Now this may seem to be a simple task to some as yours truly did write the first 25-year story back in 1981 but a copy of that no longer exists. Therefore after numerous phone calls between Darroll in New York and myself in Florida we were able to piece together enough to make sense, especially since yours truly is writing totally from memory. So here goes. Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Dept. Inc. 50-Years of Service, 1956-2006

It is now almost 60-years ago that the sleepy little hamlet of Caughdenoy got a shock when the then center of community activity burned to the ground, the Methodist Church.

People wondered back then if there was a possibility of having their own fire department or at least a satellite station of the Central Square Fire Department manned by the residents of Caughdenoy.

The idea of having ones own department never really took hold and went bye the way until the early 50's. That's when a bad fire at Hall's Furniture Store, the worst of many the business suffered, moved the populace of Caughdenoy.

The fire, that burned the eastern most upper half of the building now known as the Red Onion, was saved by Central Square with help from the Phoenix Fire Department. It got people talking at the new Methodist Church, Ladd's Hotel, Wick's Store, and other places around Caughdenoy.

People really started talking in earnest in early 1956 when it became apparent that a fire department could be a reality. Meetings were held, ideas exchanged, information gathered as progress was made but there was a negative side. No one took any notes of those earlier meetings, however informal, until Dick Wicks scribbled down the minutes at a meeting during the summer of 1956 at Ladd's Hotel. From that point on events really started to snowball.

Most of the original officers and their positions have been lost to time but it's known that Roy Peck was the first Chief of the Department before it became active and Clint Maynard was the first president.

Fundraisers were held to purchase land, build a station, and equip the department as incorporation became a reality as the Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Dept. Inc. a Type B, Not-for-profit Corporation. Money was tight and a contract had yet to be acquired with a township.

Stepping into the fray with a loan was local farmer Vernon Van Lieu and store owner Dick Wicks to get things rolling. This allowed a three-bay station to be built on Prospect St. (a.k.a. Back St.) in Caughdenoy adjacent to the former Caughdenoy School which was also included in the land purchase.

Note: A 1931 Sanford Pumper was purchased from the Warner Fire Department for $301.00 on a bid before the first station was even built and it was housed at Bill Walt's barn. The reason for the odd bid figure was that the members were afraid someone else would bid 300-hundred according to charter member Darroll Waldron.

The station was built by the members with help from local contractors who donated not only their time but some of the construction materials.

As a note here in a humorous way some items were just dropped off by individuals who just wanted to help giving credence to the saying, "It Just Fell Off the Back of the Truck," literally. One, a charter member of the department (Ralph Waldron) was said to have a unique way of starting and finishing the corners of the building. Ralph, a block mason by trade, would deposit a few coins in the cement and tempering the mixture with a drop or two of beer.

That original three-bay station is still standing today as the center portion of what is call the CVFD East Side Station.

Four pieces of equipment were initially purchased, the 1931 Sanford, a 1938 Mack Tanker and a 1942 Mack Tanker along with a 1937 Chevy American LaFrance engine.

The 37 Chevy and 38 Mack were purchased from the Jordan Fire Department for a total of $1,000.00 and the Chevy stayed in service until the summer of 1975.

According to Darroll Waldron, "The 31 Sanford never fought a real fire, we never really took it to a call. It was strictly a moral booster as it leaked so bad we just drove over grass fires to put them out."

While all these preparations for going into service were going on the members were attending required New York State fire training sessions to prepare for the inevitable time when the siren would sound for the first time.

Donations came from many places big and small in the department's early years including the Central Square High School Class of 1958. They split their treasury between the fire departments within the school district, Central Square, Brewerton, Constantia, Cleveland, Hastings and Caughdenoy.

One stumbling block was the first contract with a town for fire protection which was finally granted in 1958 with the Town of Schroeppel but not without problems.

One was the CVFD's station wasn't located in the Town of Schroeppel but a half-a-mile outside in the Town of Hastings. Its station and property were protected by the Central Square Department.

The CVFD did have a couple of big selling points to the town to cover its eastern quarter as it was upwards of four-miles closer than the Central Square Department was that held the contract. Another point was the increasing population along County Route 10 corridor into Oswego County from Onondaga County. Trailer parks were expanding and new home construction was starting to takeoff as city dwellers moved to the country during the height of the Post-WWII baby-boom.

A note here; at the time the original contracts were awarded by the municipalities it was done based on the phone exchanges. In other words people and politicians didn't want to have to make a long distance phone call to get help.

After the Schroeppel contract was granted the Towns of Hastings and Clay saw the light and came on board to form what is to this day the Fire District of the Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Dept. Inc.

The department’s first call was for a lost child which took many hours. Shirley Wood a CVFD Ladies Auxiliary member had just returned from getting a week’s groceries and learning of the call ended up cooking them all to feed the searchers in the old school house.

Those first five years were extremely difficult for the department financially with the hat being passed at meetings just to pay the bills. "Not just the power bill but all the bills," according to Waldron, "We used to have to hold a field days just to pay the previous years insurance premiums."

As the years passed the success of the field days, smokers, fund drives and the help of the ladies auxiliary lightened the burden of debt. So much so that the original three-bay station was expanded to five and the department first new fire engine was purchased in 1964.

One problem at the time was alerting the member to emergency’s so three members, Ralph Waldron, Darroll Waldron and Bob Brown co-signed a note for over three-thousand dollars for the purchase 30-Plectrons. This allowed the fire control centers in Oswego and Onondaga Counties to alert the member directly in their homes.

Prior to the Plectrons a fire call would go to one of five party line phones in members homes in Caughdenoy. The first phone to pick up would take the emergency call and push a button over the phone to set off the siren on top of the station. Then that person would call the station and the first firefighter thru the door would answer the phone and write the call on the board. If that wasn't enough, since the sound of the siren only traveled so far, those on the party line would start calling members in the outlying areas of the department to notify them of the call.

In the mid-60's rescue services were added expanded above the basic Red Cross courses as a number of members became Medical Emergency Technician’s (MET). This was the forerunner of the present day EMT's which the department had five members qualify for in the late 70's.

Ernie Ladd of the Central Square Fire Department and Ted Michels of the Phoenix Fire Department were two of the first aid instructors that taught at the old school house in Caughdenoy.

Into the decade of the 70's the CVFD realized that it needed to expand to better protect the growing populace in the district, especially that in the Town of Schroeppel. So with a line of credit in the form of 10-year municipal bonds the biggest expansion in the department's history took place.

From 1973 through 1979 the CVFD purchased a plot of land near the intersection of County Routes 10 and 12 to construct a 40-80 steel building which became the West Side Station. The addition of a second station alone cut down response time to those in need in the area by at least three-minutes.

The original station, now called the East Side Station, was also doubled in size to include a hall and full kitchen.

During those hectic six years a new 1000GPM Haun Tanker/Pumper was purchased along with a new tanker, a 3000 gallon converted milk tanker, a used reserve pumper and a repowered heavy rescue to better serve the public.

Note: The 1975 Haun came with a rather new innovation to the area, five-inch hose as no place in the district had hydrants. To show its advantages on training session (ISO) all 1500-feet of the five-inch hose was laid from the Methodist Church to the dam on the Oneida River. From the time the 1975 Haun started laying hose until a flow of over 1000 GPM was being pumped through a second engine at the church, 100-feet above the rivers surface just seven minutes had elapsed.

With the expansion also came new members as the visibility of the new station attracted much needed man power and with that more equipment. The department undertook a complete personal equipment change to better protect its members purchasing hyplon coated nomex turnout gear.

In 1981 the department celebrated its 25th year at the Annual Installation Banquet.

During the department's second 25-years it's built on its past, purchasing newer and better equipment and expanded its faculties to better serve those who reside in the district.

CAUGHDENOY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRSTS
First Fire Chief-Roy Peck 1956.
First Fire Chief (In Service) Norm Walts 1958.
First Asst. Fire Chief (In Service) Maurice Wood 1958.
First President Clint Maynard
First Call-1958, Lost Child.
First Fire Call-Bill Raymond car accident/fire County Route #37 1958
First Fireman of the Year-Dave Miller 1963, Auto accident County Route #37.
First Co-Fireman of the Year-Bill Bellinger and Ed Michels 1982.
First Member 50-Years Fire Service NYS-James Greene 1979 (Caughdenoy and Central Square).
First CVFD Member 49-Years Fire Service NYS (inc. Jr. Fireman)-Darroll Waldron (1957-2006).
First Baby Delivered by CVFD on site-John Marshall Jr. (Members Son) July 1, 1973 at 11:30 AM by Lt./MET Ed Michels assisted by MET Darroll Waldron
First Call Answered by the West Side Station-September 1974, Trailer Fire Sandridge Trailer Park. (1937 Chevy American LaFrance, First In)
First Life Members Honored with Retired Numbers and Gold Badges, Installation Banquet 1977 (20 Years Service) #1 Darroll Waldron, #2 Maurice Wood, #4 Lee Peck, #6 Ed Doria, #8 Bob Brown and Norm Walts.
First Voted Life Member with retire number (Less that 20-Years) #25 Ed Michels (September 1977)
First New Equipment Purchase-1964 Ford/Haun (750 GPM Pump-500 Gallon Booster Tank) Purchase price $17,500.00
First Five Consecutive Term Chief-Darroll Waldron 1968-1972.
First Department President to become Chief-Darroll Waldron.
First Oswego County Sportsmanship Award-Firematics 1962
First National Sportsmanship Award 1975 (First Ever Given Nationally by any organization to a fire department of any type), Awarded by S.P.A.A.M.F.A.A. (Lt. Ed Michels, Mike Walters, Doug Herbert, Roger Ryan and Jaime Greene).

Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Departments Most Successful Moments.
Early 60’s Fully involved barn fire at Reed Waring’s farm on County Route #33, extinguished by first two units in.
Contract Negotiations 1976 for 1977 with the Town of Schroeppel (Guaranteed Departments Existence.)
Most Successful Fund Raiser (Not a Fund drive) 1977 Field Days.
50-Years of Service 2006-CONGRADULTIONS!

Hopefully fans my memory has stayed with me on this one and the facts are straight, so until then…