For the past century, the Franklin Lakes Fire Department has been serving—and saving—the community.
It all began on Dec. 4, 1924, during an open meeting held as a blizzard raged outside, when 25 men saw the community’s need and stepped up to form a fire company. The department quickly grew to 42 members, and the borough purchased land to build a firehouse. In the following year, the men worked with the borough to buy equipment, including a Seagraves combination pumping, double chemical tank, and hose car, which was delivered in October 1926. That same month, the borough formally dedicated the Pulis Avenue Firehouse.
Today, about 30 volunteers continue the legacy, including Capt. Larry Kohan, who has served for three decades. “I joined right after college. I was always interested in firefighting,” he says.
Along with his fellow firefighters, Kohan has responded to structure fires, rescues, auto accidents, and downed trees and wires. Like the firefighters before him, Kohan has saved lives and mourned those who couldn’t be saved.
The department also has a water rescue team that has been deployed to different towns throughout Bergen County during flooding. “We have about 10 guys who are swift-water trained,” Kohan says, noting the department also pumps water out of basements.
Over the decades, the Franklin Lakes Fire Department has supported the community. “We’re always out there whenever the town has an event, like holiday celebrations and parades,” Kohan says. “The kids love seeing the truck. We always have plastic helmets for them.”
And the community loves them back. In addition to a 100th anniversary dinner earlier this year, Mayor Charles J.X. Kahwaty issued a proclamation honoring the Franklin Lakes Volunteer Fire Department on its 100th anniversary, recognizing that “its members perform many heroic deeds that are often taken for granted during the course of their very arduous duties and with great personal sacrifice on the part of themselves and their families.”
In his career, the call that resonates most with Kohan is the Most Blessed Sacrament Church fire in December 2019. “It was such a large fire, and the church was such a pillar of the community,” he says.
In December, the department made national news when it responded to a call to save a dog that had fallen through the ice on Shadow Lake, swam to a nearby island, and became stranded. Suiting up in ice rescue gear, the volunteers used a canoe at the water’s edge and coaxed the dog inside with treats to bring it safely back to shore.
Kohan says calls involving pets can be especially tough. “We’ve responded to house fires where the pets don’t get out and pass away. Most of us are pet owners. We try and get the pets. We take it very seriously,” he says, noting the department conducts training with veterinary groups that teach animal CPR.
The best thing, Kohan says, is for people to prevent fires and act quickly if a fire breaks out. In October 1932, the Fire Department began observing Fire Prevention Week with students and continues to offer instruction in schools. “The biggest things are: Don’t play with matches, test your alarms, and have a plan — especially if you have young children — on how to get out of the house and where to meet, like at a mailbox or a neighbor’s door,” he says.
The department is seeking adult volunteers over age 18 — no experience is required. Youth ages 16 to 18 can join as junior firefighters, a program launched in 1999.
For more information visit franklinlakesfire.com.
Franklin Lakes Fire Department
Address: 479 Bender Ct, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Phone: (201) 891-5736
We’re always out there whenever the town has an event, like holiday celebrations and parades, the kids love seeing the truck. We always have plastic helmets for them.” - Capt. Larry Kohan
“The biggest things are: Don’t play with matches, test your alarms, and have a plan—especially if you have young children—on how to get out of the house and where to meet, like at a mailbox or a neighbor’s door.” - Capt. Larry Kohan