The Milroy Hose Company #1 of Armagh Township Mifflin County is starting its 81st Year of Service in 2009. Through the years the department and its members have seen their share of highs and lows. The following history will depict only a small amount of the remarkable history and stories of pride, honor, hardship and brotherhood that the members of the Milroy Hose Company have seen in 81 years of service.

In the fall of 1926 eight members of Armagh Township took it upon themselves to offer one thing to the town of Milroy that it was still missing. These eight original members started the process of what would become known as the Milroy Hose Company #1. By the spring of 1928 a full incorporation and non-profit organization came about and from that day on would be known as the Milroy Hose Company #1, the Milroy fire department. The fire department found its original home on South Main Street at the center of town just off of the Fountain Square where it remained until the spring of 1992.

The Milroy Hose Company found its first new piece of fire fighting apparatus in 1929, a Chevy Diamond T engine pumper. This piece of apparatus remained in service and property of the Milroy Hose Company until it was sold to another local fire department, the Bannerville Fire Company of Snyder County, who over time restored the Diamond T and now places the unit in service for parades.

In the spring of 1946 the Milroy Hose Company obtained a second piece of property that adjoined the current station. A loan in the amount of $16,000 dollars was granted to purchase and build an addition onto the current station and became the new engine room. This part of the building still stands today and serves as the Milroy branch of the Mifflin County Library and the Armagh Township Senior Citizen Center known as the Fountain Square Senior Center. In 1954 the members of the Milroy Fire department placed into service a 1954 Chevy Pumper, this unit replace the Diamond T as the frontline attack piece.

In the early 1950’s a second group of people, some from the Milroy Hose Company started what was known as the Milroy Ambulance Service. The Milroy Ambulance service started its career with a 1950’s Cadillac Ambulance. It was not long after its inception that these good men and women showed up at the regular meeting of the Milroy Hose Company #1 asking the fire department to take over the day to day operations of the Milroy Ambulance Service. It was this day that the Milroy Ambulance Service came to be known as the Milroy Hose Company # 1 EMS.

In 1963 the members purchased a new frontline attack engine, a 1963 International Bruco Pumper, retiring the 1954 Chevy. The following years prove to show the start of good things, with membership growing and apparatus upgrades coming full force. In 1970 an International Tanker was bought and only a few short years later became the only tanker in Mifflin County to have a deck mounted deluge gun mounted to it, creating more water in volume and with greater pressure than any other piece of apparatus in Mifflin County. This move proved to be bold in itself, but well worth the criticism that it received, becoming the first piece out on all structure fires. Also in the 1970’s the Milroy Hose Company purchased its first van style ambulance which was manufactured on a Dodge chassis. In the last year of the 70’s a 1979 Ford F-350 single axle pickup truck was purchased and fabricated to a dual axle mini attack bush truck and was placed into service and was then moved to first response on a calls due to the upgrade in speed.

In May of 1988 the Milroy Hose Company #1 suffered its first major blow as a Fire Department. On an early evening in May the Milroy Hose Company along with several mutual aid departments received the call to respond to a working garage fire on the New Lancaster Valley road. Upon arrival of first in apparatus and personal, a distraught man was waiting for personnel in the tree line fatality killing fire police man Daryl Fultz and firefighter Dennis Briggs Sr., also wounding a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper, proving to be a challenging time, a true brotherhood among the members and surrounding departments. In 1989 the Milroy Hose Company placed into service its first custom built engine, a 1989 FMC Spartan pumper, also showing the first building renovations in the apparatus area in years. This renovation was needed so that the new piece of apparatus would fit in the fire station. Also in the 1980’s a second Dodge Ambulance was placed into service coming from Wheeled Coach Ambulance Company.

On February 1st 1992 the Milroy Hose Company #1 suffered its second major set back in 5 years. At 4:00 AM Mifflin County 911 center alerted mutual aid companies to a possible structure fire in the area of 15 South Main Street Armagh Township. The home of the Milroy Hose Company was ablaze, set fire by an arsonist in the grand oak stair way leading to the banquet hall on the second floor. Had it not been for the efforts of the McCoy family, members of the Milroy Fire department would have never known that their house was on fire. Alert tones had never been set off for the Milroy Hose Company, the McCoy’s whom were active with the fire department pushed the manual house siren button waking members who lived close enough to the station so that they could arrive at the stations to assist in firefighting and equipment salvage. It is said that Mrs. McCoy stood guard at a window with a garden hose pouring what water she could on the fire, while Mr. McCoy and son started to pull apparatus out of the building before it would be severely damaged by fire. Without the efforts of those first arriving, the McCoy’s, the Warner’s, the O’Donnell’s, Chief Staib, Chief Wagner and Chief Stringfellow, and all the members of the Milroy Hose Company everything would have been lost. All in all the building and most of it contents were a total loss, but due to the efforts of the members that were able to show up right away, all fire and EMS equipment, and all fire and EMS apparatus were saved from the fire, with minor to no damage.

While the major set back of the fire was weighing heavily on the minds of the members, fire protection and EMS assistance had to go on. Apparatus was stored in various locations around the town, while day to day operations were being conducted out of local churches. While in the wake of the fire house fire, the famous Big Valley barn fires start on March 17th 1992. Amazing enough, the Milroy Hose Company responded to each and every fire that night, while operating out of make shift fire departments, and having members go where ever they were needed. A new station was in the works, at the location of the old Armagh Township High School located at 190 College Ave. In the fall of 1992 members were able to move their apparatus into the new station. Though at this time there was only a shell and concrete in the building, we were able to move our apparatus into one building. The following spring marked the grand opening of the Milroy Hose Company #1 at its College Ave location. At the time a state of the art facility was open, two offices, a members social room, a meeting room, and a banquet hall capable of seating 200 with a full kitchen area and the apparatus area with storage rooms for EMS and Fire and Mechanics room.

Today marks the next day of better years to come, just celebrating our 80th year of service, and continuing to upgrade apparatus as needed, with the current fleet showing the true dedication and commitment of the members and community of Amragh Township with the following currently in service, 2004 Pierce Pumper, 1989 FMC Spartan Pumper, 1996 E-One Tanker, 2002 Ford F-550 Brush Truck, 1998 E-One Ambulance, 2000 AEV Ambulance, 2006 Horton Ambulance. Through the continued dedication of the members of the Milroy Hose Company #1 we will be here for another 80 years providing service and dedication to the citizens of Armagh Township and the County of Mifflin.