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HISTORY
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The History of Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company Inc.
By Steven J. Rudnicki
Over the past fifty years, the area and the people in the southern end of Cheektowaga have undergone many changes. From farmland and barns that dotted the dirt roads to the shopping plazas and over 7,200 households and businesses, the men and women in this area of town have always depended on the firefighters of the Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company.
It began toward the end of 1944, when the four - Town Volunteer Fire Company was formed by the men who represented the adjacent areas of Cheektowaga, West Seneca, Lancaster and Depew. A few years after Four Town was started, a barn on French Road was destroyed because the apparatus did not arrive in time. The firefighters of Four Town who lived off of French Road in Cheektowaga decided that the area in that part of town was too large to be adequately covered. These firefighters met on October 3, 1946 in the boiler room of the greenhouses owned by Curtis Lehde to make provisions so that further loss of life and property would no occur. It was at this meeting that Alfred Kless motioned, and his son, Wesley Kless, seconded, that a new fire company be formed. This was the beginning of the Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company.
The incorporation of the present South Line Volunteer Fire Company was made official on April 3, 1947. Two main issues were brought to the forefront of the company’s attention: the need for a pumper and fire hall. The original 26 members of the company each donated one hundred dollars ($100.00) to purchase an old civil defense pump, which after renovation was placed on a trailer and became the first fire apparatus of the company. South Line’s original fire hall was at 931 French Road across from Brentwood Drive. This structure was built by the firemen themselves before the company was placed on the town’s tax rolls.
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A few years later, the truck was found to be inadequate to the needs of the growing company and a second army surplus vehicle was purchased and mounted on the bed of a G.M.C. truck. As time went on, the area that the company served changed and farms were slowly replaced by homes and small businesses along French Road. This resulted in the acquisition of the most cherished possession of this fire company: the 1935 pumper, South Line’s first fire truck. This pumper is a Buffalo Fire Appliance and is the end product of many fund-raisers that included dances, raffles, and picnics. The “35” is now the oldest functioning fire apparatus in Cheektowaga and the adjoining areas. In the spring of 1950, South Line added another bay to the fire hall to accommodate for the growth of the area and of the company itself. |
South Line joined the other companies in the Town of Cheektowaga at district status when the Town Board dissolved the South Line Fire Protection District in 1963 and created South Line Fire District #10. In 1965, the residents of the South Line district authorized the spending of $51,700 for an additional new two-bay fire station, which is the current substation on Boxwood Lane. The substation was the first in Cheektowaga and continued the progressive nature that South Line was known for during this time period. The substation was christened with a brand new $32,000 pumper that was purchased in 1968 to cover the western end of the district along Union Road.
Our current structure at 1049 French Road was built in 1970 with the groundbreaking ceremonies being held on September 13th, which included the placing of the cornerstone and a time capsule. The building cost $295,000 and could hold four firefighting and rescue vehicles. In 1990, another addition was put on the main hall, which included two new bays and a total renovation of every room inside of the structure. This addition wa dedicated in the spring of 1991 with the laying of a new cornerstone. |
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After fifty years of service, the firefighters and officers of Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company are entrusted to protect over 7,200 households and businesses that are worth over $410,000,000. The value of the company itself has risen to $119,000 in land holdings, $1,880,626 in buildings and equipment, and $2,185,474 in fire apparatus. So now in 1996, on the 50th Anniversary of the Cheektowaga South Line Volunteer Fire Company, the 95 firefighters have the resources of 2 fire stations that house four fire engines, two rescue vehicles, one heavy rescue and one aerial platform to better serve and protect the residents of South Cheektowaga. |
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Past Presidents |
Joel Schnurstein, Jr.
Mike Wojdyla
Tim Zawadski
Kevin Stablewski
Joel Schnurstein, Sr.
Elaine Richards
Mark Schreiber
Roger Walter
Fred Wilde
David Schnurstein
Mark Schreiber
Donald Waldraff
James Allen
Lawrence Hajduk
Raymond Danitz
Richard P. Bryk
Donald Waldraff
James Ward
Richard P. Bryk
Jack Stablewski
Richard P. Bryk
Richard Lock
George Kohlbrenner
Steven Marcynski
Chester Wass
Thaddeus Jackowski
Burton Monin
Stephen Jakubczak
Thaddeus Jackowski
Robert Smith
Myron Monin
Alfred Kless
Curtis Lehde
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2009 -
2007 - 2008
2006
2004 - 2005
2000 - 2003
1999
1997 - 1998
1995 -1996
1993 - 94
1991 - 92
1986 - 90
1985
1983 - 84
1982
1981
1979 - 80
1978
1977
1976
1973 - 75
1971 - 72
1967 - 70
1966
1965
1964
1963
1962
1961
1958 - 60
1955 - 57
1951 - 54
1948 - 50
1946 - 47
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