What’s In A Name? For Ocean County Firefighters, It’s About Pride

I walk past Toms River Fire Company #1's house on Robbins Street a number of times a week. It's not unusual for the doors to be open and for firefighters to be hanging out.

Today, though, I noticed something that I'd never noticed before - the two fire trucks standing by for whatever may come their way now have names.

On the left was "Ole Timer", named in honor of being the station's workhorse since the 1990s.

On the right, "The Sque", short for "rescue".

I asked the firefighters about the names, and they told me that it's a tradition that goes back to some of the biggest and most well known fire departments in the country; including departments in New York and Chicago.

It's all about the pride that comes with everything that they do.

Toms River Fire Company #1's lineup includes, in addition to "Ole Timer" and "The Sque", the main engine, "First Due", and my favorite of the bunch, their ladder truck, appropriately named "95 Foot of Awesome".

It's a cool way for the firefighters to show off the rigs that keep all of us here in Ocean County safe.

My thanks as always to the hardworking firefighters of Company #1 for taking the time to chat with me and tell me the whole story!