nearly 100 years of history

Convinced that there was a need for fire protection in Turn of River, members of the community banded together to form the Turn of River Fire Department.  The charter was granted by the State of Connecticut in May of 1928.  Permission as given to hold meetings in the Community Hall of the Turn of River Church until a site could be selected and a firehouse erected.

At a special Town Meeting in June of 1928, the citizens of Stamford voted to deed the parcel of land, which was then Town of Stamford property, and is the present site of station one of our department, to the Turn of River Fire Department, Inc., on Turn of River Road.

With very limited funds, the department erected a temporary one-story wooden structure large enough to house one piece of firefighting apparatus.  The fuilding was completed in October of 1928.

Equipment loaned by the Glenbrook Fire Department served until negotiations could be completed and a modern pumper obtained.  The selected apparatus was delivered about November 1, 1928.

The members spent a great amount of effort to raise funds to pay for this new equipment.  The annual Thanksgiving bingo party was instituted in 1929.  In 1932, the department held its original carnival, and continued to hold these events for many years as a means of raising funds.

With some assistance from the Town of Stamford, which helped to pay for some of the maintenance costs, the department launched its building program in 1935.  After careful consideration as to a suitable size to house the equipment and being considerate of the community welfare, plans of the present firehouse were accepted and authoriization given for construction.  The building was completed for occupancy in July of 1936.

The community had grown to such an extent, that in 1938, the department realized more firefighting equipment was necessary and purchased another piece of firefighting apparatus.  the department also felt at the time there should be a signal tender's cottage at the rear of the firehouse.

During World War II, many of the members were taken into the Armed Services and those who stayed on American soil were working wartime jobs.  This left a critical shortage of available drivers, especially in the daytime hours.  In 1944, the department voted to have a paid, full-time driver for the daytime hours.  Since this improved the efficiency of response to daytime alarms, the department eventually employed three drivers for full coverage during the daytime hours, seven days a week.

In the years prior to 1945, the department had been donated old, but usable passenger cars, which were converted into carryalls for extra hose, brooms, and Indian pumps.  Because of the ever-increasing services rendered by our department, the amount of extras became so great in quantity and bulk; it became necessary to have a stronger chassis for carrying the equipment.

With the thought in mind of giving the community the most efficient service possible, and also considerate of the safety of its members, the department replaced the original fire apparatus with the most modern pumper available in 1946.

In 1952, a new pumper was purchased.  This pumper carried 600 gallons of water and was the first of its kind in Stamford.  The main part of the pump was rated at 500 GPM and had a third stage, which furnished two booster lines with up to 1,000 pounds of pressure.  The high-pressure lines were new as well, and proved to be very helpful in extinguishing large fires with less water.  Accordingly, the use of less water kept water damage amounts to a minimum.

With the purchase of the new pumper, the membership decided to open station two on Roxbury Road.  The new fire station was a converted garage.  The pumper operating out of station two was referred to as the Number 2 pumper and had a 500 GPM pump on board.  The fire siren to alert members of fires was functioned via radio signal and was operated by the signal tender at station one.  The signal system continued to be utilized well in to the 1960's.  During the same time period, the fire company purchased modern Motorola frequency modulation (FM) radio equipment, at which point, we were assigned radio station identification KCA290.  Turn of River Fire Department was the first radio equipped fire company in Stamford.

In 1958, a new Mack 750 GPM pumper was purchased.  This piece of apparatus had a large booster tank and high-pressure booster lines.

In 1959, a new utility truck was purchased to carry floodlights and associated equipment.

In 1962, a new Maxim 750 GPM pumper was purchased and placed into operation out of station two.  This pumper had a large booster tank and high-pressure booster lines.

In 1963, a Jeep utility truck was purchased with a special body installed on it, which became assigned to station two.  About the same time, the department purchased a rowboat, which was transported on a trailer.  The rowboat was equipped with grappling hooks, which were used during searches for drowned persons.

By 1963, most members had home radio receivers, which operated with the Motorola FM radio equipment, which enable most members to know precisely what type of emergency and the location of the emergency prior to leaving their homes.  It enabled Turn of River Fire Department to deliver knowledgeable manpower to the scene of any given incident in as short amount of time as possible.  All members would respond directly to fires, whil pump operators and drivers would respond to the fire stations to operate the fire apparatus from the fire stations to the scene.

As of the mid 1960's, all of the equipment and buildings owned by the fire department were purchased with the assistance of all individuals within the community who generously donated the supportive funds.

Mindful of its obligation to the community and with the desire to give the best service possible, the department has joined membership in an ever-increasing list of fire protection and fire prevention organizations.  Among the list are such organizations as the "Big Five" , organized in 1931 and consisting of five volunteer departments of the Cit of Stamford, The Fairfield County Fire Chief's Emergency Plan, organized in 1933, the State Fireman's Association, the New England Fire Chief's Association, and the Fireman's International Association.  Through membership in these organizations, the Turn of River Fire Department has been able to keep abreast of the most modern and efficient methods of firefighting, fire prevention, and fire control.

The territory covered by the Turn of River Fire Department is approximately 16 square miles in size and contains more than 6,000 homes, as well as numerous commercial properties.

Today the department can look back upon 97 years of efforts to be of service to its community with a justifiable amount of pride.  We are now looking forward to many more years of continuing our tradition of providing the best fire service possible for the citizens of the City of Stamford.