MASTIC BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT
Since this original Knapp website started
with a story that heavily involved the Mastic Beach Fire Department
and that many other pages on it that followed since, have had
tidbits and photos about it, I have decided to add a central page
that focuses on the history of the department as it related to
the early history of Mastic Beach, my family involvement in it
and of course the Knapps. This is by no means any attempt to represent
the full history of this organization as it nears it's silver
anniversary. Keep in mind I left Mastic Beach in 1964. I understand
that current department member Kenny Montella has undertaken that
chore and is in the process of building an official MBFD website
that I'm sure will be very interesting.
I met Kenny and several other members, including
former chief Matt Gioia recently, as I spent a very pleasurable
Sunday morning at the fire house which has more than quadrupled
in size since I was in it during a very memorable New Years Eve
long ago. It was in 1961 and I was there with the band The Islanders
(Pete Morano, Doug Percoco, Adolph Almasy, Bill Clausing, Eddie
Ianetto and me) as we played for the departments New Years Eve
celebration. It was our very first New Years job as a musicians
and the highlights included an alarm coming in about 11:30 that
evening! HAPPY NEW YEAR...the rooftop siren made a hell of a noisemaker!
That said...lets start at the very beginning
with this press release that was in the Center Moriches Record
newspaper in the autumn of 1929.
This announcement which was a more
or less a feel good press release generated by the Smadbeck Brothers
and their Home Guardian Corp, signaled the humble start of The
Mastic Beach Fire Department, which would soon become two fire
departments serving one town. Notice that land near the road to
Knapp's estate was mentioned as a possible location for the original
firehouse. Although not chosen, the Knapp estate would figure
formably into the future of the department.
Jules Jacobs who I'm assuming was
Augie Jacobs' Dad was the first M B Chief 1930-35
The Original Department was located
in Section One on Lakeview Drive
This photo is from the late 1930's
photo courtesy of Greta Tucker
It was not long after the formation
of the department that the emphasis on the location central town
of Mastic Beach shifted from the eastern Section 1 to the western
Section 4. These sections were totaly divided by the Knapp Estate
which blocked egress. It was always my assumption that both "Old
Town" & "New Town" were a result of Home Guardian
developing on both sides of Knapp's land. In any event it wasn't
long before this tiny village had two Fire Departments.
Photos above & below Wm. Greene Estate/MBFD
This garage was erected by the new
West End Fire Dept. in the early 1930's on Bayview Drive and Cedar
Rd.
It only housed trucks like the one
above. They had no meeting hall so they used Paul Schulte's Tavern.
courtesy Greta Tucker
IT WAS OK TO YELL FIRE IN A CROWDED
BAR! AT LEAST HERE
Bill Greene, who I would get to
know in the '50's through my childhood pal Larry Schulz,
was one of the West End Chiefs.
A fine auto mechanic for The Parr's and Frank Stiefel's Garages
and quite a colorful character
Bill who lived on Daisy Dr. , was
one of the guys who put the car up on Poje's
Roof
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