History

The Canterbury Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. was incorporated in the spring of 1948, after a group of determined men recognized a need for local services and equipped an old truck with brooms, pails, and shovels. The original location of the Company was just down the street from where we presently reside on a piece of property that was purchased for $1.00. They held their first meeting in that station on April 28, 1949. That summer, they purchased a used fire truck from Interstate Trucking at a cost of $450.00, and an additional $1,000.00 was spent to equip it. When the phone would ring for a fire response, the Ladies Auxiliary would enact a phone tree to contact the firefighters. In January of 1953, the Company expanded to add a second apparatus; a 1952 V8 F6 2 ton from Simon Ford. Although the Town was responsible for the load, members of the company had to sign that they would be personally responsible for the note if the Town was to default.

The humble beginnings of our Company were made possible from the hard work and dedication of our Charter Members. This was achieved primarily from countless volunteer hours of raising funds from dances, dinners, and paper drives. We now operate with a fleet of 4 fire apparatus, a forestry UTV, and an ambulance that is staffed by a combination of paid employees and volunteers.