History of GEFD

The Glen Echo Fire Department was organized in 1930 when a residential fire in the Town of Glen Echo took the lives of five people - a mother and her four children.  A Fire Station was established on Vassar Circle, equipment acquired and volunteer personnel trained to perform basic fire fighting functions.

 1933 saw the establishment of The Conduit Road Fire Board, Incorporated by the Maryland State Legislature.  The Conduit Road Fire Board was created as a citizen-constituted body and was given authority to establish and oversee one or more fire departments, including Glen Echo.  Operational responsibility is vested in the Fire Chief who reports to the Board of Directors.

 In 1935 a new Fire Station, which was constructed with WPA funds, was occupied on Vassar Circle, Glen Echo.  During World War II, the Department was the job of the local civil defense program as well as quarters for military personnel responsible for protection of the Washington Aqueduct.  The Korean conflict saw the building used as barracks for a local anti-aircraft battery located on Seven Locks Road.  When the Vassar Circle building was vacated it became the home of the Glen Echo Baptist Church.  In 1948 the Department employed its first paid firefighter.

 Population expansion within the area mandated a relocation of the Glen Echo Station to a more central location to render a higher level of service.  The Maryland Ration Bureau was requested to survey our area of responsibility and make recommendations to improve the fire defenses of the community. At this time, the Rating Bureau set the fire insurance rates for the area.  The survey was done and some recommendations--including that the fire station be in a more central location--were implemented. The Department occupied the present station on Massachusetts Avenue on August 7, 1954 after dedication of the building by The Honorable Theodore R. McKeldin, the Governor of Maryland.  In addition, two maple trees were dedicated to the memory of two of our volunteer personnel:  Harry Dean, who died in the service of our country in World War II and Sonny Bolton, a casualty of the Korean conflict.  Both of these trees still stand on the station site.

Occupation of the new station resulted in the acquisition of additional apparatus and a program of expansion of the career staff.

 The Conduit Road Fire Board continued to meet the requirements for improved fire defenses for the area.  In 1963 the Board requested a resurvey of the Department’s capabilities. The Department was awarded a “B” rating making it one of three departments holding this fire insurance rating in the entire state, and resulting in a lower insurance cost for our citizens.  This was a significant achievement envied by other departments, and was accomplished through the efforts of the Board of Directors, volunteer, and career personnel.

 The Department continues to meet its obligation of providing fire protection of a highly professional quality.  This accomplishment is possible through the high level of cooperation that exists between the Board of Directors, career personnel, and the high spirit of “volunteerism” exhibited by the many talented volunteer members.