History of the Fire Bell
It was removed when the bell tower was dismantled from the roof of the building and had been in storage in the Mount Olive City Shed for many years until it found its way to its rightful home at the Fire Station.
According to the members of the department and the Constitution and By-Laws of the Fire Department dated December 26, 1940, the following signals were used:
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2) Fifteen minutes before practice or business meetings, 3 taps of the bell shall be given four times.
3) At the beginning of practice or meetings, there shall be 3 taps, repeated once.
4) To signal a fire, the General Alarm would be sounded, followed by a pause, then the fire ward number, of which there were six fire wards, where the fire was located.
In the September 1978 revision of the Constitutions & By-Laws (including the current revision), the only reference to the fire bell is in Article V, Section 2, which states that "the fire bell shall be tolled at 6:30 of the evening that the membership is going to pay their last respects to a deceased member of said organization." The signal for a funeral assembly is 1 toll every 20 seconds, for a total of 15 tolls.
The Fire Department is very proud to have this rich piece history of an organization that dates back to 1880. The Monument that supports this bell honors the past members of the Mount Olive Fire Department who have faithfully served their community. It will also preserve the history of the department while we constantly evolve to meet the changing needs of our citizens.
The Firemen are very grateful for the assistance of Dan Dobrinich for the masonry work and involved, Ideal Welding for thier assistance with the support structure, Mt. Olive Monument for the granite work, and the family of William (Bill) Hudzik for donations to help in funding the Momument Area. It was erected in William's honor.
