Tom Scerbo: A Life of Service to Fire Department

For Mount Tabor resident and volunteer firefighter Thomas Scerbo, life is all about helping others. For more than 50 years, he's been a member of the Mount Tabor Volunteer Fire Department, fulfilling a dream he had since childhood.

The dream began when Scerbo was 3 years old and moved with his family from Morristown to Parsippany's Mount Tabor neighborhood. His father was district attorney for Morris County, serving in the role for 13 years.

Scerbo told Patch that even at a young age, he knew he was destined to serve the public in a different fashion.

“As I was growing up, the fire department was the pinnacle of the community," he said. "Most everything that happened in the community was, in some way, sponsored by the fire department or the fire department had a lot to do with its success.

"I always admired that, and I felt that if you wanted to serve the community, that’s what you do. You join the fire department.”

From his earliest days with the department, Scerbo said, wearing the uniform made him feel a special sense of pride.

“Joining the fire department gave me a lot of satisfaction, knowing that you’re serving the community,” he said. “Every time the siren went off, people depended on you. You begin to get a realistic sense of what it’s really like to be a helping person.”

Becoming a fireman isn't easy now, and it certainly wasn't half a century ago. Scerbo explained that when he was trained at the New Jersey State Police Academy in Sea Girt, he found it a difficult proposition. In those days, firefighters would join state and local police and endure a demanding training program. The tough regimen allowed instructors to see right away who was serious about the job.

“That’s a scary thing to do as a young man, Scerbo said. "Not only the State Police, but the police themselves trained very hard. When you watched what [went] on down there, you were like, ‘My God, am I going to be able to get through this?’

“I wanted to be a gung-ho fireman and shine in the eyes of the instructors and so forth, so I was the first one to volunteer," he recalled. "I had never held a hose in my life, and they asked for somebody to take the nozzle. I looked around and didn’t see anyone volunteering, so I raised my hand and ended up with hands-on knowledge."

He described the whipping motion of a loose fire hose.

“You can’t let go of it, because if you let go, you’re going to kill everyone in back of you and on the sides of you," he said. "I learned the hard way that you have to know what you’re doing to be a fireman.”

Soon enough, Scerbo made it through training and went on to serve several terms as an executive of the Mount Tabor department. This included three terms as the department president, as well as a long stint as its secretary.

There were some scary moments, as well, he said.

Scerbo recalled an incident from 1981 where, while standing on the back running board of a fire truck, he suffered a broken leg after the truck veered off the road and hit a gully.

“Being that I was the shortest guy on back of the truck, I couldn’t see what was going on in front,” he said. “The next thing you know, I was flying up in the air. I was smart enough to hold onto the railing in the back, but I did break a leg.”

Scerbo said he believes his accident was at least partially responsible for state legislation requiring firefighters to be seated at all times when a fire vehicle is in motion.

“Now you have to be seated and belted,” Scerbo said. “Even though I wasn’t seriously hurt, I could have been killed easily.”

Now 78, the veteran firefighter, who has numerous plaques and awards in his name, said he remembers the good times more than anything. He is exempt from active duty these days, but still participates in department events whenever possible, such as the department's annual Easter Plant Sale and the Mount Tabor Children’s Day event every August.

And he is the first to encourage those who wish to serve the public in the fashion he chose.

“My main reason to do what I did was to help the community,” Scerbo said. “I’m very happy I did, and I would never hesitate to encourage anyone from going into the fire department.”­­