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Brooklandville Station 14 History By Lieutenant Jeff Kreimer, Station 14D Shift Brooklandville Fire Station 14, located on Falls Rd near Old Court, was placed into operation on January 15th, 1966, by then Battalion Chief Merrymen. Assigned to the station was Engine 14, a 1951 Mack model L85F and Ambulance 14. The engine is now known as refurbished Engine 5, seen in many parades and musters. The station came to fruition from the community need resulting from a 1962 fatal residential arson fire on Old Court Rd and Greenspring Ave., which split the Pikesville and Towson Fire districts. This fire claimed the lives of 4 children in the Poland family. Three persons were convicted of this fire. According to the ledger, a log of responses and record of what personnel were working, Battalion Chief Dietz visited at 0900 on the opening day and the first response was a brush fire at Falls Rd and Shoemaker Ave. Another interesting fact from the station ledger is what personnel were working and notable happenings in the station house. One comical entry is the delivery of the candy machine. It was delivered on January 16th, 1966, one day after the station opened! In the 1960’s, personnel were allowed off for civil defense training. Station 14 has remnants of the cold war era to this day. One example is the basements fresh filtered air fan. The station was a designated fallout shelter. While cleaning the basement, personnel found sealed cans of hard candy, which after being emptied, could be used as a toilet! Also found were 5 gallon cans of drinking water. Station 14 is known for housing the Hazardous Materials Unit. The Haz Mat Team was formed by then Battalion Chief Edward Crooks. The unit that the team responded with was a 1965 Seagrave, old Engine 41. It was place in service in 1981. Presently, the team responds with a 1989 Salisbury haz mat unit and a 2002 Freightliner foam unit. Some of the major fires in Brooklandville are the St. Paul’s school fire, and the Rockland Bleach and Die Co. This particular facility was known for multiple fires in previous years. The haz mat team also participated in the Amtrak train derailment in 1987, the Stealth Fighter plane crash in 1997, and the Gasoline Tanker crash and fire on I-95 in 2003. Post 9/11, the haz mat team has been working hard to keep up with advancing technology with the threat of terrorism. One of the well known members of Station 14 is FF/Paramedic John McCruden. He was widely known for his Irish heritage, playing the bag pipes for Line of Duty Funerals, Memorial Services, and Parades. Personnel always seemed to enjoy his vast knowledge of weaponry and show and tell of said weaponry! One note of interest, when Brother McCruden passed due to cancer, refurbished Engine 5 (first Engine 14) carried him to his final resting place. One last note of interest is Thistle the dog. He became the mascot for Station 14 and was well loved. Thistle was Battalion Chief Abe Light’s favorite dog. Rumor has it, that if you didn’t like Thistle, you would not be assigned to Station 14 for very long.
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