JUNE 2010 - FEATURED DEPARTMENT

WACHAPREAGUE VOL. FIRE COMPANY, INC.
STATION 11

    The Wachapreague Volunteer Fire Company was organized in 1942 and incorporated in 1946. Situated on the "Seaside" of the Eastern Shore, the town of Wachapreague is located within Accomack County, and is known as the "Little City by the Sea". 

    The first firehouse was located on the site of the existing station. It housed the town's first fire apparatus, a 1938 GMC "Homemade" fire engine. In 1951, the original firehouse was moved to Bayview Avenue in Wachapreague, so a new firehouse could be built in the same location. Construction of the building began in 1951 and was completed in 1952. The concrete block, two-story firehouse included two (2) engine bays and a second floor, which featured a banquet/community room. This original portion is the center of the present station. Over the years, the building was enlarged and modified to house the additional units; beginning with an ambulance bay to the left and years later two more bays were built to the right of the original portion to house an engine and tanker. 

    In 1951 or 1952, a Ladies Auxiliary was formed to help raise funds for the new firehouse. This organization remained active for many years before becoming inactive. In the early 1980's, the auxiliary was re-activated and functioned for a number of years before being dissolved; its membership was absorbed into the fire company's general membership.

    In order to raise money for the company, the very first Wachapreague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival was held on July 25, 1952. It was a huge success, and it has been held annually ever since, during June and July, and provides a much needed income for the company, since the allocation from Accomack County is limited. The Wachapreague Firemen's Carnival is one of only two remaining carnivals still operating on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the other being Chincoteague. Firemen's carnivals were once a very familiar sight throughout the shore. 

    Later in 1952, a new GMC/Maxim pumper was delivered to the company. This piece of apparatus is still on the company's roster, and still runs and pumps great. The old '52, complete with the original paint, has won numerous awards for drafting at the Salisbury Firemen's Muster & Olympics, which was held annually in Salisbury, Maryland until September 2004. The unit remained in active (reserve) service until sometime in the 1980's, when at the time, was most likely the oldest in-service unit in Accomack County.   

    Over the last 69 years, Wachapreague has had very few Fire Chief's to serve the company. Two Chiefs' deserve special recognition. The late James Paul served as Fire Chief from 1951 until 1985, and Ben Byrd's tenure spanned from 1985 until 2011. The present Fire Chief is Jeffrey Pitts (Chief 11).

    Presently, Wachapreague - Station 11 operates a modern fleet of five (5) apparatus, including an A.L.S. Ambulance, Engine, Tanker, Brush unit, and a utility/support vehicle. The members are very proud of their equipment, and it shows. Wachapreague has long been known to keep their units spotless, they are washed after almost every call, and are very well maintained. The station features five (5) engine bays and other amenities include a communication/watch room, lounge, game room and various storage & office areas. As aforementioned, on the second floor there is a community/meeting room, kitchen and restrooms.  

    Wachapreague's neighboring mutual-aid departments are Station 10 - Melfa to the west; Station 18- Onley to the northwest; and Station 12 - Painter to the southwest. In addition to serving Wachapreague, members also provide protection to Quinby, Virginia Landing, Pennyville, Piggin, Chancetown and various outlying rural areas. During 2010, Station 11 responded to 69 fire incidents and 302 EMS incidents. 

    In closing, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of the members of Station 11, especially Chief Jeffery Pitts, President Kerry Paul, and Past Chief Ben Byrd, for their invaluable assistance in providing the information needed to compile this article. Our staff appreciated the gracious hospitality shown to us while visiting the station, to photograph the station and various apparatus - Thanks again! All of the photographs appearing in the slide show were provided courtesy of the Wachapreague Volunteer Fire Company.

Fleet of Apparatus