Welcome to Mill Plain FireHouse!
A cornerstone of the west side of Danbury, Connecticut, since 1945
FIRE PREVENTION & OPEN HOUSE
Saturday Oct. 12 12-4pm
Come down meet the members, see our equipment. Talk to the Chief, Assistant Chief, and captain to discuss joining the fire department. We will have fire truck rides, our friends from Danbury Police dept will be here with the Traffic unit and Car seat techs, and many more other activities! We can’t wait to see the familiar faces from our community!
Volunteering as a firefighter requires dedication, courage, and a service-oriented mindset, yet it offers immensely rewarding experiences.
Community Service
Volunteering as a firefighter is a way to give back to your community and make a positive impact on the lives of others. It’s a noble endeavor that helps ensure the safety of your neighbors and fellow citizens.
Sense of Purpose
Being a volunteer firefighter can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Knowing that you are part of a team that responds to emergencies and helps save lives can be incredibly rewarding.
Personal Growth
Volunteering as a firefighter can help you develop valuable skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making. It can also provide opportunities for professional development.
Camradery
Joining a fire department often means becoming part of a close-knit community of individuals who share a common goal and rely on each other in high-pressure situations. The bonds formed with fellow firefighters can be strong and enduring.
Contribution to Public Safety
Firefighters play a crucial role in ensuring public safety by responding to fires, accidents, medical emergencies, and other disasters. By volunteering as a firefighter, you are contributing to the overall safety and well-being of your community.
Opportunity to Make a Difference
Whether it’s rescuing someone from a burning building, providing medical assistance at the scene of an accident, or educating the community about fire safety, volunteering offers opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
About Us
Initial History of the company from the Souvenir Program of the opening of the first Mill Plain Firehouse, dated April 29th 1948.
This company was organized during the early part of 1945. For over a year its only equipment was several pieces of trailer apparatus that had been built by the Danbury Defense organization. It had no home and there was little if any money.
The going has been hard, but the company has gradually overcome one obstacle after another. Land was bought and preparations for building of this house were begun. A series of heartbreaking discouragements were encountered and for a time things looked serious. But the company refused to be discouraged. The hard work of its members and the co-operation of many of our local friends has made the completion of this building possible. We also have been able to obtain two well equipped pieces of mobile apparatus.
The Ladies Auxiliary was organized last year and they have done fine work. The company is deeply grateful to them for their whole hearted co-operation.
We thank those of our members who have so cheerfully contributed their labor and various abilities. To the public we pledge ourselves to rigidly adhere to what we say in the last paragraph of our salutation.
**Our plans for the future are ambitious and varied. But our paramount desire is to be of value to the community and to have an organization of which we can all be proud.**
THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY (As written in the 1995 50th Anniversary Souvenir Program dated June 3rd 1995.
The Mill Plain Independent Hose Company was founded in April 1945. Papers were filed on July 13, 1945 granting the fire house company its charter to operate in the State of Connecticut.
During the first year of existence the company’s only piece of equipment was a trailer apparatus which was towed behind a member’s vehicle. There was no existing building to house the equipment so members took turns storing the apparatus in their garages.
It was difficult trying to function as an organization in the beginning, but with strong support and encouragement throughout the organization and community we were able to purchase land on Mill Plain Road and build our first fire house. All members donated their time and materials to complete this task. The fire house had its official dedication on April 28, 1948.
A used fire truck was purchased as our first piece of actual firefighting apparatus through the donations of the Mill Plain area residents and businesses. As the Company progressed and grew we were able to purchase our first new fire truck in 1949, and a second one in 1958.
Over the next the next 20 years, we were able to add-on to the fire house twice. Along with the growing membership and an increase in residents and business support, we were able to continue updating our equipment to cover the large and continually growing Mill Plain area.
In 1947, the Mill Plain Ladies Auxiliary was organized. They were made up mostly of the wives and girlfriends of members. They were a strong support to the members in helping with social functions and various fund raisers that were held.
In 1958 Mill Plain bought and was given a copy write to its current Mill Plain Bunny logo, which was drawn by Walt Kelly a syndicated cartoonist from Washington, D.C.
In the early 1980’s the original fire house was sold and our current modern fire house was built on an adjacent piece of land. The new fire house was dedicated in July 1986. It houses three pieces of fire apparatus (At the time of the 50th Anniversary celebration): a 1990 Ford brush truck, a 1986 Ward 79 pumper and the 1991 “STATE CHAMPION” 4 door Kenworth. A 2,500 gallon tanker, custom designed by Mill Plain Independent Hose and is the first 4 door Kenworth ever built.
Photo Gallery
As flames of adversity flicker, the Mill Plain Fire Department shines brightly, a testament to the spirit of unity that defines this close-knit community.