SOUTH ORANGE –South Orange's bravest rededicated the 1925 fire house on Saturday, June 12, serving as a formal end to a decade's worth of work.

Members of the South Orange Fire Department - with assistance from village and state historical officials, Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) and other dignitaries - were in attendance at the fire headquarters at 56 Sloan St.

"I'm proud to be the Congressman for our first responders," said Pascrell. "We particularly found out what we need - and don't need - after Sept. 11."

Most of the 110 audience members stayed to see three of SOFD's apparatuses blessed - and get tours of what will make the township landmark stand for what supporters hope will be another 85 years.

Fire Chief Jeffrey Markey displayed the rededication plaque plus SOFD truck units 8-5, 8-6 and 8-8. Our Lady of Sorrows Msgr. Robert E. Emery, along with four other clergy members, blessed the units and the three-story building.

"I'm honored to have you here today," said Markey, a 43-year SOFD member who has been its chief since 1991. "This day has been a long time coming, the better part of a decade. There were times where people thought that restoration and modernization of a building are exclusive."

Markey added that he and Village Trustee President Douglas Newman have been getting calls from other municipalities and fire departments about how they went about the dual-track work. It took $3.2 million and eight years to renew the 3,100-square-foot, five bay fire headquarters - including $440,000 from the New Jersey State Historic Trust and a $100,000 federal First Responders Aid grant, courtesy of Pascrell.

Markey said that the fire headquarters has been turning heads since its 1926 opening. The building replaced the 1895 Village Hall - which still stands at South Orange Avenue and Valley Road - when township officials needed space.

"When we looked for another location for another building, it turns out that our ancestors in the 1900s and 1920s had it right," said Markey. "Its central location gives us a mile's reach from border to border. It's Norman style architecture fits with many of the buildings and homes here and has been the subject of artists' sketches and painting."

The headquarters tower, designed to hang dry fire hoses and house an air-powered alarm, is part of the department's emblem. Over the decades, the headquarters, personnel and equipment mostly kept up with the times and increasing call demands.

The 56 Sloan St. location however, was beginning to show its age. A 1990 report prepared for the village trustees and administrator referred to the building's condition as "abysmal."

The report cited that crumbling plaster due to water leakage needed repair and replacement; the original bathroom equipment needed replacement; the roof needed repair and the brick needed cleaning and sealant.

"Firefighters and officers renovated the kitchen/dining room themselves some time ago but self-help has not been supported by municipal appropriations," stated the report.

Village elders arrived at a two-phase project in 2000 to plan and execute the renovation/modernization and an architect and general contractor were hired. During construction, fire trucks were parked outside and personnel moved into a pair of temporary trailers - whenever they were not placed at the Mountain Fire House Fire Station uphill by the village water tower.

"Living in the trailers got old fast after two months," said Markey. "We'd get plaster in our boots and snow on our truck. Not once did any of our staff complain, although the planning and work was painstaking at times."

The work included adding a bay, storing uniforms in cages and revamping the second floor kitchen and recreation room. The $100,000 federal grant mostly went to weight training room equipment on the third floor.

Markey said there were so many village trustees during the eight years' work that a generic village trustees and village presidents name was used instead of listing all municipal elders.

The rededication preceded the third annual "Celebrate South Orange" fair, staged by Main Street South Orange, which further closed Sloan Street.