Delaware volunteer firefighters mark 100 years of service

On Feb. 24, 1921, the Delaware Volunteer Firefighters Association was formed at a meeting in Milford.  

The resolution unanimously passed on that day read as follows: “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 piratical workings of the various systems and the merits of the 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 Firemen’s Association.”

This was the formation of today’s Delaware Volunteer Firefighters Association.  The association planned to revisit the first meeting with a ceremony in Milford Feb. 24, to kick off the 100-year celebration but canceled those plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The events to celebrate the 100 years are now scheduled for Sept. 13-18, at the annual conference held at Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center.  The week-long activities of educational events, memorials and meetings will culminate with an old-time firemen’s parade Saturday, Sept. 18, in Dover. 

“We are hoping that all the fire companies in Delaware would attend the 100th Anniversary Parade and bring their antique apparatus,” said Norman “Jay” Jones, president of the Delaware Volunteer Firefighters Association. “Since 1775, the volunteer fire companies in Delaware have served their communities with dedication and distinction.”