By the end of 1982, the United States was once again changing. Gone was the “doom and gloom” of the Watergate Scandal, the Vietnam War, gas shortages, and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. In its place was the beginning of an era known as “The Big 80s”. Young people everywhere wanted their MTV. A football dynasty was beginning in San Francisco, led by a young quarterback named Joe Montana, and a sitcom called Cheers finished its first season at the bottom of the ratings but would go on to become a classic. These are just the tip of the iceberg as to what was to come for the rest of the decade.
For the Little Falls Fire Department, the job remained the same despite all of the changes going on around them. The first big fire of “The Big 80s” came on February 16, 1981, when a blaze struck the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Furnace Street. Although heavy damage was done and its days as a church were numbered, the building lives on today. It is now the site of Shiny Bright Childcare and the Little Falls Food Pantry.
The Little Falls Fire Department not only covers the city and towns of Little Falls and Manheim, but it also covers over 10 miles of the New York State Thruway. On November 28, 1982, it would deal with one of its worst traffic accidents ever on that highway. Freezing rain caused a 15 to 20 car pile-up that would send 10 people to Little Falls Hospital with injuries, but much worse, the fatalities of two children. Ambulances from MOVAC, Response Medical Transport, Kunkel, Ilion, and Frankfort Fire Departments responded, along with the East Herkimer Fire Department, which brought their jaws of life. The Little Falls Fire Station also became a temporary shelter for about 30-35 stranded travellers and one dog.
In 1982, the LFFD said goodbye to two of its retired members. On February 21, Berton McGowan passed away at the age of 79. McGowan was a full-time firefighter from 1942 to 1960 and had been a call and temporary firefighter for years before that.
Two months later, on May 27, former Chief Abram Swartz died at the age of 85. Chief Swartz joined the LFFD in 1923 and served as Chief from 1947 to 1967. He had served in the United States Navy before joining the fire department and saw action in World War I.
As 1983 began, Chief Alfred Munger decided it was time to retire. Munger had succeeded Swartz as chief in 1967, and under his tutelage, the department made tremendous strides in public relations. In 1968, as part of Fire Prevention Week, the department hosted a large five-division parade on October 7. Two days later, the Mohawk and East Herkimer Fire Departments held a firematic racing demonstration on Albany Street between William and Second Streets. In 1978, the LFFD was named the Herkimer County “Fire Department of the Year” as a result of their fire prevention efforts.
The ambulance service also greatly improved under Mungers’ watch. When he took over as chief, the ambulance was a glorified medical taxi with no real care provided by the firefighters. James Staffo, Tony Federico, and Mike Izzo took the advanced first aid course in 1969. Six years later, a total of 12 members of the department (five regulars and seven call firefighters) had become certified EMTs. By the 1980s, Les Congdon and Eric Loucks had become advanced EMTs (medics) capable of performing such life-saving measures as IVs, medication administration, and EKGs.
Alfred Munger’s full-time firefighting career came to a close on March 18, 1983. The story, however, does not end here. He would serve as a call firefighter for the rest of his life, and served as president of the Call Firefighters Association. His legendary 50-year career was recognized at the annual Herkimer County Fire Chiefs dinner in January 2000. Family, friends, colleagues, and many of the firefighters who had served under him came together to honor the man who had given most of his adult life to the fire service.
Chief Munger died on September 11, 2014, at the age of 95. His passing saddened many in Little Falls, the Mohawk Valley, and beyond, as he was well known in firefighting circles. Then Little Falls Mayor Robert Peters summed it up best when he was quoted as saying, “It’s a big loss, he was a friend to every fireman.”
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