Undine Hose Company

History

Membership in Undine has always been very unique because many members are from a long line of firefighters from generation to generation. Now a company with 25 members, Undine is rich in tradition and family history. It includes six members who have had one or more family members to precede them, four members who are third generation Undine, two members who are second generation and five who are related to other members. It is also known for being the home of the first female firefighter in Maywood in 1981 and to have a husband and wife team, who are both still members today.

History of Undine

In 1905 the Maywood Fire Department started a company that took the name of Undine Hose Company No. 1 and consisted of a group of hose men and ladder men. It was a very big step after being a brigade with only a single group of men who had hand-drawn carts and hose reels. The very first "truck" was a hand drawn hose reel containing only the essentials of nozzles, buckets, axes, and one hose. The firefighters were then brought to a scene with their equipment in a horse-drawn wagon.

Soon after, Undine established laws, rules and regulations and became an official company. In 1921, the borough of Maywood purchased Undine's first motorized pump.

Then, 28 years later, Undine upgraded to a 750 gallon per minute pump. The 750 gallon pump was very unique. When the pump left Maywood, it was sold to a man who then rented it to a movie producer. Maywood's once used pump was then used in the production of Rain Man and produced all of the rain for every scene.

Undine then needed a new pump and the borough of Maywood purchased a 1,000 gallon per minute pump in a 1976 Maxim Pumper.

In 1995, the latest upgrade was the purchase of a Pierce Lance 1,250 gallon per minute pump.