Members of the ladies’ auxiliary and their male helpers are, first row from left, Raella Baker and Faye Pleso; second row, Jean McKenzie, Pat Barnhart, Lisa Meade, Carol Mazur, Darlene Gibowicz, Mike Hagood and Ralph Baker; and, third row, Debbie Elliott, Joanne Derr, Cliff Elliott and Harriet Snyder.
The Brookfield Township Volunteer Fireman’s Auxiliary – better known as the ladies’ auxiliary – celebrated 75 years on Nov. 10, but long-time President Raella Baker did not have optimistic words about the group’s future.
“I’m not sure if we’re gonna get a 76th,” Baker said.
This group that once had more than 100 members is down to a dozen and age and health problems limit the ability of some of them to work.
“I don’t know what our future’s like, but we’ll keep doing it as long as we can,” said Baker, who has been a member for 57 years and president for most of that time.
The Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1948 and received its charter in June 1949. Twenty-four of the wives, daughters and sisters of the firefighters founded the auxiliary in 1949, said Gerard Zarella, a former Brookfield firefighter who researched the origins of the department and the auxiliary.
The first officers were President Ann Obermiyer, Vice President Justine Holler, Secretary Alice Schultz and Treasurer Cecelia Swartz, and the auxiliary got right to work: holding three simultaneous bake sales that raised $97; helping plan and operate the first Homecoming, a community festival that raised money for the department; bought kitchen equipment for the under-construction fire station on Grove Street; hosted Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties; and held a card party to benefit the Whitmore family, whose home had been destroyed in a fire.
“That fire would mark one of the first times the auxiliary came out to the fire and brought food and coffee and drinks out to the firemen, and it also started another tradition, of them raising money to help families that had lost their belongings and their homes in a fire,” Zarella said.
Baker, whose father, two brothers and five nephews were all firefighters, said she would awake Kathryn West, the owner of the former Knival’s Store in Brookfield Center, in the middle of the night whenever there was a bad fire. West would cut lunch meat and cheese so sandwiches could be made to be taken to the scene.
“She didn’t care what time I woke her up, and that’s what the community was all about,” Baker said.
The auxiliary also had a social function and its members bought dresses and capes and a banner so it could march in parades. The auxiliary won many awards for its marching, Zarella said. It even had a water battle team for a few years, he said.
The auxiliary continued to fund upgrades to the kitchen and meeting room at the fire station; help the department purchase and repair firefighting and rescue equipment and buy first-aid supplies; donate money to families in need because of fires; and buy equipment for Homecoming and help plan and run it.
Membership was opened up to any woman living in Brookfield Township, and the auxiliary’s duties expanded to hosting funeral dinners, co-sponsoring blood donation drives, lending labor to the activities of other community groups, participating in the township’s annual Memorial Day observance and holding a memorial honoring the men and women of the fire department, auxiliary and police department who had passed away.
“They’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort into this department,” Zarella said.
Dan Suttles said he didn’t just join the fire department in his first days as a firefighter.
“I was 16 years old. Raella (Baker), the Powells, we could go on and on, Pat Barnhart, the Wedges, they took me in as part of their family,” he said.
Now a township trustee, Suttles, a retired career Warren firefighter and Air Force firefighter, and fellow Trustees Mark Ferrara and Shannon Devitz presented a proclamation to the auxiliary. It reads, in part: “These strong women are dedicated, hard-working pillars of Brookfield Township and exemplify the true spirit of serving the public.”
The auxiliary honored its senior members, Baker; Janet Wedge, 53 years of service; Pat Barnhart, 53 years; Lisa Mead, 29 years; and Debbie Elliott, 27 years, and made mention of the men who, although not members, showed up frequently to help out, including Baker’s husband, Ralph; former Brookfield firefighter Cliff Elliott; and long-time firefighter Mike Hagood.
“For all that you have done in the last 75 years, those of us who have had the privilege of serving in this department through the 75-year history salute and thank you for your unwavering support and selfless service to this department and our community. Thank you, ladies,” Zarella said.
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Anyone interested in joining the auxiliary or helping out at auxiliary functions can call Baker at 330-360-7108. The auxiliary meets at 5:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the social hall behind the fire station, 774 Route 7.
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