Ball Pond Volunteer Fire Company

History of Ball Pond Volunteer Fire Company

 

From 100 Years of Service Anniversary Commemorative Book

 

   

 

Organization

 

The Ball Pond Volunteer Fire Company was established on August 2, 1959, by residents of the Ball Pond community to satisfy the needs of fire protection in this expanding area of New Fairfield.

 

 

 

Supported by Ball Pond Community Club members Fred Lobraico, George Weldin, Joseph Valente, Louis Valente, William Raacke, Frank Feller, Louis Tanzella and John DellAngelo, a committee was appointed to obtain a suitable site for the location of a firehouse. Soon thereafter, property was acquired on Fairfield Drive, and plans were developed to erect the firehouse, which still houses Ball Pond’s equipment and membership activities.

 

Building

 

It took two years to complete plans and obtain funding for the firehouse so monthly meetings were originally held in the New Fairfield Town Hall. On August 14, 1961, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the first part of the firehouse construction. Construction was accomplished entirely by volunteer labor and donations made from the community, via solicitations by members and the Ball Pond Ladies' Auxiliary. The company moved into its new quarters in early 1962.

 

 

 

On May 9, 1967, after overcoming some community resistance, ground breaking ceremonies were held to begin construction which added a third truck bay and meeting room onto the fire house. The enlarged fire house provided not only additional space to support the company' s operations, but also a community meeting facility which has been used extensively by various groups since its completion.

 

 

 

Membership

 

As stated earlier, the original membership evolved from the Ball Pond Community Club. However, over the last 60 years, the membership has grown to include many new residents that have moved into the Ball Pond area. Bringing with them experiences from other fire departments that they once belonged to, these new members combined with the existing company membership has made for a well-trained firefighting organization.

 

 

 

One program that has contributed to this spirit is the first Junior Fireman program established in New Fairfield. Set-up to allow for members between the ages of 16-18, the program has been adopted by the other Town Companies and is still intact today. On February 13, 1966, John Doyle became the first Junior Fireman.

 

Ball Ponds' early history saw a Ladies' Auxiliary organized in January, 1961. This support organization provided the company with the much needed financial and moral support in the early stages of our existence. Unfortunately, the group disbanded and has been greatly missed. However, there have been discussions underway over the past few months to reorganize the auxiliary.

 

The current membership of the Ball Pond Fire Company is proud to serve the community with firefighting and Emergency Medical Technician service. We continue to improve our equipment and emergency response techniques in an effort to provide the Ball Pond Community and the Town of New Fairfield, first-rate service.

 

 

 

We wish to thank all those who have supported our efforts over the past 60 years.