Centennial Celebration
Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department celebrates 100 years of community service .
BY KATHY RUDOLPH
At the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department ’ s ( BVFD ) 100th Anniversary Banquet , Ray Costain , a BVFD firefighter , included in his speech a story about former BVFD assistant fire chief Joseph Flood .
“ It ’ s from an old newspaper article from 1933 that a member at the department found out about a fire on Washington Avenue ,” says Costain . “ The facts aren ’ t all black and white , but I referenced ‘ Smokey Joe ’ in my speech because of his willingness to do whatever it took to fight a fire . He was always the first to go inside a burning building with the hose line .” In the story , Flood ’ s fellow firefighters got worried when he didn ’ t come out of the burning building .
“ Back then , we did not have the breathing apparatus we wear today and he actually went into cardiac arrest from smoke inhalation inside the building ,” says Costain . “ They went into the building and brought him out and he was revived on scene . Believe it or not , he reentered the structure to finish putting out the fire !”
That same dedication that “ Smokey Joe ” had has remained a constant at BVFD since it was founded in 1916 .
“ Day or night , seven days a week , 365 days a year , we are there at the drop of a hat to lend a helping hand to anyone in need ,” says Costain , a firefighter for 20 years . “ The eight individuals who started the BVFD
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