Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1969 and incorporated in 1971. We're located in Washington County, MD, at the intersection of Crystal Falls Drive and Mt. Aetna Road at the foot of beautiful South Mountain. A small two-bay station on (then) Mt. Lena Road was originally constructed on land donated by the Chesapeake Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The station was later expanded in the 1980s to its current six apparatus bays.

Mt. Aetna VFD is known as Company 16, and we are members of the Washington County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association and the Maryland State Firefighters' Association (MFSA).

We proudly protect approximately 3500 people living in a 35 square mile region of eastern Washington County. Our primary response district consists mainly of residential and agricultural areas, as well as state park lands. Our department is staffed by volunteers supplemented by paid weekday apparatus drivers employed by Mt. Aetna VFD.

Mt. Aetna VFD serves the Interstate 70 corridor from the Frederick County line to just east of the U.S. Route 40 interchange. We have several major attractions in our area (besides the wonderful Western Maryland scenery): Greenbrier State Park, Mason Dixon Dragway, and Beaver Creek Country Club, as well as two private schools, Mt. Aetna Adventist Elementary School, and Highland View Academy. There are businesses, churches, and numerous farms in our response district.

Emergency medical services in the Mt. Aetna fire district are provided by a combination of organizations. Mt. Aetna VFD provides "first responder" EMS service on most emergency medical calls in the district. All of our units are stocked with Basic Life Support equipment and first aid supplies. Boonsboro Ambulance & Rescue Services, Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services and Community Rescue Service of Hagerstown provide Advanced Life Support (paramedic) and transport ambulance service.

Serving as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, first responder, fire police officer, or even an administrative member, is the experience of a lifetime! We encourage men and women who wish to serve their community to fill out an application and set up an interview!  Interview, you might ask?  Yes, we interview prospective members to check on applicants' credentials and background, and to ensure the new members understand the training and professional expectations required of the fire-rescue service.

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