阿宾顿消防公司的使命宣言

The mission of the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company is to minimize the loss of life and property resulting from fires, 医疗急救, 环境, 以及其他灾难. 我们将通过预防以安全的方式完成我们的使命, 教育, 灭火, 医疗服务, 救援技能, 以及其他相关的紧急和非紧急活动，并在我们的资源范围内运作. The timely delivery of these services enables the Company to make significant contributions to the safety of the citizens of Abingdon and its surroundings. 我们将积极参与我们的社区, 作为榜样, and strive to effectively and efficiently utilize all of the necessary resources at our command to provide a product deemed excellent by our citizens.
阿宾顿消防公司的历史

公司的诞生

At a meeting of the Abingdon Improvement Association held in late 1924 it was discussed by the members that the village needed quicker response to fires. Records indicate that the association concerned themselves with a wide range of problems they faced at that time. Some of their topics for discussion were of things that we take for granted today such as paved roads for safe travel, 电话服务, 和电. 事实上，这个小镇直到1927年才通电. Fire protection was on the list of great concern that night in late 1924 since the closest fire protection was Bel Air and Aberdeen. 那时候火灾并不多, 主要是田野和森林火灾, but when they had a dwelling or barn fire it was of great concern because of the delay in communications and the distance that had to be traveled over unimproved roadways to get there, 特别是在冬季，响应通常意味着在未清理的道路上行驶.

最初的想法是组建一个消防队, 在最近的消防队到来之前的第一道防线. This idea was short lived and a new suggestion was “let’s get our own fire engine and become a fire company. The idea of starting a fire company occurred during a meeting in 1925 which was described by past chief Arnold Harwood who was a young lad at that time. The meeting took place in Lester Tuckers' Store across from the present McComas Funeral 首页 in Abingdon, 因为这是镇上唯一的公共场所. 当晚出席的人中有莱斯特·塔克, 乔巴布卡蛋糕, 尤金·麦科马斯, Kennard麦科马斯, 诺曼•戴维斯, 哈利Moulsdale, 将哈伍德, 乔治的价格, 罗伊斯蒂夫勒, 以及其他当地居民. 据描述，讨论变得有些激烈, 将哈伍德 stood up and said "我们不要提水桶了，找辆真正的消防车吧". 那一刻被认为是阿宾登消防公司的诞生. 威尔的热情继续发挥，他后来担任首席七年，接下来的十年.

早年

1926年，购买了一辆新的道奇底盘，并在特拉华州的威尔明顿建造了一个车身. 它有三个40加仑的化学储罐通过管道连接到顶部安装的两个助推器卷轴上. 除了在化学容器里，它没有水. The tanks contained five pounds of soda mixed with the water and a four ounce bottle of sulfuric acid that, 当破碎的, 能把油箱充到350 psi吗. The mixture was created uniformly by a four bladed paddle cranked by hand as the engine approached the fire. 发动机携带的备用苏打和酸足够给油箱加三次电. 额外的水来补充储罐, 如果有必要的话, 来自房主, 或者是主人用来防火的木桶. 当水耗尽时，火最好熄灭了.

这台发动机是在那一年交付的，被安置在莱斯特·塔克斯(Lester Tuckers)谷仓旁的一个木制斜屋里. 在那段时间里, fire calls were received by the local telephone operators who forwarded the information to Tuckers' store. (This method of notification continued to the mid 1950’s when it was replaced with the advent of the first Fire Headquarters) Mr. 塔克会把引擎拉出来，拉响汽笛，通知其他消防员.

In 1930 construction of a new firehouse located on Abingdon Road across from Cokesbury Methodist Church was completed. 直到那时，消防队员才有了防护服. Protective clothing was bought because of an incident that occurred at a barn fire when an object fell from the roof and struck one of the firemen on the head. 在下次公司会议上，他们投票决定买四个金属头盔和四只胶靴. 也是在那一年，购买了一个新的化学发动机来取代以前的. The new engine had the latest refinements; it had a 100 gallon per minute rotary pump piped to a 100 gallon water tank and three chemical tanks supporting two 1” booster reels. 消防公司在整个30年代都在发展, 记录显示他们每年接听大约35个电话. 1940年，有必要更换化学卡车. 该公司购买了1940型EH50开放式驾驶室麦克泵.

五六十年代的变化

In 1950, the company expanded the firehouse with two new engine bays to accommodate a new 1200 gallon tanker mounted on a 1950 Chevrolet chassis at a cost to the company $1900.00. 公司的一名金属铁匠制作了车身，以支付材料的费用.

20世纪50年代中期，当地人口开始增加, 公司投票决定在Long Bar建立第二个消防站. 第二个车站于1958年建成. The 1940 Mack Pumper was moved to that station and a new 1957 B Model Mack Closed Cab Pumper was purchased which became the pride of the company. 1959年，公司在国际底盘上增加了一辆轻型救援卡车, 第二年又建造了一艘17英尺长的铝制救援船. In 1965 another new Mack Pumper was purchased to replace the aging 1940 open cab Mack at the Long Bar station.

1968年，公司, 经过一番辩论, voted to purchase its first ambulance; a 1968 coach mounted on a Oldsmobile Chassis. The company was already responding to all automobile and truck accidents and rescues in its territory since the purchase of the rescue truck almost 10 years earlier. The company at that point had a large number of personnel trained and was ready to begin ambulance service. 在救护车投入使用的第一年，该公司回应了325个救护车呼叫, 这让约帕·木兰松了口气, 贝莱尔和阿伯丁消防公司.

七八十年代的总体规划

In the 1970’s the fire company began to feel the results of the recent new Harford County Master Zoning Plan designed to manage future industrial and residential development. This plan included the area beginning with Bel Air heading south to include what is known as the Route 24 and Route 152 corridor, 向西到巴尔的摩县境线, 向东到Havre de Grace. 这一计划使阿宾顿成为该县扩张计划的中心. 增加公司可用的资源成为当务之急. The 1970’s witnessed the company build a third fire station to be located in the Edgewood area of Willoughby Beach, 在阿宾登车站增加了两个发动机舱和行政区域, 购买两台新发动机来取代1957年和1965年的发动机, 将轻型救援卡车替换为重型救援卡车, 还有一艘泵送能力增强的新油轮.

The 1980’s witnessed a continuing increase of the population in our area resulting in an increase of emergency calls. 我们的急救电话接近2000个，火警电话接近1000个. 就在这个时候，公司又增加了一辆云梯卡车和一辆救护车.

公司的演变

20世纪90年代是一个真正的挑战，因为没有足够的资源来替换过时的设备, 招募更多会员, 并扩大设施以满足社区的紧急需求. 通过我们成员的不懈努力，满足了这些需求, 以及社区和哈福德县政府的财政支持. 有了这种非凡的支持, 1995年，一个新的消防站在阿宾顿路建成并投入使用, 离旧的不远. In 2006 a new fire station was constructed in the Willoughby Beach area of Edgewood replacing the older one build in the seventies. The new stations were designed to carry on the mission of emergency response to meet the needs of the local community and Harford County well into the 21st Century.

展望未来

The Abingdon Fire Company has worked hard and continues to work hard serving out their mission which is to “Protect the lives and property of the citizens of our community and Harford County”.

Our continued dedication to serve the community gets it's humble beginnings in 1925 when 将哈伍德’s inspired the birth of the Abingdon Fire Company when he said:

"我们不要提水桶了，找辆真正的消防车吧".

This is our proud history; what we accomplish today and next year will become the history for the generations that follows.