About Us

            The town continued to be concerned with fire protection and in 1896 a decision was made to install a municipal water system. An elevated water tower was installed on Parker Street and a gasoline driven pump pulled water from wells during the day to fill the tank which then gravity fed the thirty-four fire hydrants on two- and one-half miles of water mains. In 1897 the town purchased a hand pulled hose cart with fire hose and nozzles which could be connected directly to the fire hydrants to fight a fire. In 1899 another fire erupted on Thanksgiving night and quickly overwhelmed the gravity fed hydrants destroying the business district for a second time. In 1900 the town passed an ordinance that all buildings constructed in the business district shall be made of stone or brick.

            In 1925 the Sanborn Map Company listed the fire department as: volunteer, not organized with two hand hose carts and eight hundred feet of two- and one-half inch hose. Another fire in 1925 demonstrated that more modern motorized firefighting equipment would be needed to protect the growing town. The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department was formally chartered in 1928 with twenty-three members. Later that year a red 1928 American Lafrance fire engine was purchased for $6,500.00. This motorized fire truck enabled the fire department to respond to calls for help from neighboring towns. The engine was stored in a garage behind the home of the Chief Engineer, Ran Finney. The engine was later moved to a garage on King Street. A second American Lafrance pumper was added in 1930 and was the first white fire truck for Onancock. In 1936 a fire station was constructed on North Street and the fire department moved all operations into that building where they would operate until 1980. An American Lafrance 500 series pumper would be added in 1938.

            On October 11, 1949, the Department voted to purchase another American Lafrance pumper which would become Engine #4 and was later sold to Greenbackville Fire Company in 1971. In 1955 the Department sold the 1938 American Lafrance pumper to a company “across the bay” and purchased a 1955 model American Lafrance which would become Engine #5. 1961 saw the purchase of the first Scott Air Packs. In 1963 a 1200-gallon tank truck body was donated by Kellam Distributing and mounted on a 1956 International chassis. This would become the Department’s first tanker. In December of 1966, a contract was signed for an American Lafrance Pioneer model pumper at a cost of $18,741.00. The pumper would be delivered as a 1968 model and featured jump seats which allowed the crew to don their Scott Air Packs while in-route to a fire. 1967 saw the water truck (tanker) sold to Stockton, Maryland. In October of 1970, the 1968 American Lafrance Pioneer was involved in an accident on Town Road which extensively damaged the truck, placing it out of service. On November 19, 1970, the Department voted to purchase a 1971 American Lafrance Pioneer demonstrator pumper. This pumper would be the Departments first diesel powered engine and ran as Engine 96 until it sold to the Bloxom Volunteer Fire Company in 1995. In 1976 The Department voted to purchase the Pine Street property which would be the site of the new fire station. The new fire station was built at 9 Pine Street and occupied by the Department in 1981.

            It continues to meet the needs of the Department today, however, outgrowing its space due to significant increases in staff and equipment. 1987 saw the purchase of the first non-American Lafrance apparatus when a 1987 Seagrave engine was delivered. A brush truck and tanker were delivered in 1992 and 1993, respectively. In 1996 the Department took delivery of a Pierce Arrow engine with a sixty-five-foot telesquirt. 2007 saw the replacement of the 1987 Seagrave with a new Seagrave Marauder II engine which currently runs as Engine 95. In 2012 the Pierce Arrow telesquirt was replaced when a Pierce Arrow XT 100’ Aerial Ladder was received. Department personnel were trained on the Ladder, and it was placed in service in November 2012 as Ladder 9.

            The first carnival started in 1931 at the site of the current town square. On November 8, 1946, the Fire Department voted to purchase property on Johnson Street and the carnival was moved there the following year. The Allen Hershel carousel was also purchased in 1947 followed by the Ferris wheel in 1951 and the train in 1952. The Department sold the carousel at auction in 1985 and used the proceeds to purchase fire apparatus and newer amusement rides for the carnival such as the Black Spider, Tilt a Whirl and Scrambler. In 2005 The Department decided to close the carnival and sell the property. Increasing insurance costs and operating expenses combined with the need for over sixty volunteers nightly to run the carnival made this difficult decision the right one for an organization whose priority is providing fire and ambulance service to the community. The Carnival rides and buildings were sold at auction by Norton Auctioneers of Michigan who had also sold the carousel in 1985. The sixteen-acre site has since been sold.

            Ambulance service began with the purchase of the first ambulance in 1948. The American Red Cross provided basic first aid training to members who staffed the ambulance. The first ambulance was painted black and red. In 1955 a second ambulance was purchased for the department from the Miller Coach Company. 1957 saw the purchase of an Oldsmobile ambulance. In 1962 a blue Cadillac ambulance was purchased for $7000.00, and the 1955 ambulance was traded in towards this purchase. Another ambulance was purchased in 1968 and 1969 brought a requirement for all ambulance attendants to be trained in advanced first aid. The first Emergency Medical Technician class was held in 1971. In 1974 a Miller Meteor Cadillac ambulance was purchased. In 1977 the Department was provided with two daytime EMT- Firefighters who were paid by the Government CETA Program. This program would be absorbed by Accomack County when the Government funding ran out and would become the start of the Department of Public Safety in Accomack County. An IV Technician program was started in 1978 and would eventually become the EMT-ST (Shock Trauma) certification program. 1980 marked the delivery of the first box style ambulance from Horton.

             In 2000 The Department, with financial support from the Town of Onancock, entered into an agreement with the Accomack County Department of Public Safety to provide a Fire-Medic twenty-four hours per day seven days a week at the Onancock fire station. This would become the first guaranteed 24/7 Advanced Life Support staffing in Accomack County. Although initially met with resistance from other fire and rescue agencies the program proved to be a success, other Volunteer Companies later requested similar coverage from the County.

            In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department planned and worked with manufacturers to build two new ambulances to replace our aging fleet. After an extended period of production delays, we received our two new 2023 Braun Chief XL type III ambulances in February of 2024. The Department now operates three advanced life support ambulances and an EMS first response vehicle from the Pine Street station. Additionally, the Accomack County Department of Public Safety shift supervisor (DPS 3) is also stationed at Onancock fire station. In 2023, after two years of research and investigation, had decided to purchase a 1991 Pierce- walk in rescue from East New Market, Maryland for $10,000.00. The rescue company concept was to provide a service that was missing in the region and to reduce the wear and tear on our aging Engine 95 as accidents make up over 80% of our annual fire responses for our department.

             After proposals and grant requests were submitted, the department was funded by the Town of Onley, the Town of Onancock and the Perdue Foundation funded our rescue company needs of $160,000.00. With this funding, we were able to provide the Eastern Shores first and only Paratech Heavy Vehicle Extrication Kit and other various vehicle extrication and stabilization equipment. In 2025, the Fire Chief, Mike Rydberg, met with other leaders from Chincoteague and Greenbackville Volunteer Fire Departments, as well as the Director of Public Safety, and officially created the first Regional Technical Rescue Team on the Eastern Shore. When this happened, the Fire Chief was also able to work with the Eastern Shore Regional 911 Communications Center and establish new CAD (computer aided dispatch) run cards to dispatch resources for these technical incidents as well.