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    Firefighting in Allegany County
    Firefighting in Allegany County
    Firefighting in Allegany County
    Ebook134 pages37 minutes

    Firefighting in Allegany County

    By Warren W. Jenkins

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    About this ebook

    Firefighting in mountainous Allegany County has evolved from bucket brigades and hose reels to a paid fire department in the county seat of Cumberland and 23 modern volunteer fire departments. Highlighted in Firefighting in Allegany County is the Cumberland Fire Department, which formed in 1906 as the second paid fire department in Maryland. The oldest all-volunteer department, Frostburg, is also given extensive coverage as well as the volunteer fire companies in the coal-mining region of Georges Creek. The more rural area of eastern Allegany County and suburban Cumberland have been protected by volunteer fire companies since the 1930s and 1940s.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439617168
    Firefighting in Allegany County
    Author

    Warren W. Jenkins

    Featuring more than 200 images of fires, fire apparatus, and fire stations, this volume showcases the author�s collection and the archives of the Cumberland Fire Department, the Allegany County Museum, and the Frostburg Museum. Author Warren W. Jenkins, a longtime resident of Allegany County, has been collecting local fire service photographs for more than 20 years. In 2004, he coauthored Arcadia�s Firefighting in Frederick. Jenkins is a member of several historical societies and museums, including the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America.

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      Book preview

      Firefighting in Allegany County - Warren W. Jenkins

      family.

      INTRODUCTION

      Allegany County, Maryland, is rich in historical significance. From the French and Indian War in the 1750s to coal mining and transportation, the area has had many interesting books written about this heritage.

      This publication will attempt to give an overview of, and pay tribute to, the fire service in Allegany County. The career and volunteer professionals who make up the fire departments in Allegany County have rarely had this type of exposure. Most of the history books about the county or the city of Cumberland have barely mentioned the evolution of fire protection.

      There are currently 23 volunteer fire departments and 1 career department in Allegany County. The career fire department in Cumberland was instituted in 1906, and the oldest volunteer company in Frostburg dates from 1878. One volunteer company, Luke, is unique because it protects the town along with one of Allegany County’s largest industries, Westvaco (now New Page) paper mill. The company is stationed on paper mill property and is largely staffed by mill employees. There were once several other industrial fire departments at defunct plants such as Celanese, Kelly-Springfield Tires, and Pittsburgh Plate Glass, but little is known about these operations. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad shops had their own fire brigade for many years.

      There are also several independent rescue squads and ambulance services in the county. The EMS service in Frostburg recently became a combination paid-volunteer force. A county-wide hazardous incident team is operated by volunteers from all county departments. The volunteer fireman’s association operates an air cascade truck available to all departments and operated by volunteers. The local dispatch center, once a part of local Civil Defense, is now a separate agency.

      Fire protection in Allegany County mostly started as citizen bucket brigades that were not organized. They were just trying to keep the fire from spreading beyond the building of origin. After the towns became more developed, inevitably fires would break out in the flimsily constructed wooden structures of the times. Most of the towns in Allegany County had experienced business district fires by the end of the 19th century, and the town of Barton suffered a conflagration in 1919. The people of each town, after suffering these blazes, would organize into volunteer fire companies and try to upgrade their equipment. In most cases, this meant obtaining hand pumpers, hose reels, and ladder wagons. In many of the towns, a water system with fire hydrants was available by 1900. The hose reels would frequently be the only apparatus used with just pressure from the hydrants for hose lines. As late as World War II, a fire company was formed using just a hose reel, and by this time, it was towed by a member’s motor vehicle.

      Motorization of the various fire companies started in 1916 for Cumberland and in 1917 for Frostburg. The fire companies in the other towns started obtaining motorized apparatus in the 1920s, but most places did not have more than one motor fire truck until after World War II. The first diesel-powered fire apparatus was delivered in the late 1960s. Today the apparatus fleet in Allegany County is probably the most modern ever in service.

      Over two dozen apparatus manufacturers have delivered equipment to Allegany County fire departments since the advent of motorized apparatus. This publication will endeavor to present examples of each company’s apparatus fleet and the company’s quarters. Some photos of major fires have been included, along with other subjects, but a volume several times this size would be needed to present all the big blazes in Allegany County’s history, plus the exploits of the firefighters

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