Volunteer Fire Department - Csicsó - 1950
Firefighting organization
According to Béla Markusovszky's book, The History of the Hungarian National Firefighters' Association, published in 1911, in 1871, when the association was founded, the number of firefighting associations established in the country was 147. Only 49 of these were members of the association. One of the 49 was from Komárom. That the remaining 98 included some from Csicsó and the surrounding villages is known from the fact that in 1969–1970 the local firefighting associations held large-scale celebrations in Csicsó, Füss and Nemesócsa on the 100th anniversary of their establishment.
The beginning of the volunteer firefighting movement in Hungary dates back to the 1830s, when the first firefighting association was established. In larger settlements, after the compromise, after 1867, voluntary units were established. These associations were founded on local initiative, their members performed their tasks voluntarily, and their establishment and operating costs were covered by public donations.
“The fact that something should be done against fires, which threaten property security and rank first among all natural disasters in terms of frequency, was not a subject of debate before. The ringing of bells for the purpose of controlling fires was only ordered here and there by some priest of a village built in a corner far from the noise and progress of the big world” – a quote from the book. This was the case with us too. In fact, the bells of both churches were rung on such occasions. If the bells of two churches rang at the same time in our village, it meant trouble (this was how they warned of various dangers, not just fires), so even today they still observe that if it happened, but there was no danger, they would leave at least a few seconds between the churches ringing each other's bells. Fire protection was therefore very important in the life of the village. First and foremost, they placed great emphasis on prevention. They protected against the unwanted outbreak and spread of fire in several ways. This purpose was primarily served by the village's use of a fireman. The fireman was on guard from 9 pm until dawn. He shouted every hour until midnight. Csicsón said: "Hear this, master of every house! The clock has struck nine (10, 11), let everyone go to sleep! Be careful of fire and water, so that you do not cause any damage!". And: “The clock has struck midnight, let everyone go to sleep! Close your doors and gates well! May God bless your house!” He roamed the streets until morning, but in silence. Moreover, during times of great work, such as harvest, he would also visit the village during the day. And the border was guarded by guards. In addition, the families themselves tried to protect the gates and the farm. Such precautions were: they kept water in buckets outside next to the wall, in the stable, in the kitchen; in the evening, when they went to bed, they checked whether the buckets were full. They carefully placed their clothes near their beds so that in case of trouble they could get dressed as quickly as possible. The fire-shovel stood next to the well: a long pole, in case of fire, for example, a corn cob was tied to it, and with this they tried to bring the fire down from the thatched roof and thatch roof.
Unfortunately, I cannot give an exact date, but most likely the volunteer fire brigade was founded in our village in 1870. (A “celebratory” picture was taken in 1950, which may have been an anniversary picture.) The oldest fire station was in Felső utca, at the Kishíd (of course, there was no bridge there yet, the first one was built towards the end of the 1950s), in front of the monastery, almost where a house now stands. One of the village wells was here. The other well was dug next to the current post office – opposite the newly drilled well. The third was down in the Lower village, at the end of the Lake. These were dug boom wells, like all the other wells in this area.
In the 1950s, a new fire station was built “glued” to the wall of the monastery, behind the cinema at the time. (A new part of the kindergarten was built on the site of the cinema.) Here they only had a hand-held fire extinguisher and a cart with a ladder, in which they stored water and which was pulled by horses to the scene of the fire. There was probably a big celebration in 1970, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Csicsó Volunteer Fire Department. This building was still standing then. The celebration was held here in front of it, in the flat. I was a child, I don't remember the events exactly, but I remember my uncle, Vilmos Bödők, who put on his old fire chief's uniform and received his award in it. My uncle proudly remembered those fire brigade balls that, as commander, he could open and where he was the first to ask the countess to dance. Volunteer firefighters of the old and young generation, locals, but also those from the surrounding area, marched. Similar events were held in Füss and Nemesócsa. In Nemesócsa, the firefighters from Csicsó received their first motorized syringe.
Built in the very early 1970s, our village had the most modern, towering fire station in the Komárom district at the time, on the site of what was once the village hall, later a small shop. This building could accommodate two fire engines. Firefighting competitions and demonstrations were organized, and young people were recruited.
Some fire chiefs that I remember, or that my mother still knows about: our uncle, Vilmos Bödők (1910–1978), Béla Keserű, cinema owner (1891–1962, 1950s), and then Uncle Keserű's son-in-law, young Lajos Vida (Jókai utca, 1924–1996), who conscientiously held this position for decades. You can find several photos of firefighters, along with their names, in the Google album Amália - Firefighters. If you read the names under the pictures, you will see that the fire service was a family tradition, passed down from father to son and there were many siblings among them. I will mention a few, without claiming to be complete: old and young Lajos Vida, master blacksmiths, the eldest Gyula Beke and his sons, fire chief Gyula Beke and Dezső Beke. Old Lajos Misák and his cousins Pál Misák and Endre Misák, as well as old and young Lajos Mészáros. I could go on and on.
You can see the festive picture here, of whom only old Gyula Bognár, László Balázs and Károly Kollár are still alive.
Let me remind you of three great fires. My mother often told me about the first one.
During World War II, many fires were caused by sparks from bomber planes. However, the great fire of September 14, 1944, was caused by human error. The fire started in Alsó Street at the home of István Domonkos and his wife (aunt Terus Véghné, doctor Balázs). It was caused by day laborers smoking pipes in the barn at the back. The people of Csicsó were there within 10 minutes, but within an hour the firefighters from the neighboring settlements had also extinguished the fire. Despite the great efforts, starting from the fisherman Károly Décsi's (now the houses of Aunt Etus Pinke and Aunt Kati Koller) and ending in a relatively small area, up to András Gaál's (Árpád Berecz), on the canal side of the street, a lot of buildings, about 13 of them, became the prey of the fire. The thatched roofs of the houses, barns full of hay and straw, easily caught fire. Thanks to the cooperation of the village, almost every family was accommodated that same day, where they lived for years. Until they could build their new houses. However, everything except their lives was lost. It was almost time for the fire to reach the houses of my paternal and maternal grandparents, and my maternal aunts. It's no wonder my mother mentioned it so often, since she was directly involved.
Zsigmond Baráth recalled the other fire as follows: “I was a child, so my memories may be inaccurate in the details, but I remember that in the early summer of the following year, 1945, a fire slightly smaller than the one mentioned (in a street marked as anonymous in Google) destroyed a total of five houses. This anonymous street is located opposite the former machine shop (geographical designation: N: 47 4607.65, KH: 17 4550.86). The last house that burned down was lived in, I think, by his aunt Vilma Tarcsi and her husband, my best friend at the time, István Győri (Pityu), whom many in the village called Tarcsi Pityu. Their house was directly adjacent to Erecsi Road. There were no buildings on the other, western side of the road, so the fire was caught in this undeveloped strip.” The fire I mentioned, the one from 1944, and the unnamed street is the former Taliga Street, which ran behind Árokhát from Erecsi Street to the cemetery. (N.A.)
I witnessed the third fire as a child myself. If I remember the year correctly, in 1973, the thatched roof of the Orieská house opposite ours burned down completely. The fire did not spread further mainly because the neighboring houses already had slate or tiled roofs by then. The firefighters from Císcó arrived quickly, but on the spot it turned out that there was no water in the fire truck's tank. They tried to pump it manually from the canal, but it was very difficult. So the fire was finally extinguished - I don't remember exactly - by the people of Nemesócsa or Komárom. It was an early autumn afternoon, and my sister and I were the only two of us at home. When we noticed the fire, it was still very small, but the neighbor was already trying to put it out with a bucket. Since the reeds were burning high on the roof, it was not very successful. Then the whole roof burst into flames at once with terrifying force. But by then many people were running to help. The wind was blowing sparks towards us. My sister and I quickly closed the windows and disconnected the electrical devices in our house. By the time we were done, the electricity in our street had been turned off, because the flames were already burning dangerously close to the power lines. Thanks to the firefighters, however, everything except the thatched roof remained intact. The walls of the adobe house, with doors, windows, and the new house with a tiled roof behind it. The neighbors, the residents of the street, and the village began to evacuate the house from under the flaming roof, and by evening all belongings were safe. The family was moved to the new back part, where the grandparents lived. Even then, as during the flood, we could experience the solidarity of the residents, and what I would like to highlight: the ability of our district doctor, Dr. Snoha Štefan. He not only demonstrated good organizational skills, but also managed to calm everyone down with his kindness.
Since then, there have been several fires, and we know, even arson.
An unintended consequence of the socio-economic transformation is that the volunteer firefighting movement has withered significantly and only continues to exist in those settlements where its traditions were strong, the local governments recognized the indispensability of local fire protection and financially supported the associations. Unfortunately, the board in our village was dissolved, and the fire station began to deteriorate. Last year, in 2015, however, private individuals, the descendants of Béla Keserű and Lajos Vida, began the renovation of the building, which will soon be completed. I hope they find a way to commemorate this long-standing, albeit defunct, fire department in the renovated building, which will be 150 years old in a few years. We cannot yet know what the future holds. Maybe this movement will rise again in Csicson, and not only in Csicson. We wish it.
Source: Amália Nagy
The beginning of the volunteer firefighting movement in Hungary dates back to the 1830s, when the first firefighting association was established. In larger settlements, after the compromise, after 1867, voluntary units were established. These associations were founded on local initiative, their members performed their tasks voluntarily, and their establishment and operating costs were covered by public donations.
“The fact that something should be done against fires, which threaten property security and rank first among all natural disasters in terms of frequency, was not a subject of debate before. The ringing of bells for the purpose of controlling fires was only ordered here and there by some priest of a village built in a corner far from the noise and progress of the big world” – a quote from the book. This was the case with us too. In fact, the bells of both churches were rung on such occasions. If the bells of two churches rang at the same time in our village, it meant trouble (this was how they warned of various dangers, not just fires), so even today they still observe that if it happened, but there was no danger, they would leave at least a few seconds between the churches ringing each other's bells. Fire protection was therefore very important in the life of the village. First and foremost, they placed great emphasis on prevention. They protected against the unwanted outbreak and spread of fire in several ways. This purpose was primarily served by the village's use of a fireman. The fireman was on guard from 9 pm until dawn. He shouted every hour until midnight. Csicsón said: "Hear this, master of every house! The clock has struck nine (10, 11), let everyone go to sleep! Be careful of fire and water, so that you do not cause any damage!". And: “The clock has struck midnight, let everyone go to sleep! Close your doors and gates well! May God bless your house!” He roamed the streets until morning, but in silence. Moreover, during times of great work, such as harvest, he would also visit the village during the day. And the border was guarded by guards. In addition, the families themselves tried to protect the gates and the farm. Such precautions were: they kept water in buckets outside next to the wall, in the stable, in the kitchen; in the evening, when they went to bed, they checked whether the buckets were full. They carefully placed their clothes near their beds so that in case of trouble they could get dressed as quickly as possible. The fire-shovel stood next to the well: a long pole, in case of fire, for example, a corn cob was tied to it, and with this they tried to bring the fire down from the thatched roof and thatch roof.
Unfortunately, I cannot give an exact date, but most likely the volunteer fire brigade was founded in our village in 1870. (A “celebratory” picture was taken in 1950, which may have been an anniversary picture.) The oldest fire station was in Felső utca, at the Kishíd (of course, there was no bridge there yet, the first one was built towards the end of the 1950s), in front of the monastery, almost where a house now stands. One of the village wells was here. The other well was dug next to the current post office – opposite the newly drilled well. The third was down in the Lower village, at the end of the Lake. These were dug boom wells, like all the other wells in this area.
In the 1950s, a new fire station was built “glued” to the wall of the monastery, behind the cinema at the time. (A new part of the kindergarten was built on the site of the cinema.) Here they only had a hand-held fire extinguisher and a cart with a ladder, in which they stored water and which was pulled by horses to the scene of the fire. There was probably a big celebration in 1970, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Csicsó Volunteer Fire Department. This building was still standing then. The celebration was held here in front of it, in the flat. I was a child, I don't remember the events exactly, but I remember my uncle, Vilmos Bödők, who put on his old fire chief's uniform and received his award in it. My uncle proudly remembered those fire brigade balls that, as commander, he could open and where he was the first to ask the countess to dance. Volunteer firefighters of the old and young generation, locals, but also those from the surrounding area, marched. Similar events were held in Füss and Nemesócsa. In Nemesócsa, the firefighters from Csicsó received their first motorized syringe.
Built in the very early 1970s, our village had the most modern, towering fire station in the Komárom district at the time, on the site of what was once the village hall, later a small shop. This building could accommodate two fire engines. Firefighting competitions and demonstrations were organized, and young people were recruited.
Some fire chiefs that I remember, or that my mother still knows about: our uncle, Vilmos Bödők (1910–1978), Béla Keserű, cinema owner (1891–1962, 1950s), and then Uncle Keserű's son-in-law, young Lajos Vida (Jókai utca, 1924–1996), who conscientiously held this position for decades. You can find several photos of firefighters, along with their names, in the Google album Amália - Firefighters. If you read the names under the pictures, you will see that the fire service was a family tradition, passed down from father to son and there were many siblings among them. I will mention a few, without claiming to be complete: old and young Lajos Vida, master blacksmiths, the eldest Gyula Beke and his sons, fire chief Gyula Beke and Dezső Beke. Old Lajos Misák and his cousins Pál Misák and Endre Misák, as well as old and young Lajos Mészáros. I could go on and on.
You can see the festive picture here, of whom only old Gyula Bognár, László Balázs and Károly Kollár are still alive.
Let me remind you of three great fires. My mother often told me about the first one.
During World War II, many fires were caused by sparks from bomber planes. However, the great fire of September 14, 1944, was caused by human error. The fire started in Alsó Street at the home of István Domonkos and his wife (aunt Terus Véghné, doctor Balázs). It was caused by day laborers smoking pipes in the barn at the back. The people of Csicsó were there within 10 minutes, but within an hour the firefighters from the neighboring settlements had also extinguished the fire. Despite the great efforts, starting from the fisherman Károly Décsi's (now the houses of Aunt Etus Pinke and Aunt Kati Koller) and ending in a relatively small area, up to András Gaál's (Árpád Berecz), on the canal side of the street, a lot of buildings, about 13 of them, became the prey of the fire. The thatched roofs of the houses, barns full of hay and straw, easily caught fire. Thanks to the cooperation of the village, almost every family was accommodated that same day, where they lived for years. Until they could build their new houses. However, everything except their lives was lost. It was almost time for the fire to reach the houses of my paternal and maternal grandparents, and my maternal aunts. It's no wonder my mother mentioned it so often, since she was directly involved.
Zsigmond Baráth recalled the other fire as follows: “I was a child, so my memories may be inaccurate in the details, but I remember that in the early summer of the following year, 1945, a fire slightly smaller than the one mentioned (in a street marked as anonymous in Google) destroyed a total of five houses. This anonymous street is located opposite the former machine shop (geographical designation: N: 47 4607.65, KH: 17 4550.86). The last house that burned down was lived in, I think, by his aunt Vilma Tarcsi and her husband, my best friend at the time, István Győri (Pityu), whom many in the village called Tarcsi Pityu. Their house was directly adjacent to Erecsi Road. There were no buildings on the other, western side of the road, so the fire was caught in this undeveloped strip.” The fire I mentioned, the one from 1944, and the unnamed street is the former Taliga Street, which ran behind Árokhát from Erecsi Street to the cemetery. (N.A.)
I witnessed the third fire as a child myself. If I remember the year correctly, in 1973, the thatched roof of the Orieská house opposite ours burned down completely. The fire did not spread further mainly because the neighboring houses already had slate or tiled roofs by then. The firefighters from Císcó arrived quickly, but on the spot it turned out that there was no water in the fire truck's tank. They tried to pump it manually from the canal, but it was very difficult. So the fire was finally extinguished - I don't remember exactly - by the people of Nemesócsa or Komárom. It was an early autumn afternoon, and my sister and I were the only two of us at home. When we noticed the fire, it was still very small, but the neighbor was already trying to put it out with a bucket. Since the reeds were burning high on the roof, it was not very successful. Then the whole roof burst into flames at once with terrifying force. But by then many people were running to help. The wind was blowing sparks towards us. My sister and I quickly closed the windows and disconnected the electrical devices in our house. By the time we were done, the electricity in our street had been turned off, because the flames were already burning dangerously close to the power lines. Thanks to the firefighters, however, everything except the thatched roof remained intact. The walls of the adobe house, with doors, windows, and the new house with a tiled roof behind it. The neighbors, the residents of the street, and the village began to evacuate the house from under the flaming roof, and by evening all belongings were safe. The family was moved to the new back part, where the grandparents lived. Even then, as during the flood, we could experience the solidarity of the residents, and what I would like to highlight: the ability of our district doctor, Dr. Snoha Štefan. He not only demonstrated good organizational skills, but also managed to calm everyone down with his kindness.
Since then, there have been several fires, and we know, even arson.
An unintended consequence of the socio-economic transformation is that the volunteer firefighting movement has withered significantly and only continues to exist in those settlements where its traditions were strong, the local governments recognized the indispensability of local fire protection and financially supported the associations. Unfortunately, the board in our village was dissolved, and the fire station began to deteriorate. Last year, in 2015, however, private individuals, the descendants of Béla Keserű and Lajos Vida, began the renovation of the building, which will soon be completed. I hope they find a way to commemorate this long-standing, albeit defunct, fire department in the renovated building, which will be 150 years old in a few years. We cannot yet know what the future holds. Maybe this movement will rise again in Csicson, and not only in Csicson. We wish it.
Source: Amália Nagy