History

    THIS PAGE TELLS SOME HISTORY ON THE IMLER FIRE COMPANY AND HOW IT WAS FORMED.

     BECAUSE OF IT'S REMOTE LOCATION, IMLER AND THE SURROUNDING AREA HAD TO DEPEND OF FIRE PROTECTION FROM LARGER COMMUNITIES 8 MILES AWAY. ON DECEMBER 18, 1969 THE HOME OF GRACE McCREARY, A WIDOW, WAS DESTROYED BY A FIRE THAT SEVERAL RESIDENTS OF IMLER FELT COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED HAD A FIRE COMPANY BEEN AVAILABLE WITHOUT HAVING TO TRAVEL 8 MILES. FOLLOWING THAT FIRE, TERRY L. MOCK SPEARHEADED A DRIVE TO ORGANIZE A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY TO BE BASED IN IMLER TO SERVE THE SURROUNDING AREA.

     ON DECEMBER 27, 1969 THE FIRST OF SEVERAL MEETINGS WERE HELD AT IMLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO ORGANIZE THE VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. 33 INTERESTED RESIDENTS ATTENDED THE FIRST MEETING WITH NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS COMING IN TO SUPPORT THE IDEA. AT THE NEXT MEETING, JANUARY 3, 1970, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY DECIDED TO APPLY FOR INCORPORATION AS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE IMLER AREA VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY. AFTER MUCH HARD WORK AND HELP FROM NEIGHBORING FIRE COMPANIES OF CLAYSBURG, ALUM BANK,  BEDFORD AND ATTNY. DON C. REILEY OF BEDFORD, THE FIRE COMPANY WAS OFFICIALLY INCORPORATED AS THE IMLER AREA VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY ON MARCH 23, 1970.

     IN JUNE OF 1970 THE COMPANY PURCHASED 1 ACRE OF LAND FROM THE CHESTNUT RIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTING A FIRE HALL. ON JULY 5, 1970 GROUND BREAKING CEREMONIES WERE HELD FOR A BUILDING 92 FEET LONG AND 53 FEET 4 INCHES WIDE. THE HALL IS OF CEMENT BLOCK CONSTRUCTION, CONTAINING 3 TRUCK BAYS, A SOCIAL ROOM, A HOSE DRYING ROOM, REST ROOMS, AND A KITCHEN.

     AFTER VOLUNTEER LABOR HAD THE GROUND AND BUILDING COMPLETED, AN OPEN HOUSE-DEDICATION WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 20, 1971. THANKS TO MUCH HARD WORK DONE BY THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE LADIES AUXILIARY, THE $17,500.00 MORTGAGE ON THE BUILDING WAS PAID OFF IN LATE 1973.

     IN EARLY FEBURARY, 1997 FIRE DESTROYED THE IMLER FIRE COMPANY'S SOCIAL HALL THIS BUILDING ON HOUSE 2 BLS AMBULANCE'S WITCH BOTH WERE SAVED THANKS TO DAVE BARGER WHO WAS AT THE BAREFOOT'S GARAGE AND ROCKY FETTER WHO WAS DRIVING TOWARD'S THE FIRE HALL WHEN THE CALL CAME OUT. THE BUILDING WAS A TOTAL LOSS AND WAS INVESTAGATED BY PSP FIRE MARSHALL'S AND THE CAUSE FOUND TO BE ELECTRICAL. THE 2 AMBULANCE'S WAS HOUSE IN THE TRUCK BUILDING AND THE BRUSH TRUCK WAS HOUSED IN BAREFOOT'S GARAGE AND ENGINE 42-15 WAS HOUSED AT A GARAGE ON S. IMLER VALLEY ROAD IN OSTERBURG. 

     2 WEEKS AFTER THE 1st FIRE, IMLER FIRE COMPANY WAS AGAIN HIT BY FIRE, THIS TIME IT WAS THE TRUCK BUILDING. THIS FIRE DESTROYED A RESCUE BUILD BY THE MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY, A 1969 FORD TANKER, A 1983 FORD ENGINE, A 1988 FORD BLS AMBULANCE, AND MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT. 1 1994 BLS AMBULANCE WAS SAVED WITH ONLY MINOR DAMAGE. THE PSP FIRE MARSHALL'S AGAIN AT THE SCENE AND REOPENED INVESTAGATION ON THE 1st FIRE AND FOUND BOTH FIRES TO BE ARSON.