A Brief History of Swarthmore's Fire and Protective Association

The Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association (SF&PA) was organized in 1893 and incorporated in 1908 to fight fires and protect property in the Borough of Swarthmore. The first pieces of apparatus owned by the Association were a horse-drawn pumper an a horse-drawn ladder. The Association purchased its first motorized vehicle in 1914, an American LaFrance pumper, followed by a motorized aerial ladder truck in 1917. In April 1999, a new era for the Association began with the start of Basic Life Support (BLS) emergency medical service. This new service allows the Association to expand and continue its mission of providing rapid an effective responses to fire and medical emergency needs of the community.