Blockburg VFD was founded on June 23, 1965 by Blockburg Town Council. The County Fire Department used to Blockburg until 1962. After 20 fatal fires, town council met in August 1963 to decide on a fire department. The city couldn’t use the old county firehouse because the Sheriff’s Department had already set up an office there. The city then found a plot of land on 117 North Street to build a firehouse. The station was a three bay brick built station with a kitchen, living quarters, and a basement. Then the city started to look for members, nine men originally signed up and the city choose Joseph Franklin III as Chief. The City then started to purchase gear for the department. They gathered $60,000 and purchased 9 fire coats, helmets, boots, hoses, hand tools, power tools, first aid gear, 15 Scott Air Packs, and basic firefighting gear. The station was finished in December of 1964. Now all the city needed was the apparatus. The city managed to find a used 1954 American LaFrance 700 Series Pumper in New York for sale and purchased it for $10,000. The city also purchased a 1955 Dodge Power Wagon and had a skid unit placed in the back. In April 1965 the city turned all decisions to the department and set a date for the department to be in service. The department spent a month and a half training and getting familiar with the equipment. On June 23, 1965 the department held an opening ceremony and was in service. People from the state, county, and town showed up to see the ceremony and were glad to see progress in the middle of wartime. BVFD was named Company 3 and plaques were given to all nine members and one was placed on the station. The department answered its first call on June 27, 1965, a structure fire on Patricia Drive. In 1971 the department gained the funds to purchase a brand new 1971 American LaFrance 900 Series 100’ Rear Mount Aerial. When Interstate 68 was finished and running at full speed in 1974, the department needed more rescue equipment. The department purchased a 1975 International 200/ Pierce Mini Pumper with Hurst rescue equipment and a 1975 Chevy Kodiak Pumper Tanker with a 4Guys body. In 1978 the department sadly lost one of their members in the line of duty. Jeff Franklin tragically lost his life trying to rescue three kids in the old abandoned Blockburg Salt Mine. Engine 6 carried his casket to the Norwood Hill Veterans Memorial Cemetery. In 1980 the department started to look for a replacement for Engine 6. Also Preston County started to transition to the 911 system, and put the departments in alphabetical order. This make Blockburg Company 3. The department decided to purchase a 1981 Sutphen pumper with a 1000 GPM Waterous Pump. In 1983 BVFD built a new 6 bay fire house on Pine Crest Avenue, selling the old station to the newly founded Blockburg Rescue Squad. In 1988 BVFD added a 1988 Pierce Lance 1500 GPM Custom Pumper. In 1990 the department decided that the 1955 Power Wagon with a 1990 Ford F-350/ E-One mini pumper. In 1997 the department added a 1997 Simon Duplex with a Saulsbury Walkin Rescue Body to replace the 1975 International. With the new Millennium approaching, the department has grown to 20 volunteer firefighters, 15 Ladies Auxiliary members, and the largest coverage area in the county. In 2004 USP Hazelwood opened and the department considered on building a second station to protect the prison. The department decided to put that decision on the side burner because the chief (Joseph Franklin III) was starting to get on in his golden years. The department decided to make Michael Savage chief. In 2012 Mike decided to retire from the fire department and the department choose T.J. Brammer for the new Chief. Also in 2012 Truck 3 and Pumper Tanker 3 was starting to experience major problems and the department was looking for a replacement. They looked toward KME Kovatch of Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania for a new aerial truck.But, the department then decided to purchase a 2012 KME SS 2000 Gallon Top-Mount Tanker with plans for a snozzle (added 2016). Truck 3 was sold to the same private collector who purchased the 54’ LaFrance and the 55’ Power Wagon, and the pumper tanker was sold to a local business. The department also sold the 1990 Ford to Purchase a 2012 Ford F-550/ KME Mini Rescue. The 75’ International is currently owned by Chief Brammer. In December the department purchased a 2012 Chevy 3500/ Midwest Fire Mini Pumper and a Demo 2012 HME 1871/ Ferrara HD-77’ Quint. In 2013 the department sold the 1981 Sutphen and 1988 Pierce and purchased a 2013 Sutphen S1 Custom Pumper. In January of 2013 BVFD opened Station 2 in Cherry Ridge and Station 3 in Cooper. In April Station 4 Opened in Glade Farms, and the department purchased a lot of trucks. Two command vehicles, a Ladder truck, a Tractor Drawn Aerial, 2 Pumpers, 2 Heavy Rescues, 2 Support vehicles, 1 Rescue Pumper, 1 Utility Pickup, and a Command Trailer. The department returned the Mini Rescue for the Utility and opened Station 5 in Hazelwood. In November of 2013 BVFD purchased a 2013 Ford E-350 and the county purchased a 2014 Rosenbauer Panther 8x8 Crash Truck for the airport outside of Cherry Ridge. Also the department took delivery of 3 new pieces of apparatus, Engine Rescue 5: 2014 E-One Cyclone II Rescue Pumper (Replacement for the HME/ Ferrara Quint), Engine 10: 2014 Pierce Arrow XT Urban Pumper, and Rescue 12: 2014 KME Predator Walk Around rescue. In 2015 the department ordered 12 more apparatus and 3 has been delivered, and the department is celebrating their 50th anniversary. The department ordered a 2015 International Workstar/ Seagrave Apollo II 105’ Platform with the same red paint that was used on the 1955 Power Wagon. In June of 2015 the department had 60 FFs, 30 Ladies auxiliary members, 27 pieces of Apparatus, 5 stations, and 3 Fire Dogs. The department is currently trying to track down the old Engines, Truck, Rescues and Brush Buggy to bring back home. The department is not going to buy back the '88 Pierce and the '92 Duplex, but the department is going to keep in touch with their current owners and invite them to BVFD events with those trucks. BVFD has plans to, if purchased, to use the 1981 Sutphen and the 1990 Ford/E-One as training rigs. Also BVFD is going to restore the '54 LaFrance, the '71 LaFrance, the '55 Powerwagon, the '75 International, and the '75 4Guys pumper tanker. The department is going to try to buy back our Sutphen from a department in Chile and restore it to become a training rig. The collector who had purchased the rigs had passed and his daughter had sold the rigs, and the department is working with her to try to find her dad’s trucks. If and when the department gets the rigs, they are going to restore the rigs to the way they looked when they served Blockburg and put them in Parades and compare them to modern apparatus at public events. All Current News events will be in the “News” page. Also as decided by a unanimous vote in a March 21, 2016 meeting, all new BVFD trucks and some of the older rigs will include the phrase "In God We Trust."