New Hope Eagle Fire Company - Meeting Minute Excerpts

History of the New Hope Eagle Fire Company Meeting Minute Excerpts from 1950 to 1980
1950	February – Company decided to replace siren with a five horse-power siren rather than place another one in town. March – Chief reported 28 calls over the past year. October – Motion carried to purchase Mack L-Model pumper.	1951 Mack L Model
1951	March – Chief reported 34 calls over the past year. June – Took possession of Mack pumper.
1952	March – Chief reported 23 calls over the past year.
1953	January – Company decided to consent to request of Solebury Township Supervisors to use their donation only for maintenance, repair, or purchase of new equipment. March – Foreman reported 28 calls over the past year. March – Motion carried to purchase Chevrolet chassis. 1953 Chevy Pumper June – Motion carried to have Hardwick Body Mfg. Company construct body on Chevrolet chassis for bid of $3051.00. August – Motion carried to have an oil burner installed in the engine house. October – Company decided to auction off old television as the had received a new one as a gift. (received $15 from auction.)
1954	March – Chief reported 26 calls over the past year. March – Received new Chevrolet. July – Motion carried to have a larger door installed on front of engine house and personnel door to be moved to side of building. November – Building committee reported all door construction completed. December – Emergency phone number converted to Volunteer 2-2400.
1955	March – Chief reported 38 calls over the past year. May – Sirens installed at American Legion building and at Nash’s Service Station. July – publicly stated that company does not endorse any type of fire detecting device but consumers should look for underwriter’s approval. September – Chief reported that there were 54 pumping units, 311 firemen, 8 radio units, and 0 miscellaneous units in town during the flood not including New Hope’s units. October – Committee formed to investigate the possibility of forming another company in Carversville.
1956	March – Chief reported 49 calls over the past year. June – John Paxson was suspended from member’s privileges for 20 days for driving fire apparatus without proper authorization and without driver’s license. July – Received Ward LaFrance engine. October – Housed Ward LaFrance engine. November – Committee formed to investigate for possible sites of future engine house. December – Motion carried to sell old Chevrolet to Lowell Berrel for $500.
1957	February – Motion carried to have a 75 gallon booster tank installed on Chevrolet. March – Chief reported 25 calls over the past year. July – Motion carried to purchase land and eight garages behind engine house from William Worthington for $6000.00. August – Motion carried to purchase Dumont radio equipment for bid of $2371.00 October – Motion carried to join Bucks County Fire Communications Association.
1958	March – Chief reported 42 calls over the past year. December – Letter to be sent to borough council recommending that lights be put on top of the police car because of firemen trying to pass it on the way to a fire because of lack of identification.
1959	March – Chief reported 32 calls over the past year. April – Motion carried to purchase used Skillman’s tank truck from Getz Chevrolet for $1000.00. June – Amended by-laws to include junior members of ages 16 to 18. September – Committee formed to investigate building new engine house. October – Committee formed to meet with borough council on possibility of instating a new fire code. December – Motion carried to keep tanker. Tanker committee instructed to equip truck with pump, booster, hose, suction hose, and simple lettering for the $2000.00 originally allotted.
1960	January – Motion defeated by a vote of 22 to 10 to purchase Faust’s Garage for $25,000.00 January – Motion carried not to allow civil defense to use siren. February – Awarded contract to J.B. Hunt Mfg. Company for alteration to the tanker for bid of $2673.79 March – Chief reported 42 calls over the past year. April – Purchased time clock to automatically blow siren at noon. May – Moved siren button from Faust’s to Cleary’s. July – Took possession of tanker. October – Presented an engraved watch to Mrs. Faust for her years of service on the radio.
1961	March – Chief reported 46 calls over the past year. April – Solebury Township Supervisors present at monthly meeting to discuss possibility of placing an engine in Solebury. May – Committee to talk with supervisors reported on problems of placing engine in Solebury such as manpower, building needs much work, and engine communication. Motion carried to reject Supervisor’s proposition. May – Siren installed at Union Camp. June – Radio installed in Chief’s car. August – Committee formed to investigate possibility of placing tanker on new chassis.
1962	January – borough council adopted fire code. February – Motion carried too purchase new chassis from Keates Motors for bid of $8046.00. Motion carried to have body constructed on chassis by Hahn Motor Company for bid of $13,100.00. March – Chief reported 47 calls over the past year. August – Took possession of Hahn tanker and refinished old garage at rear of engine house to store it in. November – Sold old tanker to Stockton Fire Company for $2000.00.
1963	March – Chief reported 45 calls over the past year. December – Motion carried to donate $1000.00 towards building at Bucks County Fire School.
1964	March – Chief reported 81 calls over the past year.
1965	March – Chief reported 47 calls over the past year. May – Motion carried to purchase 15 instalerts and a base station alerting systems.
1966	January – Amended by-laws to allow members who had been active for ten years or more to be classified as past active. January – Motion carried by a vote of 56 to 16 to purchase land at the corner of Route 202 and Old York Road for $12,000.00 March – Chief reported 36 calls over the past year. March – Motion carried to repair floor under Ward where it had rotted.
1967	March – Chief reported 49 calls over the past year.
1968	March – Chief reported 38 calls over the past year.
1969	March – Chief reported 60 calls over the past year. December – Motion carried to purchase Motorola Base Station.
1970	March – Chief reported 47 calls over the past year. July – Motion carried to purchase propane powered generator for operation of base station during power failures. September – Motion carried by vote of 27 to 5 to locate new engine house on land owned on Route 202. November – Building committee recommended re-investigation of building site.
1971	January – Motion carried by vote of 17 to 8 to purchase 2 ½ acres on Sugan Road from the Reading Funk farm for $16,921.46. January – Motion carried to empower directors to sell ground on Route 202. March – Chief reported 36 calls over the past year. March – Purchased portable radio for Chief. July – Minutes noted that Chief Paul Markey had been voted the outstanding chief for Bucks County for which he received a check which he donated to the Bucks County Fire School. August – Company members starred in a one-minute nationwide television commercial introducing a modern alerting device for AT&T for which the company received $500.00. August – Motion carried to expel a member of the company on various charges.
1972	February - Signed a contract with Norm Sheetz of Lambertville to be company dispatcher and radio operator. March – Chief reported 29 calls over the past year. May – Motion carried to construct a new engine house consisting of six bay – three door engine room, radio room, boiler room, rest rooms, kitchen, storage room, and meeting room on the Sugan Road property. June – Company sent a pumper to Wilkes-Barre to aid flood victims. July – Motion unanimously carried to accept architect’s plans with an estimated building cost of $141,000. September – Company accepted offer of the New Hope Savings and Loan to purchase property on Route 202 for $22,500. November – Signed contract with Feasterville Construction for building of new engine house for bid of $157,985. December – Ground broken for new engine house on December 4 at 9:30am.
1973	March – Chief reported 41 calls over the past year. April – Company accepted offer of New Hope Borough to purchase old engine house on North Main Street for $70,000. November – Page in minute book set aside in memory of old engine house. December – Discussion tabled to sell old hose carriage which is being stored in Ely’s barn.
1974	February – Letter to be sent to the Pidcock Agency thanking them for their donation of a television set. March – Chief reported 53 calls over the past year. May – Motion carried to join the Bucks County Radio Dispatching System while still keeping our 862-2400 emergency number. July – Motion carried to purchase radios to be mounted in assistant chief’s cars. September – Motion carried to keep old hose carriage.
1975	January – Position of first aid officer created. March – Chief reported 72 calls over the past year. April – Company accepted proposition stating that any member must complete Basic Fire School before becoming active. May – Sold old base station and encoder to West Amwell, New Jersey fire company. August – Motion carried to purchase Young engine for bid of $72,799. November – Took possession of Young engine.
1976	February – Motion carried to have firemarks made and available for public sale. March – Chief reported 74 calls over the past year. August – Motion carried to expel a member of the company on charges of soliciting funds without authorization. August – Motion carried by a vote of 17 to 5 to hold bingo games weekly. September – Motion denied by a vote of 12 to 10 to amend by-laws to include a fourth assistant chief. October – Motion carried to build a signboard in front of engine house.
1977	March – Chief reported 98 calls over the past year. May – Motion carried by a vote of 13 to 5 to install two ten=ton air conditioners in engine room for bingo usage.
1978	March – Retiring Chief Paul Markey elected life member. March – Chief reported 68 calls over the past year. March – Motion carried to install dart board in meeting room. August – Motion carried to restore old hose carriage. December – Company rejected offer of a free 50 foot ladder truck.
1979	March – Chief reported 91 calls over the past year. May – Motion carried to purchase a 1979 chassis from Preston Chevrolet for $8883.38. July – Motion carried to purchase 1980 chassis from Preston Chevrolet rather that the 1979. July – Motion carried to have Pierce Mfg. Build body for mini-pumper. Motion carried to purchase chassis from Pierce rather than Preston Chevrolet. October – Motion denied to lower age limit of junior members to 14.
1980	February – Took possession of Pierce mini-pumper. February – Motion carried stating that junior members will automatically become active if they had been a member for at least a year and had completed Basic Fire School. February – Motion denied to amend by-laws to include a captain and a lieutenant. March – Chief reported 102 calls over the past year. April – Motion carried to install a music and public address system in engine house. June – Motion carried to hold a dedication of the building and housing of two engines. August – Motion carried to keep Chevrolet for the present. October – Radio officer reported that Hunterdon County radios are being installed in two engines. December – Sub station committee reported a sub-station in Solebury not feasible at this time mostly because of lack of manpower. December – Motion carried to have an engineer inspect the Ward LaFrance as to whether it can be restored.