Long before paging systems and mobile alerts, three whistles echoed across Basking Ridge.
When they sounded, Gene Delgado dropped everything.
“As a kid, when those whistles blew, my father jumped in the car and drove off,” Mike Delgado recalls. “We lived a block-and-a-half from the firehouse. Sometimes he’d cut through everybody’s yard and just run. It was exciting.”
Gene Delgado joined the Basking Ridge Fire Company in 1954 at 21 and served until his death in December 1993. Mike’s uncle, Ernest Hicks, was also a longtime member. Fire service was not just volunteer work—it was family tradition.
At 18, Mike Delgado joined their ranks. Soon, the whistles were calling for him.
“There were four firefighters at the school, and we had permission to leave,” he says. “The whistle would blow, and the four of us would stampede out of school, pile into somebody’s car and head to the firehouse.”
That was the start of a journey that has now spanned more than 50 years with the Basking Ridge Fire Company and EMS.
Over the decades, Delgado has served as third captain, second captain, first captain, assistant chief and chief. He is widely recognized as one of the company’s top responders and a mentor to younger firefighters.
Last year, Delgado was honored for five decades of volunteer service. The Bernards Township Committee and state legislators recognized him with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. He also received a personal call congratulating him on the honor.
“We had a nice chat,” Delgado says. “It was wonderful—and really humbling—to be recognized.”
Changing Calls, Changing Tools
When Delgado first began responding, Basking Ridge looked very different. Before AT&T’s construction project in the early 1970s, much of the area was open land, and brush fires were common. As development increased, so did vehicle accidents.
Unlike today’s hydraulic rescue tools, early responders relied on basic equipment.
“We used a crowbar and a saw,” Delgado says.
He recalls responding to an incident on Interstate 287 about 40 years ago while working as an EMT.
“We didn’t have the equipment we do now,” he says.
Afterward, he and his partners sat quietly on the back of the truck.
"'We took a deep breath and shook each other's hands-like, 'Man, we did it,' he says."
Safety protocols have also evolved. Early in his career, firefighters entered structures without air packs. Today, firefighters undergo mandatory rehabilitation after exiting a blaze. EMTs and paramedics monitor blood pressure, hydration and overall condition before clearing them to return to duty.
Brotherhood and Family
Over five decades, Delgado has responded to both triumphant and tragic calls.
“It’s been very rewarding,” he says. “I’ve been on some terrible calls, obviously, and I’ve also been in on delivering a baby.”
He remembers the line-of-duty loss of former Chief Richard Liddy in November 1994.
“It’s extended family,” Delgado says. “There are people there—I would die for them.”
That connection extends beyond emergency scenes.
“When there is a death in the family, you make up a pot of soup and bring it over,” he says. “It’s a brotherhood. A sisterhood.”
At home, first response was also part of family life. His wife, Cheryl, served with the Liberty Corner First Aid Squad.
“That’s how we met,” Delgado says.
Today, although Delgado no longer actively fights fires, he still responds—often driving the truck—even at 2 a.m.
“I get out of bed,” he says, “and lead by example.”
The Basking Ridge Fire Company accepts volunteers beginning at 16. To learn more visit brfco.com.