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Hundreds Attend Basking Ridge Fire Co.'s Pancake Breakfast

Annual fundraiser and 'breakfast out' for community brings more than 450 people to all-you-can-eat fundraiser.

The Basking Ridge Fire Company and First Aid Squad's annual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast may have become one of nearby residents' favorite place to eat out on a Sunday morning when they get the chance. Dora Phillips of Bernardsville, invited by her friend Muriel Anderson of Basking Ridge to this Sunday's breakfast at the firehouse on Washington Avenue, said she wishes the breakfast could be held twice a year. Either way, Phillips said she wanted to support the fire company and first aid squad members who give of their time. And, also, "The food is fantastic, and the coffee is delicious." "I tell people to come," Anderson said. By the looks of it, the number of repeat customers may be growing since the fire company a handful of years …

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Tree Swayed, Broke in Fatal Accident on Mt. Airy Road

Phillipsburg man, longtime employee of Bernardsville's HW Alward Construction Co., killed in random accident.

A Warren County man has been identified as the driver of a utility truck crushed by a falling tree on Mount Airy Road Thursday afternoon on Mount Airy Road in Bernards Township, police said. Douglas McKay, 55, of Phillipsburg, was driving south along the roadway at about 3 p.m. when the large tree apparently swayed in the wind before breaking and falling on top of his vehicle, Bernards Township Police Chief Brian Bobowicz said in a release on Friday morning. McKay, a longtime employee of HW Alward Inc., had just left the facility at 161 Mount Airy Road in Bernardsville and was alone driving a company truck, a 1999 Ford utility vehicle, the release said. "Two motorist witnesses described seeing the tree sway during the windy conditions and …

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Holiday Tree Needed After Basking Ridge's Pick Felled

Sandy knocked over one large evergreen being considered for downtown this year, and damaged another.

The Basking Ridge Fire Co. thought that this year's choice for a donated holiday tree to decorate Basking Ridge center was all wrapped up — even with a backup nominee  — before Halloween arrived. Then Hurricane Sandy came to town. "Two trees were picked out. One went over and was too broken up, and the other had branches come off," said Todd Middleton, in charge of the fire company's holiday decorating committee. For decades, a large evergreen donated by a local resident has been placed and decorated in the center of downtown Basking Ridge. The fire company had taken on responsibility for selecting one of the trees offered, and transporting it to the center of town. Middleton that he himself inspects the trees that people are offering. He …

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Basking Ridge Volunteers Pitch in for Fire Co.'s 'Shred Day'

Shredding truck donated by Bridgewater company.

The Basking Ridge Fire Co. last Saturday held its first fundraising community shred day, with volunteers standing by as residents dropped off mail, documents and other papers of a sensitive nature that they wanted shredded. This was the fire company's first fundraising shredding event, and it attracted about 75 cars, said Jeannette Watt, fundraising chairperson for the fire company. The fire company will consider whether to hold a similar event in the future, she said. Cintas Document Management of Bridgewater donated the truck equipped with shredding equipment, Watt said. Funds for the fire company were raised through donations from those who brought their materials to the firehouse at 30 Washington Ave. For those who missed this shred …

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Basking Ridge Firefighters Douse Burning Salvation Army Van

Cause not yet determined Monday for weekend van fire on Rte. 287, with propane tanks aboard burning vehicle, extinguished by Basking Ridge Fire Co.

The Basking Ridge Fire Co. and Emergency Medical Services unit, with back-up, brought down an intensely heated fire burning under insulation inside a Salvation Army disaster relief van on Route 287 North in Basking Ridge on Saturday morning. Warned before they arrived, the firefighters and emergency workers had to remove 20-pound propane tanks that were part of the van's equipment before they could fully tackle the fire. Until the propane could be removed, state police closed off all lanes of the highway for about an hour near milepost 29, right before exit 30 into Basking Ridge, said Jack McGrath, public information officer for the Basking Ridge Fire Company. Cause not determined Monday before noon The exact cause of the fire had not been…

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Obituary: John McGrath, 'True Hero,' Father of Firefighter

John McGrath is remembered as a Band of Brothers hero and as volunteer fireman who inspired his son.

Editor's Note: The following information about his father, John McGrath, 92, was submitted by Jack McGrath, public information officer and former chief with Basking Ridge Fire Co. No. 1. McGrath called his father a "true hero and a dedicated volunteer." John “Jack” McGrath, a member of Easy Company whose World War II exploits were made famous by the book and television miniseries “Band of Brothers,” died Tuesday, April 24, 2012 in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. He was 92. McGrath had a scrapbook entitled “Currahee” or “We Stand Alone Together.” The book, which has the dates July 20, 1942 to July 4, 1945 memorializes the tribulations and triumphs of McGrath’s unit Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Company of the 101st Airborne, also known as…

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