FROSTBURG — At about 20 minutes past 1 o’clock on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1874, a fire broke out in the loft of the store of Beall & Koch on Union (Main) Street, nearly opposite of St. Michael Catholic Church. The flames gained headway, soon extending to the adjoining roofs. At least 40 businesses and residences were destroyed or received damage from the fire.
Following this catastrophic event, while the embers were still smoldering, a meeting was held to organize a fire department. Thirteen months of discussion and planning preceded permanent organization of a fire company.
A committee called on the mayor to ask for official recognition of the organization as the fire department of the town and for a hose reel and other firefighting equipment. On Oct. 18, 1875, the requests were granted along with permission to use the City Council rooms for meetings. Since then, the Frostburg Fire Department, a 100% volunteer staffed fire-rescue department, has been committed to providing the highest level of services to residents and visitors.
The department proudly serves a diverse population, which includes protecting the 5,000-plus students and faculty that attend and work at Frostburg State University. Members also respond to incidents in the surrounding communities, assisting the neighboring fire-rescue departments.
The Frostburg Fire Department is composed of two stations with a primary response area of approximately 10 square miles and a population of over 15,000.
The department operates four types of apparatus to handle emergency incidents: a rescue squad, aerial ladder truck, two front-line engine companies and a utility truck with multiple UTVs for support needs.
The rescue squad primarily responds to motor vehicle collisions in the greater Frostburg area, including 12 miles of the Interstate 68 corridor, and also to structural fires to carry out search and rescue duties.
The aerial ladder truck, with a 105-foot rear-mount ladder, is dispatched to structure fires ranging from single story houses to garden-style apartment complexes and multi-story high-rises.
Two Class-A engines respond on all calls to provide fire suppression. The department also operates a chief’s command vehicle.
“We believe the pursuit of excellence and demonstrating high professional standards are critical to our mission,” a department spokesperson said. “The FFD is a highly-trained force of men and women (in some cases second and third generation) who are proactive in their approach to the challenges and rigors of the day-to-day responses.”
The motto of the Frostburg Fire Department No. 1 reads: “Our Deeds Our Reward.” The men who manned the firefighting equipment through the years have given their time and effort in a manner that gives meaning to those words.