On Monday, February 13, 2012, the BayNet visited another firehouse, this time Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department. It was a quiet morning at first as the live-ins were beginning to wake-up as well as other members slowly began to show up for the day. Although they had no call during our visit, we got to see how they work together just on a daily basis to get task around the station done as well as hear about many of the calls that they have gone on together, especially a house fire from the day prior.

The Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire came into existence on November 18, 1934 on the porch of a local church hall as 40 citizens gathered to discuss how to protect the citizens of Mechanicsville from another fire spreading like one had done  just a few months prior. After a year of gathering funds and organizing the paper aspect of the fire department, they made their first purchase of equipment which included 12 buckets, 2 axes, a 40 foot ladder, and twelve badges which helped form the “Bucket Brigade” in November of 1935 as well as the county designation of Company 2. On May 23, 1937, the company’s first fire engine arrived. This was a 1926 American LaFrance which was purchased from Mt. Rainer VFD in P.G. County for a sum of $600.00. On March 29, 1939, the footings for the department’s first official fire house were dug with a total building cost of $1,844.00.

 

Currently, the department proudly post 2 stations, a sub-station in Golden Beach which ran 177 calls last year as well as the main station in Mechanicsville which ran 874 calls last year. The department owns a 3000 gallon Tanker, 2 2000 gallon Pumper/Tankers, 2 750 gallon Engines, a Rescue/Engine, a Heavy Rescue Squad, 3 Brush Units, 2 Utility Vehicles, 2 Command Units, a raft along with a support unit, and a newly acquired all-terrain utility vehicle.

 

For additional information on the department, visit MVFD.com.

 

This story is a part of a weekly feature from the BayNet which features a different department/organization from the Southern Maryland tri-county area each week that serves our community. For information or to be featured, have your chief or head of your department/organization contact Ryan DeGruy at ryan.d@thebaynet.com.