History

The Saint Leonard Volunteer Fire Department is a 100% Volunteer Department providing Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services to the residents and visitors of Calvert County, Maryland.  Saint Leonard is located in the center of the southern half of Calvert County and is situated between the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay. Our first due area encompasses approximately 40 square miles, which is nearly two-thirds the size of Washington, DC. .

In 1982, seven citizens living in the area generally served by Co.7, met and decided to begin the formal process of establishing a volunteer organization committed to serving the Citizens of Calvert County. The Board of Calvert County Commissioners voted to support the construction and equipping of a new station in  St. Leonard in 1984. The ground was broken in June of 1986. The station was declared "in service" on the 5th of March, 1987. In 1987, Co. "7" with only one engine and one ambulance ran 438 calls.   

Since 1987, Co. "7" has grown and currently houses (3) Ambulances, (2) Class "A" Engines,Tanker, Heavy Duty Rescue Squad, Mass Casualty/Rehab Unit,  Jeep, Brush, Rescue Boat, Rescue Boat 7A, UTV 7, Car 7, Utility, Utility 7A, Special Unit and Command.

For the calendar year 1997, the sixty-five (65) volunteer members responded to 1,845 medical, rescue and fire emergencies. The volunteers devoted 4,621 hours to training, 12,657 hours to operations and 846 hours to general duties and fund raising, for a total of 25,738 hours.

At the State Firemen's Convention held annually, the Zembower Memorial Training Award for having the most amount of training in the state was awarded to Co. "7" for the 1990, '91 and '92 calendar years. Co, "7"  was the first and only department in the history of the Zembower Memorial Training Award to get this most prestigious award three years consecutively, and went on to do this again in 2008, '09 and '10. Co. 7 earned the award a total of 10 times, before it was retired in 2025.

Financial support through donations from the community along with many fund raising activities, such as, Sportsman's Bingo, Kid's Bingo, Texas Holdem', Raffles, and the Annual Fund Drive, have enabled Co. "7" to purchase and maintain much needed rescue equipment.

We also receive support from our auxiliary, known as Co. "7" Alarmers, who held their first meeting on March 5, 1987. Over the past 35+ years they have been able to give Co. "7" nearly $100,000.

For the calendar year 2025, the 126 volunteer members responded to 2,244 fire, rescue, and ems emergencies.  

 All Volunteer, All the time... Pride is our pay...