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Our Volunteer Fire Companies

  • Apr 15
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 29

Neighbors to the Rescue


Benjamin Franklin founded the first American volunteer fire company in Philadelphia in 1736, and companies were soon organized in other colonies. In the early days of the fire service, fire companies were social organizations. Being an accepted member meant a certain social status in the community.


American firefighters built, designed or assigned specifications for their equipment. They dedicated themselves to the engines and viewed them as integral to the fire company identity.


The Sadsburyville Fire Company was organized on March 15th, 1918 during the First World War. It was the first fire company in Chester County to be organized in a small rural village.





Two disastrous fires early in 1918, one of which could have destroyed much of the town had it not been for the Parkesburg and Coatesville Fire Departments, alerted the residents to the need for some form of local fire protection. At one of the first meetings of the fire company, its new officials decided to purchase a 1923 Ford Model-T chemical fire engine consisting of two 35-gallon chemical tanks on a two-wheel cart to cost approximately $425.00. The newly-created bylaws provided that anyone over 16 years of age was eligible for membership, and dues were fixed at 50 cents a year for male members and 25 cents a year for female members. In less than a year, the company had 153 active members.


The new fire engine arrived in early September 1918 and fire drills were started at once to teach the members of the company how to operate the new machine. A fire alarm consisting of a large round iron gong was set up on the lot at the southeast corner of Lincoln Highway and Wilmington Road. Unfortunately, the gong sounded, and the company was called out to a fire at the home of Mrs. Margarette Rice before the training drills were completed.



In the decades that followed, the Fire Company continually upgraded its equipment and facilities through the dedication of members and volunteers.


A more detailed history of the Sadsburyville Fire Company can be found here: https://www.sfc31.com/content/history/. 



The Pomeroy Volunteer Fire Company was organized on September 13, 1921. The organization purchased an old horse drawn fire cart and apparatus in Lancaster and a Cadillac touring car from William Kenworthy in Parkesburg. The members then dismantled the horse drawn vehicle and attached the apparatus to the Cadillac. This effort resulted in the company’s first fire engine. The first fire hall was built to house the engine, and the Company’s first meeting was held there on January 10, 1922.



The first alarm was sounded on March 28, 1922. The alarm system at that time was a gong. It was replaced by a locomotive wheel tire with a piece cut out and suspended from two poles. A sledgehammer was used to sound the alarms. This contraption was used until the company bought an electric alarm system, which was an old automobile horn attached to a phonograph. An all-purpose engine from the Hahn Motor Company was bought in 1926 and the first raincoats and boots were purchased in 1927.


Over the years, the Company purchased and upgraded its ambulance, installed a 2-way radio communication system, upgraded its tankers, and constructed a new headquarters.


In 2013, the Pomeroy-Parkesburg-Atglen Fire Companies voted to consolidate and become the Keystone Valley Fire Department of Chester County Pennsylvania.


A more detailed history of the Pomeroy Fire Company can be found here: https://www.kvfd8.com/content/history2/. 


Volunteer Fire Companies Today


  • The number of firefighters in Pennsylvania declined from about 300,000 in the 1970s to about 38,000 in 2018.

  • The volunteers are often required to raise funds to pay for their own training, purchase equipment and maintain facilities. Training also consumes a significant amount of time, especially in rural areas where training facilities may be a significant distance from home.

  • More than 90% of Pennsylvania's fire companies are volunteer organizations, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner.

  • State fire officials estimate that volunteer firefighters save Pennsylvania communities about $10 billion annually.



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