Welcome to the
The Franklin Fire Company
Protecting life and property through emergency response, fire prevention, public education, and volunteer service throughout Chambersburg and the surrounding communities since 1903.
Population Protected
First Due Area
Year Founded
Volunteers
Experience the Tradition Here
The Franklin Fire Company is more than apparatus, equipment, and a firehouse—it’s the people who have carried our tradition of service forward for generations. Experience Franklin through the eyes of our members and get a closer look at the training, dedication, and moments that define life at Station 4. From answering the call to the traditions shared within our walls, this is what it means to be a Franklin.
Honoring Our Past. To Build Our Future.
A Sacrifice Never Forgotten—July 22, 1936
In the early morning hours of July 22, 1936, members of the Franklin Fire Company No. 4 answered an alarm for a structure fire in Fayetteville—an area that, at the time, was part of the Company’s first-due response district.
During a severe electrical storm, a combination stable, garage, and hog pen on the property of William T. Cook had caught fire, reportedly after being struck by lightning. An alarm was telephoned to the Franklin Fire House, and our volunteers responded aboard the Company’s pumper.
As the apparatus approached the scene shortly after 3:00 a.m., tragedy struck. Just approximately 60 feet from the burning structure, the pumper sideswiped a tree along a byroad leading to the Cook property.
Fifteen Franklin firefighters were aboard the apparatus at the time of the accident. The force of the collision threw or caused many of the firefighters to jump from the pumper, leaving only two members aboard.
Firefighter David Orr Gabler, just 19 years old, was killed instantly. Firefighter Harold E. Snider, age 29, was critically injured and later died at Chambersburg Hospital. Eight additional Franklin firefighters were injured in the accident, two of them seriously.
What began as another call to serve the community became one of the darkest days in the history of the Franklin Fire Company.
Nearly a century later, the sacrifice of Harold E. Snider and David Orr Gabler remains an important part of our story. They answered the call as volunteer firefighters, willing to leave the safety of their homes in the middle of the night to help someone in need.
Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Firefighter Harold E. Snider — Age 29
Firefighter David Orr Gabler — Age 19
End of Watch: July 22, 1936
FROM THE FIREHOUSE
⚠️Hand vs. Meat Tenderizer in Chambersburg⚠️
Just after 3pm yesterday, Squad 41 responded to “Neighbors Food Hall” on S Main St for a man trapped in a machine.
Co.1 & Squad 41 found a hand that was entrapped in a meat tenderizer. The Squad crew utilized tools from the “man vs machine” kit along with a hydraulic tool from Tower 1 to extricate the hand/patient in under 10 mins.
The patient was turned over to EMS from transport.
Any further info must be obtained from Chambersburg Boro Fire Dept by calling their Headquarters Fire Station!
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