Ovaltine & mom cited as 100-year-old NJ firefighter’s key to longevity
While you won’t see him humping hose or throwing ladders these days, it’s possible you will still catch Vincent Dransfield handling pump operator duties on the fireground in Little Falls, New Jersey or hanlding paper work at the firehouse. At 100, Dransfield believes he’s the Nation’s oldest active firefighter. He joined the Little Falls Fire Department in 1939. He still comes to the firehouse each day.
“This guy in Arkansas had me by three years, but he died two years ago,” said Dransfield, who was honored Saturday during a party organized by his firefighting brethren — less than 24 hours after becoming a centenarian.
Dransfield, who served as the department’s chief for seven years during the 1960s, still responds to calls. But instead of rushing into burning buildings, Dransfield will relieve pump operators.
Asked the inevitable question, Dransfield said the key to longevity is Ovaltine.
“I’ve been drinking Ovaltine every day for the last 60 years,” he said. “Nine a.m. every morning, for 60 years. Plus, my mother lived to 98, so maybe it’s in my genes.”
