Located in the northwest section of Baltimore County, Fire Station No. 56 serves the communities of the greater Reisterstown area. One of the newest stations in the county, Station 56 is known as the "Franklin" station but was not always recognized by that name. Its history dates back to the late 1980s, when growth in the area was beginning to outpace the capability of the existing emergency services.
In 1986, Fire Chief Paul Reincke and the local volunteer companies decided to place a single medic unit on county-owned property at the Hannah More Center in Reisterstown. This unit would help meet the growing demand for service.
Medic 56 officially was placed in service at 10:30 a.m. on May 7, 1987 by Deputy Chief James Judge.
B
ecause the site did not have a garage or housing, crews would leave the medic outside of the brick building used by the Health Department. Crews spent days inside the Health building in a 10x10 room; calls were routed to the crews via pagers. At night, crews would re-locate to the Garrison Fire Station #19, where there was ample room in the dormitory and bays to accommodate the unit and crew.
The first day crew -- William Isaac, John Turnbaugh and Bonnie Waitsman -- were in service only 15 minutes before receiving their first response, an assault, in the nearby Westbury Apartments. During the first 24 hours, crews responded to four calls.
Since there were no officers assigned to Station 56, the on-duty EMS lieutenant periodically would stop in to supervise station operations. Administrative duties, needs and problems were handled by the officers at the Garrison station.
In November 1987, Baltimore County began construction of a small garage with an attached, construction-type trailer to house the crews. Baltimore County installed alerting equipment and radios. This was Medic 56's home for the next 17 years.
During the first year of operation, crews responded to 653 calls for medical assistance. Officials dedicated the Hannah More station on January 14, 1988.
As the years passed and the Owings Mills area received town center designations, the response needs of the Northwest corridor again came to the forefront. In 1993, Deputy Chief Thomas Mack formed the Northwest Study Group to perform a comprehensive analysis of the needs of the area and to identify a suitable location in the area for a full-service fire station.
The committee recommended a full-time medic unit at Station 19 to assist busy medics at Pikesville Station #2 and volunteer stations in the Owings Mills and Pikesville areas. It also recommended renovating or relocating Pikesville career Station #2. And it recommended finding a locatio for a new Station 56, preferably near I-795 and Franklin Blvd.
The county subsequently purchased a tract of land in the 600 block of Nicodemus Rd., one-half mile from Franklin Boulevard and I-795, that would support both a new fire station and police precinct.
The new Franklin Station #56 was placed in service on November 8, 2003 and dedicated on November 24, 2003.
The metal-skinned building includes two drive-through bays, a kitchen/day room with sleeping facilities, a classroom and watch room on one side, with dormitory, locker, and weight rooms on the opposite side.
The station was equipped with a custom pumper built by American LaFrance and a wew Wheeled Coach Ambulance on an International chassis. This station was the first in the county to have a Plymovent diesel exhaust removal system.
Today, the Engine 56 averages 1,300 runs per year; Medic 56 averages 2,500 runs per year.
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Engine 56 | Medic 56 |
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Brush 56 | |
Revised May 11, 2007
Station 56 - Franklin
Courthouse 