The Eastern Hanover Volunteer Fire Company was founded March 6th 1967.
The Cold Harbor Ruitan Club saw a need for fire protection in the Cold Harbor area of the county. At the time, key individuals were responsible for organizing the fire company including: Gene Eaves, Cliffton Brannon, Doug Andrews, Carroll Eaves, Richard Carden, James C. Kelly, E.C.C. Woods Sr. First elected officers: President - Richard O. Carden, Vice President W. Eugene Mitchell, Secretary and Treasurer W.T. Jones, Chief Gene Eaves, Assistant Chief Doug Andrews, 1st Engineer Weddy Portwood. 2nd Engineer John Fenne with Board of Directors of Carroll Eaves, Ellis Kirby, Daniel Talley, Earl Wilkinson.
One of the first pieces of apparatus was a 1948 Oren pumper, a war surplus 4x4 Dodge brush truck on loan from #7. The clothing was obtained by the members and SCBA’s were not available except for two canister type masks. All the equipment was homemade and make shift with 10 sections of 2.5 inch hose and five section of 1.5 inch hose.
The original district included the current district and the current district covered by Black Creek. Raising funds were accomplished by annual fund drives, suppers and auctions. The firefighters were supported by a strong ladies auxiliary.
The original fire station is still in existence and is owned by the volunteers. The old fire station is used by the community for public events. To construct the original station, two mortgages were taken out on members homes to fund the construction.
Eastern Hanover Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2017.
