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                      Fire Protection Division | Fire Prevention Division

FIRE PROTECTION DIVISION

The Pascoag Fire Department provides fire and EMS protection to the entire village of approximately 1,700 households housing 1,200 families and 5,000 people.  The district has a total area of about 27 square miles, including 0.4 square miles of water.  In addition to protecting private residences, the department also protects the Zambarano unit of the Eleanor Slater Hospital, located on the shore of Wallum Lake.  The department also protects several nursing homes, the Burrillville Industrial Park, the Algonquin Gas Company, and many commercial and dining establishments including Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, CVS/Pharmacy, and several privately-owned businesses.

Pascoag is bordered on the north by the town of Douglas, Massachusetts; on the south by the village of Chepachet, Rhode Island; on the East by the village of Harrisville, RI; and on the West by the town of Thompson, Connecticut.

The Pascoag Fire Department is dispatched by Burrillville Fire Dispatch, which is located at the Burrillville Police Station.  This is where 9-1-1 emergency calls are answered and dispatched.  All five fire departments in the town of Burrillville share a set of three radio frequencies:

Burrillville Fire Dispatch also monitors the Intercity Fire Radio Network (154.280 MHz), which is a frequency used by dispatch centers throughout the state to communicate with each other.

Besides being dispatched via this method, the Pascoag Fire District also has a network of Gamewell hardwired fire boxes on buildings and telephone poles throughout the village.  By pulling the hook on one of these boxes, the number displayed on the front of the box is transmitted via electrical pulses that punch holes in a paper strip at the fire station. Many commercial and public buildings in the village are being equipped with fire alarm systems that operate on radio signals and send alarm location and information directly to a digital system at the Main Street Fire Station.

Calls are also received by walk-ins at the fire stations and phone calls directly to the fire stations.  These methods are not recommended, however, as the stations are not always staffed.

Pascoag Fire District Residents:

Your cooperation is requested in making sure that your property is clearly numbered, and that the number is easily visible from the roadway. Being able to easily identify a residence will ensure that emergency services will be rendered as quickly as possible.

Volunteering
with the Pascoag Fire Department

The Pascoag Fire Department is always accepting applications for membership at both the Main Street and Howard Avenue Fire Stations.  The Howard Avenue station is staffed on Monday through Friday from 7:30AM to 3:30PM, and the Main Street station is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Applications are available at both stations, and do require the applicant to join a social company in addition to becoming a firefighter.  There is no residency requirement regarding which Hose Company to join—that is, residents of downtown Pascoag can be members of Hose Company #2, and residents of Bridgeton can be members of Hose Company #1.  However, both Hose Companies (and the Pascoag Fire Department) require that all members reside within the Pascoag district limits.

Membership with the Pascoag Fire Department is completely volunteer--members receive no monetary compensation.  Emergency Medical Technicians and drivers of EMS apparatus are involved in a paid-on-call (POC) system, which compensates members on a call-by-call basis.

The Pascoag Fire Department requires no training for acceptance.  All basic fire and EMS training is done in the field by officers and senior firefighters and EMT's; more advanced fire and EMS training is done in a classroom setting.  The Department also welcomes any person with a valid Emergency medical Technician's license in the State of Rhode Island.

For more information on becoming a volunteer with the Pascoag Fire Department, please don't hesitate to stop by one of the Fire Stations in person, or call or e-mail any of the contacts on the contacts page.  All of these people are also Pascoag Firefighters, and are more than happy to answer any questions you may have.