History of Elsmere Fire Co.

The Elsmere Fire Company was formed on March 21, 1921 after a field fire earlier that month had threatened several homes and the response time for Wilmington's volunteer fire companies was more that one half hour.  At the time of the fire company's formation, the town consisted of a large fiber company, a bedspring manufacturer, and the Wilmington Wheel Co.  The town was also home to the Delaware State Fairgrounds in the area which is now Elsmere Manor.

In 1924, the first fire station was constructed on a site which is part of the fire company's property today.  That original fire co. burnt to the ground on Dec. 18, 1946 in a fire that also destroyed two pieces of apparatus.  After rebuilding, the Elsmere Fire Co. renewed it's stature as a progressive provider of emergency services to the community.

Today, the fire co. serves an area from the Chessie Railroad tracks on the south to the Brandywine River on the north, and from Delaware Rt. 141 on the West to the Wilmington City limits on the East - with a population estimated at 20,000.  The fire company provides mutual aid to all of New Castle County.