Faces of the Valley: Lou Nagy, last surviving charter member of Fawn's No. 2 fire company, remains passionate about volunteerism

Lou Nagy’s first piece of fire apparatus at Fawn Township Fire Company No. 2 was a fruit tree sprayer donated by a local farmer.

It was 1950, and a 13-year-old Nagy was a charter member of the fledgling fire company, founded by a group of friends to serve a largely rural community.

“The only thing you had to have was working papers,” Nagy said.

“There was no junior fireman then. You joined and you were a full member.”

The rigors of the physical job were a stark difference from his preteen gig — a paper boy delivering the news up and down Ridge Road.

“I’ve had my share of sweat and tears,” he said.

The highlight of his career was saving a child from a burning house in the 1970s.

“I remember running through the door and grabbing the kid,” Nagy said.

“It turned out OK. Everyone was safe, even the dog.”

At 86, Nagy is the only surviving charter member of the fire company.

For more than seven decades, his dedication has never wavered.

“At one point, I probably knew everyone who lived here,” he said.

When he came on board, Nagy set his sights on the role of pump operator. He relished the job because it demanded reliability.

“If they can’t get the water there, they can’t fight the fire,” he said. “I made it a point to be dedicated. The guys at the end of the nozzle depended on me.

“People worked together in those days. We were all volunteers. If we did this for a living, we’d starve.”

Nagy spent four years away from the township when he served in the Navy Special Forces during Vietnam.

“There isn’t an island in the Pacific that I haven’t been at,” he said.

When he returned, Nagy jumped back into action and served as chief engineer for 40 years.

There was no 911 back then. Nagy recalled having to manually set off the alert sirens before radio control was invented.

“We were flying rockets around the Earth, but we used to have to run up to the fire hall and set the alarms off,” he said.

It took 14 years for the fire company to raise enough money to purchase its fire truck.

It was a used 1936 front-mounted pump with an open cab from the Elfinwild Fire Company. It had a 500-gallon pump and cost $18,000.

“The same one today would cost you more than $150,000,” Nagy said. “The biggest change is that everything today is modern, all computerized.

“Our newest truck has five computers on it. I wonder if the steering wheel is even attached to the axle.”

Nagy grew up on Ridge Road, a mile or so from the original fire hall near the former Fawn Elementary School.

That station served about 75 members at the company’s peak until a larger fire hall was built down the road at 182 Fawn Drive. There are about 30 active members today.

A retired plumber, Nagy keeps a daily routine that includes stopping at the station every day.

“I eat my breakfast and come up to check on things,” he said.

He still responds to calls, but these days it’s to direct traffic or assist the firefighters with auxiliary duties.

On some days, he “exercises” the trucks, pulling them from the garage and taking them for a short spin.

Chief Jeff Adams said there are no words to describe Nagy’s commitment to the fire company.

“Having somebody like Louie is wonderful,” Adams said. “I appreciate that he’s done so much for us. The job was a lot more physical back then; today, the world is easier. We wouldn’t be here without guys like him that came first.”

In 2021, the fire company was awarded a state grant that Nagy said will serve them well into the future.

They received $1,600 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to better equip volunteers to fight wildfires.

Money helped to outfit the utility terrain vehicle with equipment that includes fire rakes and portable pump tanks.

“What people don’t realize is Fawn is still 80% rural with brush and scrubland,” Nagy said.

“You get a 100-acre fire going, it’s going to be burning good.”

Despite the high-stress job, Nagy said, there have been a lot of laughs along the way. He chuckled about a call to a Bull Creek Road fire that required him to block the street with the engine.

“Here comes this lady honkin’ at me that she has to get through,” he said, laughing. “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”