Fire Engine

An article in the March 16, 1912, edition of The Argus praised the power and speed of the fire department's new fire engine. Since the inauguration, several months ago, of automobile service in the Fire Department at Catonsville, the efficiency of the service in that suburb has been greatly increased and the big motor car has proved its superiority over the slower horse-drawn apparatus many times. The Catonsville Fire Department claims that their new automobile is the fastest in the State.

A firehouse built on North Avenue when Alcaeus Hooper was Baltimore's mayor in 1896 reopened Saturday after being shuttered for a year for renovations, allowing firefighters to return to a building described as the historic cornerstone of Walbrook. The city's latest mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, greeted neighborhood civic leaders and thanked residents for their patience. She applauded firefighters, too, noting that there has been just one fire death in the city this year after last year's 17, which was the lowest annual number of fatal fires since the department started keeping track in 1938.

An Anne Arundel County fire engine and a Toyota pickup truck collided head-on Wednesday morning in Crofton, sending three people to the hospital, officials said. A fire engine from Station 7, which is on Route 424 just south of Crofton, was responding to a call at 2:53 a.m. when the crash occurred on Route 424 near Neuman Way, Battalion Chief Steve Thompson said. A Toyota Tacoma crossed the center line and struck the fire engine, police Lt. James Fredericks said. "The investigators don't believe speed was a factor.

An article in the March 19, 1937, edition of The Catonsville Herald and Baltimore Countian reported the dangerous results from a sudden snowstorm that caught many residents by surprise. A surprise snowstorm that began hesitantly, as if it would turn to rain, last Saturday and which continued through Sunday suddenly turned into a real problem on Monday and Tuesday, when high winds dried out the wet flakes and drove them across many county roads, piling up drifts from fifteen to eighteen feet high in some places.

An article in the Dec. 16, 1911, edition of The Argus reported the benefits of a new fire engine were immediately apparent in its first response. Catonsville's new automobile fire engine was given a thorough test at the fire early Monday morning which destroyed a portion of the plant of the Carr-Lowrey Class Company at Westpor, of which Mr. Carl G. Hilgenberg , of Catonsville, is president. The engine made the run of eight miles in 12 minutes and in a short time the firemen had two lines of hose stretched, through which the engine sent 560 gallons of water a minute at 120 pounds pressure for nearly two hours.

A fire engine was extensively damaged last night when it caught fire in Anne Arundel County's West Annapolis fire station, fire officials said.The incident occurred about 9: 20 p.m. as firefighters were backing reserve Engine 29 into the station on Jennifer Road. Mechanical problems in the engine sparked the fire, said Battalion Chief John Scholz, a county Fire Department spokesman.It took four firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the flames, Scholz said. No one was injured, he said.

It took nearly 50 years, but the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department can finally come in from the cold -- and the heat.After a decade of raising money, the department is now the proud owner of E-31, a new heated and air-conditioned fire engine that cost $265,000 -- all of that from donations."

A Carroll County couple was injured yesterday when their car collided with a fire engine on its way to a fire in the Gamber area, according to the state police.Elizabeth Ann Meadows, 49, and her husband, Lloyd Washington Meadows, 53, of the 5900 block of Woodbine Road, Woodbine, were flown by state police helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, the police said.Mrs. Meadows was reported in serious but stable condition and her husband in fair condition last night, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

A Pennsylvania man died yesterday when he was thrown from a pickup truck in a bizarre morning accident involving a fire engine and ambulance that were answering a 911 call on Interstate 83 in Hunt Valley.The pickup slammed into the back of the parked Baltimore County fire engine. Then, before horrified witnesses, the man was thrown from the truck bed and caromed off the ambulance before landing on the highway.The firetruck and the ambulance had stopped in the left lane of the northbound lanes because of a minor accident that had occurred moments earlier.

A Baltimore police officer who was killed in October when his cruiser slammed into the back of a fire engine was speeding at 71 mph and most likely was distracted by a film crew on the opposite side of a highway, the final investigative report concludes. Officer Thomas Portz Jr., 32, did not suffer a medical problem, and officials found no mechanical defects in the police car, a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The report says Portz, a 10-year veteran assigned to the Western District, was not wearing his seatbelt.

An article in the March 16, 1912, edition of The Argus praised the power and speed of the fire department's new fire engine. Since the inauguration, several months ago, of automobile service in the Fire Department at Catonsville, the efficiency of the service in that suburb has been greatly increased and the big motor car has proved its superiority over the slower horse-drawn apparatus many times. The Catonsville Fire Department claims that their new automobile is the fastest in the State.

An article in the Dec. 16, 1911, edition of The Argus reported the benefits of a new fire engine were immediately apparent in its first response. Catonsville's new automobile fire engine was given a thorough test at the fire early Monday morning which destroyed a portion of the plant of the Carr-Lowrey Class Company at Westpor, of which Mr. Carl G. Hilgenberg , of Catonsville, is president. The engine made the run of eight miles in 12 minutes and in a short time the firemen had two lines of hose stretched, through which the engine sent 560 gallons of water a minute at 120 pounds pressure for nearly two hours.

The following was addressed to members of the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company. A copy was provided for publication. Thank you for again visiting with the nursery school children at the Children's Center of North Harford on Oct. 5 and 6. The children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed your discussions, demonstrations and the opportunity to see and explore a fire engine. Thank you for once again providing our young students with invaluable information regarding fire safety and prevention.

The Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company invites the public to an open house from noon to 4 p.m. at the fire station on Sunday, Oct. 23, when the company will dedicate its new heavy rescue squad truck. The Pikesville fire station is located at 40 E. Sudbrook Lane, in Pikesville. The dedication and open house are part of the company's observance of National Fire Prevention Month. Citizens who come to the open house will have the opportunity to meet volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers, take a tour of the firehouse and watch an auto extrication demonstration.

The Level Volunteer Fire Company will hold its annual Fire Prevention Open House on Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon to 3 p.m. The free event is open to all. Members of the Level fire company will be on hand to give station tours, demonstrate auto extrication techniques and show off their fire and EMS apparatus. "Every year the open house attracts hundreds of citizens," Jason Gallion, the fire company's president, said. "This is an excellent opportunity for them to learn valuable life saving information and to meet the volunteers who care about their safety.

A boat sank in the Inner Harbor just before 5 p.m. Saturday, fire officials said. The incident happened off the 2700 block of Boston St.and was over in under a half hour, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a fire department spokesman. No one aboard was harmed. A 911 call that came around 4:50 p.m. reported a sinking boat near the Bo Brooks Restaurant & Catering, Cartwright said. A rescue boat, a fire engine and a medic were dispatched to the scene. But by the time the rescue arrived, one of Baltimore city's trash collection vessels had removed the people aboard the sinking boat and taken them to shore, Cartwright said.

Anne Arundel County Auditor Teresa Sutherland is investigating why county officials spent about $19,500 to repair a 1950s fire engine that has been used by County Executive Janet S. Owens and other elected officials at parades and fairs. Sutherland learned of the repairs two weeks ago and initiated an investigation into whether the use of county money was appropriate. She has tried to figure out who owns the vehicle and if it should be considered part of the county fleet. The auditor briefed County Council members Tuesday.

A Baltimore police officer who was killed in October when his cruiser slammed into the back of a fire engine was speeding at 71 mph and most likely was distracted by a film crew on the opposite side of a highway, the final investigative report concludes. Officer Thomas Portz Jr., 32, did not suffer a medical problem, and officials found no mechanical defects in the police car, a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The report says Portz, a 10-year veteran assigned to the Western District, was not wearing his seatbelt.

A Baltimore police officer died and four firefighters were taken to a local hospital Wednesday after the officer's car rear-ended a parked fire engine on U.S. 40, officials said. Officer Tommy Portz, a 10-year veteran and married father of three, was pronounced dead while being taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, officials said. The 32-year-old is the third active city officer killed in less than a month. Fire Chief James Clack said that Engine 8 was dispatched to a report of an injured person in the median area of Calhoun and Franklin streets but could not locate a patient.