Historic photo Sussex Fire Department discovered
A 1971 Sussex Fire Department group photo was recently donated to the Sussex Lisbon Area Historical Society museum by the Podlske sisters, Janet Bigus now of Menomonee Falls and Elaine Sherba of Seattle, Wash. They found it in a search of their grandfather's roll-top desk which had been left untouched when their father, Ray, died in 1991.
Historically, the department seemed to have an aversion to taking group photographs as there aren't many around today. There was a 1947, 25th anniversary photo and a 40th anniversary photo taken in 1962. This June 1971 photo was taken for the upcoming 50th anniversary followed by another set of photos that were compiled in a 50th anniversary booklet published and distributed in 1972.
The origin of the Sussex Fire Department goes back to Jan. 30, 1922 when Sussex Main Street School burned down. By May of 1922, members of the then Sussex Templeton Advancement Association staged an organizational fire company meeting on May 2, 1922. The department was initially called Lisbon Fire Company No. 1. but the name was later changed in 1931 to the Sussex Volunteer Fire Company during the purchase of a water-pumping fire truck. Lisbon allocated $50 toward the purchase with the Village of Sussex picking up the rest of the cost of the Ford Pirsch pumper that is still owned by the department and used for parades.
When the department formed in 1922, it had 32 members which became the norm for membership for many years and only a few changes were made to the department's operations up until the 1970s when the department membership increased a bit.
In 1922, the department covered 36 square miles of Lisbon and unincorporated Sussex which then had a population of about 1,600. By 1971, when this photo was taken, the combined area of Sussex and Lisbon had nearly 8,000 residents.
In 1982-83, the Town of Lisbon, with a population of 8,500, started its own fire department. Today, the combined population of two communities is more than 20,000 and Sussex's area has grown to seven-plus square miles.
Today the Sussex and Lisbon fire departments offer one another mutual aid handling more than 1,200 calls each year; Sussex had a record 724 calls in 2010. Both departments have now paid and paid-on call members. Today, the Sussex Fire Department has more than 50 members.
This photo was taken 40 years ago in the 8-year-old Sussex fire station that occupies a piece of land carved from the former Marsden-Moyes land that has become Sussex Village Park. Major additions have been made over the years since it opened in 1963 including the addition of the police station.
The 34-member photo taken in June of 1971 has 33 positive identifications and one probable. It was taken before women were able to join the department in 1982.
The photo was taken the last year Bob Stier was chief, he was replaced by Norman "Pepper" Steffen in 1972. Arnie Peterson served as chief from 1975-82, George Kastner from 1982-85, Charles Zimmerman came on board in 1985 and served as chief until '89 and Robert Schlei served as chief from 1990-93. All of these men are in pictured; 25 of the 34 pictured have died. Four of those in the photo were honorary firefighters meaning they served for more than 10 years. Steffen served for 33, Schlei and Fred Keller for 27 and James Darrow for 11 years.