Chestnut Ridge
Volunteer Fire Company
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Chestnut Ridge
Volunteer Fire Company
- …
It all started in 1956
About CRVFC
Over 65 Years of Saving Lives and Property in Baltimore County
Since 1956, the Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company has proudly served the citizens of Baltimore County. As a 100% volunteer company, our membership is made up of Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, Physicians and Administrative members, most of whom are residents of the community we serve. Our first-due coverage area consists of homes, farms, and businesses in rural/suburban Greenspring Valley across Owings Mills, Reisterstown, Lutherville, and Cockeysville.
All Volunteer, All the Time
The fire company has grown from a few members who responded to about 50 calls per year to a highly-trained all-volunteer cadre of over 150 men and women providing 24-hour, state-of-the-art Advanced Life Support, Rescue and Fire Suppression services. We now answer more than 800 fire calls and over 1,800 emergency medical calls every year.
Our firehouse, rebuilt in 2005 and renovated in 2019, is equipped with an engine bay for all of our apparatus, a meeting room, a kitchen and day room, bunk rooms, offices, and fitness facilities. It also hosts our top-rated kids’ birthday parties and our highly popular summer snowball stand.
Fully Equipped to Handle the Needs of Our Community
Because our district has no public water supply, we bring our own water to the fire. With Engine 501, our 1000-gallon foam-equipped attack pumper; our 3000-gallon Engine Tanker 503; and Tanker Support Unit 504, our rural water supply pumper; we are capable of quickly getting water to any fire incident. We are well equipped to shuttle additional water to the fire by drafting from underground storage tanks or even streams, pools and ponds. We also maintain utility vehicles and two ATVs for support in brush fires and any off-road emergencies.
Medic 505, our fully equipped ambulance, responds to medical emergencies with our team of highly proficient EMTs, paramedics, and physicians. In addition to our medic unit, we also have Medical Support Unit 502, our non-transport Advanced Life Support Unit which carries equipment and medications to perform life-saving interventions in the event our medic unit is on another incident.
We are also proud to provide the area’s only dedicated Special Operations Response Team (SORT). With this unit, we are capable of responding to mass casualty incidents as well as tactical response scenarios alongside law enforcement.
Meet the Team
LINE OFFICERS
Dan Uddeme*
Captain
Greg Pearlstein
Senior Lieutenant
Thomas "TJ" Cook
Fire Lieutenant
Jack Burnett
EMS Lieutenant
Scott Weiner
Special Operations (SORT) Lieutenant
Natalie Geipe
EMS Sergeant
Walter "Joey" Kasura
EMS Sergeant
Samantha Weiner
EMS Sergeant
Craig Millin
Fire Sergeant and SORT Sergeant
Ben Pugh
Fire Sergeant
Jordan Rozencwaig
Fire Sergeant
Tim Edwards
Engineer
Jason Edwards
Assistant Engineer
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
Larry Getlan*
President
Alex Ives*
Vice President
Harry Kakel*
Treasurer
Megan Stover
Secretary
Allen Roody*
Director
Chris Tsui*
Director
Samantha Weiner*
Director
Dave Truax
Assistant Treasurer
* Member, Board of Directors
APPARATUS
Our apparatus includes any vehicle that has been customized for use during firefighting operations. These vehicles are highly customized depending on their needs and the duty they will be performing, which can include firefighting, emergency rescue and medical services, or special operations.
ENGINE 501
Carries 1000 gallons of water, 30 gallons of Class A foam, rescue tools, and more
Engine 501 is our first-line rescue engine and is a 2019 Pierce Velocity custom pumper that carries 1000 gallons of water, 30 gallons of Class A foam and is equipped with a 1500GPM Hale Pump and Husky12 Compressed Air Foam System (C.A.F.S.). In addition, 501 carries an on-board Holmatro hydraulic pump and an assortment of rescue tools, as well as vehicle stabilization equipment that is used for vehicle crashes.
UTILITY 502
Carries Advanced Life Support equipment and medications to perform life-saving interventions
Utility 502 is a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban that functions as a Medical Support Unit. It carries Advanced Life Support equipment and medications to perform life-saving interventions in the event that our medic unit is on another incident or if one of our Paramedics is upgrading a neighboring Basic Life Support transport unit.
ENGINE-TANKER 503
Carries 3,000 gallons of water and a 3,500 gallon "folding tank" for dynamic water supply
Engine-Tanker 503 is a 2016 Pierce Velocity custom pumper. Since we are located in a rural/suburban area with no municipal water supply, 503 carries 3000 gallons of water and has a 1750GPM Hale pump. 503 also carries a 3500 gallon “folding-tank” which opens up similar to a small, above-ground swimming pool acting as a dynamic water supply.
TANKER SUPPORT UNIT 504
Carries 330 gallons of water and supplies tankers with water
Tanker Support Unit 504 is a 2012 KME Custom Pumper on a Four-Wheel-Drive International chassis. TSU 504 carries 330 Gallons water and has a 1250 GPM Front-Mounted pump. The primary function of 504 is to supply tankers with water. It does this by driving up to a stream, pond, or even a swimming pool and drafting water to fill tankers. 504 carries 1500 feet of 5" supply line which allows it to go far off of the road to get to a water source. It also carries two attack lines and one blitz line thus acting as a mini-pumper that can access homes that the engines cannot.
MEDIC 505
Fully equipped for emergency medical care and patient transport
Medic 505 is a 2017 Lifeline custom transport unit on a Freightliner M2 chassis. It is equipped with a LifePak 15, a Stryker Power Stretcher, and lift system which can carry a patient up to 750 pounds. Medic 505 carries Advanced Life Support equipment and medications to perform life-saving interventions. The unit is also equipped with HID scene lights to give our personnel increased visibility and even comes outfitted with 360-degree cameras. A ToughBook laptop is also installed which gives our health care providers instant access to the Baltimore County Dispatch Center as well as an integrated GPS and new digital maps.
BRUSH 506
For fighting fires in rough terrain
Brush 506 is a 1996 Ford F-350 that is designed to fight woods/brush fires. It carries 150 gallons of water with a pump and booster reel and is able to travel over rough terrain reaching the fire where other units would simply not reach.
UTILITY 507
Providing support for operations
Utility 507 is a Ford F-350 that has been modified to carry additional medical and rescue equipment. Utility 507 is called to vehicle accidents and medical incidents, and supports fireground operations by transporting additional personnel.
S.O.R.T. 50
Ready to respond to mass casualty incidents
SORT 50 is our Special Operations Response Team vehicle. It is a converted 2000 International Pepsi delivery truck, that was created with one thing in mind: mass casualty incidents. The truck comes equipped to handle up to 240 walking wounded or up to 125 critical patients. Features include spinal immobilization equipment, mass casualty deployment kits, command post accountability equipment, large quantities of trauma equipment as well as other necessities for dealing with large volumes of patients. In addition, it carries equipment that assisted with logistics such as a 10KW generator, power distribution, and tripod lighting, hard hats, rescue ropes, and drinking water. It is the only unit in our jurisdiction outfitted with tactical response equipment for "Active Threat" Incidents.
ATV 50
Responding to hard-to-reach places
ATV 50 is a 2009 6X6 Polaris Ranger ATV. It carries a skid tank, which holds 75 gallons of water, a booster reel and pump, and class “A” forestry foam. It can be used for firefighting as well as patient transport and is equipped with a winch, GPS, and a Stokes basket. This piece is excellent for access into hard to reach and limited access areas such as wooded areas and hiking trails. ATV 50 is also used during large community events such as the Green Valley Turkey Trot to patrol and assist any injured participants.
Retired Brush 502
Brush 502 is a 1953 Dodge M-37 Power Wagon. It carries 200+ gallons of water.
Brush 502 has a 300 GPM Hale pump, as well as a booster reel. It was one of the oldest active pieces of fire apparatus in Baltimore County, MD built in 1953 and remained in service until 2017. 502 was initially a weapons carrier for the Military that was converted to a “brush unit” by Maurice Long. This brush unit's transmission is geared extremely low, and therefore able to travel over rough terrain reaching the fire where other units would simply not reach. Chestnut Ridge plans to keep Brush 502 in our possession for as long as the fire company is in service.
Drone Unit
Providing overhead support for emergencies
Chestnut Ridge is one of just a few fire companies in the county to operate a drone unit. Several of our members are FAA-qualified drone pilots and launch our state-of-the-art drone to search for missing persons, inspect a fire scene from above or reconnoiter a brush fire or other backwoods incident.
Our Life Members
Life members have served with Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company for at least 25 years or have been honored for their exemplary service. Some of our members have volunteered for more than 50 years! Many of our long-term members remain active with the fire company. Those who no longer participate in responding to calls assist with training and administrative duties.
James Beck, Jr.*
Member, 1955-2016
James Hofmeister*
Dalton Boblitz*
Carty Hofmeister*
Maurice Long*
Thomas E. Ryan, Sr.*
Member, 1960-2021
George Shaneybrook*
Member, 1960-2018
George "Fred" Cross*
Member, 1961-2023
Charles "Tater" Stroh*
Gene Kemp*
Member, 1962-2016
William D. Newberrey, III*
Member, 1963-1999
Marvin Fox
Member since 1964
Charles Underwood*
Member, 1967-2024
George Welden*
Member, 1968-1995
Nick Coroneos
Member, 1967-2009
John Corasaniti*
Member, 1969-2004
Frank Corasaniti, II
Member since 1969
William Long*
Member, 1970-2001
Daniel Raskin*
Member, 1978-1990
Rob Bacharach*
Member, 1974-2015
Calvin Price*
Member, 1959-2018
Harry Kakel, Jr.
Member since 1973
Gary Shaneybrook
Member since 1974
Steve Reter
Member since 1975
Stephan Simmers
Member since 1975
Ronald Carey
Member since 1976
Charles Larkins, Jr.
Member since 1976
Dani Coroneos
Member since 1977
Louis Allen Roody
Member since 1979
Dean Flick*
Member, 1979-2008
Coos Hamburger
Member since 1981
Michael B. Fox
Member since 1983
Vickie Foster
Member since 1985
Gilbert "Junior" Edwards
Member since 1988
Gene Reynolds*
Member, 1989-2024
Aaron Sereboff
Member since 1989
Dan Uddeme
Member since 1989
Rick Yaffe
Member since 1995
Mallory A. Roody*
Member, 2003-2021
Jack Crystal
Member since 1996
Ruth Edwards
Member since 1997
David Newberrey
Member since 1997
Charles Cohen
Member since 1998
Timothy Edwards
Member since 1998
*Deceased
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