The Brielle Fire Company, a volunteer group of firefighters established in 1910, recorded its organizational meeting on June 13th of that year in a minutes book that listed the names of its temporary officers.  They held the meeting in the original post office in the famous Union House at the foot of Union Lane.

Since Brielle was then a part of Wall Township, the fire company became known as Brielle Fire Company #2 of Wall Township and later as Brielle Chemical Company #1.  It was renamed Brielle Fire Company #1 after Brielle Borough was incorporated as a separate entity with its own government in 1919.  During its early years Brielle Fire Company #1 responded to calls as far north as South Amboy and as far south as Waretown.

The first officers listed in the June 13, 1910 minutes were: Shem Bart Pearce – Chief, Mornant Longstreet – Foreman, Stanley Wainwright – Assistant Foreman, Ralph Pearce – Engineer, Fred Newman – 1st Assistant Engineer, Howard Pearce – 2nd Assistant Engineer, Myron Pearce – 3rd Assistant Engineer, Albert Ellis – President, Louis Greville – Secretary, and Charles Schroeder – Treasurer.

Action was taken immediately after forming the Brielle Fire Company to purchase Mr. T. Bennett’s lot in back of Mr. John Bennett’s home at Cardeza and Longstreet Avenues for $200 and to seek a “suitable fire engine”.  Chief Pearce was empowered to have a building erected and to purchase fire apparatus similar to that of West Belmar.  The construction of the fire house was completed and the first fire engine was purchased and put into service in October 1910.  It was a horse-drawn vehicle with chemical tanks mounted on it.

The bell in the cupola of the firehouse and the rope for ringing it apparently became sources of difficulty, so the firemen appealed to the Central Railroad of New Jersey to obtain a locomotive wheel rim for use as the fire alarm, as it would provide a loud ringing sound when hit with a sledgehammer that could be heard at a great distance.  Two locomotive rims were soon purchased at a cost of $6.50.  Thompson Mount agreed that one of the rims from the railroad could be installed on his property – a high spot near Union Lane and South Street – for alarm use.

In the first year financial support came almost entirely from an initiation fee of $1.00 and dues of $0.10 per month per member.  The good ladies in the firemen’s families also contributed to the funds by arranging several socials open to area residents.  At the end of the first full year – in 1911 – the Treasurer reported a balance of $6.99 in the Manasquan National Bank account.

In the first year the firemen also paid their own expenses and, in 1911, obtained reimbursement by submitting bills to the Wall Township Finance Committee.  From the beginning, however, the group served without pay.  The members of the fire company have always volunteered their services and joined the fire company so that they could become familiar with the fire apparatus and the best fire-fighting methods, thereby becoming very efficient in their duties as firemen.

Owners of teams of horses competed in the early days to be the first at the firehouse after an alarm so as to be selected (and therefore paid) to drag the fire apparatus to the location of the fire.  Later, to avoid the hazards of the horse teams racing to the fire house, and the loss of time that resulted, the fire company had a structure built at the rear of the firehouse to house a team of horses rented from John Bennett, a neighboring farmer.

Interest in a motor-driven apparatus in 1914 resulted in the purchase of a Faiette automobile on which the chemical tanks were mounted.  The vehicle was once a private limousine with solid tires and had a very hard starter that was hand cranked.  Trouble with the car – a broken axle – temporarily stopped the Brielle fire Company’s activities, and Manasquan’s firefighters assumed Brielle’s responsibilities until a Dodge truck was purchased in 1916.  Soon afterward, a Model T Ford truck was purchased as a backup vehicle.

In 1919, the change to Brielle’s Mayor and Council government was accompanied by alterations in the firehouse, whereby a council chamber was outfitted on the second floor and some space on the first floor was allotted to the Police Department including a jail cell.  Over the years additional changes were made to the facility.  An addition was added to the east side in 1927 and a second addition was added on the west side in 1941.  In 1976, a large two-story addition was completed with two oversized bays to accommodate four vehicles.  The second floor contains a modern meeting and banquet hall.  This banquet hall was named Granden Hall, after Granden Pearce, a longtime member of the fire company.

In September 1933, the Brielle Fire Company in responding to an alarm found that they did not have a fire, but a fish on their hands.  It was a giant Sea Manta weighing more than two tons and measuring 22 feet by 16 feet.  The ocean monster had become entangled in the anchor line of a cruiser fishing in the ocean.  When brought ashore, the owner gave permission to the firemen to charge admission to see this “Wonder of the Deep”.  In six short days, enough money was made to make the final payment on one of the fire trucks.

Since June 13, 1910 more than 400 firefighters, led by 55 fire chiefs, have proudly served the community at the Brielle Fire Company.  Today, more than 100 years after its founding, the Brielle Fire Company #1 continues its tradition of serving the community with nearly 70 fully-trained volunteers and state of the art fire fighting equipment that includes three fire engines, a rescue truck, a rescue boat, a fire chief’s truck, a fire police van, and an auxiliary vehicle.