St. Johnsbury 

Fire Department

St. Johnsbury Fire Department Mission Statement:

"To protect, preserve, and improve lives, property and the environment through professional, skilled and progressive fire, rescue and emergency medical services."

The St. Johnsbury Fire Department is a combination fire department serving the largest community in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Headquarters is situated in the downtown district at the southern end of town. We serve all 37 square miles of ST. Johnsbury which features a range of population densities. From our built-up densely populated downtown to the medium density residential neighborhoods including East St. Johnsbury and St. Johnsbury Center, to our low density rural farmlands and forest, there are a wide variety of properties the SJFD protects.

Our community is crisscrossed by Interstate 91, Interstate 93, US Route 5, and US Route 2 connecting ST. Johnsbury to cities like Sherbrooke Quebec, New Haven Connecticut, Boston Massachusetts, and Bangor Maine. IN addition, the Vermont Rail System runs directly through downtown transporting freight from White Rive Junction, VT to Newport, VT.

Granted in 1760, St. Johnsbury is a historic community featuring many Victorian style homes, farmhouses, and a mix of newer residential construction. Our commercial and industrial districts have large industrial buildings, mill buildings, and commercial occupancies. And our historic downtown area i home to numerous multi-story brick buildings with 19th century architecture including several cultural landmarks.

St. Johnsbury Fire Department is known for its historically large and devastating fires. Ocer the years we have experienced fires that have destroyed large portions of our downtown area and claimed the lives of several citizens. The tightly pack ordinary construction that makes up much of our downtown proves challenging from a fire protection standpoint.

The SJFD was established on October 31st, 1843 with the first hose company, "The Torrent" located in the former Fairbanks Village. Over the years the department has progressed from 5 separate volunteer companies throughout the town to the current single firehouse with 12 full-time employees, and 6 paid-on call firefighters.

Services provided by the fire department include fire suppression, EMS first response, auto extrication, hazardous materials response, technical rescue operations, fire prevention and more.