CHARLES TOWN — Citizens Volunteer Fire Company has a catch phrase: “Always willing, always ready.” The company has upheld that mentality since 1884, according to Fire Chief Daniel Fritsch.
Since 1884, a lot of things have changed in Jefferson County, including the fire station. It has changed locations three times since its inception, and continues to evolve with the community.
In recent years, Citizens Fire Company has been at the scene of major disasters and emergencies in the area, including the fire in downtown Harpers Ferry and the barn fire at Charles Town Races in the late 2000s, according to Ron Fletcher, president of the company.
An important piece of history at the station is Engine 29. Although no one could remember the exact date the “Grand Old Girl” went into service, Fletcher said the engine had served the community for a long time in the 20th century.
“Engine 29 represents a lot of years of passionate volunteers serving the community,” Fritsch said.
Fletcher agreed. He said the entire fire company was very proud of the “Grand Old Girl.”A self-proclaimed history buff and company president, Fletcher said the engine had been involved in several accidents during its career.
According to Fletcher, the engine was responsible for the death of one firefighter on Cabletown Road during the ’40s or ’50s when the engine overturned on a corner.
Fletcher also said the “Grand Old Girl” is the only engine left that fought the fire at St. Hilda’s school.
Although the company originally sold Engine 29, they bought it back to keep as a piece of history at the station. Fletcher said the engine is used in parades and community events now.
Looking at Engine 29 beside the newest ladder truck in service shows a steady evolution in technology, but Fletcher said the company and community have also changed.
According to Fletcher, Citizens Fire Company was formed after Independent Volunteer Fire Department in the post-Civil War era. Documents state that Citizens Fire Company split from Independent Fire Company because of misunderstandings among decisions, but Fletcher suspects the split was caused by lingering tension between the south and the north after the Civil War.
“The first president of Citizens was John Colston, who served in the Virginia Cavalry. If you look at most of the first leaders of Independent fire station, you notice most of them had northern allegiances. Most of the first leaders of Citizens had southern allegiances,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher said the two companies work together in friendly competition now, but it wasn’t always that way. He said in the early 1900s, the two companies fought against each other, even cutting water lines on occasion.
Fritsch recently discovered a piece of history as well. When he was cleaning out the 1991 ladder truck, recently taken out of service, he found an old notebook that recorded the first call and crew the truck went on in the ’90s. The notebook also documents other calls over the years before it was apparently left in the truck and forgotten.
Fritsch said it was a special honor to discover the book. He said some of the responders on the truck’s first call were still volunteering with the company when the new ladder truck was put in service.
Fritsch said he documented the first call made on the new ladder truck, but is now unsure what to do with the special piece of history.
“I might put it in the cabinet out front with the other historical stuff,” Fritsch said. “It’s definitely something to be honored.”
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Staff writer Danyel VanReenen can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 131, or on Twitter @DVanReenenJN.