78 Gould Avenue

Citizens had been petitioning Paterson authorities for a tenth fire company and as is seen on the stone slab above the door on the firehouse below: the PFD Engine No 10 Committee finally got their new firehouse at 78 Gould Avenue (corner of Pacific Street), but they did not get a new fire company.
​

​​​​Chronological Listing of Events and Apparatus at Gould Avenue

September 19, 1895:
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Dennis Morrison

September 24, 1895: The new firehouse was christened not as Engine No. 10 but rather Engine Company 7 (the number formerly associated with the 298 Tyler Street Firehouse). The men of Engine Company 3 (and their 1876 Clapp and Jones Steam Fire apparatus) which had been at 298 Tyler Street simply moved into the new Gould Avenue quarters. The name firehouse at 298 Tyler Street changed to Engine Company 3.   The new firehouse had a hose tower.​
April 1, 1895: Chief Engineer Annual Report
Manpower Assignment for Engine 7
Badge       Name                          Rank
​73          William Allen            Captain
74          William Farrell          Engineer
75          John Bowden             Driver
​76          Adam Perrius             Driver
​81          Henry Harding           Hoseman
Badge       Name                          Rank
​77          John Clark                    Callman
78          David Devine               Callman
80          William B. Pohlman    Callman
​82          Joseph Hardy               Callman
​83          George Carr                 Callman
​84          Joseph Rogers              Callman
November 15, 1895: Department goes fully paid  - callmen eliminated
​
November 15, 1895: the Fully Paid Department ​begins:
First Manpower Assignment for Engine 7 (Badge #s)
​
Captain William Allen #70
Engineer Henry L. Reid #71
Driver Henry Hepp #72
​Driver John Cluney #73
Hoseman William B. Pohlman #74
Hoseman John W. Bowden #75
​Hoseman Henry Kelley #76
Picture
Captain William Allen
View of the firehouse after closure.

​September 24, 1895: Using the 1876 Third Size Clapp and Jones Steamer and John Post Hose Wagon the company used while at 298 Tyler Street quarters. The hose wagon had 700' of hose, 2 three-gallon extinguishers and one roof ladder.
March 31, 1896: Chief Engineer Annual Report
Manpower Assignment for Engine 7
Badge       Name                          Rank
​70          William Allen            Captain
74           Henry Reid               Engineer
​72           Edward Hepp            Driver
​73           John Cluney              Driver
74           William Pohlman      Hoseman
75            John W.Bowden       Hoseman
​76            Harvey Kelley          Hoseman
June 19, 1899:  Brawl at Engine 7
Picture
Courtesy Dennis Morrison
Picture
Captain William Campbell
May 27, 1903: Engine Company 7 receives the 1891 third size Silsby Steamer formerly used by Engine Company 9 at 586 Main Street. The 1876 Clapp and Jones Steamer is retired

1904: Engine 7 receives 1886 Second Size Button Steam Fire Engine (serial #176) formerly  used by Engine Company 9, 1 and Passaic Engine 1 of Volunteer Department.
​
January 30, 1909:   Engine 7 Button Steamer pumping at River and Putnam Streets at the Ashley Baily mill fire
Picture
Engine 7 Hose Wagon
Picture
Steamer in bay at left and hose wagon at right
Chief John Stagg is sitting second from left below
Picture
Steamer in bay at left and hose wagon at right
December 1905; Third Size Silsby, purchased in 1890,  (Serial # 974) overhauled and fitted with new boiler  ​Note the beds by windows on second floor.
Picture
Captain William Allen at left
August 3, 1907:  Hose cart in a Gould Avenue and Main Street accident. Lieutenant Patrick Kearney injured
Picture
Courtesy Dennis Morrison
September 27, 1908: 10:40 AM While responding to a false alarm at Box 25 (Straight and Peach Streets)the engine was struck by an Erie Locomotive at a Getty Ave crossing and put out of commission. FF John Vesey (sustained multiple fractures) and Engineer John Breen were on apparatus when crash occurred. ​
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Dennis Morrison

​September 27, 1908: Second Size 1886 Button Steam Fire Engine with a Fox Boiler installed in 1905 (Serial # 176)  (former E1, E9 and E3)
​
1908: Standing left - right: John Vesey, John Kelly, John Netz, Frank Shane, John Breen, Thomas Elvin, Thomas Bush, John W Bowden. Sitting: Captain Charles Nolan, Lieutenant Patrick Kearney. 
Picture
NY Sunday World - also 1909 Ball Book - Note spiral staircase to right inside door
1909: Captain was Charles Nolan
March 1, 1910:  Court ruling on 1908 steamer/railroad crash
August 20, 1910:  Bids form new hose wagon
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Jim Eifler
April 4, 1911:  Apparatus (horse drawn)  accident while responding to Paxton Street fire
Picture
Paterson News - Courtesy Dennis Morrison
July 1, 1911: 
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Jim Eifler
August 3, 1912: Seagrave Combination Hose Wagon, formerly used by Engine Company 1 to be attached (by Leonard Tynan of Paterson) to a Sampson Auto Chassis,
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Jim Eifler
April 27, 1913: Article # 8 in the Chronicle Series on PFD companies
Picture
Courtesy Dennis Morrison
Left to right: First row -  Captain William, Allen, John Bowden, James Cullington, and Lieutenant Patrick Kearney. Second row - Engineer Michael J. Ryan, Eugene Murphy, Dennis Toomey and Martin O'Rourke.  Hose wagon behind the firefighters.
​May 5, 1913:  2:30 AM 434 East 21st Street   Cement Construction plant barn    
         First run of new Engine 7 auto hose wagon
Picture
Morning Call Courtesy Jim Eifler
September 6, 1913: Second Size 1886 Button Steam Fire Engine with a Fox Boiler installed in 1905 (Serial # 176)  is transferred from Engine 3 on 298 Tyler Street (12th Ave) to Engine 7 on Gould Avenue
July 1, 1916: Two Platoon System begins: (Day and Night Shifts)
Day Shift
Night Shift
Lieutenant Patrick Kearney
Engineer Michael Ryan
James Cullington
Charles Gall
​Abraham Shouger
Captain William Allen
Engineer John Kelly
Denis Toomey
Edward Singland
​William Ramsden
1917: Commercial Truck Company Electric Combination Chemical and Hose Wagon: Serial #7101

​April 3, 1918; First Size Metropolitan Steam Fire Engine with Commercial Truck Company Electric Tractor (Serial # 7093)

1918 Ball Book Roster: 
Captain William Allen
Lieutenant Patrick Kearney
John Kelly
Charles Gall
​William Ramsden
James Cullington
Dennis Toomey
Edward Singland
​Abram Shouger (in US Armed Forces)
April 25, 1918:  ~2PM Straight and Clay Streets 3 alarms - While responding to the second alarm the  new electric engine 7 being driven by a demonstrator was in collision
Picture
Guardian - Courtesy Dennis Morrison
1930 Company Roster
A Shift
Captain James Campbell
Cornelius Kennedy
William Flynn
Albert Lupinski
Joseph O'Donnell
​Edward Moore
B Shift
Captain Walter Menni
Walter Gallagher
William Ramsden
​Reinhold Ratzlaff
John Heffran
​Frank Von Webern
November 13, 1930: Ahrens Fox Model N-S-4 1000 GPM pumper (Serial # 3389)
August 26, 1932: Daily Engine Company report from Engine 7 including roll call, meals and activities. Signed by Acting Captain John Heffran.
Picture
Dayspring Collection
1935: Men of Engine Company 7 A shift posing outside Pacific Street side of firehouse. ​L-R: Captain James Campbell, Neil Kennedy, William Flynn, Albert Lupenski, Joseph O'Donnell, Edward Moore
Picture
1935 Ball Book Photo
1935: Men of Engine Company 7 B shift posing outside Pacific Street side of firehouse. L-R: Captain Walter Mennell, Walter Gallagher, William Ramsden, Rhinholt Ratzlaff, John Heffran, Frank Von Webern​
Picture
1936 Ball Book Photo
Picture
Rear view of Apparatus -- Dayspring Collection
​1940  Paterson Evening News Golden Jubilee - Engine Company 7 Roster
Picture
Dayspring Collection
1944 Annual Report Roster
A Shift
​Captain James Campbell
Horace Warr
​Frank Von Webern
​Joseph O'Donnell
B Shift
​Acting Captain John Heffran
William Ramsden
​Stanley Kecmer
​Frances Moore
December 31, 1942: Certificate of War Necessity, by US Office of Defense Transportation for Engine Company 7 1930 Ahrens Fox #3389 
Picture
Dayspring Collection
1949 Ball book photo of Engine Company 7 "A Shift" Captain ​James Campbell, Horace Warr, Thomas Sisco and Reinhold Ratzlaff
1949 Ball book photo of Engine Company 7 "B Shift" Captain Joe Carr, John Heffran,  William Ramsden and Frank Moore
Picture
Engine 7 at fire scene -- Dayspring Collection
August 14, 1953: ENGINE COMPANY 7 - From the Morning Call Series of PFD Companies. For more accurate details of Engine 7 during Volunteer Era CLICK HERE 
Picture
Morning Call - Courtesy Dennis Morrison
Picture
From Morning Call and also in 1954 FMBA Ball Book
Photo of Engine 7's 1930 Ahrens Fox and A and B shift. Left side: Captain Eugene Fredericks, Arsene Nunnick, Edward Ristan, John Alexander. Right side: Captain John Whitecroft, John Heffran, William Ramsden, George Kulich, Francis Moore. Note spiral staircase to right inside the door.
PFD Historians (see Morning Call news clip above)
Picture
William Ramsden
Picture
John Heffran
January 23, 1958: 1948 Mack Model 95 1000 GPM pumper formerly used by Engine Company 5 seen below at fire scene. (Plywood riot roofs added in 1960s)
​
Below is the Firehouse "Running Board" from 78 Gould Avenue that lists all of the First Alarm assignments of Engine Company 7. For example, note Station 261 was for Court and Pacific Streets and 56 was for Gould Avenue and Dakota Streets. Station 268 was St. Joseph's Hospital. It now is located in the NJ Fireman's Museum at the Fireman's Home in Boonton, NJ.

​The 78 Gould Avenue Firehouse closed on January 27, 1964 and Engine Company 7 relocated to the new Southside Firehouse at 130 Getty Avenue.
​
2016:  Former Engine Company 7 
Proudly powered by Weebly