From left, former Margate Fire Chiefs John Kelley, Vince Jones, Anthony Tabasso and current Fire Chief Dan Adams.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – The Margate City Fire Department took center stage at the Feb. 6 Board of Commissioners meeting, swearing in its third female firefighter and honoring the men who have served as fire chief since the department’s inception.
Commissioner of Public Safety John Amodeo administered the oath of office for Natalie Carlucci, 26, who recently graduated tops in her class at the Atlantic County Firefighter Academy, where she received the Most Improved Award.
Commissioner of Public Safety John Amodeo swears-in Natalie Carlucci as firefigher.
Amodeo said she placed first in Margate on the Civil Service test, which is administered statewide every two years, and second out of the approximate 1,500 candidates who took the test in New Jersey.
“That is the caliber of firefighter we have (in Margate),” he said.
Carlucci, a lifelong resident, previously worked as a teaching assistant at the William H. Ross Elementary School and coached children in several sports.
She graduated Holy Spirit High School and obtained a degree in child and family studies.
“We look forward to Natalie’s future in the Fire Department,” Chief Dan Adams said. “She is already showing us what she can do for Margate. It’s all about service, and that’s what Margate Fire Department is all about, customer service and community service.”
Adams, along with Margate City Public Library staffers, unveiled a plaque with photographs of the 11 fire chiefs who have headed the department since its inception. Present for the unveiling were former Fire Chiefs Anthony Tabasso, John Kelly and Vince Jones.
Two copies of the collage, which contains photographs and dates of service, were created by library employees. One will be placed in the hallway at Firehouse No. 1 on Washington and Ventnor avenues, and the second will be hung in the library and eventually make its way to the Margate Historical Society, which is located at 1 S. Washington Ave. Spots were reserved on the photo collage for future chiefs.
Adams relayed a brief history of the department, which was originally formed in 1903 by volunteers of what was then called South Atlantic City. The first paid firefighters were hired in 1914 to drive the apparatus. In 1925, a second volunteer fire company, called the Margate City Volunteer Fire Company was formed, and it added EMS services in 1930. In the mid-1940s, it became a fully paid department.
“This is something we were able to work on hand-in-hand with the Library and Historical Society to make this happen,” Adams said. “The history of Margate, especially the Fire Department, means a lot to all of us.”
The Fire Chiefs are:
South Atlantic City Volunteer Fire Company
Stephen Hackney, 1903-1917
Ollie Hackney, 1917-1926
Margate City Fire Department
Charles E. Miller, Jr., 1926-1942
Charles E. Miller, III, 1942-1956
John Baker, 1957-1958
Guido Janell, 1958-1973
Edward Woods, 1973-1990
Vincent Jones, Jr., 1990-2000
John F. Kelley, 2000-2010
Anthony M. Tabasso, 2010-2018
Daniel E. Adams, 2018- Present
