Who We Are

For more than eight decades, the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department has served the communities of Crofton, Davidsonville, Gambrills, Riva, and the surrounding areas of southern Anne Arundel County. Today, we operate two stations — Station 7 in Gambrills and Station 3 in Riva — answering over 3,500 calls for help each year. But the story begins in 1941, when a small group of volunteers first answered the call to serve.

Riva's Founding: 1941

In March 1941, after fire destroyed several homes in Sylvan Shores, forty-five residents packed a meeting at the Town Hall Grill and voted to form their own fire company. One neighbor happened to be a member of the Washington, D.C. Fire Department — he was elected chief on the spot. That June the company was incorporated as the Sylvan Shores Community Volunteer Fire Company, on a triangle of ground donated by Carl Riddick; when Mr. Riddick later gave a larger parcel at the present Riva Road site, the company took the name of its district and became the Riva Volunteer Fire Department.

The first engine was a donated 1928 Packard rebuilt by hand — with a plywood body, because wartime rationing made sheet metal impossible to buy — carrying a 275-gallon oil tank and a 75-gallon-per-minute front-end pump. The tank had no baffles, so on a downhill run the sloshing water could push the truck around until the crew stopped, let it settle, and started again. Members began mixing concrete for a firehouse in the evenings after work in 1942, losing crews to wartime enlistment and materials to rationing; returning veterans finished the building. A $35 surplus 1918 American LaFrance pumper from Washington proved less successful — solid tires and chain drive — and was eventually sold for junk, together with the Packard, for $164.05.

The postwar years brought heartbreak and momentum in equal measure. In October 1946 the company lost Chief George Galloway in an accident that badly injured three other members. A year later the county commissioners formally accepted Riva VFD into the county fire budget; a new International pumper arrived in 1948, hired enginemen began alternating day and night shifts at the station on New Year's Day 1949, and a ten-wheel, 1,000-gallon tanker followed in 1954. By the time the present Riva station was dedicated in 1967, the company that began with a plywood-bodied Packard had become a cornerstone of fire protection in southern Anne Arundel County.

Adapted from the typed company history prepared for the 1967 dedication of the Riva firehouse. Have photos or memories from Riva's early years? We'd love to see them: info@arundelfire.com.

Arundel's Founding: 1954

On the evening of March 1, 1954, members of Arundel Grange No. 425 gathered at the Gambrills Athletic Club to discuss a tragedy that had shaken the community: three children had died in a house fire, and the nearest fire companies — West Annapolis, Herald Harbor, and Odenton — were each 12 to 15 miles away. Help had been too far to make a difference.

George Boschert chaired that first meeting. Among the attendees was a representative from the Riva Fire Department — Mr. Carr — who came to guide the fledgling group through the steps of forming a new fire company. It was the beginning of a partnership that would come full circle seventy years later.

The organizers moved quickly. On March 10, 1954, the first officers were elected: Benjamin F. Chaney as president, Thomas E. Campbell as vice president, E. Francis Jones as secretary, Alvin Clark as corresponding secretary, Louis A. Boehm as treasurer, and Joseph Doljan as sergeant-at-arms. Dues were set at two dollars per year. Five days later, on March 15, the new company officially adopted the name Arundel Volunteer Fire Department.

What happened next defined the character of the department. Otto Gerstner, a local farmer, donated two acres of land on Davidsonville Road for the firehouse — along with timber from his farm and a well he dug himself. In June 1954, Farmer's National Bank in Annapolis granted a $5,000 construction loan. The rest would come from the community itself.

Every Saturday for a year and a half, volunteers gathered to build their station. They mixed concrete, dug foundation holes, framed walls, and raised the roof. The lumber came from a sawmill at Routes 3 and 450 — milled from trees on Gerstner's farm and donated by the mill owner after his own building had been rebuilt following a fire. Local residents, farmers, and businesses contributed materials and labor. The result was a 30-by-60-foot building with three equipment bays, sleeping quarters, a kitchen, a boiler room, and a restroom. That original building still stands today, now used for community events and fundraisers.

On April 20, 1955, the first class of Arundel volunteers graduated from the University of Maryland Firemen's Training Course — now known as the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. The department was ready.

The first call came just after midnight on New Year's night, 1956: a chimney fire on Evergreen Road. The volunteers responded with a new 1955 model 500-gallon pumper engine and a donated 1935 Ford fire truck. In that first year of operation, they answered 54 calls.

Growth and Service

From 54 calls in 1956 to over 3,500 calls today, the department has grown alongside the communities it serves. What was once a farming area of about 150 homes has become a thriving network of neighborhoods, businesses, and schools. The department adapted and expanded to meet the need.

By the late 1960s, the original building could no longer keep pace. Five pieces of firefighting equipment were housed in a three-bay station built for a much smaller operation. In 1971, a new fire station opened on Route 424 — the current Station 7. Anne Arundel County contributed $135,000 toward the $151,000 construction cost, with volunteers covering the difference.

The department continued to invest in training, apparatus, and capability. Volunteers trained through the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, earning certifications in firefighting, emergency medical services, and specialized rescue operations. The fleet grew to include engines, ambulances, utility vehicles, and heavy rescue squads. What began as a handful of neighbors with a pumper truck became a professional-grade emergency response organization — still powered by volunteers.

The 2024 Merger: Full Circle

On June 12, 2024, the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department and the Riva Volunteer Fire Department merged to form the first multi-station volunteer fire department in Anne Arundel County. Seventy years after Mr. Carr from Riva helped guide Arundel's founders through their first steps, the two departments joined forces.

The merger brought together two organizations with deep roots in southern Anne Arundel County. Gregory Hintz, President of Arundel VFD, and David Carr, President of Riva VFD, led the effort. Chief Eric March now oversees operations across both stations. The combined corporation operates as Arundel Volunteer Fire Department, with Riva VFD retained as a DBA for Station 3.

The merger creates new opportunities for volunteers to serve at either station, strengthens administrative capacity, and expands the department's operational reach. One immediate priority: certifying volunteers to operate the Tanker housed at Riva, putting a critical south-county water supply asset into active service.

Looking Forward

The tradition of volunteer fire service that began in 1941 in Riva and 1954 in Gambrills continues today — not as a relic of the past, but as a deliberate choice by hundreds of community members who train, respond, and serve. The department invests in state-of-the-art equipment, professional training through the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, and the next generation of emergency responders.

The community that built the first station on Saturday work parties, that donated land and lumber and labor, remains the foundation of everything we do. The next chapter of this story is being written now — and there's room for you in it. Whether you're interested in firefighting, emergency medical services, administrative support, or community outreach, the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department offers training, purpose, and a place to serve.

Visit us at Station 7 in Gambrills or Station 3 in Riva. The door is always open.