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Thanks. I put the wrong link on before.
http://www.co.ba.md.us/Agencies/fire/stationinfo/st7essex.html
Rescue-131: Which engine is the Vol. and Career?
Both Eng.7 and 71 are career engines out of the same house. There is no volunteer organization located in Essex. Nearby volunteer companies are Middleburough (23),Roclaway Beach (24)and Hyde Park (25).
Steve, originally the career companies were numbered 1-19 and the volunteer companies were numbered 200- 530, but the volunteers were alway alerted over the air by name, not number and all the volunteer apparatus used a three digit number. Then in the early 1980's when the county built a new career station, rather then make it station 20, they decided to conform it to the new communications system that was being installed which recognized the volunteer companies as a two digit number, so the new station was made #54, although the volunteers continued to be alerted by name over the air. The next new carer stations to follow are numbered 55-60. A few years back, the Baltimore Co. Volunteer Fireman's Association finally agreed to drop the zero at the end of volunteer station numbers and be alerted by number, not name, so now the volunteers are #20-53. The apparatus continues to use the 3 digit numbers for volunteer apparatus.
In Baltimore Co, the career and volunteers operate together, but they are separate, meaning the volunteers own their own buildings and equipment. There are no county career personnel assigned to the stations. Some of the more financially well off volunteer companies pay daytime drivers and EMT's to staff their equipment. The county gives each volunteer company an annual allotment, all other monies are raised by donations and fund raiser events.