In 1945 the Selectmen authorized the purchase of a new “Fire Siren” to be placed atop the Firehouse with the control switch at the local central office of the telephone company. The Fire Chief worked out a set of signals… a number of blasts and cycles… to be used to announce a fire and a call for Firefighters volunteers. It was 2 blasts that indicated a fire within the town, 4 blasts denoted west of the town, 6 blasts meant east of the town and 8 blasts indicated either an out-of-town fire or a grass fire. One blast at 12:00 noon each day was a test of the siren. These signals were used for many years… in fact until the late 1950’s.
In 1949, the South Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated to provide fire protection to southern Brookfield. Charter members were Oscar Capaldi, Walter Loesch, Kenneth Eriksen, Paul Gereg, Vincent Keilty, Magnus Jensen, John Piskura, Carl Concelman, William Fitzsimmons, Peter Howryletz, Wesley Kennen, Eldon Lund, Kurt Newmann, Robert Schullery, Theodore Davis, Andrew Gereg, Arthur Hurley, Knud Knudsen, William McGrath and William Pippin.
In addition, the New Fairfield Volunteer Fire Company B was formed at Candlewood Shores. Its charters members were Daniel Hatch Jr., James F. Knick, Raymond Reynolds, Harold Zucca, Daniel Hatch Sr., Ralph Reynolds, S. MacDonnell, C. Edwin Schmidt, H. Van Houten Jr. and G. Iver Johnson. Raymond Reynolds was the first Fire Chief. In 1961, when the shores and surrounding area around Candlewood Lake was annexed to Brookfield, the New Fairfield Fire Company B became Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department, Candlewood Company, an independent department that covers the west side of town. It had the 1st Marine Division to assist in boat fires and water rescues.
The Firefighters continued to raise money and in 1954 built a new Firehouse Station at Brookfield Center on a half-acre of donated land located on the corner of Whisconier and Obtuse Hill Road. It was designed by local architect Burton Bugbee.
The Center Station Firehouse
An additional bay was added in 1957 when the Ambulance Service began and had purchased a used Buick for $2,000. Around twenty-five volunteers received training from area doctors and the American Red Cross.
The Ambulance Committee consisted of Lawrence Burr Jr., Clifford Tomlinson and Willis Ballard Jr. The Company still owns this building today and continues to run the Ambulance Service from this location. The Ambulance Service had over 38 calls that first year.
It wasn’t until 1961 that the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company merged with South Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department and took title to the Firehouse on Federal Road. The Fire Company gained an additional 2 fire trucks and 22 volunteers. For several years both stations were active and known as Station A and Headquarters Company. The Station A building was sold in 1981 to help defray the construction costs on the new Pocono Road Firehouse station.