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The Oakland Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) stands as a cornerstone of public safety and community resilience in southern Garrett County, Maryland. Composed of dedicated volunteers who balance their professional lives with the rigorous demands of emergency response, the department provides essential fire suppression, rescue services, and hazard mitigation. Operating out of its historic base in the town of Oakland, the OVFD has built a decades-long legacy of neighbor helping neighbor, adapting continually to modern fire service standards while maintaining the deep-rooted community pride that defines local volunteer organizations.
The department’s coverage area is expansive, bridging municipal centers, rural farmlands, and vital transit corridors. Currently, the OVFD is responsible for protecting the municipal communities of Oakland, Mountain Lake Park, and Deer Park, as well as the diverse residential and rural stretches that connect them. This coverage demands constant readiness for a wide variety of emergency scenarios, ranging from residential structure fires in high-density neighborhoods to vehicle accidents on winding mountain roads.
Navigating and securing this territory requires a deep familiarity with the region’s primary transportation veins. The department regularly responds to incidents along several critical routes that bisect southern Garrett County, including Maryland Route 39, Route 219, Route 560, and US Route 50. Managing emergencies across these heavily trafficked state and federal highways means the OVFD must maintain versatile apparatus and highly trained personnel, ensuring rapid, reliable response times to safeguard both local residents and travelers passing through the mountain landscape.
To view a more detailed map of the Oakland Response Areas, please visit the GIS Data Map:
The volunteers and staff of Oakland Volunteer Fire Department are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Members and staff participate in many hours of training to be prepared for your time of need. Support like yours allows us to fulfill our operations budget along with maintaining our current apparatus.