A 108-year-old man from New Jersey is the oldest firefighter at a local volunteer fire department.
Dransfield is also the oldest firefighter at the Little Falls Volunteer Fire Department. Not as active as he once was, he’s still on the roster at Singac Engine Company No. 3.
“I said, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to become a fireman,’ so I became a fireman,” he said.
His contributions and pictures from the last 84 years with the department are plastered on the firehouse walls. He’s proud of showing his accomplishments to his great-grandchildren.
“That’s the helmet that I used to wear when I was fire chief,” he said as he pointed to the original helmet.
His great-grandchildren are just as proud to call him a great-grandfather.
“It’s a lot of fun,” his great-grandson Matthew Lista said. “Every single time he tells jokes, he tells stories. Just like stuff that you wouldn’t think he would remember, he’s remembering back to when he was 30 and stuff like that. It’s crazy to think he could remember all these stories and they’re awesome.”
Dransfield is also independent. He lives own his own, does his own grocery shopping and doesn’t take daily medications — only over-the-counter medication when he has some knee pain.
“He has his daily routine,” his granddaughter Erica Lista said. “He gets up with the train. He goes to the QuickChek in Little Falls and gets his coffee and paper.”
So what is his secret to longevity?
“I drink Ovaltine every day,” Dransfield claimed.
