In the November of 2009, the Board of Fire Commissioners of Wall Township Fire District No. 1 donated a 1965 Mack Fire Engine to InfoAge for educational purposes. At the time of the transfer, there were members of InfoAge with fire service backgrounds who were eager to get the project underway. Unfortunately, due to an array of circumstances, the project has been stagnant for some time.
Within the past year, there has been a renewed interest in the vehicle and the potential museum amongst the members of the fire service. There has been some conversation amongst fire service enthusiasts in regards to ensuring the apparatus is properly protected for years to come. With such heightened awareness of this project, the time has come to revisit the fire museum project at InfoAge.
Building 9031 served as the fire station of Camp Evans dating sometime back to the early days of the United State involvement in World War II. Staffed with career fire personnel out of Fort Monmouth, until the base’s closure in the 1990s, the fire station is an integral part of not only Camp Evans’ history, but also that of the southern Monmouth County fire service. Many of the communities throughout southern Monmouth County utilized the Fort Monmouth fire service for mutual aid at various incidents.
Much of modern innovation in the fire service can be linked to military developments. The advancement of fire extinguishing agents, utilization of thermal imaging for search and rescue, as well as critical two-way radio communications can all trace their roots back to military research and design.
Being able to couple local fire service history with military innovations that benefited the fire service, one can believe that this presents a unique opportunity for a fire service museum within InfoAge. Such a museum would not only be able to showcase familiar fire equipment, but also highlight the many military innovations that are still heavily relied upon in the modern fire
service.
The Southern Monmouth County Fire Museum Association, Inc. was organized in 2022 to showcase and preserve the history of the various fire service entities throughout southern Monmouth County. While its mission is straightforward, the Association has its work cut out.
The initial phase is the rehabilitation of the Camp Evans fire station. The building has been completely gutted, down to the studs, upon its transfer from the federal government to the local jurisdiction. As such much interior work is needed in order to open the building to the public. The Association looks to raise the funds necessary to accomplish this task.
Individuals looking to get involved or support the vision of the South Monmouth Fire Museum are encouraged to reach out to us at wnewberry@monmouthfiremuseum.org