At a Town Hall meeting on April 12, 1934, the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Company was established to protect the communities of Middlefield and Rockfall with the mission of minimizing the loss of life and/or property threatened by the hazards of fire.

In the years since its creation, the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Company has evolved into a multi-discipline emergency service organization, with our 100% volunteer membership dedicated to providing fire prevention and suppression services in addition to emergency medical services response, advanced rescue techniques, as well as hazardous materials incident response and mitigation planning.

In the nearly 90 years of existence, the fire service has consistently progressed to assure we are operating as efficiently and safely as possible.  New information and innovative technologies have stimulated a transformation to our daily operations, which would likely be unrecognizable compared to practices from even as recent as 20 years ago. 

The Middlefield Volunteer Fire Company (MVFC) has remained anything but stagnant in addressing how to provide the highest level of service to our community while prioritizing the safety of our firefighters, who are facing new challenges in today’s fires.  50 years ago, homes were filled with furniture made of solid wood, wool, cotton, and natural products.  Today we see an abundance of furnishings being made of synthetic materials which burn eight times faster and produce 200 times more toxic smoke, containing numerous carcinogens and giving you less time to get out of your home safely.

To combat these changing times, in 2017, the MVFC created a “Long Range Planning Committee” with members of the fire company, with the goal of addressing these challenges.  While many policy and procedural changes were implemented, one issue that remained was the conditions and the adaptability of our current facilities.

One large hurtle that the fire company has faced for about twenty years was trying to fit a modern-day sized fire apparatus in bays with inadequate space and with tight height and length restrictions.  The last addition and renovation to the firehouse was completed 37 years ago in 1986, with the anticipation to meet the needs of the Fire Company and the Town of Middlefield for the following 20 years.  Diminishing spaces and updating the station to include present-day health and safety mechanisms is of the utmost importance.

This committee worked to address other matters with the overall condition of the facility, with aging mechanicals including an inefficient furnace and heating system at the end of its life, a roof and windows overdue for replacement, lack of storage and workspaces, and numerous structural and code compliance concerns.    

In bringing forward these issues to the Board of Selectman, First Selectman Ed Bailey appointed a Firehouse Building Committee with three members of the fire company and four community members from the town, holding its first meeting on February 24, 2021.

The Firehouse Building Committee worked to select an architectural firm that would provide as much information as possible on the current facility and the overall site.  This study commenced in April of 2022 after the committee selected Kaestle Boos Associates Inc. (KBA) who collaborated with nationally awarded Mitchell Associates Architects (MAA) for firematic programming.

The team of KBA, MAA, and the Firehouse Building Committee operated closely to develop an in-depth analysis that would assist in formulating a roadmap for remediation of the findings.  Information from this needs assessment is currently being used by KBA, MAA, and the Firehouse Building Committee to bring forward three options that will be presented to the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and ultimately to the citizens and taxpayers for their vote.

Click here to view the Needs Assessment.

While this process is approaching the presentation phase, the in depth Needs Analysis and Structural Review, completed in September 2022, is being made available to the public for review to give a detailed understanding of the numerous considerations to address.

The Firehouse Building Committee, Volunteer Fire Company, and the Board of Selectmen have been pursuing many grant and funding opportunities, with hopes of a positive outcome to help reduce this investment to our taxpayers. 

In the coming months there will be several public hearings, informational sessions, and events inviting you into the firehouse, that will allow taxpayers to bring forth any questions and/or concerns you may have in an effort to provide you with as much information as possible before you’re asked to vote on this opportunity.  We encourage everyone to take advantage of this information with a vision to continue, advance, and protect the future of the Volunteer Fire Company in the Town of Middlefield.