Department History

In 1942 a group of citizens, who had been brought together by serving as Volunteer Air Raid Wardens for the Office of Civilian Defense, realized there was a need for additional fire protection on the Broadneck Peninsula. Their first meetings were held in the Arnold School, now the Arnold Senior Citizen's Center. In early 1943 they formed the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. and joined the Anne Arundel County Firemen's Association in May of that year.

The first administrative officers of the company were President-George Norris of St. Margaret's; Vice President-S. Walker of Pines on the Severn; Secretary- J. Lawrence Myers of Jones Station; and Treasurer- Oden Smith of Arnold. The Board of Directors were Fred Kipp of Pines on the Severn; W.S. Evans of Arnold; Orlando Ridout of St. Margaret's, John Strohm of Winchester, Dr. John Joyce of Joyce Lane, and John Rich of Ferry Farms.

In May, 1943, the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department contracted for the purchase of the old Arnold Community Hall, which had been vacant for several years, on Baltimore and Annapolis Boulevard. The building's basement was remodeled to accommodate the first fire engine, a 1935 GMC 500 GPM pumper. At the same time, twenty members of the Arnold VFD had enrolled in a University of Maryland Fire Service Extension course. J. Lawrence Myers was elected as Arnold's first Chief in July, 1943 and served in that capacity until 1952.

In November 1943, the Department officially went into service protecting the Broadneck Peninsula between the Severn and Magothy Rivers south from Jones Station Road at Ritchie Highway to the Chesapeake Bay at Sandy Point.

During the next several years, the Department strived to improve the fire fighting capabilities as well as the station facilities. With the assistance of the Ladies Auxiliary, which had organized in early 1943, the Department engaged in many fund raising activities such as dinners, dances, bake sales, oyster roasts, and crab feasts. Arnold VFD held its first annual carnival in 1944.

By 1945 the need for in additional engine was apparent and a new Mack 750 GPM engine was ordered and delivered in April, 1947. The following year a Mack 500 GPM High Pressure Pumper replaced the 1935 GMC, which was sold to Savage Volunteer Fire Department.

The Department was one of the first in Anne Arundel County to equip the station and apparatus with two-way radios in 1951. In addition to the firemen, several members of the Ladies Auxiliary were trained to operate the radios. The second Chief of the Department, Frank 0. Shepherd was elected in April 1952 and served until 1957.

As a result of the growth of population and the frequency of brush and wood fires in the area, the Department purchased a Dodge 4 WD Power Wagon with 250 gallon tank and 'Pump on the Go' capability in 1953. With the two rivers and Chesapeake Bay in our area, the brush truck also was equipped with water rescue equipment including a boat with an outboard motor. To augment water supply prior to the installation of hydrants in the area, a tractor drawn 5,000 gallon tanker was placed in service in 1956. A major renovation of the existing building and an addition of a new truck house facing Ritchie Highway was completed in 1957. In that same year, Franklin H. Dull was elected as Chief.

As the area grew and members lived further from the station, it became apparent that the siren at the station was not enough to ensure timely response to fire emergencies. To address this, a tone alerting radio home monitoring system was installed in 1958 to speed the response of the firefighters. Arnold VFD's fourth engine, a 1963 Mack cab forward 750 GPM engine was placed in service in 1963. Two years later, a 1965 International 4 Wheel Drive with a 250 gallon tank and a 100 GPM High Pressure front mount pump replaced the Dodge Power Wagon. The old Brush unit was purchased by the Arundel Volunteer Fire Company 7.

In the early 1970's the 1947 Mack engine was sold to the Gibson Island Fire Department where it served for many years. The unit is now privately owned. 1969 saw two major changes for the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department. A new Mack cab forward 1250 GPM Turbo Powered Diesel engine was placed in service replacing the 1948 High Pressure pumper that was sold to a North Carolina Fire Department. Additionally, the first daytime career firefighter was assigned to the station to supplement the volunteers in July of 1969.

The Arnold community continued to grow and with it the demand for emergency medical services on the Broadneck Peninsula. Anne Arundel County Fire Department placed a Paramedic Unit in service in January 1979. The County assigned a PemFab 1250 GPM engine to the station in July 1984, and in February 1985, the first career officer reported to the station for duty.

A 1989 Ford F350 4 Wheel Drive Diesel was purchased and placed in service in 1989 as a utility truck. In 1993 it was converted to a brush truck and is in service today. Michael P. McHugh was elected Chief in July 1989.

A new 1993 Spartan-Marion engine 1250 GPM replaced the 1969 Mack in November 1993. At that time, the 1969 Mack was donated to the Culberson Volunteer Fire Company in Culberson, North Carolina in November 1993, where it responds today as their first line piece of equipment.

(Pictured below is the transition to the "new" Engine 172 from the "old" Engine 172 in November of 1993)

A 1995 Chevrolet Extended Cab utility truck was purchased and placed in service in the fall of 1995 and a 1992 Ford Crown Victoria was placed in service as the Chief's car in 1996. In July 1996, the station became the home of the Anne Arundel County Dive Rescue Team and Dive Unit 17. In 1999 a major renovation of the second floor of the station was begun resulting in a new training room, Board room, administrative and operational offices, bunkroom and locker rooms/bathrooms. This project was completed in 2000 and the training room was dedicated to Chief Michael P. McHugh who had retired in 1999.

After Chief McHugh's retirement, Elbert C. Cordle was elected chief and remained chief until his death in 2000. Charles W. Kennedy assumed the position of Chief. During this period, the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department placed Automatic External Defibrillators on all apparatus and placed in service a thermal imaging camera. Chief Kennedy held office until 2004 when Eric S. Schulkowski became Chief. Chief Schulkowski resigned in May 2005 and once again Charles W. Kennedy was elected chief. In 2005, the company retired both the 1992 Crown Victoria and the 1995 Chevy utility truck. A new utility truck was placed in service in August of 2005 (see below).

During the Arnold Volunteer Fire Departments first full year of operation in 1944, the company responded to 57 emergency calls. Although Arnold's VFD's first due response area was reduced to less than half its original area by the addition of Company 23 (Jones Station) and Company 19 (Cape St. Claire Volunteer Fire Department), the station responded to 1,493 emergency calls and the paramedics handled over to over 2,521 medical calls in 2004. The increase in the number of calls is a good indication of the tremendous growth and development in the population on the Broadneck Peninsula since 1944.