SPONSOR:

Sen. Ennis on behalf of all Senators & Rep. Carson

Rep. Mitchell on behalf of all Representatives

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 60

HONORING THE DELAWARE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER’S ASSOCIATION FOR A CENTURY OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, during 2021, the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association is marking one hundred years of service to the citizens of Delaware, having been established as “the Delaware State Volunteer Firemen’s Association” on the 24th Day of February 1921, during a meeting at the Carlisle Fire Company in Milford; and

WHEREAS, this action followed several earlier efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to establish a statewide volunteer firefighter’s organization which had proved unsuccessful; and

WHEREAS, the organizational meeting of the new association was attended by delegates from the Robbins Hose Company of Dover, the Georgetown Fire Company, the Harrington Fire Company, the Laurel Fire Company, the Lewes Fire Company, the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown, the Milton Fire Company, the Citizen’s Hose Company of Smyrna, and the Carlisle Fire Company; and

WHEREAS, the assembled delegates adopted the following resolution: “Resolved, that we, the delegates of the Volunteer Fire Companies in the State of Delaware, in convention assembled in order to form a more perfect organization, establish harmony, insure prosperity and success, obtain and compile statistics concerning the practical working of various apparatus, cultivate fraternal fellowship among the companies and promote the best interest of the Volunteer Firemen of Delaware, do hereby form an organization to be known as the Delaware State Volunteer Firemen’s Association”; and

WHEREAS, the association, which now includes all 60 volunteer fire companies in Delaware, has continued to hold annual conventions, with the exceptions of 1942 through 1944, when gatherings were restricted because of World War II to executive meetings, and 2020, when no annual convention was held because of the Coronavirus Pandemic; and

WHEREAS, there were several factors that caused volunteer firefighters to organize, among which were the natural bonds of fraternal feeling that firefighters shared, the need to exchange ideas and knowledge about the most current information on firefighting, the understanding that the establishment of a statewide organization could influence political change to bring about a better funding stream in support of fire companies, and the need to form a benevolent association to assist those members and their families who were injured or killed on the fire ground; and

WHEREAS, another important factor was the fact that firemen routinely traveled from state to state and would visit fire companies in places where their travels took them and some Delaware fire companies, particularly the Wilmington Fire Department, were particularly active in hosting large gatherings of firemen and traveling on return visits; and

WHEREAS, “Sister Company” relationships were established with fire companies in other cities, such as the old Friendship Fire Company No. 1 of Wilmington, which had a long-term relationship with Friendship No. 1 of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, both companies having been chartered in the 1700’s; and

WHEREAS, another factor in the formation of the association was the existence of long-running rivalries between fire companies, sometimes dating back for generations, and the need to channel those rivalries into friendly and constructive contests and demonstrations as a way of building pride and firefighting skills among member companies; and

WHEREAS, among the many activities of the association is the operation of a number of statewide subsidiary associations, including the Fire Chief’s Association, the Emergency Medical Services Association, the Fire Police Association, the Ladies Auxiliary Association - LADVFA, and the Mutual Relief Association; and

WHEREAS, throughout its century of service, the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association has lived up to its mission of “serving, promoting, advocating, coordinating, representing, and supporting the interests of the member Companies in the performance of providing community-based Fire, Rescue, Emergency Medical, and other emergency response-related services to the citizens of the State of Delaware.”

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the 151st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, does hereby commend the entire membership of the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, past and present, for their outstanding service on behalf of the citizens of Delaware over the past century.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members do hereby extend our heartfelt appreciation to the members of the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association and extend sincere hopes that they will enjoy many more years of success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association and its member companies upon its passage.

SYNOPSIS

This Senate Concurrent Resolution honors the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association for a century of service to the citizens of Delaware.

Author: Senator Ennis