The Cheltenham Hook & Ladder Co. #1 was established in 1896 by a group of men from the local community recognizing the importance of establishing a volunteer fire company. Throughout the years we pooled our members from within the 4th Fire District in Cheltenham Township.

     Over the years we have evolved and while we keep the corporate name "Cheltenham Hook & Ladder Co. #1", we are now known as the Cheltenham Fire Company. We now have numerous types of memberships and we pool from a 1.5-mile radius of our station which includes residents of Cheltenham and Philadelphia.

Types of Membership:

Active Firefighting Member:  The most common type of membership applied for.  You are applying to become a full firefighter and will participate in calls, weekly drills,and  monthly meetings and can serve on a committee.

Junior Firefighter:  Are you between the ages of 16 and 18?  Three months before your 16th birthday you can apply to become a junior FF.

Active Non-Firefighting Membership: 

This membership includes those who cannot participate in firefighting but want to help the company administratively. These members attend the monthly business meetings and participate in company committees. Activities include fundraising, public relations, fire prevention, technology, etc. Fire companies can't survive without administrative personnel. Think you can help?

Limited Active Membership:

This is our newest classification. It is intended for experienced firefighters who are already volunteering/working somewhere else. They are already trained and would like to volunteer their time to run calls and training with our active crew.