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Purpose:
The Fire Division of the Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company is primarily responsible for the fire and rescue protection of Jarrettsville and surrounding communities. In addition to fire and rescue incidents, the fire division also responds to assist EMS on medical incidents.
About:
The fire division responds to approximately 500 incidents per year. The division operates 3 engines, 1 rescue, 2 brush units, 1 water supply unit, 1 UTV and several other utility vehicles. All apparatus meets NFPA 1901 specifications and carry the most up to date and technologically advanced equipment available. Our staffing is 100% volunteer, and nearly all of our members either have full time jobs, or are high school and college students.
We not only respond to the immediate Jarrettsville area, but also to neighboring companies in Harford, Baltimore and York Counties. We do this through automatic mutual aid agreements that will also bring them in to assist us in our first due area. The majority of our first due territory is rural, consisting mostly of farmland and housing developments, with some commercial structures mixed in. The town of Jarrettsville itself is our largest commercial area, with several small shopping centers and office buildings, in addition to a growing number of standalone commercial structures.
The fire division is alerted for incidents through the Harford County EOC, and it’s new, state of the art radio system. Each member is issued a tone activated pager. This allows members the ability to respond to the stations to handle the incidents in the event they are not already there.
Training:
All fire division members are required to start their training with an in-house 24 hour pre-basic training class. The primary purpose of this class is to orient members who are new to the fire service. Upon the completion of the pre-basic class, each member is required to complete the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute’s (MFRI) Firefighter I program. This training class is approximately 135 hours long and teaches basic fire behavior as well as extinguishing techniques for a variety of different responses.
In addition to Firefighter I, division members are also required to take one of two emergency medical classes, either Emergency Medical Responder or EMT-Basic. Emergency Medical Responder is approximately 24 hours in length, and focuses on immediate care of sick or injured patients until the arrival of personnel with more advanced training. EMT-B is approximately 165 hours, and consists of basic life support training which allows the provider to render care until arrival at a hospital emergency room. In addition to First Responder and EMT-B, all division members are required to maintain CPR certification through the American Heart Association.
After taking the required courses, members have the opportunity to take numerous other classes through MFRI. Some of these deal with advanced fire techniques and operations, a variety of specialized rescue courses as well as Hazardous Material courses. If a member desires to do so, they can also become a certified MFRI instructor through a series of additional courses.
Along with the formal training mentioned above, the fire division holds monthly drills, both on and off site, to maintain proficiency in fire and rescue tactics. Some of these drills consist of auto extrication, water rescue, pump operator, fire ground tactics and live burn exercises.
2024 Officers:
Chief - Michael Amole
Deputy Chief - Michael Galbreath
Assistant Chief 7-1 - Rudolf Walter, IV
Assistant Chief 7-2 - Bryan Hoskins
Captain 7-1 - John Simpson
Captain 7-2 - Dave Pullen
Captain 7-3 - Bryan Schulz
Lieutenant 7-1 - Adam Testerman
Safety Officer 7 - Ruth Hoskins
Sergeant - Shaun Amole
Sergeant - Christopher Amole
Sergeant - Steven Benesch
Sergeant - Robert Hoskins
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