Station 7 serves Essex and the surrounding communities in Baltimore County, Maryland.
In 1919, Baltimore County allocated $150,000 to construct five fire and police stations. One of these stations was Essex Fire Station 7, which was built the following year at 516 Eastern Avenue. A 1913 American La France was its first fire engine, and Station 7 began providing ambulance service in 1942.
In August 1957, firefighters battled the Great Essex Fire, a 10-alarm blaze in the 500 block of Eastern Avenue, adjacent to the Essex Fire Station. Eyewitnesses recalled flames shooting 100 feet in the air. The damaged businesses included Acme and A&P markets, Read's Drugstore, the C&P Telephone Company and Arnold's Men's and Women's Shop. Property damages totalled $1 million.
On July 31, 1970, Chief J. Austin Dietz opened the Essex Fire Station 7, at 800 Myrth Avenue. Officials dedicated the new station on October 9, 1970. The original station currently houses the Heritage Society.
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adness struck Station 7 that fall, when the station's mascot, a fox terrier named Sparky, was struck and killed by a school bus. Sparky is buried near the flag pole at the station.
On August 21, 1977, C-shift responded to a fire at the B. Bugatch Furniture Store.
Crews fought a three-alarm fire at the Crown Bowling Lanes on December. 24, 1980. Nine members of Station 7 received Unit Citations for their efforts.
One of Baltimore County's largest emergencies was the Amtrak train wreck in Chase at 1:04 p.m., on January 4, 1987. Amtrak Train 94, traveling from Washington, D. C., to Boston at a speed of 108 mph crashed into a set of Conrail locomotives. Fifteen passengers on the Amtrak train were killed, along with the Amtrak engineer. At the time, the Chase train wreck was Amtrak's deadliest crash ever.
The aftermath of the crash, which involved more than 600 people on the train, was marked by chaos and confusion. Nearby residents helped uninjured passengers as they wandered away. Emergency personnel worked for many hours in frigid cold, impeded by the stainless-steel Amfleet cars' resistance to the "jaws-of-life" tool used to extricate trapped passengers.
Members of Station 7 received the Amtrak Campaign Ribbon for their work on this call.
In 1994, Firefighter Michael R. Stuart received the Department's highest award, the Medal of Honor, for bravery while performing rescue operations at a house fire at 203 Stillwater Road
The department added an additional medic unit to the station's fleet in 2001. This unit, Medic 107, operated day-time hours, Monday through Friday.
On August 8, 2002, Engines 7 and 71 responded to the Sparrows Point mulch fire. Seven alarms were called to battle this fire involving piles of debris and mulch encompassing four acres.
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n November 2, 2003, a home at 557 Chalcot Square was demolished by a natural gas explosion. Lt. David Angelo and FS Jay Ringgold of Station 7, who were in the basement at the time of the explosion, were trapped under the debris. Within an hour, firefighters extricated them from the remains of the house.
Angelo, Ringgold, FF Samuel Valencia and FADO Louis 
Schaller suffered non-life-threatening injuries. All four received a Purple Heart and Silver Star.
Nine members of the Essex Station's B-Shift received unit citations for suppression operations at an March 2002 apartment fire and rescue at 6700 Haven Oak Rd.
On July 25, 2005, FS Jeffrey S. Bowen and FS Bryan E. Hardesty displayed bravery during rescue operations at a dwelling fire at 911 Foxridge La. They received Bronze Stars, and six members of Station 7's A-shift received unit citations.
Medic 7, a freightliner/wheeled coach, was placed in service in 2005.
On December 7, 2006, County Executive Jim Smith dedicated 40 acres of land to "The Fields at Renaissance Park." This park replaced a crime-ridden, World War II-era apartment complex, the Village of Tall Trees. Baseball fields, playgrounds and walking paths replaced what had been one of Station 7's busiest areas.
In 2006, Engine 71 ranked 18th with 1,450 runs. Engine 7 ranked 19th with 1,444 runs. Medic 7 ranked seventh with 3,480 runs. Medic 107 ranked 29th, with 1,119 runs.
In 2005, Engine 71 ranked 17th with 1,420 runs. Engine 7 ranked 18th with 1,414 runs. Medic 7 ranked eighth with 3,449 runs. Medic 107 ranked 26th with 1,109 runs.
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Engine 7 | Engine 71 |
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Medic 7 | Medic 107 |
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Brush 7 | |
Revised May 11, 2007
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