Middle River Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company
Protecting People, Property, and the Environment
Envision a New Fire, Rescue, and EMS Facility for Middle River, Crossroads, Hawthorne, Fairwinds, and Other Communities in Eastern Baltimore County
Background
Baltimore County has 25 career and 29 volunteer stations. Career Stations are funded with your tax dollars. Volunteer Fire Companies are independent corporations organized under the umbrella of the Baltimore County Volunteer Firefighters’ Association. Each volunteer company has its own board of directors and command structure. At fire and other emergencies, volunteers work side-by-side with career personnel under a single chain of command and set of operating rules. They receive similar training and perform interchangeable job functions. Middle River Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company (Station 74) launched in 2015 with the merger of Middle River Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company (Station 52) founded in 1948 and Middle River Volunteer Fire Company
(Station 22) founded in 1943. MRVFR also is home to Baltimore County Fire Department’s only recognized Emergency Response Dive Rescue Team. The team responds to water emergencies throughout Baltimore County and surrounding region. MRVFR 200+ members are professionally trained as Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, Rescue Technicians, Firefighters, and Divers by the University of Maryland’s Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. MRVFR’s members live, work, play, and study in the local community when not providing direct services to the community through emergency response. They also dedicate a considerable amount of time to community service and outreach efforts including CPR & Fire Safety Education, Station Tours, and EMS Standbys at community events.
Operations
MRVFR operates one fire engine, one ladder truck, one heavy rescue squad, a brush fire unit, and two utility trucks. Additionally, the company operates an ambulance equipped with Advanced Life Support and the County Dive Rescue Truck. The company operated out of two aging facilities from early 2015, one on Wilson Point Road and the other on Leland Avenue, until May 2021. Both facilities lack the space and amenities needed to operate a modern fire company. The stations are a home away from home for our on-duty volunteers. Members sleep, eat, and work out of the station so they can more quickly respond to emergencies in our community. The station is a place where members return to after saving lives and property to clean the smoke from their eyes, their clothes, and their equipment. It is where they learn, study, and train to become emergency responders or advance their technical education. It is from where the help comes when your life, your family, your car, your home, or your business is at risk.
Our Community’s Need
Middle River is a growing community in Baltimore County. The current development in the area and the pending projects still in the planning phase stand as evidence that our community is no longer a small suburb. It grew to a bustling exurban center with all the demands on our services that are associated with such an area. In 2020, MRVFR was dispatched to 1,123 fire and rescue calls (including 56 water rescues). During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, MRVFR was alerted to nearly three times the emergency medical calls. MRVFR responds to calls at all hours in all weather conditions. MRVFR arguably has the most diverse response profile in Baltimore County. Only one other station in the county is home to an Engine, Ladder Truck, and Rescue Squad.
In addition to the fast-growing residential communities in Middle River, MRVFR is responsible for responding to emergencies at:
- Martin State Airport
- Medical Facilities
- Commercial facilities that manufacture aircraft parts, chemicals, tires, etc.
- Amtrak & MARC Train Tracks and Facilities
- Warehouses
- Major Interstates
The Company’s Needs
Our Leland Avenue and Wilson Point stations are both located within tight residential neighborhoods and on limited access roadways. This poses a very real threat to response times as company members attempt to answer calls quickly only to find themselves waiting in neighborhood traffic and lengthy drives to main thoroughfares. Given these locations and the ever-evolving development in our community, MRVFR seeks a new location which will allow for better access to our community.
Our aging stations are not designed to house the staff needed to respond to calls with our vast fleet of equipment. Modern operations rely on personnel being present at the station to enable instantaneous responses to emergencies. Our stations were never designed to be manned 24/7. They are overcrowded and lack adequate sleeping quarters. The buildings are not NFPA nor ADA compliant.
Faced with a growing population and aging facilities that is quickly becoming a dangerous impediment to emergency service efforts, the membership of MRVFR developed a draft plan for a new facility that not only adequately equips its first responders but prepares for further growth in the community.
Laying Out the Proposed Project
Interim Consolidated Facility
MRVFR’s path forward to a new location and facility includes divesting of its real property assets, securing sufficient acreage for the new facility, securing sufficient funding, and relocating and consolidating all operations. This path is underway with the sale of the Leland Avenue property this November, erection of a temporary building in the parking lot of the Wilson Point station, and pending sale of remaining land and real property. Moreover, all operations are now conducted from the Wilson Point facility.
Projected Permanent Site
MRVFR acquired two adjoining plots of land on Bengies Court (off Route 43). This new, eight-acre plus site will more centrally locate MRVFR and improve response times to the busiest sections of our response area. It is closer to major roads and highways. It is nearer to the projected growth area of our service area and nearer to our commercial, industrial, and retail centers. Moreover, the new site offers the space needed to build a 21st century firehouse.
Projected Permanent Facility
The proposed 22,000 square foot facility will present an optimal floor plan for modern firefighting and emergency response. The new Station will include room for expansion and include features such as:
- Vehicle exhaust removal system. Cancer is the leading cause of Firefighter deaths. Diesel exhaust emissions are carcinogenic in humans, so removal of this hazard greatly impacts Firefighter health and safety.
- Apparatus Bay Floor Drains. Allows for collection of run off from decontamination of apparatus and equipment while minimizing slick surfaces, thereby removing hazards to Firefighters and environment.
- Gear Storage and Decontamination. Separate gear storage area with washers and dryers to allow for decontamination of carcinogens and other hazards
- Drive-through apparatus bays. Sixteen percent of emergency vehicle-related accidents occur while backing the apparatus. Utilizing drive through bays minimizes the need to back up apparatus, thereby decreasing vehicle damage, injuries, and lost time.
- Improved kitchen facilities. Accommodate more members and allow for more consistent apparatus staffing, and healthier dining alternatives for Firefighters.
- Exercise space and equipment. Promote Firefighter health and safety by improving overall physical fitness and decrease injuries and lost time.
- Bunk room, dorms, and restroom facilities. Allow for greater privacy for members of different genders during sleeping and showering.
A Surefire Investment
Baltimore County provides some financial support to volunteer companies such as MRVFR. Most of our budget, however, is met through grassroots fundraising efforts such as fill-the-boot drives, holiday tree and wreath sales, craft fairs, and other community activities.
The statistics to the right prove that we cannot leave our emergency efforts to chance. Seconds can be the difference between life and death. When a fire breaks out or a vehicle accident occurs or a water rescue is urgently needed, we assume as citizens that first responders will be readily available. We assume they will answer the call and bring with them the training, personnel, and equipment appropriate for the situation.
Yet, what if they are unavailable? What if budget cuts, out-of-date equipment, or traffic congestion keeps them from answering the call? Your life, your family, your home, your business is at risk!
Project Budget
Projected Costs
| Site Acquisition (2020 Dollars) | $1,340,000 |
| Facility Construction & Site Preparation (2023 Dollars) | $7,534,000 |
| Permits, Insurance, and Connection Fees (2021-22 Dollars) | $165,000 |
| Professional Fees (Architecture, Engineering, Testing and Fund Development) (2021-2022 Dollars) | $825,000 |
| Furnishings and Equipment (2024 Dollars) | $420,000 |
| Contingency (2024 Dollars) | $753,500 |
| Subtotal | $11,037,500 |
Source of Funds
| Site Donation (Seven Acres) | $1,035,000 |
| Existing Facilities Property (Sale or Loan) | $1,876,000 |
| Developer In-Kind | $300,000 |
| Restricted/Committed Funds | $104,000 |
| Subtotal | $3,315,000 |
| Net Total Funds Needed | $7,722,500 |
A $7.7225 Million Capital Campaign
Public and private philanthropic support is necessary to construct a new fire, rescue, and emergency medical services station for our community. A capital campaign to raise a minimum of $7.7225 million is expected to be launched in early 2022 and conclude in late 2022. Private investments in the campaign may be characterized as a charitable contribution pursuant to Section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code. Investors may make their payments immediately or choose to spread over a five-year period or less. In-kind gifts of materials, labor, and services may be accepted, and a variety of naming opportunities will be available.
Our Leadership
The Middle River Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company Board of Directors, Officers, and Operations and Administrative staff are involved in all elements of our goals, objectives, and plans. As a result of strong leadership, and the support of the community, MRVFR is healthy and in a state of balance and well-positioned to begin the major undertaking of constructing and operating a new fire, rescue, and emergency medical services station.