Branchville Volunteer Fire Company

What Branchville Volunteer Fire Company does

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company (BVFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer fire and EMS organization founded in 1922 in College Park, Maryland, operating as Station 11 within Prince George's County. It provides 24/7 fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue operations, and public safety education to College Park, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt, Beltsville, and surrounding communities, responding to approximately 4,500 emergency calls annually. The company has been 100% volunteer-staffed since 2013 and is one of only ten all-volunteer firehouses in the county.

The company operates a modern fleet including two Pierce Arrow XT fire engines (2010 and 2015), three Ford/Horton ambulances (2011, 2016, 2017), a Chevy Tahoe command vehicle, and utility vehicles. Beyond emergency response, BVFC hosts weekly bingo (six nights per week since 1994), annual community events (Kids Bingo, Santa runs, Open House, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny), and runs a Live-In program with modern amenities to recruit University of Maryland student volunteers. The station works under the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department dispatch system, provides automatic mutual aid to stations in the 4th, 6th, and 2nd battalions, and trains members through the Maryland Fire Rescue Institute.

BVFC's revenue model is entirely community-funded, deriving from individual donations via PayPal (at $25, $50, $75, $100, and custom tiers), Amazon Smile pass-through contributions, and bingo hall fundraising. The organization is governed by elected volunteer officers and a Board of Trustees, with no parent company, private equity, or institutional investor involvement. In late March 2025, BVFC expanded its Advanced Life Support services, signaling a clinical capability upgrade.

Name

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company

Legal name

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company

Website

https://bvfco11.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit fire and EMS organization in College Park, Maryland, providing 24/7 fire suppression, EMS, and rescue services to Prince George's County communities since 1922, responding to approximately 4,500 emergency calls annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Fire and EMS Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

Keywords

• Volunteer fire services
• Emergency medical services
• Fire suppression response
• Rescue operations
• Community emergency response

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Community Donations: Branchville relies entirely on community donations to operate. They accept online donations via PayPal at varying levels ($25, $50, $75, $100 or other amounts) and receive donations through Amazon Smile program where a percentage of purchases are donated.
2. Bingo Fundraising: The organization hosts weekly Bingo games six times per week, drawing players from across Prince George's County. This has been a fundraising activity since 1994.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company provides 24/7 volunteer fire suppression, emergency medical (Basic and Advanced Life Support), and rescue services to the College Park, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt, Beltsville, and surrounding Prince George's County communities from its headquarters at 4905 Branchville Road. The organization operates a fleet of Pierce Arrow XT engines, Ford/Horton ambulances, and a chief command vehicle, answering approximately 4,500 emergency calls per year, and funds its operations through community donations, weekly Bingo, and Amazon Smile.

Product overview

Branchville Volunteer Fire Company operates as a unified fire, rescue, and EMS service providing emergency response to College Park and surrounding Prince George's County communities. The company operates a fleet of fire apparatus (Engine 111 and Engine 113 - Pierce Arrow XT pumpers), three advanced life support ambulances (Ambulance 117, 118, and 119), chief command vehicles, and utility vehicles. The station responds to approximately 4,500 emergency calls annually, providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue operations, and public safety education. The organization is 100% volunteer-staffed and provides automatic mutual aid to stations in the 4th, 6th, and 2nd battalions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Suppression and Rescue Services Fire suppression, rescue, and hazardous materials response delivered to residential, commercial, and industrial properties in the Branchville first-due area from Station 11 using Pierce Arrow XT engines, command vehicles, and trained volunteer firefighters.
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Basic and Advanced Life Support ambulance transport and medical response provided to College Park and surrounding Prince George's County communities using Ford/Horton ALS-equipped ambulances.
• Weekly Bingo Fundraiser Public Bingo games held six nights per week at the Branchville fire station, generating revenue to fund firefighting equipment, apparatus, PPE, and station operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~4,500 emergency responses annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maryland Fire Rescue Institute (MFRI)coreOthersTraining resource partner providing certification courses for volunteer firefighters and EMTs. Branchville members are certified through MFRI including Volunteer Recruit School (VRS), EMT-Basic, and Firefighter I/II courses.
• Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department (PGFD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary organizational partner. Branchville operates as Company 11 under PGFD. Provides county-administered physical exams, background checks, ID numbers, and coordination for the volunteer fire service. Branchville provides mutual aid to PGFD stations.
• PGFD Training AcademyminorOthersCounty-level training facility for fire and EMS personnel. Referenced as a training resource alongside MFRI.
• Mutual Aid Partner DepartmentsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of fire departments including Arundel 7 (Anne Arundel), Burtonsville 15 (Montgomery), Hillandale 12/24 (Montgomery), MD City 27 (Anne Arundel), Savage 6 (Howard), and Takoma Park 2 (Montgomery) that provide mutual aid support.
• Amazon SmileminorOthersCommunity can support Branchville by shopping through Amazon Smile (EIN 52-1272073), with Amazon donating a percentage of purchases to the organization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hillandale Volunteer Fire Department (Station 12/24): Volunteer fire/EMS department in Montgomery County that provides mutual aid to Branchville. Comparably sized all-volunteer operation with similar apparatus and service profile.
• College Park VFD (Prince George's County Station 12): Volunteer fire/EMS organization serving the College Park area. Operates with a virtually identical model (volunteer-staffed, PGFD-integrated, community-donation funded) and competes for the same UMD student volunteer pool.
• Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department: All-volunteer fire department serving Berwyn Heights adjacent to Branchville's first-due area in Prince George's County. Provides identical fire suppression and EMS response under the PGFD framework, and is part of Branchville's mutual aid network.
• Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department (Station 15): Volunteer fire company in Montgomery County providing mutual aid to Branchville. Comparable in size, all-volunteer status, and donation-based funding model, serving a suburban residential and commercial community.
• Savage Volunteer Fire Company (Station 6, Howard County): Volunteer fire company in Howard County listed among Branchville's mutual aid partners. Comparable volunteer/donation-funded suburban model with similar mixed fire/EMS call profile.
• Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department: Long-standing all-volunteer fire/EMS company in Montgomery County with mutual aid ties to Branchville. Similar 100+ year heritage, community-supported funding model, and mixed fire/EMS call profile.
• Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire company serving Beltsville in Prince George's County, also listed as part of Branchville's response community. Same volunteer/donation-funded model under PGFD umbrella.
• Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire/EMS company serving Greenbelt, immediately adjacent to Branchville's coverage area. Operates under PGFD, shares mutual aid agreements, and recruits from a comparable suburban demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department: The career-staffed county fire/EMS department under which Branchville operates as Company 11. Provides dispatch, training infrastructure, physicals, and overarching coordination — the broad incumbent that integrates with all PG County volunteer stations.

Others

• Maryland State Firemen's Association: Statewide trade and advocacy organization representing Maryland volunteer fire, rescue, and EMS companies. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem in which Branchville operates and from which it received 2024 convention parade awards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/branchvillefire11

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Branchville Volunteer Fire Company