Fire Department News

by Tom Galeota

It is with pleasure that I welcome you to the Bolton Fire Department information update. Bolton Fire Department is comprised of approximately fifty dedicated community service oriented men and women. We enjoy full-time employment as local business owners, an accountant, Town employees, retired firefighters from FDNY and West Hartford, electrical and civil engineers, EMT’s and paramedics, various branches of the fire service, homemakers, students, moms and dads. We serve the more than 5,000 Bolton residents, visitors and commuters including those on Routes 6, 44 and I-384. We provide around the clock response to fire, medical and environmental emergencies. Our mission is to minimize loss of life and property.

Each year we respond to more than 400 fire and emergency medical service calls. We respond to many mutual aid requests from Manchester, Hebron, Andover, Coventry and Vernon. Emergency response personnel are trained in various capacities including firefighting, advanced medical life support, water rescue, vehicle extrication, fire investigation, hazardous material and many others. Many members are cross-trained firefighter/EMT’s. Training is provided during weekly drills and through classes at the Connecticut Fire Academy. Training is mandated by the State and is both rigorous and extensive.

The fire station, located at the corner of Bolton Center Road and Notch Road, is home to three engine tankers (ET’s 134, 234 and 334), one heavy rescue truck (R 134), one light rescue/mobile command vehicle (S 134), one pick-up truck, and two brushfire vehicles. The ET’s carry a combined 4,000 gallons of water and have pumps that are capable of discharging all of that water in 4 minutes! Unlike larger suburban towns Bolton has no public water supply and therefore, no fire hydrants. We must carry our water to the fire. Every drop is precious. We fill our ET’s from several local ponds including Tinker Pond and Bolton Lake.

When you call 911 you reach the emergency dispatch center in Tolland. The center handles all emergency calls for Tolland County. If you have a medical or fire emergency, the dispatcher alerts us on pagers each of us carry. They announce the type of emergency, street address and time of day. We then head to the station and respond with the appropriate vehicle(s). For a medical emergency the dispatcher will also send an ambulance from ASM (Ambulance Service of Manchester). If necessary, ASM will transport the patient to a hospital since the Department does not have its own ambulance. If you have an emergency that requires only the police, the dispatcher will connect you to the State Police barracks in Colchester.

Tip of the Month: To insure the fastest response time, please be sure that your house number is visible from the road. We recommend placing the numbers on your mailbox or a post near your driveway. Numbers should be at least 3 inches high and should have a contrasting color to the mailbox or post they are mounted on. Reflective numbers are best. If the mailboxes on your street are all on one side of the street please also put your number on your house. Without this, it can take us precious seconds to determine which mailbox belongs to you. Next time you approach your house, especially at night, check if you can easily spot your number. Please keep in mind that we’ve likely never been to your house before and the only way we can help you is to see your number. This is critical us, the ambulance and the police. Thank you for helping us serve you.