West Annapolis Volunteers Celebrate 100 Years
They don't hop on the back of fire trucks anymore.
And they are a little more cautious when it comes to rushing into burning buildings.
But after 100 years in business, the men and women of the West Annapolis Volunteer Fire and Improvement Company are still at work protecting the residents of central Anne Arundel County.
"We're not planning on going nowhere," said Volunteer Chief Robert Vice, a volunteer since 1977. "We grew up here."
The company - the oldest volunteer department in the county with members still responding to calls - will celebrate its centennial anniversary tomorrow with an open house at its remodeled home next to the detention center on Jennifer Road.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Community members will be able to see the company's two fire engines, tanker truck, ambulance and ladder truck while enjoying traditional open-house favorites such as a moon bounce, ice cream truck and face-painting booth, said Volunteer Lt. Mark Prokopchak.
Organizers also expect other departments to send equipment to the event, including a hazmat unit from Jones Station, a dive unit from Annapolis Neck, a ladder truck from the Annapolis Fire Department, an aircraft crash truck and fire truck from the U.S. Naval Academy Fire Department, an explosives robot from the Maryland State Fire
Marshall and a police boat from the Department of Natural Resources.
"People will be able to climb all around the equipment. Touch it. Learn how they work," said Prokopchak, a volunteer since 2005.
Changing times
What it means to be a volunteer firefighter in Anne Arundel County has changed over the years, several volunteers said.
Forty years ago, a person basically just walked up to the door, filled out an application, tried on a jacket and hopped on a fire engine.
"You couldn't go into a (burning) building or anything .... but you could ride," said Wayne Bender, a volunteer since 1974. "You learned on the job."
Now, however, the county requires all volunteer firefighters to obtain certifications and attend special training before they can ride equipment or respond to calls.
To become a probationary firefighter who can enter a burning building or handle a hose, a volunteer must complete 103 hours of general training, 24 hours of hazmat training, eight hours of CPR training and six hours of National Incident Management System training.
To become a full Firefighter I - who can respond to medical calls - a volunteer must complete an additional 131 hours of emergency medical technician training.
The classes and certifications are the same ones required of career firefighters, officials said.
"The only difference (between a volunteer and a career firefighter) is we wear different patches on our sleeves," said Joe Larsen, president of the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association.
"We have the same training, same experience and same responsibilities," said Larsen, who also serves as a captain with the Herald Harbor Volunteer Fire Company.
Despite their similar training, several volunteers complained this week they don't always get the respect they deserve from headquarters.
"Sometimes they make us feel like we are second-class citizens," said Vice, explaining he and other volunteer chiefs have butted heads with Millersville over the years about some of the department's policies.
"But when the rubber meets the road, we all get along," Vice added.
"Volunteers are an integral part of our department," said Division Chief Michael Cox, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Robert Ray.
Recruitment up
The training, which is free to anyone willing to make the commitment, is a blessing and a curse for the volunteers. It draws in some young people interested in getting a jump-start on a career as a firefighter, but scares off others who can't dedicate that much time to something that is essentially a hobby, volunteers said.
"Retention is probably 20 percent," Prokopchak said. "Once people learn what they have to do, they usually turn around (and quit). ... It's a big commitment."
According to the county, more than 550 volunteers are currently authorized to respond to emergencies in Anne Arundel County. That is up more than 100 from a year ago, according to Jackie Olson, the county Fire Department's Volunteer Coordinator.
She said she hasn't seen numbers this high in 10 years. Officials didn't know exactly what is leading the surge, but Olson hypothesized it is a product of the bad economy. She believes a lot of people have signed up in order to get free job training.
"Just because Anne Arundel isn't hiring, doesn't mean every place else isn't," said Olson, a 22-year member of the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Company in Glen Burnie.
'An experience'
Several firefighters recalled fondly this week the old days of volunteer firefighting.
Once upon a time, a siren would wail and volunteers would drop everything to respond to a call. In their personal cars, they would arrive at a scene, slip on some tall boots and long jackets and start pulling equipment off a fire truck that arrived separately.
Bender even recalled an engine picking him up near his house a few times as it headed to a call.
"We didn't worry about getting hurt. We were only worried about putting the fire out," said Vice.
But between old war stories, most volunteers praised the department this week for its increased focus on safety. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea for them to go running into burning buildings with ill-fitting jackets, no air bottles and faulty equipment.
"It was an experience," said Vice. "(But) if we did that now, people would think we were nuts."
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