Staff Report
The Capital
ODENTON, Md. — Christmas came early this year to the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company. The fire company purchased a new pumper engine, which was delivered almost a month ago.
Ray Hodgson, a lifelong resident of Odenton, sat in a boardroom. The walls were decorated with awards and recognitions OVFC has earned over the years.
Pride for OVFC is evident in Ray. Following in his father’s footsteps, Ray joined the company in January 1967. He holds many hats at OVFC: assistant chief, Odenton Day organizer, and perhaps the one favored by children, Ray is the Santa Claus for OVFC events.
Opportunity to oversee the purchase of a new vehicle for the company doesn’t come that often and Ray was happy to add that to his already full plate.
The old pumper engine lasted 25 years and Ray has high hopes that the new one will last just as long. The 84 active members of OVFC run about 5,000 calls a year, and the call to duty for the engine wears on the apparatus.
After the pleasantries, Ray is all business. With 44 years experience at OVFC, 24 years with Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and currently with Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, Ray brings a lot of experience and insight to the table; it’s no wonder that he was made chair of the Apparatus Committee.
“The design on this one is a lot safer to operate,” said Ray. The new engine meets all standards and codes currently required. One advantage of the newer engine is a smaller wheel base so the engine can get in and out of tight community areas.
The new engine still seats the same amount of firefighters but has more compartments then the older engine.
The new engine allows for all the firefighters onboard to have headphones. This gives them the ability to listen to the radio operator, the driver, and the firefighters don’t have the sirens bothering them.
Another feature the new engine sports is its ability to hold 500 gallons of water, “Allows us to do an awful lot,” said Ray. There is also Rhino Liner inside the cab, as well as inside compartments, which hold tools and equipment.
This additional protection helps preserve its appearance as well as save on maintenance costs. LED lighting has also been installed inside compartments making it easy to see where items are at night time.
The OVFC Apparatus Committee of eight put together specs and posted them for everyone at the fire house to comment on. Then they sent the specs to three companies.
The year-and-a-half process came down to Pierce Manufacturing. Pierce was able to meet the specs and provide service close by in Linthicum.
This is the first time OVFC has purchased a Pierce; the other vehicles have been Seagraves.
The new engine will be dedicated on Jan. 28 at OVFC 1425 Annapolis Road. Until then the new engine is at the station getting accessories installed. Drivers will also need to be trained on the new engine before taking it out on a call.
The pumper engine price was $460,000. It is paid for by the fund-raisers OVFC sponsors. Minimal funds are provided by the county. OVFC is community funded and the new pumper engine is something our community can be proud that we helped purchase.
As Ray likes to remind us all “without support from the community we couldn’t do this — the community needs a big thank you. We are very fortunate to have the community we have.”
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