, giving it a full manpower complement of one officer and four men.

Except for a few minor exceptions, the equipment carried by Newark’s Searchlight Co. 1 was almost identical to the first equipment carried by F.D.N.Y. Rescue Co. 1, thereby ruling it out as a first-aid squad, and as can be seen by its manning, Searchlight Co. 1 was far from being a manpower unit.

As far as the designation of the company goes, I’m not sure why they chose Searchlight 1 over Rescue 1. Perhaps because there were no other such units in service, they chose the tile best befitting its main purpose. However, they were to discover that its benefit in performing rescue work far outweighed its lighting duties.

On April 14, 1917, NFD General Order #309 was issued disbanding Searchlight Co. 1 and Chemical Co. 1, and merging them to form the newly designated unit of “Squad Company No. 1.” Their response orders were the same as for Searchlight 1, and again, even though they didn’t have the designation of Rescue 1, they were the NFD’s heavy rescue company, as was the original Searchlight 1.

It wasn’t until August 19, 1937 that Newark’s fire rescue unit was designated “Rescue Company No. 1.” This was due to a lot of political differences that raged between the fire and police departments within the ranks of the “Department of Public Safety.” Fire departments never seemed to fare well in these types of combined departments.

In conclusion, I’d have to say that after taking all the evidence into account, it appears that Newark quite possibly had the first heavy rescue company in the United States, or at least more than a year before the F.D.N.Y. did.

As far as the designation, it’s all a matter of semantics… “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."