The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services(DFRS) is composed of the County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and six volunteer fire corporations in Howard County. DFRS has 300 full-time employees and 648 volunteer firefighters. There are eleven fire stations, housing over 100 well-equipped, modern pieces of emergency apparatus. Fire stations service an area of 251 square miles and a population estimated at over 253,000. DFRS’s career personnel use a three-shift platoon system to provide 24 hour staffing. Personnel are assigned to a shift and work 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty. Each company is managed by a career Captain. Field supervision is overseen by nine Battalion Chiefs.

Each fire station also houses an ambulance and provides emergency medical services to their respective communities. DFRS operates 11 first line ambulances and 7 ready-reserve transports for transporting patients to the hospital. All of these units are staffed at the Advanced Life Support (ALS) level. The primary non-EMS response unit from each of the County’s eleven fire stations is equipped with an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).

Contact information:

Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department
6275 Old Washington Road
Elkridge, MD 21075
(410) 313-4901

Ellicott City Volunteer Firemen's Association
4150 Montgomery Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 313-2602

West Friendship Volunteer Firemen's Association
12460 Frederick Road
West Friendship, MD 21794
(410) 313-5403

Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company
1330 Route 94
Lisbon, MD 21765
(410) 313-5404

Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department
5000 Signal Bell Lane
Clarksville, MD 21029
(410) 313-7305

Savage Volunteer Fire Company
8925 Lincoln Street
Savage, MD 20763
(410) 880-3506