The History of the Gamber & Community Fire Company
Organized - August 22,1963
Incorporated - May 11,1964
 

    A major barn fire occurred in the Louisville area of Carroll County in July 1963. The barn belonged to a Mr. Bernard Potts, a lawyer from Baltimore City . At that time, there was no local fire company in the area and the barn was a complete loss.

    Sensing the need for a local fire company, Mr. Potts posted a petition at Ford's Store (Rt.32 & Rt. 91) asking for the names and addresses of those interested in starting a local fire company in Gamber. Gathering the petition from Ford's Store, Mr. Potts, at his own expense, mailed out notices of a meeting to be held at the Gamber Baptist Church .

    The speakers for this meeting would be a fire chief from Baltimore City , a lieutenant from the Maryland State Police, and the presidents and fire chiefs from the neighboring fire companies. After the speakers had finished, a discussion was held on the need for a fire company in the Gamber area. It was decided that the group would meet again in two weeks at the Gamber Baptist Church .

    At the second meeting the group decided to organized and elect officers to see if they could start a fire company. The fist elected officers were:
President    Oscar Brothers                 Vice President    Irvin Ellis
Secretary    Virginia Brothers               Treasurer    Wilbur Burke

    The next meeting was held at the Calvary Methodist Church and future meetings were held at the Mechanicsville School .

    It was during one of these meetings when President Brothers stated that money was needed to pay for correspondence, stamps, etc., and asked the assemblage for donations. The group donated over $100 by the end of the meeting.

    After several meetings, the group decided that there should be a male secretary of the organization. Mrs. Brothers graciously agreed to step aside and Mr. Robert Burns was elected secretary.

    The only business accomplished during 1963 and early 1964 was the preparation of a constitution and by-laws, which were researched by Irvin Ellis, Steward Patterson, Clayton Moreland, and Bernard Uhler. Finally, the charter establishing Gamber & Community Fire Company as a legal corporation was received in May 1964.

    A used Chevrolet pick-up truck, Gamber's first motorized equipment, was purchased. By early 1965, the company's first authentic piece of fire equipment was ordered. This apparatus, to be named Engine 132, was delivered in December 1965. Also, in early 1965, land and a building located at the intersection of Routes 32 and 91 were purchased from Mr. Shipley.

    In April 1966, the Ladies Auxiliary donated a base station radio to the company and a radio for the new engine. Then in May 1966, the company was accepted into the Carroll County Volunteer Fireman's Association.

    The company held a raffle, in August 1966, for 50 shares of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Stock. A profit of $1768.83 was raised. The credit for the raffle, which became the largest fund raising affair so far for the company, was the idea of Mr. Gerald Lindsay.

     During the Christmas holiday season of 1966, an automobile failed to stop at the intersections of Routes of 32 and 91 and demolished the front of the firehouse. Engine 132 and Utility 134 were damaged and both pieces were out of service until repairs could be made. The Manchester Volunteer Fire Company loaned the company a fire engine so they could maintain service.

    The mortgage on the building was paid off in 1967 and the company's first full week of carnival was held. In 1969, the company decided to buy a new brush truck from the Oren Corporation in Virginia, and a 1000-gallon tanker from Hyattstown. In addition, the company's first annual banquet was held in 1969.

    The purchase of the carnival grounds, about one mile on London Bridge Road , form Mr. Miller, was settled in 1971. This year also marked the payoff of the balance of Engine 132. A pole shed was erected on the carnival grounds in 1972, with the help of the Ladies Auxiliary, which donated $1000 towards the project.

    In 1973, the loan on Brush 135 was paid off. The company then decided to order a new 1000-gallon per minute pumper with an 800 gallon tank.

    A parcel of land, located at the corner of Route 32 and Niner Road , was purchased from Mr. Clark in 1974. This land was bought for the purpose of building a new engine house and an attached social hall. Plans were formulated for a 5000 square foot, four-engine house, and an attached 7000 square foot activities hall.

    In March 1975, the company received the new pumper. It was placed into service in April and labeled Engine 131. On Sept. 6, 1975 the company moved into its new facilities, just nine months after construction started. As a direct result of the company's fund raising, the building mortgage was paid off by 1980.

    A major milestone was reached for the company in June 1977, when it purchased a 1976 Chevrolet ambulance, to be known as Ambulance 139. This acquisition and the volunteers who received the Emergency Medical Technician training allowed the company to qualify as an ambulance company.

    An increasing number of fire calls over the years caused the company to approve the purchase of a new 2,000-gallon engine-tanker in 1982. This unit, to be known as Engine 133, cost about $200,000 with equipment was funded through a low-interest loan paid for most of this engine-tanker.

    The increase in company fund-raising activities mandated that an additional storage and refrigeration space be acquired. A small addition was added to the north side of the social hall in 1982 at a cost of $44,000. It included a walk-in refrigerator for the kitchen, a walk-in cold storage box, and a walk-in freezer. Space for chairs and tables were also provided.

    The ambulance had received heavy service over a period of five years and was in dire need of replacement. The company voted to purchase a new ambulance in 1983. This new ambulance, a Ford chassis with a Horton box, arrived and was placed in service in 1984. It was still called Ambulance 139.    
    
    The company had been holding its annual carnivals for about ten years at the London Bridge Rd. property. This property was sold and the proceeds were used as a down payment to purchased about ten acres of property adjacent to the fire house on Niner Rd. and Route 32. This acreage would be used as the new carnival grounds.
  
   Two additional pieces of equipment were added to Gambers inventory. The first, a civil defense era four wheel drive Dodge truck which added a second brush truck to the fleet, known as Brush 136. The second, a new Dodge crew cab pick-up, served as an all purpose utility vehicle, was known as Utility 13 and was donated by the Auxiliary.

    The company became a medic company in 1985, when they reached the minimum allowable number trained Cardiac Rescue Technicians (CRT's) as mandated by the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Systems rules.

    The age and condition of the existing Engine 131 required that the company begin the serious job of looking for a replacement. A new fire engine was ordered in 1985 to replace Engine 131. It was placed in service in 1986 and cost $230,000. The new engine had a 1,000 gallon water tank.

    In 1986, the company was investigating what was missing from the emergency needs of Gamber and Carroll County . It was decided that a dive rescue team was appropriate addition to the existing inventory of the emergency services provided to the community. The company approved the purchase of a Zodiac rubber boat, outboard motor, and trailer in that year. This unit would be known as Boat 13 and to be trailered behind Utility 13.

    Boat 13, three fire engines, two brush trucks, an ambulance, and a utility had the four bay engine room bursting at the seams. It became obvious that the company had to expand its engine bay. An architect was hired and plans were drawn and approved adding two additional bays. The second floor would include a men's and women's bunk room, bathrooms, offices, and a classroom. Ground breaking began in the fall of 1987 and the building was completed in the fall of 1988.

    In 1988, a 1987 Chevrolet one ton step van was donated by the Auxiliary to be used as a dive team van. It was out fitted by company members and can accommodate the needs of the dive team. It can also be used as either a light truck or by the auxiliary for canteen service. It is known as Special Unit 13.

    In the fall of 1988, the company was faced with the reality that our original piece of equipment was starting to show its age -21 years of service to the Gamber Community. The unit was purchased new in 1965 from International/ Howe, and was in dire need of major repair or replacement. A committee was formed in 1988 to investigate the refurbishing of Engine 132. Mt. Aetna Body Works Inc. was selected as the company who would restore Engine 132 to its original splendor. However, Mt.Aetna, after striping down the engine, went into bankruptcy. This left us with the shell of an engine and a box of parts. A new committee was formed in 1989, and they contracted Fire Fab III, Inc. of Chambersburg , Pa. to finish the job. In Feb, 1990, Engine 132 came back to us as beautiful and functional as new. 

    A committee was formed in 1990 to replace Brush 135 which was 20 years old. In December 1993 the company took delivery of the mini-pumper truck which was custom built. It serves duel purposes, a brush truck for woods fires and drafting operations for tanker shuttles. The entire body is stainless steel and is expected to last a long time. The decision was also made to go back to the red over white for our apparatus colors.