On the evening of January 25, 1869 a group of young men met with the law offices of Pronk & Royce for an organizational meeting.
Mr. A. VanNest Powelson was elected Chairman, and William B Royce as Secretary. The question of a name for a new company for the Middletown Fire Department presented itself. Several names were offered and each were voted down, among them were "ALERT", "Lawyer" (as several of the men were of that profession), and "ROSEBUD"(the nickname of a popular member). Finally William H. Rogers presented the name of a new man-made lake, "MONHAGEN". Thunderous applause erupted and the new name was carried.
A Constitution and By-Laws, having already been prepared were formally adopted. Prefaced by the motto..
"GOOD WILL TO ALL".
Membership Requirements
To become a member of the Middletown Fire Department, you must be a resident of the City of Middletown or work within the city limits. In addition, you must:
Junior Firefighter Program
The Middletown Fire Department junior firefighter program was one of the first established in New York State to address the interest of young people in firefighting occupations. Our Junior Firefighters have gone on to leaderships positions within the Department. Junior firefighters are not permitted to operate gas powered equipment or enter into burning buildings. Although they are trained on the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus, they are restricted on their use and are limited to drills. Significant emphasis is placed on maintaining good academic grades while in school, and Junior Firefighters are prohibited from attending fires or being in the firehouse during school hours.
Junior Exterior Firefighter Requirements:
Active Interior Firefighter Requirements
Membership Application
Please complete the application in full, if you have issues completing the application, please contact the Middletown Fire Department recruitment hotline at (845) 344-5003.
Be sure to state that you want to be a Monhagen!
To learn more about the application process, go to https://www.middletownfiredept.com/volunteer.