Kings Park Fire Department
This brief history of the Kings Park Fire Department is excerpted from this writer’s books “History of the Kings Park Fire Department” (1990) and “History of Kings Par” (1997) published by the Kings Park Fire Department and the Kings Park Heritage Museum, respectively.
FORMAL BEGINNINGS- 1913
The Kings Park Fire Department can trace its formal beginnings back to 1913 when a handful of residents met in Claytons livery barn on Meadow Rd. to organize and name their private fire brigade the Kings Park Hook and Ladder fire Company. The brigade’s small horse drawn fire wagon had been housed in Clayton’s barn for more than a year before its guardians gave themselves a name.
FIRE BRIGADE EXISTED AS EARLY AS 1908
History suggests that a small fire company existed in Kings Park as early as 1908, perhaps even earlier. Department records show that William Baker entered the community’s fire company in 1910. Town of Smithtown board minutes report that the matter of forming a fire department was presented to the town board in 1911 by Justice of the Peace, John F. Kelly. For some unknown reason, Kelly withdrew the petition from the board’s agenda to be reconsidered at a later date. Justice Kelly was also a member of the local fire brigade at the time.
FIRE WAGON WAS MOVED THREE TIMES
The community’s modest horse drawn fire wagon was first housed in the Carlson’s bar located near the railroad freight yrad. Around 1912 it was moved to Clayton’s livery bard- today the location of Clayton’s funeral home. This modest fire wagon was moved again for the third time in 1915 to a building on Main Street, subsequently named Fireman’s Hall, the present site of Russ Savat Plaza.
KINGS PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED- 1924
Community residents, by public referendum, created the Kings Park Fire District in October 1924. One of the first orders of business for the newly elected fire commissioners in December 1924 was to officially establish the Kings Park Fire Department. By May 1925 the private Kings Park Hook and Ladder Company was disbanded, for the vast majority of its members had joined the community’s newly formed, tax supported department at the invitation of the district fire commissioners.