Bel Air VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY Contact Calendar Live Audio BAVFC Email NEWS JOIN ABOUT STATIONS COMMUNITY SUPPORT History of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company On February 19, 1859, many invaluable papers were lost when the Harford County Courthouse was destroyed by fire. During these early years fire protection was considered a community effort. When the alarm was raised, members of the community would go to the scene of the fire with buckets and form a bucket brigade to extinguish the fire. Citizens of the community would also bring ladders, axes and other tools that might prove useful. Water sources were found where available. Anything from water troughs, wells, barrels, etc., were used as there was no water system with hydrants. With no water system or organized fire department, most buildings burned to the ground and were a total loss. By 1890 the population of the village of Bel Air was 1,416 and growing. There were already five hotels, three blacksmith shops, two banks, seven physicians, one undertaker, three tanners, 34 lawyers and many independent businesses. Architects were hired to design not only public buildings as well as houses for the increasingly sophisticated and wealthy residents. These buildings needed protection from disastrous fires. And so begins the history of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. Keep Reading … The BAVFC has a rich, well-detailed history. Browse the sections listed below for a full rundown of how we have evolved since those early days. Select a section below BAVFC ACTIVITY HISTORY MULTI-ALARM INCIDENTS THE BEGINNING THE EARLY YEARS THE REORGANIZATION THE 1930'S THE WAR YEARS THE 1950'S THE 1960'S THE 1970'S THE 1980'S THE 1990'S THE 2000'S THE 2010'S BAVFC HISTORY BAVFC Activity History Multi-Alarm Incidents The Beginning The Early Years The Reorganization The 1930’s The War Years The 1950’s The 1960’s The 1970’s The 1980’s The 1990’s The 2000’s The 2010’s About BAVFC LEADERSHIP DEPARTMENT HISTORY OUR FALLEN 2020 FIRE AND EMS UNIT RESPONSE STATISTICS AUXILIARY DIVISION THE BELL PAST LEADERSHIP BAVFC LATEST Charlie Riley Scholarship Recipient – BAVFC Kingsville Building Fire Water Supply Drill Raven’s Hometown Hero – Richard Presberry House Explosion in Edgewood @BAVFC BAVFCFollow The Official Twitter Feed for the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. Celebrating 125 years of fire and EMS service to Bel Air and surrounding areas. BAVFC 20 Mar The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. is currently accepting resumes for the part time position of ALS and BLS providers. Visit http://bavfc.org for more! Reply on Twitter 1373397744799342592 Retweet on Twitter 1373397744799342592 Like on Twitter 1373397744799342592 1 Twitter 1373397744799342592 BAVFC 23 Dec 12/23, Volunteers work this utility emergency to the rear of the Bel Air Armory this morning. Video: Joel Carr, Capt BAVFC Reply on Twitter 1341782211994013696 Retweet on Twitter 1341782211994013696 Like on Twitter 1341782211994013696 1 Twitter 1341782211994013696 Load More… Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company 109 South Hickory Avenue Bel Air, Maryland 21014 NEWS JOIN US ABOUT STATIONS COMMUNITY SUPPORT JOIN BAVFC Recruitment Center Requirements Volunteer Benefits Start Your Application Paid EMS Openings MEMBER EMAIL LOGIN ALL CONTENT, INCLUDING ALL IMAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY NOTED. COPYRIGHT 1995–2016, BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY