Hagerstown Firefighting Through The Years

Since the 19th century, the Hagerstown Fire Department has consisted of the following companies: First Hagerstown Hose, Antietam Fire, Independent Junior Fire, Western Enterprise Fire, Pioneer Hook & Ladder, and, since 1950, South Hagerstown Fire. In about 1895, the Hagerstown Fire Department began the transition from an all-volunteer force to a combination volunteer/career force. This second collection of historic firefighting images is a chronology of the Hagerstown Fire Department from 1791 to 2005. During that period, there were significant advances in firefighting equipment, technology, and firefighting training. In this volume, more than 200 images capture the firefighters and fire apparatus in action at fires and also the daily activities defining each era. Whether they were using buckets, hand- or horse-pulled apparatus, or half-million dollar motorized equipment, the firefighters of Hagerstown have always faced challenges with courage. The images in this volume bring to life the men and women who sacrificed so much.