History - American Fire Co.
The American Fire Co. of Fountain Springs was organized on May 1, 1924. It was chartered on November 24, 1924, with 29 charter members.
The original station was built in the spring of 1925, at 215 Broad Street, Fountain Springs. The newly formed fire company used equipment that was donated from other fire companies until funds could be raised to purchase their own equipment.
In April of 1934, the fire company’s first new piece of apparatus was purchased from Hahn Motors, in Hamburg PA, at a cost of $6350.
A Diamond T pumper was purchased in the 1960s to replace the 1934 Hahn.
In July of 1963 a half-acre of property located at 2 Fountain Street, Fountain Springs was donated to the Fire Company by the Baron family. Initially a picnic pavilion was built at this location and was used for block parties.
The station was relocated from it’s original location at 215 Broad Street to a new location at 211 Broad Street, Fountain Springs in the late 1960s. The new location is the current site of the Butler Township Police Station.
An Army surplus “Deuce and a half” (2-1/2 ton truck) was purchased and converted into the first tanker truck the company would own.
In the spring of 1976, a second .34-acre parcel of property at 2 Fountain Street was donated to the fire company for a future apparatus garage. Work on building a new station and attached engine room began in the spring of 1976. This work was completed early in 1977.
The station at 211 Broad Street was sold to the Butler Township Supervisors in August of 1977. At this time the fire company operated out of the 2 Fountain Street location.
A new 1979 FMC pumper was purchased in April of 1979 at a cost of $44,000. This engine replaced the Diamond T purchased in 1960.
A new, detached, three bay engine room was constructed in May of 1983.
Two new pieces of apparatus would be added to the fleet in the 1980s. The first to be added was a 1967 Hahn pumper which was purchased from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. In addition to the 1967 Hahn, a 1980 International chassis was upfitted with a 3000 gallon tank to replace the original Army truck tanker. These additions upgrade the operating fleet to 2 fire engines and a tanker truck.
On August 28, 1995, The American Fire Co. hosted the Bicentennial Celebration for Fountain Springs. In conjunction with the Bicentennial Celebration, a housing was held for a new Freightliner 3000-gallon tanker. This tanker would replace the Internation tanker placed in service in the 1980s.
In the spring of 2004, the fire company purchased a 1989 Hahn pumper from East Brunswick, NJ. This pumper replaced the 1967 Hahn.
A 1978 Dodge/Darley mini-pumper/brush truck was purchased in the spring of 2007. This piece of apparatus would replace the FMC pumper.
A new Can-Am Defender 6×6 UTC was purchased in the spring of 2020 to provide brush fire and off-road rescue services.
In 2022, the leadership of the American Fire Co. recognized an opportunity to partner with the Friendship Fire Co. of Englewood Butler Township to strengthen emergency responses to residents of the Fountain Springs section of Butler Township. A merger between the American Fire Co. and Friendship Fire Co, was completed in 2023.
Together, we continue to provide dedicated emergency services to the residents of Butler Township as the Friendship Fire Co.