One wall is lined with black fire hats, one for each member, that indicate the year the person joined the company. An adjacent wall holds white hats, listing all the fire chiefs dating to the first in 1948.

   For the approximately 70 volunteer members of the Hillsborough Fire Company No. 2, on Route 206, this is just one way of recognizing a history that spans 60 years.

   ”When I joined, the company had been in existence for almost 10 years,” said Ed Bertin, of Amwell Road, who joined the company in 1955 and served as chief in 1968. “The company started with a three-bay garage on Route 206. Then the company saw fit to buy about 12 acres and build the firehouse there.”

   David Raymond, membership committee chairman and fire company historian, said the company incorporated in May 1948 and held its meetings in the Amwell Farms Inn, which is now Charlie Brown’s on Route 206, and stored its first American LaFrance engine truck in a member’s garage.

   ”When we got our incorporation from the state in May, we had no building, no trucks,” he said. “We built our first garage on Route 206 in the early 1950s.”

   At the time of the creation of the township’s second fire company, there already was one in Flagtown. But a rising population in Hillsborough led many residents to believe another company was necessary to handle the entire town, and the decision was finalized at a meeting in March 1948, Mr. Raymond said.

   ”As the population grew, we realized we needed another company,” he said.

   (As the township continued to grow, several members of Fire Company No. 2 left in 1955 to start a third company, on Woods Road, to accommodate residents in that area of town, Mr. Raymond said.)

   In addition, Mr. Raymond said, fighting fires was handled differently than it is today because the township was mostly farmland and the fires occurred primarily in barns and fields.

   ”Hillsborough was a farming community,” he said. “The building of the Meadowbrook development in the late 1950s was the start of the change from the agricultural.”

   From there, Mr. Raymond said, the company continued to grow, purchasing newer and better trucks to handle the new developments and buildings, as well as adding onto the original garage to include a kitchen, meeting rooms and a hall for events. The hall, he said, was leased to Hillsborough Radiology in about 1995 to raise money for the company.

   The current building, Mr. Raymond said, was built in 1973, with an addition constructed in 2003 to add an extra bay, storage room, meeting room and computer room.

   But the change that several of the firefighters have found to be most glaring in the company’s 60 years is a lack of events to gather members of the company and township together. Floyd Padgett, of Manville, who has been a member of the company since 1955 and served as chief for two years, said the company used these events to raise money to purchase its fire trucks and other equipment.

   Now, Mr. Padgett said, a township Board of Fire Commissioners, started in 1976, handles the company’s budget and the fundraisers are not necessary. Every February, residents vote on new members for the commission, and also vote on the Fire Commission’s budget, which is paid for through taxes.

   ”We used to have to raise money ourselves,” Mr. Padgett said. “We would have pancake breakfasts and other events.”

   Mr. Bertin said the company also used to hold clambakes, motorcycle races and bingo nights. In addition, he said, it held a yearly New Year’s Eve party in its hall, which now has become the Hillsborough Radiology Center.

   ”We had several catered affairs and holiday parties when we had the availability of a hall,” he said. “The events were all to raise funds and to provide a social event for the community.”

   In addition to the separate events, the fire company has hosted the annual Fireman’s Fair for about 25 years, featuring rides, games and food on the lot next to the firehouse.

   ”Other companies had this fair, so we figured we should try it out,” said Bill Melenchuck, of New Amwell Road, who has been a member of the company for 59 years. “It started small and became one of the biggest fairs in New Jersey. It was a place for kids to come out because we had so many rides. People came and supported the company.”

   Beginning this year, the fair will be sponsored by the township’s Rotary Club, and will be held at the Hillsborough Promenade because the land adjacent to the firehouse has been turned over to the state for the building of the Route 206 bypass.

   Aside from these fundraisers, Mr. Padgett said, the company also participated in parades throughout New Jersey, where it often would win trophies honoring its trucks or other aspects of the department.

   ”We would polish the trucks, and get the guys and the Ladies’ Auxiliary out,” he said.

   Parades and events often were held, Mr. Padgett said, in honor of the company purchasing a new fire truck. He said it served as a celebration of the new machine.

   ”A lot of companies are not having the parades now,” he said. “It’s a different generation, but it’s good.”

   Despite these kinds of events, Mr. Melenchuck said, it always has been difficult to get volunteers because of the odd hours and the amount of time needed to put out a fire, then put away all the equipment once the job is complete.

   ”Once I had about 12 hours at a fire because it was huge,” he said. “Then I had to come back and clean the truck, pump more water. Sometimes you get back from a fire, and the alarm sounds again.”

   Mr. Raymond said many people join, but then often have to drop out because of all the work involved and time away from family. Still, he said, for those who do stay with the company throughout the years, membership awards are given out to commemorate time spent.

   ”All members have a deep dedication to the work, and they don’t get paid,” said Mr. Raymond, who has been with the company almost 30 years. “To do this for a long time, you have to have a love of it. We ask a lot, but we give a lot back.”

   Despite the many changes over the years, Mr. Padgett said the one thing that has remained the same is the tradition of teaching fire prevention and safety in the community. He said the company often works with Scouts looking to earn merit badges, or schools to teach about fire drills and other prevention methods.

   Mr. Melenchuck, who has been a member of the company almost since its inception in 1948, said he joined about six months after his father, who became a member six months after the company’s charter was first accepted. He said that, despite changes in how things may be run at the firehouse, the camaraderie among the men and women has always lasted.

   ”If we have a problem, we help each other,” he said. “The camaraderie is what holds the company together. It’s just a great pleasure going over to the firehouse.”