American LaFrance Pumper

THE LIMERICK FIRE COMPANY
A Brief History: 1921 - Present

   The Limerick Fire Company was organized in 1921 and chartered as a volunteer fire company in 1927. The company was chartered to service Limerick Township, Montgomery County and is one of only two fire companies servicing in Limerick Township. It received an advanced ruling from the IRS as a 501( c)(3) organization in 1988. The fire company began with twenty-seven charter members. Today, membership exceeds 250 people with 35 active firefighters. In 1927, Limerick Township was a mostly rural – primarily agricultural – community. Today the township is a major suburban hub with a mostly residential population approaching 14,000 people in more than 5,000 households.

   Through the years, the Limerick Fire Company – an all volunteer service – has kept pace with the changing needs of the area through facilities, equipment, volunteers and training. These changes have been significant. The Limerick Nuclear Power Plant necessitates on-going specialized training for nuclear incidents. The construction of the Route 422 by-pass necessitated the addition of vehicle rescue services. The fire company began providing this service in 1996. Since then they have performed nearly ninety (90) vehicle rescue extrication’s saving over 100 lives. This major transportation artery also brought incredible population growth.

   This growth is documented in the census counts showing a 102.3% increase in the population between 1990 and 2000 – from 6,691 to 13,534. The fire company’s emergency response volume has tripled since 1990.

   Emergency Call Volume

   In 2001 there were 397 emergency calls needing an average of nine fire fighting personnel per call. Through October 31, 2002, we have run 351 emergency calls. This projects out to 421 total emergency calls. This will be a 6% increase over 2001. In 2002 alone, we have performed fourteen (14) confirmed vehicle extrications. To date, 87% of our total emergency responses are in Limerick Township. Our mutual outside of Limerick township accounts for only 13% of our total emergency responses.

   Apparatus

1928 American LaFrance Pumper (Red in Color)  RETIRED 1950
1950 International High Pressure Fog Pumper – Limerick 1 (1st Green Fire Truck)  RETIRED 1981
1957 Chevy Panel Van - Utility - Limerick 6  RETIRED 1976
1964 Ford Hahn 750 GPM/750 Water Pumper – 54-21  RETIRED 1990
1968 Ford Tanker 425 GPM/2,000 Water – Tanker 54   RETIRED 2004
1976 Ford Boyertown Utility – 54-82  SOLD 2000 to Ridley Twp
1979 Chevy Saulsbury Fire Police Truck – 54-9 (Former Collegeville 34-6)  SOLD 2000 to Ridley Twp.
1981 Ford Hahn 1,000 GPM/1,000 Water Pumper – 54-22  RETIRED 1997
1989 E-One Cyclone Engine 1,500 GPM/1,000 Water – Engine 54  IN-SERVICE
1990 Pace American Generator Trailer 28 kw Power Plant – Spec. Serv.-54  IN-SERVICE
1997 Duplex-LTI Rescue Engine 1,750 GPM/500 Water – Squad 54  IN-SERVICE
2000 Ford Expedition Officer’s Vehicle  IN-SERVICE
2001 E-One Cyclone II HP-100 Ladder 2,000 GPM/500 Water – Ladder 54  IN-SERVICE