The FASNY Museum of Firefighting at 117 Harry Howard Avenue
The FASNY Museum of Fire Fighting is America’s interactive museum of firefighting. It is also the home of the premiere collection of American firefighting objects in the world.
When I visited the museum recently, I found that the museum is not just a treasure trove of information and artifacts but an extensive study on modern fire fighting from its creation in the time of the Romans and Greeks, the beginnings of the fire service in America lead by people like Peter Stuyvesant and Benjamin Franklin. These men brought their ideas and innovations by working alongside people doing the work and…
On May 21st, 2023, the New Jersey/New York Volunteer Firemen’s Association honored former Hasbrouck Heights Fire Chief Chris Semenecz for his years of service to the fire service. Chief Semenecz passed away last July after 37 years on the fire department. Former Chief Semenecz was an active member of the Hasbrouck Heights Volunteer Fire Department for 37 years, retiring in 2021.
He has the Second Assistant Chief in 1990-91, the Assistant Chief in 1991-92 before serving as Chief in 1992-93. He also served as President of the Hasbrouck Heights Exempt Association from 1990 to 2000, and server as the Treasurer of the Hasbrouck Heights Relief Association from 1994 until present. Many Hasbrouck Heights residents will remember him as one of Santa’s representatives during the Fire Department’s Annual “Santa Around Town.”
The honor was presented to his widow, Janie Semenecz, by former Chief of the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department, Tim Moots and by former Engine One and Department Secretary, Justin Watrel. Mrs. Semenecz was joined by her sister for the presentation at her home and was very honored to accept recognition from the organization in honor of her husband’s dedication for years at the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department.
The picture features former HHFD Chief Tim Moots, Mrs. Janie Semenecz and former HHFD Secretary Justin Watrel.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association at the April 2023 Meeting
On April 16th, 2023, the members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association met for our quarterly meeting. We discussed the happenings at the NJ Firemen’s Home and following the State regulations as we prepare to host our Summer barbecue in June for the residents and their guests. We are also planning a second barbecue in August with a special party planned for member who is turning 100 this year. More detail on that are forthcoming.
We were impressed by the number of donations from our fellow fire departments all over Bergen County, NJ for their generous donations to help fund the entertainment, refreshments and gifts to the NJ Firemen’s Home in the future. We want to thank our Brother Firefighters for thinking about the residents of the home and assisting our brothers and sisters. We…
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association met for the first of our annual meeting on the afternoon of February 19th, 2023. Members had come from all over Bergen County to attend the meeting.
We discussed our Calendar for the year of events planned. We discussed the recent fundraiser that the organized for much needed funds for the organization to run the upcoming barbecue in June and the Christmas Party in December (can you believe that is in nine months?).
The Members’ of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association at the June Barbecue in June 2022.
Our Head of Fundraising reported that the fund drive is going well. We are actually ahead in fundraising so far and many departments have been very generous. There are still some departments that have never given to the organization in the past but we will try to reach out to them.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association met at the Harrington Park Fire House to start the stuffing of the envelopes to start the fundraising efforts of the organization. Over coffee and doughnuts, we stuffed envelopes for all the fire companies in Bergen County, NJ.
Monies raised by the fundraiser help pay for entertainment, refreshments, the food for the barbecue, gifts to the residents and for items that residents might need.
The Summer Barbecue at the NJ Firemen’s Home in August 2022
To all our fellow firefighters, please be on the lookout for our mailers. Your department’s donation to the organization goes a long way.
The members at the Annual Christmas Party in December 2022
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association, please attend one of our meetings at the Boonton Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ. Our meetings are February…
I am now in the middle of my eighteen year on the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department.
We have just sworn in the the 2023 Officers for the Department. Time has really flown by. What amazed me is this class of Officers, many of the them being members of the former Engine One Company, have really progressed in the Department over the last few years. It has been fun to see them grow and want to take a more active role in the Department.
I hope the hard work we did years earlier inspired them to move up the ladder in the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department. We wish our fellow Brothers the best of luck in the coming year!
The Officers of the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department 2023
The new Officers are:
Chief Michael Greco
First Assistant Chief Kevin Todd
Second Assistant Chief Christian Fernandez
Captain Miguel Gonzalez
Lieutenant Marc Pagan
Lieutenant Nick Lorenzo
Lieutenant Dan Wixon
Secretary Ed Mucha
Treasurer James Carlin
Our Officers being sworn in:
Chief Michael Greco with his wife and two children
First Assistant Chief Kevin Todd
Second Assistant Chief Christian Fernandez
Our Line Officers:
Captain Miguel Gonzalez, Lieutenant Marc Pagan, Treasurer James Carlin and Secretary Ed Mucha
We wish you all a very safe and healthy year and hope that you lead the Department to another productive year!
It has been a long time since we had a Christmas Party at the NJ State Firemen’s Home and it was nice to be back. We had to follow all COVID protocols and wore masks during our visit to the home.
Let the party begin!
The entertainment room was set for Christmas
We started our day with a get together of the members before the entertainment began. It was nice to just sit back and talk to the other members before the entertainment began. It gave the Executive Board a chance to talk and we took our first group shot since I joined the Board last year. We make a very impressive bunch.
The Executive Board of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
I even got a chance to bond with the resident dog of the NJ State Firemen’s Home, Wells, who was a former seeing eye dog that has…
The Members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association in July 2022
It was a spectacular day for a barbecue!
After having to cancel our June Barbecue because of bad weather (there was a rain storm all day on our date in June), we lucked out on July 10th when we had the most spectacular sunny and warm day with no humidity. Clear sunny skies and low 80-degree weather had the residents of the NJ State Firemen’s Home coming out in droves to enjoy good music and delicious food.
With a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans and chili, macaroni and potato salads and fresh watermelon for dessert residents and members had a wonderful lunch under the shade trees and tents that were set up on the lawn outside the home.
We followed all COVID protocols to keep the residents and…
A group of us from the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department joined dozens of other fire departments in Bergen County, NJ to wish our brothers on the Wood Ridge Fire Department our best at their 125th Anniversary Celebration. It was a nice afternoon of food, entertainment and good conversation. It was nice to see everyone having a good time on this sunny afternoon.
Wishing our Brothers on the Wood Ridge Fire Department the best in their 125th Year!
Former Engine One and Department Secretary Justin Watrel, Former Captain and Lieutenant of Engine One Bernie Valente and Former Chief of the Department, Captain and Lieutenant Tim Moots of Engine One all of the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department enjoying the afternoon at the Wood Ridge Fire Department’s 125th Fire Department celebration.
I know that I can be quite the traditionalist and like to keep up events that have been successful. I also like to build on them and see them grow over time.
The old Engine One Barbecue that we used to have after every Meeting/Drill night in June started as just a small dinner one night when we wanted to barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs after our drill. Members of our company were joined by other members from other companies enjoyed themselves and it was mentioned at our next department meeting. Some members complained that we didn’t invite them (they were more than happy to come to the drill night). So the next year we sent out invitations for the barbecue that would be after the drill/meeting night.
Firefighter Justin Watrel, Barbecue Chairman, June 2022 Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department Meeting night
For the next eleven summers, we continued the tradition and it grew over time and the menu began to vary. We went from simple hamburgers and hot dogs we morphed into creative salads, baked ziti and doctored up Baked Beans with things like black strap molasses, maple syrup hot sauce and cured bacon.
Homemade Baked Ziti and Potato Salad
I got even more creative with the desserts. I used to order an ice cream cake with a fire engine on it but no one would eat it. So I changed it around and did more traditional desserts like cake cookies, brownies and rice crispy treats. I even experimented with desserts that are traditional to a barbecue like watermelon and apple pie but they were not as popular.
Me preparing for dinner in 2017
As time went on, members would bring their family to the event and many of our old timers and their wives were invited so that they could meet up together again. We were averaging 50 to 60 people at every barbecue so it was hard to judge who to cook for that evening.
Our senior members with their wives at the 2015 barbecue
COVID affected the event just after we merged the department in 2019 and we stopped the event for two years. It was nice for me when the department voted to bring the barbecue dinner back at the May Department meeting. It gave me a chance to put my Hyatt banquet skills back and dig back into my culinary skills.
Setting up snacks and drinks at the barbecue
The menu was kept simple since it was just the department members after the June Department Meeting. We grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and Italian Sausage. For the sides, I made a homemade Baked Ziti, a Red Bliss Potato Salad with Bacon and Baked Beans with all sorts of chips and popcorn and for dessert I made traditional dessert of various flavored Cake Cookies, Brownies and Rice Cripsy Treats. Those Rice Cripsy Treats really disappeared.
What I liked about the barbecue was the compliments from the other guys on the department and what a good time they had. It was nice to bring this comradre back after this long spell of COVID. As usual, I want to thank Firefighter Bernie Valente for helping with all the barbecuing and for being our grill master.
Firefighter and Grill Master Bernie Valente
It’s good to make a group of firemen happy!
Firefighter Justin Watrel setting up the homemade desserts of brownies, cookies and rice crispy treats
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