The History of The Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department, INC

The 1940's

1940

• January 2, 1940 the department added a 1st and 2nd Lieutenant to the officer ranks (January 1940).
• It was decided at the June 4, 1940 meeting to allow $50.00 for the delegates and alternates to attend the Maryland State Firemen’s Convention. $10.00 for the car and $5.00 to each member not exceed $50.00 total. (June 40)
• In September 1940, negotiations began with Oren Fire Apparatus for the purchase of a second engine. In October 1940, we signed a contract for the purchase of a fire engine body that would be fitted on a 1940 Ford cab and chassis. The total cost to build the chassis and equipment with new hose, ladders, nozzles and assorted tools was $2,840.00. Designated Engine #2, it had a 500 gpm pump with a 250 gallon tank.
• In the time frame of 1939/1940 the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department placed the first tanker in Southern Maryland in service. Bill Owens and Reds Maloy made the tank and had it mounted on an old flat bed truck. Because of limited space in the station the tanker was parked next to Arthur Raley’s house most of the time (M&G).

1943

• Junior Firemen were introduced into the MVFD in approximately 1943/1944. Sylvester F. (Sonny) Adams tried to join the fire department at too young an age and was denied membership. Nothing further was planned by the MVFD to look into accepting and training young men as Junior Firefighters. Therefore, S. F. (Sonny) Adams took it upon himself to change the situation. He approached the Firemen in MVFD to explain the situation and get their support. (Some of the individuals contacted were: Ben & Warren Burroughs, Ben Hill, Raphael Long, Charlie Seltzer, Henry Fowler, S. Bernard Burch, Sylvester Adams, Paul Bennett and Clifford Jones.)
• As in most small communities the Fire Department attracts young men looking to do some civic service work, join a popular organization and reap some excitement from their normally dull daily lives. This was the case with Mechanicsville, Maryland. The only outlet for this was the Forest Warden, who would drive through the town looking for young men, 14-16 years of age, to go out in the fire field and put the fires out during brush and woods fires and a shortage of manpower.  These untrained boys were given five gallon Indian Pumps, a fire rake, and then dropped off alone at the fire line to fight the fires. Sonny Adams had this information presented to all the MVFD members at their regular meetings by Ben and Warren Burroughs and others with the request to train these boys in firefighting techniques to keep them from harm and have a steady supply of trained firemen when they became of age to join the department as adults. The measure passed and Sonny Adams was inducted as the first Junior Fireman (Cadet). The only other eligible boy in the community was Archie Pilkerton and he was also inducted with Sonny. These were the first two Cadets in the history of MVFD.

1946

• Fundraising is always a necessity when operating a volunteer fire department. Mechanicsville approached this from many different angles. In 1946, for three years, they jointly held a Horse Show with the neighboring Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department from Charles County, MD. A Jousting Tournament was held annually at the Horse Range Farm since jousting is the official sport of Maryland.
• The Mechanicsville and Hughesville Volunteer Fire Departments Co-Hosted the Cremona Farm Horse Show Sunday July 6, 1947 starting at 10:30 a.m.
• The Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen's Association’s (SMVFA) first records indicate attempts to organize the regional fire service in an effort to improve fire insurance rates, promote a kindly spirit among its members, and strive to improve the service to the community. This effort, first attempted prior to 1937, was reorganized on April 17, 1947 with Col. Roland B. Duke, of Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department and President of the St. Mary's County Firemen's Association, as its acting Chairman and Henry J. Fowler of the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department as the first Secretary. At the first meeting, held at the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department, a committee was established to develop by-laws for the SMVFA. The fire companies attending this reorganization meeting were Calvert County Volunteer Fire Department, North Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department, Lexington Park Volunteer Fire Department, Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department, and Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department. The first seal of the association was presented at a meeting on August 6, 1947 by Ben Poindexter of the Lexington Park Volunteer Fire Department. This seal continues to be used and displayed by the association to this date. During the years to follow, fire prevention and training continued to be a major part of the purpose for the association. (www.smvfa.net)