History

Private Fire Companies
Quinsigamond Engine Company
Fire protection for the town of Shrewsbury is documented to have begun in 1850, with the opening of the first private fire company.

This company, known as the Quinsigamond Engine Company was documented from the notes of the parish with the following notation: "if the parish would grant leave to have an engine house set up on their common."
Shrewsbury Fire Department Helmet
Fountain
The second fire protection notation was in 1851: "The Fountain came to town and set up (a) fire station on South Street."

(This information was collected from "The History of the Shrewsbury Fire Department" and written by Michael Perna Jr.)

Over the Years
  • 1896 - A new fire station for the Quinsigamond Engine Company was built on the present site of Fire Headquarters.
  • 1916 - First Lake District Fire Station was established in the Dufresne Brothers Dairy property at the corner of Dewey Road.
  • 1927 - The current fire headquarters was built at Church Road, housing the fire and police departments.
  • 1930 - The Lake Station moved to the corner of Lakeview, in the barn at Moalli's property (the current Express Printing building).
  • 1940 - First full-time fire fighters were hired by the town.
  • 1943 - A new fire truck was housed in a private garage at Edgemere Boulevard.
  • 1950 - The current Lake Fire Station was constructed by the Town at Harrington Avenue.
  • 1962 - The town constructed the current Edgemere Fire Station at 100 Hartford Turnpike.
  • 1974 - Headquarters Fire Station was remodeled following the departure of the Police Department to new quarters.

Apparatus Purchases (Capital Equipment)

Year Purchased
Apparatus
Service Status
N/A
Mack triple combo truck
Not in service
N/A
Cadillac touring car (donated and converted to fire truck/ambulance)
Not in service
N/A
American LaFrance triple combo truck
Not in service
N/A
Cities Service 4-way combo ladder truck
Not in service
N/A
Farrar/Reo pumper
Not in service
1951
American LaFrance Engine 2
Not in service
1956
Farrar/Ford Combination 1
Not in service
1956
Farrar/Ford/Grove Ladder
Not in service
1956
Farrar/Ford Engine 3
Not in service
1956
Farrar/International Forestry 1
Not in service
1956
Farrar/Duplex Engine 1
Not in service
1962
Farrar/Hendrickson re-power of 1962
Not in service
1977
Farrar/Hendrickson Engine 2
Not in service
1982
Farrar/Ford Brush Unit 1
Not in service
1982
Grove Ladder
Not in service
1986
Kovatch Engine 3
In service
1987
Kovatch/Ford Engine 4
In service
1994
E-One Engine 1
In service
1997
E-One Engine 2
In service
2002
Kovatch Rescue 4 on order
In service
2007
New T-1 tower truck
In service
2007
New Fire Headquarters station
In service
2007
New Centech Boulevard fire station
In service
2007
Remodel of Harrington Avenue fire station
In service