1987: COLONIAL FIRE COMPANY: THE FIRE DEPT. OF MY YOUTH

I can still recall lying comfortably in my bedroom on the back second floor of our 131 Hartley Avenue home on a cold, windy, and perhaps snowy evening and hearing the familiar Colonial Fire Company siren go off in the middle of the night in the middle of the winter. If you look up the words "bravery" and "dedication" in your dictionary, you will likely find photos of our fire fighters, police, and emergency medical personnel. I will always remember "Colonial" from my years at Kuser School, as we all rushed to second floor windows to watch that beautiful "Diamond T" and Peter Pirsch fire truck zoom out of the house with lights flashing and sirens blaring. My dear friend and classmate, the late Jesse Anderson was a member of the Colonial volunteers back during the time of John Lenhardt, the Costigan brothers, the Bade brothers, Tommy Argust, and others whose names escape me. Jesse lived his life as a dedicated fireman, moving to Seaside Park in the late 50's when he became a member of the Seaside Park Volunteer Fire Company.