June 26, 1949 – C-47A National Guard plane crashed at the Portland Municipal Airport, coming to rest in the Fore River after over-shooting the runway.  The 24 men on board were transported to hospitals.

August 11, 1949 – A Northeast Airlines twin-engine Convair plane crashed at the airport.  Sparks from the runway igniting the right wing tank and burst into flames.  27 persons onboard escaped uninjured.

August 21, 1957 – Airport manager and Portland Fire Chief Carl P. Johnson requested the City for a special city fire truck to be stationed permanently at the airport.   125,500 passengers had flown in and out of the airport over a 12 month period from July, 1956 to June.

1958 – Fire Chief Carl P. Johnson recommended to the City Council airport fire protection needs because of the increasing air traffic and general aviation hazards.  An airport mutual aid response was established with South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth fire departments with Fire Alarm Box 7244.

May 1, 1961 – City Council voted to purchase a 1953 American LaFrance O-10 crash truck through Maine Civil Defense surplus equipment at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.  The First alarm companies (Engines 3, 6 and Ladder 6) received training through July.  An officer from each company attended a Coarse on aircraft firefighting at Brunswick Naval Air Station.  A wooden shed/garage near the terminal building was constructed to house the crash truck and foam during the warmer months.

1970 – Two 1957 crash trucks purchased from Navy surplus at Brunswick Naval Air Station.  One was housed at the airport in a one-bay wooden storage shed, the other at Central or Bramhall fire stations.

1972 – Construction began on a concrete five-bay, one-story fire station near the flight control tower. 

March 13, 1973 – Two men were killed when a Beechcraft King Aire aircraft crashed and burned near Runway 36 during touch-and-go landings during a pilot’s exam.

 April 17, 1973 – The new “Crash Station” opened with an officer and three firefighters on duty per shift.  The airport was opened to traffic from 06:00 to 24:00.  Because of no large planes landing or taking off after midnight, the crash crew reported to Central Fire Station at 24:00 hours and responded on all box alarms and working fires using a Squad (1) truck.  They returned to the Jetport at 6 am.

January 30, 1977 – A 4th-Platoon was instituted.  Crews worked from 06:00-16:00 and 16:00-06:00.

January 26, 1978 – Crash Units 1, 2, 3, and Foam Tanker 1 were renamed “Red Units 1, 2, 3, and 4.”

February 6, 1981 – The Crash crew with Squad 1 was reassigned to Engine 8 in North Deering from midnight to 6am.  The Crew reported back to Bramhall at night after E-8’s Quint truck arrived in 1982.

July 13, 1984 – The airport crew no longer reported to Bramhall Station after midnight, but continued to respond to city-wide desk boxes and working fires from the Crash Station.

September 9, 1988 – The Air Rescue Co. no longer responded to working fires and was permanently quartered at the Jetport 24 hours a day to maintain a Class-3 rating and F.A.A. regulations1999 – The Air Rescue Company Captain was assigned as the daily staff officer, working weekdays with the Jetport’s Administration, and a 4th Lieutenant was appointed to cover the 4th platoon.

1989 – The use of the name “Crash” Station was changed to “Air Rescue Station.”

2001 – The Administrative Captain’s position was upgraded to Deputy Chief of Air Rescue to head the Air Rescue Division.  The 4th Lieutenant’s position was eliminated, and the Company Captain covered a platoon.  In 2004, the Captain began covering Air Rescue Officers and a 4th Lieutenant was again added.

November 28, 2005 – Engine Co. 6 relocated from Bramhall Station to the Air Rescue Station, running out of the drive-through bay. They were relocated back to Bramhall on June 27, 2008.

2016 – Four Air Rescue firefighters were eliminated reducing the on-duty staffing from 3 to 2.

November 1, 2016- The radio designations altered without the 0, and Car 305 became Car 36.

October 12, 2018 – Radio designations changed again, and Car 36 changed to C6.