Laurel Fire Department

Address: 10th Street & Railroad Ave. P. O. Box 410 Laurel, DE 19956 • Map This Department Emergency Dispatch Phone: 911 Business Phone: 302-875-3081 Fax: Department Web Site: none Related Web Site: Email: calloway@ce.net About Laurel Fire Department: Laurel Fire Department, Inc. proudly protects 10000 people living in an area of 100 square miles. We operate out of one (1) stations that protect a primarily rural area. Our department is a public department whose members are on a volunteer status. Throughout the late 1800's the town of Laurel prospered with some 2000 residents. In 1899 there were several minor fires that caused some discussions regarding a fire department. In April of 1899 the town purchased a lot for a fire department. Early morning hours of June 24, 1899 a lighted kerosene lamp was overturned. Accounts of the fire described that Mayor John W. Wooten sent a telegraph message that we are at the mercy of flames, send help immediately. Responses came from Wilmington, De. as well as Salisbury and Pocomoke City, Md. On October 20, 1899 the L.F.D. was established. The first fireman to sign his name to the rolls of the Department was Isaac J. Collins. Isaac Wooten was elected the first Fire Chief, and Granville Bacon was elected as his First Assistant. Funding seemed nearly impossible in the early years, however, on April 10, 1915 a triple combination American LaFrance Pumper was purchased, and at that time was one of the finest units on the Eastern Shore. In 1924, the Department ordered an Ahren's Fox, 1000 G.P.M. front mounted pumper that is still in service today. The Old Fox is always a center of attention at parades and musters. In 1936, with the assistance of the Laurel Lions Club, the Department established Laurel's first ambulance service. In the early years less than 100 calls per year were made compared to 932 in 1996. In 1937, the new building was completed which housed the Laurel Fire Department for 40 years. Groundbreaking took place on April 3, 1977 for a new firehouse. The current firehouse was dedicated on June 4, 1978. In January 1938, the Laurel Fire Department Auxiliary met and was organized, and has grown into a valuable part of the Department that still to this day provides very important support functions to many phases of the Fire Department activities. Today, the L.F.D. has grown from a two bay station with two pieces of apparatus to a station capable of housing eighteen pieces of equipment, up to sixty active members and a modern banquet hall and kitchen facility. Currently, there is fourteen pieces of equipment in the L.F.D. fleet. Department Type: All Volunteer Services Provided: Firefighting ALS Emergency Medical Service Vehicle Rescue (Extrication) Search & Rescue Number of Stations: 0

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