#MIDDLEBURY #MVFD
By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD
Two earlier articles covered the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department prior to the department’s formation in 1941 and extending into the 1960s.
In 1962, Cyril W. Mellette Jr. succeeded Francis J. Lynch as the fire department’s chief. He served until Ed St. John became chief in November 1969. St. John continued to serve as fire chief, fire marshal and director of civil defense until he announced his retirement in 1978 (since these data came from fiscal year reports, the actual events may have taken place in the previous calendar years).
The 1970s were a time of tremendous growth for the department. When St. John became chief, his first annual report called for the town to build a new fire house and training facilities and acquire a new ambulance and Truck 5 replacement.
By 1972, he expanded that to include rapidly extending a municipal water system with hydrants to major areas. He further cautioned that the criteria for building construction in town should reflect fire safety methods. In that year a new aerial ladder truck was placed into service, followed by a new pumper-tanker in 1974. 1974 also saw a great ice storm that made tremendous demands on the department with people seeking warmth and shelter. The ongoing energy crisis, begun in the fall of 1973, prompted citizens to store gasoline at home, a practice threatening enormous danger to firefighters.
Continuing an upward spiral of pressure, 1975 brought great increases in operational demand. The unusually dry conditions caused 51 brush fires, up from 36 the previous year; brush fires continued to be one of the greatest demands until the 1990s, when they subsided somewhat. There were 178 fire calls in 1975, up from 120 the previous year. Three firefighters were injured that year, two in fighting brush fires.
Meanwhile, the shift in focus from a fire department to a broader public safety department, begun in the 1950s with the acquisition of emergency medical apparatus, was in full swing. Beginning in 1962 and through 2003, an average of 63 percent of all calls were for medical emergencies.
The total number of yearly fire and ambulance calls rose to 543 in 1975 from 282 in 1962; the number would continue to rise to 852 by 2003. Building fires (including sheds and barns) rose to 184 in 2003 from 12 in 1962. In 1973, a fire at Uniroyal and two large residential fires strained resources. The incredibly tough blizzard of ’78, Storm Larry, brought out the best in our department, as firefighters were on standby service for days responding to people stranded on the highways. They even gave some people shelter and warmth in the fire house. A Hurst Rescue Tool (“Jaws of Life”) had been delivered to the department, further extending its capabilities.
Ed St. John was succeeded as chief in 1979 by John J. Proulx Jr., who served until 1986. St. John, of course, would become Middlebury’s first selectman in 1983 and would serve continuously in that capacity for the longest period in the town’s history (except for a hiatus from 2008 to 2011).
In 1986, Richard H. Nicol took the helm of the department and served until 1990, succeeded by Stephen S. Foss. Edmond E. Bailly became chief in 1992 and served until he was succeeded by Paul J. Perrotti in 1998. Paul was the longest serving chief when he resigned in 2015.
The ’70s saw completion of two public safety buildings, one on Tucker Hill Road, the other on Route 188. These buildings, completed in 1976, were expected to fill the town’s needs for at least 30 years. By this time, 28 department members had completed stringent courses and were certified as emergency medical technicians. While Ed St. John continued to strongly advise the town to complete a municipal water supply system, the department was winning awards describing it as the “Best All Around Fire Department” in the state.
This article will be continued. Readers are urged to contact the Middlebury Historical Society if they have news articles, photographs or other historical information to help us compile a complete town history.
Bob Rafford is the Middlebury Historical Society president and Middlebury’s municipal historian. To join or contact the society, visit MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or call Bob at 203-206-4717. Your membership would be a valuable addition.
