The Hartly Vol. Fire Co was established in 1926 after an arsonist struck over the town. The first fire was in the building of the Patriotic Order Sons of America, followed by a garage fire, 2 vehicle fires, a barn, 2 more vehicles, a house and 2 basement fires set again in the P.O.S.of A. Since then, the station has been in three different locations. The original fire house (1926-1933) cost $500 and housed one pumper, a 1926 Graham-Dodge Chemical Truck that cost $5,000. It was located across from the church in what is now the church parking lot. In 1933 a new station was built right around the corner enabling us to house additional fire units:

• A GMC Pumper with a 250 GPM rotary pump in 1937
• A new 1942 Ford V8 Pumper with 700 gallons of water in 1941
• A 1939 Pontiac Ambulance from Bridgeville Fire Co in 1950
• A GMC Pumper-Tanker with 800 gallons of water and a 750 GPM pump in 1953
• The first Rescue, a 1958 Ford, was added in 1968
• The current station was built in 1978 and housed 8 pieces of apparatus; 3 Engines, a Rescue, a Brush Unit, 2 Ambulances, and a Light and Power unit.

While the present station is located across the street from the old one (which has since been remodeled into a child day care), it is and always has been right in the heart of Hartly. There have been many different changes over the years, whether it be upgrading from some of the older apparatus to keep up with modern technology, or changing the leadership getting fresh minds and new ideas, there is always one thing in mind, our community’s safety.

Even though the town of Hartly is rather small, our fire district is actually fairly large, 38 square miles to be exact. Sharing boarders with our neighbors of Camden (Sta. 41), Cheswold (Sta. 43), Clayton (Sta. 45), Dover (Sta. 46), Marydel (Sta. 56), and Sudlersville MD (Queen Anne’s County Sta. 6). Our total response area including our first due is around 180 square miles. We run around 300 fire alarms a year while the ambulance is constantly busy running 900 emergencies a year.

Hartly Volunteer Fire Co currently consists of:

• Two Engines (51-2 and 51-3)
• Heavy Duty Rescue 51-6
• Tanker 51-5
• Brush 51-1
• Two Ambulances (A-51 and B-51)
• Utility 51-9
• Light and Air Unit (Light and Air 51-10)
• Antique Engine (51-4) as a parade piece

We have over 100 personnel with various tasks from Firefighters and Line officers, as well as EMT's who handle emergencies in our district and those of our neighbors. However, while responding to alarms and emergencies is a huge factor, the organization of our company would not exist if not for the administrative side to the Fire Company who take care of, but not limited to the up-keep of the fire house. The Hartly Volunteer Fire Company is always striving to provide the best service to our community and our neighbors.