Due to lack of firefighting equipment, early Association activities consisted mainly of fund raising activities such as card parties and turkey raffles. Such events raised sums of $2.75 and $3.75, amounts not considered low during that era; the 1932-33 winter, the absolute depth of the Great Depression. Later fundraisers included suppers and dances which were held at the Community Hall. These events cleared profits up to $50.00, and net income for the first year was recorded as $417.61.

The earliest equipment owned by the Association was purchased in November of 1933 when an Evinrude pump was bought for $175 along with 500-feet of hose – purchased for 55-cents per foot. During this period, early interest by the membership was shown for the purchase of a new truck. This interest became reality on March 15, 1934, when a 1924 Dodge was purchased from Edward Hinman of Main Street North. The cost of the truck was $40, negotiated down from an asking price of $50. This added to the cost of the truck were another five dollars for hose and sixty cents for a siren, for a total cost of $45.60.

The truck was put into service after renovations and alterations by the members of the Association. Alterations included the installation of equipment like the pump and the 500 feet of hose, 2 axes, a ladder, 2 shovels, various hose couplings, and a shutoff nozzle. The truck was housed in a garage owned by the St. Pierre family on Main Street North (the site of the present Shell filling station). The first large fire the new truck attended was a call in Oxford, an area without a fire department until 1941. A bill for $50.00 was presented to the homeowner; a common practice during that era. As the Association grew in number and in reputation, considerably more money began coming into the treasury, and by 1934 there was already discussion about the purchase of more apparatus.

In late 1934, Chief Bennett was succeeded by Joseph Kamerzel, under whom, the subject of incorporation was first considered. A special meeting was held on June 6, 1935, were using the positive recommendations of an attorney, and the wishes of the membership, the recommendation for incorporation was approved. At this special meeting, all financial assets and equipment belonging to the Southbury Voluntary Firemens’ Association were transferred to the newly created entity, the Southbury Volunteer Firemens’ Association. The original group was dissolved, and all members of the original group were carried into the new one, thereby maintaining its continuity.

The first order of business for the new S.V.F.A. was to purchase a new piece of firefighting apparatus. A committee headed by Bud Harrison negotiated the purchase of a 1935 REO truck, which was outfitted by Sanford apparatus of Syracuse, N.Y. This truck, known as Engine 2, cost $3000 when delivered in 1936 and is still owned and maintained by the Association today.

Although sketchy, Association records at this time serve to highlight some of the fire activity. For example, the 1938 report records that the Association was called into service a total of twenty times. The call breakdown reads as follows: car fires -10; structure fire-1; brush fires-9. Apparently, many of the brush fires were caused by burning coal cinders from the smokestacks from the steam-powered locomotives of the day. In those days the railroad ran through Southbury along the route of today’s State Bridle path. During periods of dry weather, large lengths of the railroad right-of-way would burn.

A number of men served as Chief during the Association’s early years. Chiefs Kamerzel, Walker, Walter (Bud) Harrison, and Herbert Sears would succeed Chief Bennett during the period of 1934-45. Chief Sears led the department during the difficult World War II years when military call-ups kept the ranks of active firefighters lower than normal.

The return to peacetime in 1945 also marked the first-ever S.V.F.A. Clambake. It was held and would continue to be held for many years at charter member Pete Fleming’s farm on Main Street South, at the rear of the present post office. As an example of how different things were in 1945, the cost of a bushel of clams for this event was $6.00.

Kenneth Baldwin became the Association’s sixth Fire Chief in 1945, ushering in an era of long-serving holders of that office. Ken held the office until 1954, resigning his post to become Southbury’s First Selectman. In 1950, during his tenure, the South Britain firehouse was built by the members on land donated by the Mitchell family. It is still in use today and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Chief Kenneth Baldwin was succeeded by George Stone, Sr., who served until 1965 when he stepped down to assume the post of Fire Marshal; a post which he would hold for the next twenty-seven years. In 1961, during George’s tenure, the original sections of the Center Fire House on Main Street South were completed. Construction also began on Interstate 84 during this time.

In 1965, Frank Bradley was elected Chief and was eventually succeeded in 1967 by Robert Harrison Sr. Chief Harrison, the son of past-Chief Bud Harrison, who would remain in office for a remarkable 17-years, leaving the helm in 1984. For perspective, when he assumed the reins of office there was no Heritage Village, no Southbury Plaza, no Pomperaug High School, very little commercial development on Main Street South, and the Center Fire House was half its present size. Southbury was still a small farming community, and the Firemen’s Association responded to just over 50 emergencies during his initial year as Chief. By the time he retired from his post in 1984, tremendous development had occurred in Southbury. The town had more than doubled its population with many farms giving way to residential and commercial development. This resulted in the Association answering more than 200 calls a year. To keep up with the growth, a satellite fire station was built in Southford -dedicated to the memory of founding Chief Arza Bennett. Prior to the construction of this station, a tanker had been housed in the Chapel building, owned by past-Chief Kenneth Baldwin, next to the Southford Garage in order to afford fire protection to that area of town. Under Chief Harrison, the fleet was also expanded. An 85-foot LTI ladder truck was delivered in 1977, requiring an addition to the Center Fire House to accommodate this new large vehicle.

In 1984, Chief Harrison was succeeded by his longtime assistant, Leroy Baldwin, the son of past-Chief Kenneth Baldwin. Chief Baldwin held the post until 1985, eventually succeeded by Joseph Dilley, Jr.

Eventually, Chief Dilley was succeeded by R. Allen Brinley Jr., Noble Allen Jr., and Timothy Baldwin. Chief Baldwin, who assumed the post in 1990, is the son and grandson of past Association Chiefs. In 1992, Joseph Dilley once again assumed the office of Fire Chief and eventually was succeeded by Vincent Soares, Robert Bedard, John Stanko, and again by Tim Baldwin. Lyman Gilbert took office in June of 2006, followed by Rick Lyle.  Dan Tomascak was sworn in in June 2015.  On May 15, 2018, Chief Tomascak lead the department through one of the biggest natural disasters in town history when Southbury was rocked by a tornado.  Chief Tomascak was followed by Chief Brian Warren in 2019.  Shortly into his appointment, the COVID pandemic struck and Chief Warren headed the department through this unprecedented time. The current Chief, Robert Hamila, was elected June 22, 2023.

In 1984, a series of administrative changes took place that shaped the organization into what it is today. Administrative and line officers positions were separated and a Board of Directors was created. The office of Chief Administrative Officer, a 2-year position, was created to relieve the Fire Chief of ever-increasing amounts of paperwork. Arthur Von Holtz held this office, eventually renamed President of the Association in 1987, for four years. He was succeeded by Richard Szanto, who held office until 1992, and then James Haman, who was followed by Art Von Holtz, elected to a second term in 1996. James Haman resumed the Presidency in 1998, followed in 2002 by Carl Butzbach. In 2004, and again in 2006, the association elected James Demetrius. John Stanko and Lyman Gilbert followed.  Dave Klein took the helm in 2018, followed by the current president, Jason Decremer.

In September 1986 there occurred the worst fire in the Association’s history when the one-acre horse barn on Roxbury Road – property owned by Steve McAllister -burned to the ground. A general alarm call went out to fight the blaze which killed eighteen prize horses and resulted in over two million dollars worth of property damage. Eight neighboring departments assisted through mutual aid agreements in the containment and extinguishment of the blaze. Recollections of the moment from your writer, who arrived on the first truck to the scene, were of the entire building being engulfed in fire, with pieces of roofing and siding flying all over the area. News coverage of this fire gained national attention as it aired on the primary television networks.

In 1989, a fourth station, on Spruce Brook Road, was constructed to provide protection for the Purchase section of Southbury. It was named in honor of past Chief Kenneth Baldwin and adds considerably to the protection of residents of the Purchase.

The S.V.F.A. is a fully equipped, fully trained, modern fire department from which the community has been able to take great pride for over 90 years. We maintain a fleet of five pumpers, three water tankers, a 102-foot tall aerial tower-ladder, a Heavy Rescue vehicle, a brush truck, a HazMat vehicle, two command cars, and a utility van. We are still 100% volunteers, on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We number over 65 active members and total more than 100 members in all.

The SVFA has come a long way with training our membership in recent years because the days of “on-the-job” training are long gone. All incoming members must now pass the Connecticut state Fire Fighter I course within the one-year apprenticeship period. We also conduct regular recurrent training of all active members as mandated by the State of Connecticut and by OSHA. In addition, many of our volunteers seek and maintain advanced qualifications in medical response, Hazardous material response, and specialized rescue. As a result, the town is afforded fire protection in a manner comparable to any major city at a fraction of the cost of maintaining a full-time fire department. To support these capabilities our apparatus, turnout gear, and other equipment are maintained and upgraded regularly using the latest and safest technologies.

The Southbury Volunteer Fireman’s Association has come a long way since October 27, 1932, but one thing has never changed; our willingness and desire to serve the Southbury community…

To view photos of HISTORICAL CALLS please click here