Alert Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1

Foreman: Benjamin Nadeau
1st Asst. Foreman: Michael Nenna      2nd Asst. Foreman: Peter Fusaro

The decision to form a ladder company for the Westerly Fire Department occurred after a fire in the P.S. Barber's Soap Works on Mechanic Street in Pawcatuck, CT.  This fire demonstrated the need for ladders.  Three wealthy families , the Cottrells, the Mosses, and the Wells respectively donated $500.00, $500.00, and $250.00 to purchase a ladder truck.

The Ladder Truck was ordered from the Silsby Mfg. Co. of Seneca Falls, New York.  The truck was delivered by boat to Stonington, CT and then pulled by hand to Westerly.  With the ladder truck's arrival the Alert Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 was created.  The company was chartered on March 19, 1884 under the auspices of the Westerly Fire District.  The founders included Winthrop Barber, Samuel Cottrell (who was the first foreman), and C.B. Bliven. This wagon carried a variety of ladders with the longest being a 45 footer.

The Alert Hook & Ladder Co. entered the motorized era when they were assigned a 1915 Maxim city service ladder truck.  This truck would serve for the next twenty-four years.  It would be replaced by Westerly's first aerial ladder truck in January of 1939.  This vehicle was manufactured by Seagrave and had a 65 foot steel aerial ladder.  The Seagrave would serve the "Hooks" until it was replaced in May of 1971 by a 100 foot Maxim F-model mid-mount ladder truck.  Initially this vehicle was all red but in the late seventies it was repainted white over red.

Currently the Alert Hook & Ladder Co. operates a 1994 Simon-Duplex 110 foot rear-mount aerial.  The company currently has 29 active members.

Samuel G. Cottrell 1884-1891 Benjamin J. Sheffield 1892-1894 W.W. Barber J. Henry Potter Everett C. Lawton Richard Mitchell George McKenzie George Capron James Tefft 1927-1929 Nathan Culver 1930-1937 George Pendleton 1938-1939 Clifford R. Rathbun 1940 William Towers 1941-1943 John F. Burns 1944 Edwin R. Potter 1945-1947 Oscar B. Chapman Jr. 1948 Robert A. Beattie 1949-1950 Charles Phillips 1951-1952 Thomas F. Awkerman Jr. 1953-1954 Charles M. Crandall 1955-1956 Isaac G. Smith Jr. 1957-1958 Emil P. Mistrik 1958-1960 Richard L. Stoppa 1961-1962 Farquhar Smith Jr. 1963-1964 William C.W. Douglas 1965 William R. Patterson 1966-1967 Frederick C. Muller 1968 Robert F. Mackay 1969-1971 John R. Gavitt 1972-1973 Richard E. Webb 1974-1975 Paul R. Huard 1976 Joseph A. Misto Sr. 1977-1978 John Stenhouse 1979-1980 Kenneth W. Butler 1981 Jon A. Babcock 1982-1983 James I. Mistrik 1984-1985 Manuel J. Theodore 1986-1987 Michael J. Gomes 1988-1989 John A. Mackay 1990-1991 A. Vero Morrone 1992-1993 Michael J. Gomes 1994-1995 Daniel C. Balicki 1996-1997 Eric E. Fallon 1998-1999 Joseph Fusaro Jr. 2000-2001 Kevin Morrone 2002-2003 Eric E. Fallon 2004-2005 John Gavitt 2006-2007 Edward Haik 2008-2009

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