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Hampton Fire
Company
190 West Old Route Six |
Fire Chief
Rich Schenk
455-9957
Fire Marshall
Bob Marquis
455-9353
Burning Officials
Keith Christadore
234-1078
Jerry Figueroa
455-0801
Harold Haraghey
455-0615
Briana Walton
455-2104 |
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The Hampton Fire Company is a
volunteer fire department with an active response group of
approximately 25 members. The company responds to about 70 calls
per year including building/house fires, auto accidents,
grass/woods fires, wire/trees down across roadways, basement
pumping, CO detector response, mutual aid calls to other towns
and medical calls to support the Hampton-Chaplin Ambulance
Corps.
Training takes place throughout
the year and includes cold water rescue, vehicle extrications,
chimney fire management, breathing apparatus and state sponsored
fire classes.
An annual ham & bean supper serves
as a fund raiser for the group for purchase of equipment. They
are always looking for additional volunteers. If you are
interested, stop by the firehouse and speak to one of the crew.
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| In 1920, a citizen committee
was formed to develop a fire-fighting plan for Hampton. They
proposed the town establish an all-volunteer organization called
the Hampton Betterment Society. Shortly thereafter, a soda-acid
extinguisher was purchased. It was a 40 gallon, tank type
extinguisher bolted to a wagon that could be pulled by hand or
behind an automobile. Because there was no fire house at the
time, the owners of the Chelsea Inn allowed the Society to keep
the extinguisher wagon in their basement during the winter. In
the summer, a good neighbor provided a shed just north of the
Congregational Church.
Then on October 4th, 1929, the Hampton Fire Company was
chartered with 32 members. The following year, the first Fire
House was built on Route Six near Main Street on land donated by
Jennie Chapel and the Company proudly purchased a new American
LaFrance fire truck for $900.00
By the late 1950's, having made
a continuous effort to keep up with advancing technology, the
Fire Company had purchased newer, larger fire trucks.
Unfortunately, these bigger trucks did not fit into their
existing Fire House. By 1960, it was clear that they needed to
have a larger facility.
Construction on the new
building started in November, 1960, and was completed the
following July. Getting the work done was a real community
effort as many firemen, their families, and friends volunteered
time and talent to help finish the project. Many local and
neighboring businesses donated goods and services too.
Since 1969, the Fire House has
been expanded twice. The Company has continued to acquire newer
fire trucks and more state-of-the-art equipment, including a
thermal-imaging camera and new fire truck in 2005.
Text from
'Hampton...
a very special place';
written by Barbara Andersen; used with permission. |
