History of the Orchard Beach Volunteer Fire Department

	In 1928, four residents of Orchard Beach held a meeting to discuss organizing a fire protection group.  They constructed a small building on Hilltop Road to house the first piece of equipment, a hand drawn water wagon which the residents built themselves.   The Orchard Beach Volunteer Fire Department was organized on July 28, 1930 and incorporated September 13, 1931. The original members were Chief Charles Strohaker, Chief Engineer John Medlar, Captain William Giles, Firemen Henry Eades, Charles Eades, A.R. Specht, Mr. Becker, Charles Squires, and Robert Morgan. On May 4, 1931 at 17:00 hrs (5:00 pm) the first motorized engine was placed in service. This piece was a 1931 four cylinder REO engine. On May 6,1931 the new pumper ran its first call, a field fire in Stoney Beach. The Company continued to update its equipment to meet the demands of a growing community by adding an ambulance, as well as other modern fire fighting apparatus.
	The original building was replaced by a larger wood frame building to house the additional equipment. Around 1940, this wood frame building was sold and moved to Fort Smallwood Road to become a service center. This allowed a block building to be constructed on the original site.   As the community continued to grow so did the fire department, three additions were affixed to the block building, but this was still not enough room to house all the equipment.
	In October of 1987, after countless hours of planning, a site was obtained on Solley Road and design began for a new fire station. The new station would combine two volunteer companies, Lombardee Beach Vol. Fire Dept. and Orchard Beach Vol. Fire Dept. The new station was fully operational on July 1, 1988 and was dedicated on August 13,1988. Since moving to the new station, we have placed dozens of pieces of fire equipment in service and currently have one of the most modern fleet of apparatus in the state.  Our extraordinary success would not be possible without the outstanding support from our Ladies Auxillary, as well as our growing community.

Current  apparatus housed at Station 11:  

Engine 112 (2005 E-One Cyclone II 2000 gpm /750 gal. 8 man cab)

Squad 11 (2008 E-One Cyclone II Heavy Rescue 1250 gpm / 500 gal. 8 man cab)

Brush 11 (2005 Ford F550 E-One 250 gpm / 530 gal)

Ambulance 119 (2008 International/MedTec)

 Medic Unit 11 (2008 International/MedTec)

Utility 11 (2011 Ford F350 Crew Cab)

Assistant Chief 11 (2004 Ford Expedition)

Chief 11 (2014 Ford Expedition)

The Ladies Auxiliary of the Orchard Beach Volunteer Fire Department was organized on October 2, 1936 by Mrs. Maude Eades and Mrs. Frances Morgan.  The first meeting was called to order at 8:30pm on October 5^th of that year.  The first business to be taken care of was the election of officers.  The results were as follows:

President:  Mrs. Maude Eades,  Vice President: Mrs. Charles Squires, Treasurer:  Mrs. M Gunther, Secretary: Mrs. Mary Summers

Dues were 10 cents and the membership limit was 70 members with a waiting list.  It was decided to hold card parties after each Monday night meeting, and a “Stingy Box” was set up for the ladies to set some money aside to be used for social events.   At the November 1936 meeting, a motion was made to hold a raffle on a ton of coal which netted a profit of $4.  The Ladies also held raffles on permanent waves (a perm) for 2 cents a chance,  a rod and reel, and even a boat! 

In 1938, the Auxiliary joined the Anne Arundel County Firemens association, and the next year, in 1939, joined the Maryland State Firemens Association.

In 1954 a motion was made to have uniforms made for the ladies to wear when they marched in parades.  The uniform would be a  white skirt and blouse, accented by a blue cape with gold trim, and an overseas hat.  A fund to purchase these uniforms was established and the marching unit won many trophies and cash prizes while travelling long distances to appear in parades.

In addition to all the bingos and raffles, public dinners were held by the auxiliary.  The ladies would meet to prepare food for the dinners, and as only fresh vegetables, meat and poultry were used, many hours of work were spent getting to know each other.  The crab cake dinners were a local favorite and attended by many.  Other fundraisers included a trip to Gunthers Brewery, and selling vanilla extract and baking soda to housewives in the community.

Through the efforts of the Auxiliary, the ladies were able to help raise funds for an addition to the firehouse on Hilltop Road and the purchase of 3 lots across from the firehouse on Seabreeze drive for only $2,000.  This would be the location of the new hall which still, to this day, stands as a community center for the town of Orchard Beach.  In 1986, the Auxiliary celebrated our 50^th anniversary by honoring Mrs. Mary Eades who was a charter member and still quite active.

In 1988, when the station was moved from the Hilltop Road location to the Solley Road location, the decision was made to hold a weekly bingo in the new hall.  Over the past twenty years, this has proven to be our most reliable fundraiser and we’ve been able to provide substantial sums of money to the fire department to aid in the purchase of equipment and apparatus. 

Though we were established 73 years ago, our passion for the community and for our firefighters still runs as strong as the day we were created.