Oakhurst Fire District Celebrates 95 Years
By DON STINE
The Oakhurst Fire Department in Ocean Township, the townships first founded in 1913, celebrates its 95th anniversary this year.
The fire department has a long history and it has been an honor serving the community, said Fire Chief Stu Newman.
The department was honored by the Township Council on Monday.
Our volunteer fire departments are an asset that sometimes residents dont appreciate. It is a service we could never afford, said Mayor William F. Larkin while presenting a resolution honoring the fire department.
Newman welcomed residents to the department saying volunteers are always needed.
 Coaster Photo: The Oakhurst Fire Department was originally located on Monmouth Road near West Park Avenue. |
These volunteers give a significant portion of their lives to this service and are very dedicated to the Township of Ocean, Larkin said.
Founded on April 14, 1913 by a group of 13 citizens, the fire department was officially chartered as the Oakhurst Independent Hose Company #1 on April 23 with 30 members, according to a department history prepared by former Chief James G. Hiers Jr.
The Oakhurst Fire Department was the only one is the township until theWanamassa Fire Company was founded in 1921.
The first fire apparatus was a hose cart donated by a Mrs. Wilson who lived on a large estate in the Oakhurst section and the Deal Fire Company #1 also donated an old hook and ladder truck.
In June 1915 the Board of Fire Commissioners for Fire District #1 was created to procure the tax dollars needed to operate the department and build a fire house. The original budget raised $2,000 through taxation and $7,000 was bonded.
The department purchased its first motorized apparatus in 1915. The engine was manufactured in Buffalo, NY and was driven to Oakhurst in a snow storm, wearing the tires down to the rims.
In 1917 the site of Marcus A. Coons blacksmith shop was purchased and a new, brick firehouse built on the property. The structure was built in three weeks using 42,000 bricks and still stands on its original Monmouth Road site, now housing a travel agency.
The Oakhurst Fire Department now has two fire houses at 72 Larkin Place and 1005 Deal Road.
By the late 1920s the shore area had become a popular tourism attraction which brought people from all over and created new problems, such as drowning and vehicle accidents. The members saw the need and in 1928 created a first aid squad from within the fire department, Hiers said.
The Oakhurst first aid squad now handles about 1,300 calls a year.
The greatest part of the Oakhurst Fire Department is the volunteers and their family. We can boast today that we have direct descendants to the charter members, Hiers said
The fire department now has 129 members and responds to more than 700 calls a year.
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