History
On the night of March 23, 1922, a store on Bladensburg Road -- directly opposite the present fire station -- was completely destroyed by fire. A small group of visionaries recognized the need for fire protection in their community. On the following evening twenty-seven men sat down to organize the Cottage City Fire Company and elected Mr. Charles Barrick as its first Fire Chief.
With the aid of $144.50 from the Cottage City Citizens Association, the founding members of this fire company purchased a hand-drawn hose reel, several lengths of hose, a nozzle and a small electric siren. Since there was no station, the equipment was stored at several different locations around town. In April of that year, Chief Barrick resigned for personal reasons and Mr. T. W. Scott, Sr. was elected the department's second Fire Chief, serving until 1927.
The 1970's also saw two significant mile-stones. In 1975, under the direction of Don Catts and Terry McGuire, the station received its first license to start bingo. Bingo is still our main source of income. In 1978, Cottage City Fire Company purchased its first $100,000 piece of equipment when it placed in service a new Seagrave 100' rear mount aerial ladder. This ladder truck is still in service today.
The 1990's continue to forward trend of the 80's. In 1990 George P. Duvall Jr., at times Chief and President of the Company, was elected into the Prince George's County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association Hall of Fame. The company also continued the modernization of its equipment in 1992 by taking delivery of a new Ferrara Rescue Squad to replace the 1962 Seagrave. 1992 also saw another landmark. In that year the members of the Ladies Auxiliary also became menbers of the Fire Company. To continue the tradition of providing the best and most complete emergency protection possible for the community, an ambulance was added to the station's stable of equipment in 1995.