The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department Today

Pawlet's volunteer fire company is a well-equipped modern fire department, available to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to fires and other emergencies in town. The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department also responds to emergencies in surrounding communities through a system of mutual aid, enhancing preparedness throughout the region. Our department is one of nine fire departments in Vermont dispatched by the Washington County Department of Public Safety, based in Fort Edward, New York. We are an all-volunteer outfit, comprised entirely of citizens of our town who donate their time without compensation.

Training

Today, most firefighters on the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department have put in several hundred hours of formal, nationally-accredited fire service training conducted through the Vermont Fire Academy. This includes coursework in structural and wildland firefighting, search and rescue, hazardous materials operations, and emergency medical care. Together with our ongoing in-house trainings and the drills we conduct alongside other local fire departments, our volunteers have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to building preparedness for emergencies here in Pawlet.

Apparatus

The core of our equipment is our fire trucks, or "apparatus" in the parlance of firefighters. We currently have two combination pumper/tanker engines and a brush truck, each fully equipped with all manner of firefighting gear, from hoses and axes that would be familiar to a firefighter of yesteryear to advanced modern electronics such as thermal cameras, gas meters, and defibrillators. Each apparatus is maintained with pride to provide optimal readiness for emergencies in our community.

ETA 542

ETA (shorthand for "Engine Tanker Apparatus") 542 is our primary attack engine, transporting firefighters, equipment, and over 1,200 gallons of water to the scene of an emergency, and powering high-pressure firefighting hoses and water supply lines once we arrive. ETA 542 was custom-built for the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department on a Freightliner chassis. It carries all the equipment needed for most firefighting tasks, including narly half a mile of hose, a portable pump, and basic extrication tools.

ETA 541

ETA 541 is Pawlet's second engine/tanker apparatus, constructed on an International Trucks chassis. It is equipped in much the same manner as ETA 542, and provides us with the ability to respond to much larger emergences than a single apparatus could handle. Like 542, this combination engine/tanker uses its powerful motor to drive high-pressure water systems once parked at the scene of a fire, and is also capable of serving as a tanker, moving 1,300 gallons of water at a time.

Brush 544

Brush 544 is purpose-built as a wildland fire apparatus, but this comparatively small and nimble 4x4 is useful at many other types of emergencies in Pawlet. Built on a Ford F450 Super Duty chassis, Brush 544 is capable of going places in town where our larger apparatus cannot. Equipped with a 340 gallon water tank and a stand-alone pump with a foam system, Brush 544 has the unique ability to drive and pump at the same time. It also carries rescue gear and a powerful winch.

Officers

The following officers proudly lead the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department for 2011-2012:

Fire Officers:
Chief: Dale Decker
1^st Assistant Chief: Bill McKenzie
2^nd Assistant Chief: Josh Brooks
Engineer: Paul Hegedus
Assistant Engineer: Jon Weiss

Corporate Officers:
Treasurer: Fran Powers
President: Jim Becker
Secretary: Theresa Jones


The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department Today
Pawlet's volunteer fire company is a well-equipped modern fire department, available to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to fires and other emergencies in town. The Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department also responds to emergencies in surrounding communities through a system of mutual aid, enhancing preparedness throughout the region. Our department is one of nine fire departments in Vermont dispatched by the Washington County Department of Public Safety, based in Fort Edward, New York. We are an all-volunteer outfit, comprised entirely of citizens of our town who donate their time without compensation. Training Today, most firefighters on the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department have put in several hundred hours of formal, nationally-accredited fire service training conducted through the Vermont Fire Academy. This includes coursework in structural and wildland firefighting, search and rescue, hazardous materials operations, and emergency medical care. Together with our ongoing in-house trainings and the drills we conduct alongside other local fire departments, our volunteers have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to building preparedness for emergencies here in Pawlet. Apparatus The core of our equipment is our fire trucks, or "apparatus" in the parlance of firefighters. We currently have two combination pumper/tanker engines and a brush truck, each fully equipped with all manner of firefighting gear, from hoses and axes that would be familiar to a firefighter of yesteryear to advanced modern electronics such as thermal cameras, gas meters, and defibrillators. Each apparatus is maintained with pride to provide optimal readiness for emergencies in our community.
	ETA 542 ETA (shorthand for "Engine Tanker Apparatus") 542 is our primary attack engine, transporting firefighters, equipment, and over 1,200 gallons of water to the scene of an emergency, and powering high-pressure firefighting hoses and water supply lines once we arrive. ETA 542 was custom-built for the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department on a Freightliner chassis. It carries all the equipment needed for most firefighting tasks, including narly half a mile of hose, a portable pump, and basic extrication tools.

ETA 541 ETA 541 is Pawlet's second engine/tanker apparatus, constructed on an International Trucks chassis. It is equipped in much the same manner as ETA 542, and provides us with the ability to respond to much larger emergences than a single apparatus could handle. Like 542, this combination engine/tanker uses its powerful motor to drive high-pressure water systems once parked at the scene of a fire, and is also capable of serving as a tanker, moving 1,300 gallons of water at a time.

	Brush 544 Brush 544 is purpose-built as a wildland fire apparatus, but this comparatively small and nimble 4x4 is useful at many other types of emergencies in Pawlet. Built on a Ford F450 Super Duty chassis, Brush 544 is capable of going places in town where our larger apparatus cannot. Equipped with a 340 gallon water tank and a stand-alone pump with a foam system, Brush 544 has the unique ability to drive and pump at the same time. It also carries rescue gear and a powerful winch.

Officers The following officers proudly lead the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department for 2011-2012: Fire Officers: Chief: Dale Decker 1^st Assistant Chief: Bill McKenzie 2^nd Assistant Chief: Josh Brooks Engineer: Paul Hegedus Assistant Engineer: Jon Weiss Corporate Officers: Treasurer: Fran Powers President: Jim Becker Secretary: Theresa Jones