Continental Village Fire Department had it's origin on September 6, 1950 when a doughty band of farsighted residents met at Arthur Palmer's house. Mr. Palmer was the motivating force behind the movement.

As there was no existing firematic service between Peekskill and Garrison, there was no need to establish one. This area was really a firematic no man's land with no official department charged with the legal responsibility of protecting residents of this area in case of fire or other disasters.

This early group of dedicated men consisted of Arthur Palmer, Al Lazar, Hans Schmidt, Hank Wilhelm, William Aurick, Ben Leitel and Bert Carnum, among others.

Arthur Palmer took the early lead because of his prior experience as a fire control officer in the Navy. He urged the formation of an independent fire unit to be manned by volunteers to be known as Continental Village Volunteer Fire Department.

The first priority of the newly organized fire department was to obtain fire-fighting equipment. It was necessary that the department be run efficiently to meet the needs of the community. That was the birth of "Old Betsy" - a 1920 Mack rotary-gear 300-gallon pumper purchased from the Manhattan Beach Fire Department for $150. Everybody chipped in and we borrowed some to pay for it, but it was our start - and we hadn't even organized as a company yet. The first ones at that equipment after a fire call had to tow it to get it started. The men were so overjoyed with their acquisition that they forgot, completely, the need for housing their fine equipment.

Arriving in Continental Village, they worked almost all night preparing adequate shelter. The first fire house was a cinnabar ranch barn.

Training in the old barn and finding adequate space for hose, tools and gear was no simple matter. With ingenuity and perseverance, the silo became the drying rack for the hose: the stalls became storage space for gear and equipment, and hand-made benches served as a lecture hall for fire fighting instruction.

The earliest teachers were our first chief, Arthur Palmer: William Aurick, our second chief and Hank Wilhelm, our third chief as well as Tom Reitz, New York State Fire Instructor from Mahopac Falls F.D. and Charles Schneider, New York State Fire Warden from our neighboring fire department in Putnam Valley.

Freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer was the ordeal of the C.V.V.F.D. during its first year of existence. However, after the first year, a change was made to heat the barn with the installation of two pot-bellied stoves. The first firehouse served the community for more than ten years.

During the early days of the fire department, due to the lack of available men, the women of the community helped in the fighting of fires. Women responded to fire calls, just as their men, but accompanied by their children.

As the village grew, the need for more equipment developed. The fire department’s growth in equipment and manpower created an urgent need for larger quarters.

A parcel of land was obtained and construction was started on a second firehouse, which was to last until 1975. At that time the need for additional space required the complete reconstruction of the existing firehouse. The third and most recent addition was completed in 2004.

Our second pumper was a thank you gift from Pietro DeLuca, operator of Peekskill Mason Supply. Our department had responded to a call at the Mason Supply one winter morning at 5:30. As a gesture of his appreciation, Mr. Deluca put a bid in for an American LaFrance which Centennial was selling. He then presented the pumper to the C.V.V.F.D.

We recently expanded our firehouse, which was officially opened in 2004.

Although we are small in numbers we can boast of a proud history.