singerly - dedication booklet€¦ · john dvorak william mccall fred hill joseph zurolo phillip...

SINGERLYFIRECOMPANY

DedicationProgram

April27,2013

2

Th_ Sing_rly Story

Volum_ II

1971—2013

Volume one shared the Singerly story up to 1971.

This edi�on carries the narra�ve forward from that point.

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In Memory of

The Singerly Fire Company dedicates this program book to the memory of E. Rosemary

Culley. The trailblazing public servant passed away in August 2012. During some 60-

years of volunteer service she rose through the ranks, serving Singerly in many ways.

Mrs. Culley served ac�vely on the housing commi.ee un�l the �me of her death.

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PROGRAM DEDICATION CEREMONIES

Sta�on # 13, Newark Ave., Elkton

Saturday April 27, 2013

Parade Downtown Elkton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 pm

Dedica�on and Housing following Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sta�on 13

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President Donald S. Hicks

Masters Of Ceremony . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russell Strickland & Frank Muller

Invoca�on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father John Solomon - Company Co-Chaplain

Presenta�on of Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harford County Honor Guard

Musical Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bagpipers Alec McLennan & Randy McLennan

Na�onal Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Penhollow

Introduc�on of Officials and Guests

Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . County Execu�ve Tari Moore

Dedica�on Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Denver, President MSFA

Unveiling of Sta�on Plaque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President Hicks

Housing of Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Engine 3, Engine 13, Ambulance 391, Ambulance 392

Closing Remarks and House Keeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master of Ceremony

Benedic�on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Karen Bunnell, Company Co-Chaplain

Presenta�on of Awards to be announced at the conclusion of judging

Time of Fellowship, beef and beer

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Building/Property Commi�ee

Victor Costa

Rosemary Culley

Willard Bryan

William Clark

John Dvorak

T. Joseph Gipson

Mollie Graham

Donald Hicks

David Meaders

John Norman

Adam Wolle

Architect, ABHA

Builder, Nowland Associates

Board of Directors

Donald Hicks, President

David Meaders

Mollie Graham

David Goodwin

C. Carson Widdoes

Willard “Butch” Bryan

John Dvorak

William McCall

Fred Hill

Joseph Zurolo

Phillip Sco.

T. Joseph Gipson

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1971 John C. Cooke

1972 Eugene Meekins

1973 John C. Cooke

1974 John C. Cooke

1975 John C. Cooke

1976 John C. Cooke

1977 John J. Turnbull, Jr.



1980 Rodney A. Founds

1981 Rodney A. Founds



1984 Donald S. Hicks





1989 Gary L. Hill

1990 Gary L. Hill

1991 Victor J. Costa


1993 Gary L. Hill

1994 Gary L. Hill

1995 David J. Meaders


1997 Kevin J. Farrell

1998 Michael S. Steele




2002 William Graham/Michael Steele

2003 Franklyn L. Lewis, Jr.




2007 Kenneth J. Streets



2010 William J. McCall



2013 Fred G. Hill, Jr.

Chiefs of Department

Chief Fred Hill

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1971 John W. Fears

1972 James Spry

1973 G. Mitchell Boulden



1976 William E. Denver


1978 C. Gary Storke

1979 C. Gary Storke

1980 William B. Clark













1993 Walter A. Morgan III





















Presidents

Don Hicks

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1971 Michael L. Dixon

1972 Richard Goodwin



1975 James J. Eder

1976 Randolph Hague

1977 Charles Barton

1978 Charles Barton

1979 Steven G. Horah



1982 Lloyd R. Smith

1983 Lloyd R. Smith

1984 Lloyd R. Smith

1985 Lloyd R. Smith


1987 Janet R. Wolfe

1988 Janet R. Wolfe

1989 Janet R. Wolfe

1990 Janet R. Wolfe

1991 Lloyd R. Smith

1992 Lloyd R. Smith

1993 Lloyd Smith/Rosemary Culley

1994 E. Rosemary Culley


















2012 E. Rosemary Culley/Nicole Norman


Secretaries

1971 L. Hampton Sco.

1972 F. Gaylord Moody, Jr.

1973 L. Hampton Sco.

1974 Walter E. Lee

1975 Walter E. Lee

1976 Walter E. Lee

1977 Walter E. Lee

1978 Walter E. Lee

1979 Walter E. Lee

1980 Walter E. Lee

1981 Walter E. Lee

1982 Walter E. Lee

1983 Walter E. Lee

1984 Walter E. Lee

1985 Walter E. Lee

1986 Walter E. Lee

1987 Walter E. Lee

1988 Walter E. Lee

1989 Walter E. Lee

1990 Walter E. Lee

1991 Walter E. Lee

1992 Walter E. Lee

1993 Walter E. Lee

1994 Walter E. Lee

1995 Walter E. Lee

1996 Walter E. Lee

1997 Walter E. Lee

1998 Norman E. Marquess
















Treasurers

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1972 William Baker

1973 Larry J. Spry

1974 Earl Adams



1977 Frank W. Muller, Jr.

1978 Frank W. Muller, Jr.

1979 N. Keith Sinclair

1980 Shirley E. Herring





1985 William Baker

1986 Gerald Widdoes

1987 Joseph L. Fisona


1989 T. Joseph Gipson



1992 Phillip B. Sco.



1995 N. Kay Trego

1996 N. Kay Trego

1997 N. Kay Trego

1998 Kathleen Morgan Browne

1999 N. Kay Trego

2000 N. Kay Trego

2001 Janet Wolfe

2002 Robert F. Muller





2007 N. Kay Trego



2010 Andrew M. Budzialek

2011 Andrew M. Budzialek


2013 Cheryl Norman

Ambulance Director/Asst. Chief for EMS




1974 John W. Fears





1979 Norwood Atkinson



1982 Joseph G. Zurolo

1983 Joseph G. Zurolo




























2011 Michele M. Debold



Membership Secretary

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1971 Mar�n Ruckman

1972 Walter Trego (ac�ng)

1973 James Brewster

1974 James Brewster

1975 Vince McMahon

1976 Vince McMahon

1977 Walter Trego

1978 Ernest Null

1979 Russell Strickland

1980 David Goodwin

1981 David Goodwin

1982 David Goodwin

1983 David Goodwin

1984 David Goodwin

1985 David Goodwin

1986 Joseph Skelley

1987 Joseph Skelley

1988 Joseph Skelley

1989 Joseph Skelley

1990 Joseph Skelley

1991 Joseph Skelley

1992 Joseph Skelley

1993 Joseph Skelley

1994 James Norman, Sr

1995 James Norman, Sr

1996 Joseph Skelley

1997 Walter Trego

1998 Walter Trego










2008 Michael Norman, Sr.






Engineers

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The nearly one hundred year old fire bell that had stood watch over Elkton for decades, arousing fire-

fighters from their slumbers in the dead of winter nights or calling them from their labors on hot sum-

mer days was ringing out for everything that an octogenarian could put forth on a Saturday in May

1971. Years ago, before electronic alarms silenced it, this instrument mounted in the belfry high atop

the town’s first fire sta�on, alerted volunteers when a blaze threatened the community.

But on this spring aNernoon that unmistakable, deep bass reverbera�on booming from the relic of an

earlier age was ringing out because two Singerly members were tugging on the gong. Their yanking

wasn’t because of some emergency as the modern organiza�on had radio controlled devices, personal

pagers, and shrill electronic sirens to take care of those alerts. Instead these two veterans were marking

a special occasion with the help of the cast iron instrument, the dedica�on of the company’s newest fire

sta�on at the edge of town.

Singerly had last opened a sta�on in 1950 in the center of the town. But this celebra�on in a spring 42

-years ago marked the start of tremendous professional advancement as the organiza�on emerged out

of a simpler mid-20th century past where volunteers fought fires and hauled people to the hospital.

To start with, beginning this day the company commenced answering calls out of two sta�ons as the

volunteers expanded to serve the growing rural parts of its territory. Out in the countryside, many of

those old farm fields that once sprouted corn were now growing housing developments as a replace-

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ment crop in the expansive territory of 82 square miles. It is a first due district that stretches from the

Pennsylvania and Delaware lines to five or six miles south and west of Elkton. So in a profession where

seconds count the �me for building addi�onal firehouses for residents of outlying areas had arrived.

But as members and the community reflected on that loud echoing up on Newark Avenue it brought

forth memories of horses, steam engines, hose carts and hook and ladder, an en�rely different era of

firefigh�ng, to some in the crowd. In the large assembly of fellow firefighters, public officials, Maryland

State Firemen’s Associa�on Officers, and the public was 90-year-old John J. Denver. As a young man

growing up in Elkton he joined in 1906 and was one of the senior members, having served the ci�zens

for 65-years. There was also Harry Denny, another 90-something who remembered the early days of

steam-powered firefigh�ng and the department’s benefactor, William Singerly.

These were members who recalled racing out of the first North Street sta�on on cold winter evenings

to answer alarms. A team of galloping horses pulled the Amoskeag Steamer past the old courthouse

and down the street, while usually right behind them a group of men tugged strenuously on the

Gleason and Bailey Hook and Ladder. And if it was a general alarm they would roll out the two hose

carts, which wouldn’t be far behind. These were the sorts of recollec�ons those proud veteran fire-

fighters would have though of on that important day.

The master of ceremonies for the dedica�on was G. Mitchell Boulden, the president of the company

from 1950 un�l 1962. Following remarks by President Jack Fears, Chief Jack Cooke, poli�cians and fel-

low firefighters, the tradi�onal housing of equipment took place. Members of visi�ng fire companies

gave the engines and an ambulance a push into the new firehouse.

Those present that day observed a moment of silence in memory of Ernest Foster., Sr., as the compa-

ny dedicated the program book to his memory. Mr. Foster served the organiza�on for over thirty years.

President Fears said his contribu�ons while holding office as a director, secretary, treasurer and chief of

department had make it possible for the dedica�on of the new building. Following the formal ceremo-

ny the new firehouse was open for inspec�on to the public and there were free rides on the snorkel

and pumper. The day’s fes�vi�es concluded with a banquet.

Although plenty of volunteers reflected on their previous fights with the flames and smoke that day,

bigger changes were in the works in the upcoming decades. In 1971, the first responders protected a

territory with 17,000 residents while forty some years later the popula�on has nearly tripled, with the

company protec�ng nearly 50,000 people. The call volume for Emergency Medical Services has soared

from 1,100 to over 6,000, while the fire response has climbed from 300 to over 1000 dispatches. To

provide the response the community expected, the department ran 6 engines, one truck, 1 tanker, 2

brush trucks, and 3 ambulances in the mid-1970s.

By the dawn of the 1970s, the na�on was ready to use its trauma-care experience from the Vietnam

War to improve survival from accidents and medical emergencies; the days when someone with li.le

training could drive to an accident scene, bundle the injured into the back of the ambulance, and cart

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them off to the hospital were quickly fading. In the first step toward providing pre-hospital emergency

care, fire company members started comple�ng the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) courses in

1972, when the first program in Cecil was held at Sta�on 13. This training expanded capabili�es well be-

yond those of earlier personnel; now they were learning techniques such as pa�ent assessment, cardio-

pulmonary resuscita�on, and fracture and shock management.

Singerly graduated the county’s first class of Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers in 1978, launching

the path to today’s modern EMS system. When the group of five taught by Frank Muller, hit the road

that year they could push drugs, defibrillate pa�ents and provide other advanced treatments under the

supervision of the Emergency Room physicians at Union Hospital. In that �me, as the creden�aling pro-

cess had not evolved to its advanced state of today, they were called paramedics. In Muller’s gradua�ng

group were George Johnson, Shirley Herring, Mike Dixon, David Herring, and Keith Sinclair. These volun-

teer ALS caregivers, answering calls from Warwick to Rock Springs, supported Basic Life Support provid-

ers throughout the county.

The increased conges�on on the road and calls for heavy industrial rescues created demands for spe-

cialized pieces of extrac�on equipment and vehicle rescue training. Singerly acquired its first specialized

rescue truck with many heavy response capabili�es in 1979. The company also acquired the Jaws of Life

entrapment tool.

A group of trailblazing volunteers came along in the mid-1970s, although they never dwelled on it.

This group broke barriers for women by becoming the first female members of the company as they

took ambulance training and started responding on medical calls. Rosemary Culley, Helen Atkinson, Ru-

by Spry, Anne Boulden and Shirley Herring were part of a group of who became the first female fire

company members in 1975 and 1976. ANer comple�ng an intensive EMT course, this group learned the

ropes and passed a demanding examina�on. Soon they were answering ambulance calls alongside male

colleagues. They never considered it a big deal but in later years, other young women joining the service

had female emergency responders for role models that weren’t available to those 1970s trail-blazers.

In 1984 the first female firefighter, Michele M. Debold, joined the company, advancing to the rank of

Deputy Chief. About that �me the

first African-American, Lester Alexan-

der, became an Elkton firefighter.

In 1978, Singerly opened a sta�on in

the far northern part of its territory

some seven miles from Elkton. Sta�on

14 at Kenmore served Fair Hill, Provi-

dence, Lewisville, Appleton, Cherry Hill

and other parts of the area most re-

mote from the county seat. It was

dedicated to Edgar (Speck) Slaughter

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Jr. who was chief from 1960 to 1969, President Gary Storke noted during dedica�on remarks.

Rigorous training became the standard, as the 1970s faded into the ‘80s. Originally it was basic, con-

sis�ng of 60-hours of fire suppression techniques, some elementary first aid, and perhaps a couple of spe-

cial schools. Proba�onary recruits were welcomed with a handshake and provided with turnout gear.

And when they climbed on the rear step of a unit, they were told to hang on during the ride by hooking an

arm through a bar stretched across the back of the engine. More than once a volunteer was jarred from

the rear step, as a truck raced to a blaze. Now there are na�onal standards, creden�als for prac�cally eve-

ry rank, and highly specialized schools in hazardous materials, heavy rescue, and advanced life support.

Also when a piece of apparatus rolls on a call, all the responders are buckled safely inside a cab wearing

highly specialized turnout gear.

Facing declining volunteer availability during the day�me, Singerly was instrumental in geRng the Mary-

land Legislature to pass a Volunteer Length of Service Award Program in 1985. The service award is a pro-

gram that encourages volunteers to con�nue to serve the community for decades and for this service they

are eventually able to collect a small s�pend aNer 25-years of service. On May 8, 1984, Governor Harry

Hughes signed the bill into law. Present at the signing were Singerly’s Larry Storke and Bill Denver. Also

there were Jim Penhollow, Delegate Ethel Murray, and Joe Biggs. This program has helped in the reten�on

of members over the years.

In 1992, the Company celebrated 100-years of service with a series of grand celebra�ons, including a

parade, historical reenactments, the reprin�ng of historical postcards, a formal black �e banquet, and the

commission of an oil pain�ng. As Singerly began planning its grand birthday in the mid-1980s, it started an

an�ques and collec�ble papers shows to aid in underwri�ng the cost of the big bash.

Two old veterans of many a fight with the flames, relics from the first half of the 19th century, were

hauled out of storage and transported by Jack Fears to the Nickle Mine Coach Shop in Chris�ana, PA.

There an Amish Carriage-maker, Chris�an Petersheim, carefully stripped away layers of paint, restoring the

old hand pumpers to their 19th century condi�on. Al Wills and Jack Robrecht of the Philadelphia Fire Mu-

seum, two experts in fire service history, aided the company by providing technical guidance and today

these valuable pieces are displayed in the museum.

Also in prepara�on for the observance, the firefighters commissioned Doylestown PA ar�st Gil Cohen to

produce an oil pain�ng and the company sold a limited edi�on print. When the company decided it want-

ed a unique scene showing the 19th century volunteers answering the alarm, they launched a search for

an ar�st who could accurately depict the technical nature of the seRng and capture the mood. The mem-

ber of the American Society of Avia�on Ar�sts and book illustrator, had done works for the United States

Coast Guard Bicentennial and for other major na�onal celebra�ons so he was selected.

A s�ckler for historical accuracy, Cohen did lots of research to recreate “the first alarm,” a scene from

another century. His first task was to visit Elkton to get a feel for the town and begin research for the pro-

ject. He walked down Main Street with a member of the Historical Society, studying old pictures and look-

ing at modern vantage points. He next u�lized company members dressed in turnout gear to pose for him

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as he drama�cally portrayed their 19th-century counterparts. So on a cold Monday aNernoon in Febru-

ary 1992, Cohen had firefighters, including Bill Clark, Walter Lee, Bill Baker, Walter Morgan, Bill Caldwell,

Vince McMahon, and Walter Trego running down North Street and hanging off apparatus as bystanders

leaned over the railings on Howard House porch. As the sun set, long shadows became more apparent

on the buildings. It was just the look Cohen was aNer. His research also took him to fire museums in

Philadelphia where he interviewed experts on 19th-century apparatus and viewed old photos.

ANer he had visualized it all and completed his research, he submi.ed several rough sketches for the

company’s approval. Once the drawing was selected, the ar�st started to work on the oil pain�ng. Later

that year, the company unveiled Singerly’s Call to Alarm, a fiRng tribute to past firefighters who estab-

lished a tradi�on of service and to the present members who faithfully serve the community.

In 1992, Singerly opened a modern replacement Sta�on 3 on Route 40, which has easy access to the

main highway providing speedier eastern and western passage. It is located toward the growing south-

ern part of the first response district.

Despite the enhancements that were occurring problems were stacking up as calls for service increased

and the number of volunteers available in the day�me dwindled, amplifying concerns about �mely re-

sponse. The company tried many changes, but finally on Sept. 10, 2001, the first career personnel start-

ed a shiN at Sta�on 13 on Newark Avenue. And during that unforge.able week, Singerly become a com-

bina�on career volunteer system, as the company hired four professionals to staff the ambulances dur-

ing the day�me. They were Elizabeth Ansley, Donald Clemens, William Snyder and Curt Baldwin. Roger

Bowman supervised the career services department.

But this significant

opera�onal change

wasn’t what made it

a week that will live

on in memory for ev-

er. The excitement of

this important step

quickly diminished on

the second day, a

beau�ful Tuesday in

September, as the

na�onal warning sys-

tem, EAS, came to life

with urgent warnings

and television news

transmi.ed scenes of airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This terrorist

a.ack irrevocably changed the fire service, as jarred colleagues mourning the loss of around 400 first re-

sponders, quickly realized that the age of terror now made the homeland a primary target. The era

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when fires, hazardous material spills, medical emergencies, natural disasters and such were the opera-

�onal focus faded rapidly away that autumn week. Singerly now has nine paid firefighters/EMS person-

nel working around-the-clock.

A sixty year old fire truck, a 1951 Oren, returned to Singerly on April 21, 2012, as the company cele-

brated phase I construc�on comple�on of Sta�on 13’s renova�ons with an open house and sta�on

blessing. Charles Richard Fox, a former Oren fire truck salesman, who purchased the re�red unit for

$200 twenty years ago, fully restored it. He returned it to Singerly last year, so we could exhibit this

specimen of early firefigh�ng days in Elkton. President Don Hicks rode in the officer’s seat, while Mr.

Fox backed the veteran of many an old fight with the flames into the new firehouse.

Today the William M. Singerly Fire Company of Elkton formally dedicates its recently renovated and

expanded fire sta�on. The new structure updates the central sta�on, which opened in 1971. Career and

volunteer crews have been working out of the modern headquarters facility for a few months now, but

this event marks the formal opening of the town’s newest facility, designed to serve Elkton and the cen-

tral part of the company’s first due district.

The new building has space for the department’s apparatus with entrances and exits for units placed

for high visibility and speedy response. It has eight bays for equipment, sleeping quarters for 20 fire-

fighters, along with a kitchen and support facili�es in the 28,0000 square foot addi�on. Sta�on #13

houses two engines, a tanker, a rescue, two ambulances, and a variety of other equipment. The combi-

na�on career volunteer sta�on also serves as the headquarters for the paid emergency responders.

This is a proud day for the Singerly Fire Company as we dedicate this facility, which enhances our abil-

ity to serve the community. And while these past 42-years have seen many changes in equipment,

staffing, training, and the complexity of calls our dedica�on to serve and protect the community has

stayed the same since we started ex�nguishing blazes with hand pumpers and a bucket brigade.

singerly - dedication booklet€¦ · john dvorak william mccall fred hill joseph zurolo phillip...

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