Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania: Difference between revisions

Wyndmoor Hose Company No. 1 was formed in 1906 and chartered in 1907. The seeds of the local fire company grew out of an industrial base at Mermaid Lane and Queen Street. There, the Nelson Valve Company began an in-house fire brigade to meet the needs of the dangerous industrial mechanisms used to make hydraulic valves. Eventually, the local community was solicited for its help in keeping this fire unit viable and expanding its services to the larger community. Residents volunteered, recognizing the communal benefit, and with help from the valve company a two-wheeled hand cart was purchased and 500 feet of hose. By 1909, the shed used at the valve Company was expanded, as were the hose carts to four wheels and two horses. Horse power proved a problem. A monetary reward was granted to the first horse team to arrive at the sound of the alarm and haul the apparatus to the scene. This actually produced a rivalry among horse teams!

Wyndmoor Hose Company No. 1 was formed in 1906 and chartered in 1907. The seeds of the local fire company grew out of an industrial base at Mermaid Lane and Queen Street. There, the Nelson Valve Company began an in-house fire brigade to meet the needs of the dangerous industrial mechanisms used to make hydraulic valves. Eventually, the local community was solicited for its help in keeping this fire unit viable and expanding its services to the larger community. Residents volunteered, recognizing the communal benefit, and with help from the valve company a two-wheeled hand cart was purchased and 500 feet of hose. By 1909, the shed used at the valve Company was expanded, as were the hose carts to four wheels and two horses. Horse power proved a problem. A monetary reward was granted to the first horse team to arrive at the sound of the alarm and haul the apparatus to the scene. This actually produced a rivalry among horse teams!

Wyndmoor Hose Company is a 100% volunteer department. The fifty-plus members who make up the working force are notified by digital paging systems, day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365-days-a-year.

Wyndmoor Hose Company is a 100% volunteer department. The fifty-plus members who make up the working force are notified by digital paging systems, day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365-days-a-year.

Beyond fire suppression activities, WHCo is active in the community in many other ways. Fire prevention programs have always been a primary focus. The company keeps a busy schedule with weekend birthday parties held at the station, sometimes multiple parties each day. The parties often include a 15–30-minute presentation on fire safety. Throughout the year WHCo presents fire prevention programs to local schools, camps, day-care facilities, and other businesses and organizations. Annual demonstrations are made to The Boy Scouts of America to display not only safety messages, but also drunk-driving warnings.

===21st century===

Equally importantly, WHCo has forged a relationship, approaching almost a decade long, with UCP – United Cerebral Palsy. UCP is a nearby organization who provides direct services to over 2,400 adults, children and their families with a variety of disabilities including cerebral palsy, head trauma, stroke and spinal cord injury. Groups of Wyndmoor firefighters can be found at any one of UCP’s six annual fundraising events.

Monday nights are busy nights for Wyndmoor volunteers. Almost fifty weeks a year, Wyndmoor firefighters meet Mondays from 6:45 pm through 9:30 pm to maintain, test, practice, discuss, and plan for fire and rescue-related events. Beyond these evenings, special joint training sessions might be scheduled for weekends or other evenings throughout the year. While all firefighters must engage in no less than eighty hours of academy training before stepping foot on a fireground, the reality holds true that the training never ends. [[File:82Header.jpg|thumb|Wyndmoor Fleet – 2007]]