History

The Town of Farmington was incorporated in 1645. The Farmington Fire Department was established in 1803, followed by Tunxis Hose Company's #1's formation in 1893, the Oakland Gardens Fire Department's creation in 1943, and the East Farmington Volunteer Fire Department's establishment in 1944. The four fire departments were all funded separately by the Town and operated independently of each other for many years.

In 1992, a committee consisting of fire fighters and community members was established and charged with creating a rational, cost-effective plan for the fire department. The committee ultimately recommended that a consultant be hired to complete this task and then disbanded.

In 1993, the Oakland Gardens Fire Department merged with Farmington Fire Department, putting the two stations under the direction of the same Volunteer Fire Chief.  The Town of Farmington now had three separate fire departments instead of four.

In June of 1993, MMA Consulting, Inc of Boston, Mass, issued their final report titled, “A study of the Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services in the Town of Farmington.” The study included more than 30 recommendations. When presented to the Town on June 24, 1993, Dr. Granito indicated that the most important matter, in his opinion, was to resolve the organization and command structure of the Fire Department. Once that was instituted, it was Dr. Granito’s belief that the Town could effectively standardize procedures, reporting systems and specifications for the equipment and apparatus, which, at that time, were different from station to station.

The fire departments in Farmington evolved  in the years following the MMA report.  For example, in 1994, the Town’s three fire departments were unified under one full-time, paid Fire Chief/Fire Marshal.

In 1997, the position of Fire Chief/Fire Marshal was returned to being solely a Fire Marshal. The Fire Service Board, a nine-member board comprised of three volunteer Fire Chiefs, three volunteer Assistant Chiefs and three volunteer members of the community took over the responsibilities of the Fire Chief. The Board hired a part time Fire Administrator in December, 1997. The position was upgraded to full time in July, 1998.

In 2000, the Southwest Fire Station, on Westwoods Drive in the Southwest corner of Farmington, was built. As Oakland Gardens was a substation to the Farmington Fire Department, Southwest became a substation to Tunxis Hose Co. #1., operating under their respective Fire Chiefs.  (Note: Oakland Gardens would eventually become a substation to East Farms Fire Station.) The Town of Farmington now had three Volunteer Fire Chiefs overseeing five fire stations under the direction of a nine-member oversight board.  

In 2002, the Fire Service Board voted to disband itself.

On May 1, 2003, the position of Fire Administrator was upgraded to the Director of Fire and Rescue Services and became the department head of the TFFD. Authority for the position of Director of Fire & Rescue Services is derived from Chapter 29 of the Farmington Code.

Today, the TFFD is a 'combination fire department' with both volunteer and professional fire fighters. These men and women operate 18 apparatus out of the five aforementioned fire stations. Each year, the department answers many thousands of calls for service.

Additional Information

The Town of Farmington Fire Department (TFFD) is designated by the State of Connecticut as the Primary First Responder to medical calls for the Town of Farmington. The Farmington Police Department is the supplemental First Responder.  American Medical Response is the transport agency for the Town, providing both BLS and ALS service through an agreed upon contract.

Emergency calls are answered by the Farmington Public Safety Dispatch Center, which is located in the Farmington Police Department and staffed by civilian dispatchers. The Farmington Public Safety Dispatch Center has enhanced 911 and uses Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) to triage incoming medical calls and provide pre-arrival instructions to those reporting medical emergencies.