By JALEN WADE
PHOTO CREDIT Giuseppe Lopiccolo
For the Branchville Volunteer Fire Co. and Rescue Squad, its 100th anniversary is more than a way to teach young residents fire safety. It is the celebration of a legacy.
The company’s firefighters, rescue workers and officers opened their station to the public on Oct. 6 for a dual celebration of their centennial and Fire Prevention Week.
Victor Weatherford, a past president of the company and a volunteer with the station since 1982, said the celebration was the usual Fire Prevention Week festivities “on steroids.”
The street in front of the station, usually empty to leave room for rescue trucks, was packed with more than 150 participants of all ages.
Kids wore Maryland red-and-gold plastic firefighter hats as parents pushed them in strollers and held their hands. The firefighters’ locker room was full of tables for face painting and stop,drop and roll demonstrations. In the background, a slideshow displayed photos of the station throughout its 100-year history.
Behind the fire station, children paid rapt attention to a demonstration on the importance of home sprinklers, as a water sprinkler system snuffed out a fire contained in a box.
Food trucks from Honey Dew Donuts, Catalyst Hot Dogs and Breaking the Borders, which served Mexican fare, parked in the station’s back yard.
Fire Chief Michael T. Hughes said the station puts on an event every year during Fire Prevention Week.
“We do this every year, but maybe even more so this year, to attract even more kids, because that’s really who the message is for [with] fire prevention demonstrations: This can happen if you’re not careful; don’t do this,” Hughes said.
Five safety areas included demonstrations of stop, drop and roll; a fire safety video; an escape plan in case of a fire; firefighters’ gear; and a lesson on how hot a car can get. Children who visited all five demonstrations took a ride around the block in a fire engine.
College Park resident Kelechi Agdakwuru, who watched the fire engine rides with his 1-year-old son, Diego, said while his son didn’t fully understand the event, he enjoyed watching the trucks.
“My son is almost 2, so I’m not sure how much of the fire safety is sticking, but I do think that he’s very interested in ambulance and emergency services, and I think that he’s starting to appreciate that, you know, some people’s job is to make sure that other people are safe, and what that looks like,” Agdakwuru said.
PHOTO CREDIT Giuseppe Lopiccolo
College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir made an appearance at the party, alongside councilmembers Jacob Hernandez (District 1), Alan Yew (District 1), Llatetra Brown Esters (District 2) and Maria Mackie (District 4).
“I am so honored to stand before you to acknowledge all the hard-working men and women in this Branchville Fire Department that have been serving this community for 100 years,” Kabir, standing under the “100-year” banner, said. “From the City of College Park, I have to say as a mayor that I am so proud our city is completely behind you.”
Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3) read a proclamation affirming the county’s continued support of the station.
Weatherford noted that community engagement is a helpful recruiting tool. Many of the department’s volunteers are University of Maryland students seeking specialized EMT and paramedic training.
Weatherford said the students usually stick around for four to five years of college before moving away, sometimes to other stations in the country. Weatherford said one of the goals of the event was to recruit more volunteers from the community.
“We want to get the next generation of, if you will, community-based members that can have the same sense of pride, same sense of wanting to be here for a long period of time. And that’s nothing against the college members,” Weatherford said.
Pride in the station’s legacy was a prevailing topic of conversation during the event.
Terri Jordan, the station’s Ladies Auxiliary secretary whose parents were members of the station and whose husband volunteers, walked with her infant daughter, Rosemary, strapped to her chest.
“It’s hard to put your entire life into one word,” Jordan said. “I grew up here in the halls of this fire house. So this is my house, my life.”
