The Early Years

There has always been fire in Pawlet, but there has not always been a fire department. In 1903 a disastrous fire nearly wiped out the village of Pawlet. Soon after, funds were raised to buy the towns first firefighting equipment, in the form of a horse-drawn, steam-powered fire pump. There was still no organized fire department, and emergency dispatch consisted of townspeople yelling from house to house for help fighting a fire.

1950 - 1972: The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department

The organization that is today's Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department began in the early 1950's when several young men in town took it upon themselves to organize a fire brigade. After much debate as to whether the outfit should be called the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department or the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Company, the name Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department was settled upon, and so the department is known today. In the earliest days of the department, a single tanker truck was housed in the barn of a private residence which once stood on the site of the current firehouse, opposite the church. This structure was destroyed by fire, though the town's apparatus was saved.

1973 - Present: Building a Modern Fire Department

In 1973, the firehouse that stands today was built as a permanent home for the PVFD. At that time, it housed a 1947 Army 2.5-ton tanker truck and a 1958 Chevy panel truck. Around this time the department obtained its first purpose-built firefighting apparatus, an American LaFrance pumper. Dispatch was conducted using a system of fire phones, which would ring in an emergency. Ten phones were distributed throughout town, one in Mach's Store and the others in firefighter's homes. A whistle mounted in the cupola of the Town Hall would alert firefighters in the village when their help was needed. This system remained in use until the early 1990's, when it was replaced by the radio pagers used by the department today.

Throughout the last 25 years, the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department has invested in newer, more modern equiptment, while members invested their time in fomal training in modern firefighting techniques. The result is the department we have in town today.

Do you know more about the history of the PVFD, or have photographs of the department's past to share? Please contact Jon Weiss.