Company History
The Parksley Volunteer Fire Company was chartered in August 1935, under the name "Parksley Volunteer Fire Department, Inc." Located in Accomack County, the town of Parksley is located approximately 2.5 miles from Lankford Highway (U.S. Rt. 13). It is the home to the Eastern Shore Railway Museum, as the town itself was founded in 1885, shortly after the arrival of the railroad.
The departments first firehouse was located on Dunne Avenue, in Parksley. The building was a former Ice Cream Factory. It housed Parksley's first apparatus, a 1935 Ward Lafrance engine that was purchased by the Town of Parksley. In 1940, the building was enlarged to include two (2) engine bays and meeting room on the first floor, and a community room and kitchen on the second floor. This building would serve as the towns fire station for over 55 years.
The present station with modern brick facade was actually constructed in two separate phases. The first phase was completed in 1995 which included four (4) engine bays, one of which is drive-thru in design. At the time, this portion housed all of Parksley's apparatus. Features also included several offices, restrooms and a large Banquet Room, complete with a fully equipped kitchen.
In 2003, the 1940 station, located adjacent to the existing building, was demolished to make room for a new addition. The new addition would encompass three (3) ambulance bays, a lounge, combination meeting/training room, restrooms, a spacious drive-in engineers bay and a large storage area.
In an effort to preserve the heritage of the company, the facade of the new addition was designed to replicate the appearance of the former 1940 fire station. Once construction was complete, in order to accommodate 24 hour staffing the former lounge was renovated to serve as a bunk room for the county stationed personnel. Other station amenities include a communications/watch room, restrooms, and various storage & office areas. In 2009 a separate metal storage building was constructed to accommodate the company's numerous miscellaneous storage items and it has the capability of housing apparatus, if needed.
As is the case with most of the volunteer stations throughout the Commonwealth, the members of Station 7 hold numerous fundraisers each year to augment their income. Annual events include a Boat & Bucks giveaway, Chicken BBQ's, and several Texas Hold'em Poker Tournaments. In addition, their formal Banquet Hall facility is available to the public, and is rented numerous times throughout the year.