The Oakhurst Fire Department was originally located on Monmouth Road near West Park Avenue. The volunteers give a significant portion of their lives to this service and are very dedicated to the Township of Ocean.

Founded on April 14, 1913 by a group of 13 citizens, the fire department was officially chartered as the Oakhurst Independent Hose Company #1 on April 23 with 30 members. The Oakhurst Fire Department was the only fire department in the township until the Wanamassa Fire Company was founded in 1921. The first fire apparatus was a hose cart donated by a Mrs. Wilson who lived on a large estate in the Oakhurst section and the Deal Fire Company #1 also donated an old hook and ladder truck.

In June 1915 the Board of Fire Commissioners for Fire District #1 was created to procure the tax dollars needed to operate the department and build a fire house. The original budget raised $2,000 through taxation and $7,000 was bonded. The department purchased its first motorized apparatus in 1915. The engine was manufactured in Buffalo, NY and was driven to Oakhurst in a snow storm, wearing the tires down to the rims. In 1917 the site of Marcus A. Coon’s blacksmith shop was purchased and a new, brick firehouse built on the property. The structure was built in three weeks using 42,000 bricks and still stands on its original Monmouth Road site, now housing a travel agency. The Oakhurst Fire Department now has two fire houses one at 72 Larkin Place and the other at 1005 Deal Road. By the late 1920s the shore area had become a popular tourism attraction which brought people from all over and created new problems, such as drowning and vehicle accidents. The members saw the need and in 1928 created a first aid squad from within the fire department, The Oakhurst first aid squad now handles about 1,300 calls a year. The greatest part of the Oakhurst Fire Department is the volunteers and their family. The fire department now has 129 members and responded to more than 700 calls last year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oakhurst Independent Hose Company Number 1