What is now the southwesterly side of Royersford Borough and part of Upper Providence Township was once called “Springertown.” Being somewhat isolated from the rest of the borough and at the same time in close proximity to many of the leading industries, the citizens of Springertown thought it necessary to establish a second fire company. Meetings were held in the J. Vincent Poley Hall on Second Avenue to discuss the formation of a fire company and the erection of a fire hall. As a result on September 8, 1897 a fire company was organized. On January 26, 1898 the Friendship Hook, Ladder, and Hose Company No.2 was incorporated. The following officers were elected: William T. Kerr-President, Samuel Walters-Vice President, J. Vincent Poley-Secretary and Treasurer, Joseph Lightcap, Mikel Walters, and Edward T. Lee – trustees. The first foreman was George Lee.

A frame building used by the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church was purchased and moved to a lot on Green Street below Third Avenue. The building was remodeled to meet the needs of the fire company and it was named the “Fire Hall.” When the fire hall was completed the Humane Fire Company loaned a hose and ladder truck built by Frank T. Shaner and 500’ of hose.

In April 1899 the charter was opened allowing all who wished to become members to join for a fee of .60. In May of that same year a fire plug was purchased.

The year 1900 saw Friendship receiving its first appropriation from the borough of Royersford. Due to the fact that the current apparatus was becoming unreliable in March a new hose carriage was purchased from the Hand in Hand Fire Company of Philadelphia for $50.00. Also in May the Friendship joined the State Fireman’s Association.

In 1901 the Willie’s club was organized.   This group consisted exclusively of all active members of the fire company in good standing. They played football, baseball, and won many trophies in hose laying contests.

In 1904 the lot adjoining the fire company was purchased from Jacob Mowery for $235.00 and in June of 1905 two adjoining lots were purchased for $400.00 for J. A. Buckwalter.

On January 22, 1906 a special meeting was held in regards to a new building. It was decided that the new building would have a 33 foot front and be 54 foot deep. It would be built with brick and trimmed with stone. The building was completed in 1907. The original fire house and the Mowery lot were sold for $450.00 to J.M. Schellinger.   A new hand engine was purchased in the fall of 1906 and the fire house began renting its hall in early 1907. 

Since the fire company did not own horses in 1908 they began paying anyone who provided a horse to or from a fire $1.00 per horse. In 1910 the by-laws were amended allowing men 18-21 years of age to join as “runners.” In November of 1910 a committee was formed with representation from the Humane Fire Company, Liberty Fire Company of Spring City, and the Friendship Fire Company with the purpose of adopting an alerting system to indicate the location of a fire in either town.

In 1912 the fire company purchased its first Auto truck and held a housing celebration of October 5. This truck was in service until 1917 when the company purchased a Simplex Triple Combination Chassis Motor and Pumper.

July 1917 saw the purchase of a Hale Motor Fire Pump. This would be the first time ever that the company had two pieces of equipment in service at the same time. Also that year, the bell in the fire tower had to be removed due to unsafe conditions and would be replaced with a siren that the ladies auxiliary would purchase.

In 1919 a new siren was installed and in August the company attended a pumping contest held in Willow Grove with the crew operating a piece of apparatus nicknamed the “yellow devil.” That crew set a pumping record of 18 seconds and continued to win first place for three consecutive years. In December of 1919 $400.00 was given to the Humane fire company to put towards the purchase of a new apparatus. 

Over the years many improvements have been made to the existing building. 1941 brought about an addition to the fire house adding a 4 lane bowling alley and auditorium. The bowling alley was officially opened on July 25, 1941 and in September of that same year 2 additional lanes were added. In 1940, a hose tower was constructed. In 1946, the members saw a need for a bigger engine room to house fire apparatus, this brought about a three bay addition being completed in 1948 which currently house the firefighting fleet of toady.                                                  

In 1948 the members of Friendship Fire Company saw a need to provide an ambulance service the residents in our community. The first ambulance purchased was a Packard. Over the years we operated only one ambulance as a Basic Life Support (BLS) unit. In 2001, the company upgraded it service for a BLS ambulance to an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance. This upgrade of service brought the purchase of 2 new AEV Trauma Hawk ambulances. In 2003, the Trauma Hawk units were replaced with 2 Horton mini-mod ambulances. 

Another upgrade was completed in 1995 with the addition of a new kitchen and the purchase of three homes next to the fire house. In 2006 construction was started in the upstairs meeting room to rehab that room into a new crew room, bunk rooms, and weight room. 

Victory Park was purchased in 1920 for $1000.00 and with the companies permission the residents added a play area for the neighborhood children. On December 4, 1943 a mortgage burning was held.  

In 1950 a parade was held in Royersford for a building dedication and housing. The apparatus housed were a custom designed Ahrens-Fox 1000 gallon per minute pumper, a Dodge power wagon, and the 1929 Ford Model a minute man which is still housed at the fire house today. In 1969, the Ahrens-Fox was replaced was a Hahn custom pumper. 

In 1975, a new Dodge Power Wagon was added to the fleet of firefighting apparatus at Friendship.   The 1948 power wagon was replaced in 1991 with an E-one mini pumper.   The 1969 Hahn pumper was replaced by a new 1986 custom Hahn pumper delivered in 1987. In 1997 we added our old ambulance to our fleet as a special service unit. With the area drastically undergoing changes it was decided to replace our 1975 Power Wagon and 1991 E-one Tac with a new 1997 Ford F-350 brush unit and a 1997 Ferrara 60’ Quint. 

Today in 2008, Friendship has made many great strides in becoming the fire department we are today answering over 1400 fire and ambulance calls annually in Royersford borough, Limerick Township, and Upper Providence Township. Our apparatus fleet consists of a 1986 Hahn pumper, 1989 spill containment trailer, 1997 brush truck, 1997 quint, two 2003 ambulances, and a 2005 utility vehicle. Additionally we providing mutual aide to many of the surrounding fire companies and municipalities.