Vermont has no county fire service and no single statewide fire department. Protection comes from your town, city, or fire district, and most of the 363 stations in our database are run by volunteer or on-call members who leave their day jobs when the pager goes off. That keeps the service close to home, but it also means the right contact depends on exactly where you live. This page explains how the pieces fit together, from Burlington's full-time crews to small hill-town companies, and what to do when you need a burn permit, a safety check, or a station address.

Why Vermont Fire Protection Is Run Town by Town

Vermont has 14 counties, but county government here is thin. Counties handle courts and sheriffs' departments, not firefighting. The real unit of fire service is the municipality: a town, a city, an incorporated village, or a separate fire district created to serve part of a town. Voters decide the budget, usually at Town Meeting in March. That vote sets how much money the local department gets for trucks, fuel, training, and protective gear.

Because each community builds its own arrangement, the names in our listings vary widely. You will find a town-owned Fire Department, a Volunteer Fire Company organized as its own nonprofit, a Fire Protective Association such as the one in Pownal, and a Rural Fire Department such as Bennington Rural Fire Department Station 3 on Orchard Road. They look different on paper, but they answer the same 911 calls. They also work together under mutual aid agreements, so when a barn fire or house fire outgrows one small crew, neighboring departments are called in.

Dispatch is the piece most residents never see. A 911 call is answered at a dispatch center, which sends the department that covers the caller's road. That is why accurate location details matter more than which station you think is closest. Some towns are also covered by a department in the next town over, because it is simply the faster route.

City Crews and Rural Companies: How Service Differs Across Vermont

Chittenden County and the Lake Champlain corridor

The most densely populated part of the state looks the most like a conventional urban fire service. The Burlington Fire Department, at 1 North Avenue (802-864-5311), is a full-time department in Vermont's largest city. South Burlington Fire and Rescue Station 1, at 575 Dorset Street, and the Colchester Center Volunteer Fire Company's Champlain Station, at 227 Clay Point Road, serve the neighboring communities. Chittenden County has 34 listings, and Colchester alone accounts for six of them. That reflects how much ground the town covers, from the Malletts Bay shoreline to the Winooski River.

Rutland County and the central hills

Rutland County has the most listings of any county, 46, and the pattern explains why. Small towns such as West Rutland, Wallingford, Castleton, Danby, and Mount Holly each keep their own company instead of sharing one large station. West Rutland Fire Department sits at 217 Marble Street in a town once known for marble quarrying. Wallingford Fire Department is at 17 Railroad Street. The Hubbardton Fire Department's address, 4622 Monument Hill Road, carries a Castleton mailing address even though the department serves Hubbardton. Many of these stations are modest buildings with a few engines, staffed by neighbors.

Southern and eastern Vermont

In Bennington County, the Dorset Volunteer Fire Department at 2788 Route 30 and the Pownal Fire Protective Association on Vermont 346 cover communities that sit well away from the county's largest town. In Windsor County, the Chester Fire Department at 556 Elm Street and the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department on U.S. 4 serve towns along busy routes, where highway crashes are as likely as house fires.

Rural response has built-in limits. Many Vermont roads have no hydrants, so departments rely on tanker shuttles, dry hydrants at ponds and rivers, and water brought by mutual aid. Winter brings snow-covered roads, and mud season softens the dirt ones. Volunteers also have to reach the station before the truck can leave. Expect arrival times that can run longer than in a city, and put more weight on prevention at home: working alarms, a cleaned chimney, and a clear driveway.

The State Agencies Behind Vermont Fire Departments

The Vermont Division of Fire Safety, part of the Department of Public Safety, is the main state body for the fire service. It administers the state's fire and building safety rules, handles inspections and plan review for many public and commercial buildings, and supports fire investigations. It also runs firefighter training through the Vermont Fire Academy in Pittsford, in Rutland County, where volunteer and career members take courses. The Division does not staff local stations or send trucks to routine calls. Those jobs belong to your town or district.

Outdoor burning follows a separate track. Each town has a fire warden, appointed through the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, which is part of the Agency of Natural Resources. If you want to burn brush, contact your town's fire warden before you light anything. The warden can refuse permission on dry or windy days. Burning household trash is not allowed. Fire wardens are often, but not always, members of the local department, so the station or town clerk's office is a good place to start asking.

Practical Steps for Getting Fire Department Help in Vermont

Most contact with a fire department is not an emergency. Use this list to match your need with the right office.

Treat the phone numbers in our listings as non-emergency lines unless the station says otherwise. Volunteer stations often route calls to a chief or officer, so a voicemail greeting is normal. If a recording tells you to hang up and dial 911 for an emergency, follow it.

Once you have found your station, open its county page to see neighboring departments that share coverage. Properties near county lines are sometimes served by a department across the line, so check both sides before you assume which crew responds to your address. A quick call to the town clerk will settle it, and it is worth doing before you need it.

Fire departments across Vermont range from large career departments in major cities to volunteer departments serving small rural communities, all operating under state fire codes and local ordinances to protect residents from fire and emergency hazards.

Fire Departments locations are available in 208 cities across Vermont. They are spread across 14 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Burlington, Colchester, West Rutland, which have multiple fire stations strategically located to maintain rapid response times for their dense populations.

Residents of Vermont should know your local fire department's non-emergency phone number so you can request burn permits, safety inspections, and community programs without tying up the 911 emergency line.

Fire Departments by Counties

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Residents of Vermont planning any outdoor burning should contact their local fire department for open burning regulations and permit requirements, which can vary significantly by county and season due to drought conditions and fire danger ratings.

Browse Fire Departments by county across Vermont to find the nearest location.

Finding Your Station in Vermont by County and Town

The directory groups stations by county and town, which is the quickest way to narrow your search. In the north, Franklin County includes the Saint Albans City Fire Department at 30 Lower Welden Street and the Enosburg Fire Department at 83 Sampsonville Road in Enosburg Falls. Together they show the range, from a city department in the county seat to a village department serving surrounding farm country.

Farther east, Orange County lists the East Randolph Fire Department at 152 Vermont 14, the Newbury Fire Department at 60 Chapel Street, and the Thetford Volunteer Fire Department's Post Hills Station on Vermont 244. Caledonia County has the Danville Volunteer Fire Department at 24 McReynolds Road, and Orleans County has the City of Newport Fire Department at 350 Western Avenue. In the southeast, Newbrook Fire & Rescue Department serves the Newfane area of Windham County.

Many Vermont addresses are written as route numbers, such as Vermont 30 or U.S. 4, instead of street numbers. Confirm the town the station serves, not only the mailing town, and confirm the phone number before you rely on it.

Fire Department Questions Vermont Residents Ask

Your town fire warden handles open burning permission. You can reach the warden through the town clerk's office or the local fire department. Call each time you plan to burn, because approval on one day does not carry over to the next. The warden decides whether weather and ground conditions are safe and may set limits on timing and location. Permission covers brush and untreated wood, not household trash. Ask the warden whether any fee applies in your town, and keep water and tools beside the fire.

It is a mix. Burlington runs a full-time department, and a few other larger communities also employ career staff. Most small towns rely on volunteer or call members, and the names in our listings say so, as with the Dorset, Danville, Bridgewater, and Middlesex volunteer departments. Volunteers respond from home or work, so a trained crew gathers within minutes but not instantly. Staffing also affects the phones. A volunteer station may not answer during the workday, so leave a clear message with your name, number, and reason for calling.

Postal delivery areas do not always match town lines. Hubbardton Fire Department uses a Castleton mailing address, Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department lists Woodstock, Thetford's Post Hills Station lists Fairlee, and Mount Holly Volunteer Fire Department Station 2 lists Rutland. The department still protects its own town. When you look up coverage for a property, go by the town where the property sits, not its postal city. If you are unsure, ask the town clerk which department responds to your road.

Rutland County has 46 listings against 34 in Chittenden County, even though Chittenden has the state's largest city. The reason is structure. Rutland County has many small towns, and each tends to keep its own company, sometimes with more than one station. West Rutland has six listings, Wallingford has five, and Castleton has four. Names such as Danby-Mount Tabor Station 1 and Mount Holly Station 2 show departments that operate multiple stations. Chittenden County concentrates population in fewer, larger departments.

Start by calling the station listed for your town and asking when the department holds its meetings or drill nights. Most departments will ask you to fill out an application and meet some basic requirements, which vary by department. Training is available through the Vermont Fire Academy in Pittsford and the Division of Fire Safety, and your department usually helps arrange it. Not every volunteer fights fires. Departments also need drivers, medical responders, fundraisers, and people to help with administration. Ask the chief which roles are open.

Give the town first, because many road names repeat across neighboring towns. Then give the road or route number, such as Vermont 30, along with the house number, nearest intersection, or a landmark like a farm stand or bridge. Say what is happening and stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you otherwise. Cell coverage can be patchy in the hills, so if the call drops, move to open ground or higher ground and dial again. If you can, send someone to the end of the driveway to guide responders in.