Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department History

The Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department (Calvert County Station 5) was officially established in May 1975 as a substation of the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department (Calvert County Station 1). The original station was located at 10250 Southern Maryland Boulevard.

When operations began, Dunkirk provided emergency services to Calvert, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s Counties with a modest fleet consisting of two engines, one brush truck, and two ambulances. The engines were Engine 51, a Pierce, and Engine 53, a Ford. The brush truck, a Ford pickup, operated as Engine 55. The ambulances were designated 58 and 59.

In 1981, Dunkirk officially separated from the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department, forming an independent organization with 34 charter members. Today, the department has grown to include more than 100 operational, administrative, probationary, and junior members. The first Fire Chief was Ray Hardesty, and the first President was Leonard “Buck” Jones Jr.

When the department began, top responders typically handled 50 to 100 calls per year. Today, the most active members respond to nearly ten times that number, reflecting both community growth and expanded service demands.

In 2003, the department moved into its current station at 3170 West Ward Road. Another major milestone came in 2018 with the addition of a ladder truck—originally purchased used from the Dale City (VA) Volunteer Fire Department. In 2020, Dunkirk received delivery of its first brand-new ladder truck.

Today, Dunkirk operates two engines (51 and 52), a tanker, a rescue engine, a ladder truck, a brush truck, a zodiac, an ambulance, and four command units.

Eng 51: 2006 Seagrave

Eng 52: 2024 Seagrave

Rescue Eng 5: 2003 Seagrave

Truck 5: 2020 Seagrave

Tanker 5: 2018 Mack

Brush 5: 2019 Ford F-350

Amb 59: 2016 Dodge

Zodiac 5: 2003 Apex Zodiac

Car 5: 2016 GMC Yukon

Command 5: 2018 Chevy Tahoe

Utility 5: 2017 Ford F-250

Utility 5A: 2004 Chevy Tahoe

Here are pictures of the old station and some of the old apparatus. 

Credit to the photographers.