Claymont Fire Company (New Castle County, Delaware). On January 5, 1928, town residents, headed by Joseph Tatnall, called a meeting for the purpose of organizing a local volunteer fire company. To this call, about seventy-five residents responded, and a meeting was held in Red Men’s Hall. Mr. Tatnall opened the meeting and spoke of the needs and the uses of a local fire company, which was generally approved by those attending. During the course of the meeting, fifty-nine members were secured, and plans were made that hold meetings throughout the town for at least six weeks with the idea in mind of procuring as many members as possible. The goal set by the President was four hundred, and in the following six weeks, the company had listed 297 members. Station 13 is staffed by volunteers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Members cross-staff the engine, tower, and rescue. Membership requirements allow for weekend, seasonal, and out-of-state members. The company has a Live-In Program. Established in 2008, the Claymont Fire Company Live-In program takes pride in being a successful stepping stone for building successful career firefighters, business owners, and technicians of various fields. In exchange for free living accommodations, the company requires that members perform station duties, attend trainings/meetings, and respond to emergency calls. Live-ins can be residents and receive mail at the station. A live-in fund provides live-ins with a monthly allowance to use at their discretion. Many live-ins put their funds toward gas, room upgrades, and personal gear. This live-in fund is meant to support the members who staff the apparatus for over 48 hours a week. Each live-in is entitled to over two thousand dollars to update/upgrade their live-in room upon moving in. These updates include new carpets, paint, furniture, TVs, etc. Company tuition per semester is $1000. The company also offers other aid via the DVFA Recruitment & Retention Grant, which can be obtained at $2000 a semester for Under Graduates and $1000 for Master's. Live-ins can also accumulate stipend points. Each point is equal to its dollar amount. Live-ins will earn 2 points per call responded to while staffing. Live-ins will also earn .5 a point per hour staffed. Staffing points are earned after the monthly minimum of 192 hours (24 hours x 4 weeks). Live-ins can be credited with these points toward any purchase they request. The department's membership requirements allow in-state/out-of-state members to staff the station and attend training on their schedule. Out-of-state members come from NY, PA, VA, NJ, MD, FL, and CO to ride. Their shifts are 6-hour blocks, completely up to you. All members obtain incentives to staff the firehouse and respond to incidents. The stipend program is based on a point system where points can be exchanged for college tuition reimbursement, gift cards, phone payments, groceries, and furniture for your live-in room. On a box alarm, Station 13 responds to an extremely diverse 75 square miles of urban, suburban, rural, and industrial areas. The company's first due jurisdiction is 8 square miles and includes 24 square miles of interstate and primary roadways. There are over 450 multi-family structures in our box response area- most of them right in the first due. Members train consistently on stretching in stairwells, Vent-Enter-Search, and aerial placement to prepare for incidents in these high-hazard areas. Station 13 units respond to box alarms in over 45 mid/high rises, allowing for training opportunities not available in most volunteer fire jurisdictions. Members conduct walk-throughs of the first due structures yearly. Covering 24 square miles on interstate and primary roadways, 13 units remain busy when it comes to accidents. On a rainy day, Station 13 can see an average of 5 accidents a day and about 14 accidents with entrapment per year. The Claymont Fire Company also hosts the New Castle County Technical Rescue Team for all types of high-angle, confined-space, low-angle, trench, and collapse incidents.

The department operates the following fleet:

Chief 13-8, a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4

Chief 13-8B, a Ford Expedition 4x4

Deputy 13, a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 

Engine 13-2, a 1992 Pierce Lance 1500/500 Ex Eagle Hose Company, Connecticut

Engine 13-5, a 2015 Pierce Arrow XT 6710 1500/500

Tower 13, a 2021 Pierce Arrow XT 0/0/100' Ascendant mid-mount platform

Rescue Engine 13, a 2015 Pierce Arrow XT 8110 1500/500

Special Operations 13, a 2012 Spartan Metro Star / 1999 Hackney tractor-drawn walk-around

USAR 13, a 2005 Spartan Advantage / Hackney walk-around

TSU 13, a 2012 Ford F-350 walk-around utility body

Utility 13-0, a Ford F-250 Super Duty

Ambulance A-13, a 2020 Ford E-450 / Road Rescue

Ambulance B-13, a 2019 Ford E-450 / Road Rescue

Ambuance C-13, a 2025 Ford E-450 / Road Rescue