Lincoln Hose Co. marks 114th

SOMERVILLE -- The Lincoln Hose Company is celebrating its 114th year of service, but if it weren't for a squabble, the company may have never formed.Members of the company originally belonged to the West End Hose Company, but there had always been bickering between the older and younger members, said current Lincoln Hose Chief Scott Becker.

"They were out on a call one time when the wheel came off this truck, and the older members blamed the cadets," Becker said, pointing to the wheel from a pump truck from the 1800s. "The cadets said 'that's it' and broke off from West End in 1890. For a year, they met on the second floor of the Somerset Hotel until they got approval from the town. They almost called themselves the Somerset Hose Company because they had so many meetings at the hotel."

Lincoln Hose is one of the two independently owned companies in the borough.

"We pay our own bills, do our own maintenance. Our members built this building in 1971," said Becker, referring to the building on Warren Street. The all-volunteer company has about 50 members. For many of its members, fighting fires is part of family history.

"I'm fourth generation," said Becker, who noted his great-grandfather served in Raritan, his grandfather was a foreman and his father a former chief. "It's just in my blood."

Members aren't on strict shifts, instead, whoever is available responds to a call. But being on the company isn't just about responding to calls. Members attend classes, drills, training sessions and meetings.

"If you move up, you can be at meetings almost any day of the week," Capt. Steve Decker said. "You almost have to struggle to find the time to do everything."

Volunteering on the company is a family commitment, Becker said.

"It's not just us volunteering; it's your whole family because you're not at home some nights," Becker said.

But getting a call and helping others is the reward for time spent in classes, training and meetings.

"When that alarm comes in that it's a structure fire, your heart races," Decker said. "You picture the building in your mind. You picture the area."

"You picture the location of the nearest hydrants," Becker added.

That adrenaline rush doesn't end "until you're back at the firehouse talking about what happened," Decker said.

Volunteers don't just help people when there's a fire. They take proactive measures to help those in need year-round.

The company started the Kelsey Fund about 12 years ago to help a little girl with cancer, the daughter of one of the members.

"She had a rare form of cancer and it (the treatment) wasn't covered by insurance," said Becker, who noted the company hosts a "Ride for Kelsey" event each year. "We raised a ton of money and got Kelsey healthy again. We did so well with it that we kept it going and now help other kids in the area."

It's events like these that have fostered a strong bond between the company's members.

"We're like a family," Decker said. "There's some bickering sometimes, but that's what makes us a family."

Throughout its long history, the company has been recognized for many achievements.

A national publication for fire companies relayed a story about a bleak three-day span in the borough in 1980.

"My father was the chief at the time," Becker said. "We had the worst fire in the county for that month, it started in a basement. There was the arson of borough hall and a fire at the Granetz Building. School was cancelled. It was the worst three days in Somerville history."

In 1999, when the company received the highest ranking at the Firemen's Olympics held in Hillsborough, a call came in right before the awards ceremony.

"We were waiting for the awards and a fire broke out on Franklin Street," Becker said. "We were tired after the day of competition, but we went there, got the fire under control and went back for our awards."