The
Eddington Fire Company was formed in 1945 by a group of
civic-minded persons from this area of the township. At that
time, Eddington was one of the most developed areas in
Bensalem. We received our state charter on April 11, 1946.
The original firehouse; still in service at Brown and
Eddington Avenues, was constructed by the members in
1947. The
company began its work with used fire equipment, kept in
good condition by the members, a tradition that present day
members are proud to continue. The first piece of new
equipment was a 1949 Maxim pumper, purchased that year. Over
the years a succession of purchases had led to the company's
current inventory of four firefighting units: a 1993 E-One
1500 GPM Quint with a 75' ladder, two 1993 E-One 1250 GPM
Pumpers and a 1963 GMC Brush Truck. Also included in the
company's equipment inventory are a 1988 GMC Suburban and
three 1999 Ford Explorer Chiefs' vehicles. Through
its years of service, the Eddington Fire Company has
endeavored to stay abreast of fire and emergency needs of
the township. This was made possible by the efforts of many
individual members of the company. In the 1950's a
substation, which later became the present-day Nottingham
Fire Company, was opened. During the 1960's and 1970's when
the township grew rapidly, the fire companies struggled to
keep pace and company members found that keeping equipment
and techniques current had become a second, full-time
occupation. The
six Bensalem Township fire companies decided to band
together, for the common good of the companies, and formed
the Bensalem Township Association of Fire Companies. Each
company had hard decisions to make relative to areas of
specialization and overall contribution to the Township's
fire service. Inflation prohibited all the Township
companies from investing in all the various types of
equipment. Company
members have given service in times of crisis; including the
floods of 1971, numerous apartment and industrial
conflagrations and other lesser-known incidents. Members
generally agree that Regency Apartments fire of December 13,
1976 was the company's finest hour. Along with other
companies and the Bensalem Police Department, the firemen
performed a total of twenty-seven life saving rescues.
The
Eddington Fire Company is ready, willing and able to assist
in Township emergencies and it is proud of the contributions
members have made as volunteers in service to the community.