December 13, 1825, what was known as the "Great Fire" occurred destroying two factory buildings, five houses, two stores, two saw mills, one grist-mill, and a number of mechanic shops. The temperature that day was recorded at 13 degrees below zero. Sixty-eight people were left homeless and more than fifty were left unemployed. Because of the severity of fires during this time a citizens’ watch was established and all persons were requested to have holes made in the shutters of their houses and stores, in order that fires might be more easily discovered.

The Brunswick Fire Department was organized in 1826 when the Town of Brunswick appropriated "monies for the purchase of fire protection." After some time The Kennebec and The Washington Hose company was organized, staffed by two groups of about 40 volunteers. More information on the history of Brunswick, Harpswell and Topsham.

Front of medal awarded to Fred Bursaw for being the greatest fireman in Brunswick.

Back of medal awarded to Fred Bursaw for being the greatest fireman in Brunswick.

This medal was brought to the Brunswick Fire Department by The Rev. James O'Brien, Chaplain, Newcastle Fire Company, who was searching for information on his great-grandfather Fred Bursaw. The front of the medal reads "Fred Bursaw Chief Engineer" the inscription on the back reads "Awarded to the most popular Fireman in Brunswick, ME. May 1st 1903 by the Brunswick Record". The departments records hold no information on Fred Bursaw or the award, if you know of any related history please contact the department.

Today the Brunswick Fire Department operates out of a central fire station located at Town Hall Place and the new Cook's Corner Station on Bath Road. The department operates two pumpers, a rescue pumper, one aerial truck, one pumper tanker, three rescue (ambulance) units, two pick-up brush trucks, one tower and a rescue boat.

Operations

The emergency telephone number for fire, emergency medical service, and police for Brunswick residents is 911. When reporting an emergency, the caller should stay on the telephone with the 911 operator providing all necessary information such as name, nature of the call, location of the call, and a call back number. The caller should stay on the telephone until the 911 operator indicates it is all right to hang up. The operations of the fire department can be monitored on radio frequency 154.34 MHz. For information and business calls, the fire department can be reached by dialing 725-5541, or by email at mailto:%20fire@brunswickme.org

Fire

In fiscal year 2005/2006, the Brunswick Fire Department responded to a total of 785 fire calls with an estimated fire loss of $119,500. This includes 55 structure fires, 16 vehicle fires, 39 reports of other types of fires, 132 hazardous condition calls, 21 mutual aid calls, 182 false calls, and 359 various other calls.

Major causes of fires in FY 05/06 were malfunctioning equipment, such as electrical short circuits, the careless disposal of smoking materials and other hot items and unattended fires. Arson and fires of suspicious nature also ranked as a leading cause. Automatic fire alarm systems were the most common call responded to during this period.

Emergency Medical

In addition to responding to fire calls, the Brunswick Fire Department responded to 2,251 calls for medical assistance. The total amount billed for this service for FY 05/06 was $733,980.

All firefighters hired by the Town must become licensed to a minimum level of Emergency Medical Technician, Intermediate, within their probationary period. Most members continue to upgrade their level of training during their career. The department strongly supports continued education and training.

Personnel

The Brunswick Fire Department is staffed by 33 uniformed firefighters, 1 administrative assistant, 17 call firefighters, 16 haz-mat members and a 2 member Junior Fire Department. The firefighters are divided into four companies comprised of seven firefighter’s each.

Activities

When not assigned to emergencies, firefighters are responsible for fire station upkeep, maintenance, and care of equipment and apparatus. Nearly all repairs to the fire station are completed by on duty firefighters. All vehicle preventative maintenance and many repairs are also done in house.

On duty firefighters also receive training to maintain their proficiency in medical and firefighting skills as well as physical conditioning. Here again most training is developed and presented by on duty personnel.

Fire Prevention

The department’s public education officer made over 12,000 contact hours providing public education on fire safety and first aid to the schools, nursing homes, civic organizations, and hospitals.

The inspection officers conducted over 600 safety inspections in commercial and private structures and reviewed plans for all major construction in the community.

Reminder

Emergency calls in Brunswick are answered at the Police Communications Center. Fire and medical calls are then toned out to the Brunswick Fire Department. When calling the fire department business line, 725-5541, the person answering is also responsible for recording information about the call as it is being toned out, radio traffic from responding units, and other telephone calls. Generally, the person answering the telephone can only confirm the existence of an emergency. Details of fire causes, estimates of loss or damage and injuries are available from the officer in charge or the public relations officer. Business calls, appointments for inspections, and general information is available daily, during normal business hours, by calling 725-5541.

General Information