By Mike Sanders

The Star Tannery Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department is Frederick County Station 17 and was organized in November of 1971 with the help of the Strasburg and Stephens City fire departments. The fire station has a unique history, with the buildings once being a poultry processing business. The apparatus bays and social hall are the two main buildings that make up the fire station. They are connected with a covered walkway, and a creek runs beneath the walkway. The apparatus bays have had additions throughout the years.

Star Tannery’s first engine was a 1939 Ford loaned to them by Strasburg. Since that time, the department has obtained a variety of unique apparatus from other stations. One of the more unusual fire trucks was a rare open cab Ford C built by Young with a 1000/500. Star Tannery purchased this engine from the Navy-Vale VFD in Fairfax County (now Fair Oaks Fire Station 421).

Today’s apparatus consist of two engines, a tanker, brush truck, ambulance, and a utility vehicle.

Wagon 17 is a 1993 Ford L9000 built by Marion and is equipped with a 1250 gallon per minute pump and carries 1200 gallons of water. Another Marion unit is Engine 17 and is a unique 2001 International 4×4 unit also equipped with a 1250 gpm pump and carries 750 gallons of water. Engine 17 carries a variety of specialized equipment.

Tanker 17 carries 1800 gallons of water and is a 1986 Ford L8000 built by FMC. Equipped with a 500 gallon per minute pump, the tanker is also equipped with a jet dump which allows for quick delivery of water. Two earlier tankers at Star Tannery that are no longer in service were a 1953 GMC equipped with a 1000 gallon tank and a 1964 Chevrolet 1500 gallon tanker that was obtained from the Shawnee FD in nearby Winchester.

Brush 17 is the newest truck on the roster and is a 2008 Ford F350 that was outfitted by LSI of Purcellville, Virginia. A 100/275 skid unit from the departments old 1981 Chevrolet brush truck was moved over to the Ford.

EMS care is provided by Ambulance 17-1, a 2005 Ford F450 with an ambulance body built by AEV. Early on, Station 17 provided “First Responder” service by obtaining ambulances from Strasburg and Purcellville rescue squads. These first responder units did not transport patients.

A 2002 Ford Crown Victoria was recently obtained from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department and has been repainted to red and will be used as a utility vehicle for Star Tannery.

Star Tannery is the only fire station in Frederick County with no career staff and the station has approximately 30 members. Star Tannery is in a rural area of Frederick County and has a beautiful view of the mountains.

I would like to thank Billy Rudolph, Mike Nelson, Rosie Brill, Joan Johnson, and Ethan Johnson from Star Tannery for their help and support in arranging my visit, providing me information, and taking the time to move the apparatus around for photographs.