Department History

Founded in 1953, the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department was organized to replace the early years of bucket brigades summoned by the tolling of the bells at the Meriden Baptist and Meriden Congregational Church. The realization of the necessity for an organization was realized in 1953 at a fire at Harry Carlson's residence. The citizens of Meriden realized that, had there been a fire truck available to provide a more efficient means of managing the fire, the damage to Mr. Carlson's house would have been minimal. An organizational meeting was held within a week and the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department was formed and chartered on June 11, 1954. The first Board of Directors were Harold A. Pringle, Carl O. DuBois, Elbert S. Barton, Ira P. Townsend, and G. Gardiner MacLeay, Jr. The first fire station was built in 1954, a one-story wood frame structure with a pitched roof, two manual overhead doors, and gable end to the street. It was built (and still stands) on about a half acre of land donated by Kimball Union Academy on the western side of Route 120, across from the Meriden Garage and Meriden General Store, approximately one quarter of a mile south of the Main Street intersection. The building was constructed under the direction of the first fire chief: Harold "Pete" Pringle.

In 1976, in order to meet the needs of the expanding apparatus fleet, the department decided to built a one and one half story addition to house the new trucks. It has three electrically operated overhead doors on the street side. The latest addition was built by LaValley Builders, under the direction of the fire chief: Arthur Thompson. The station has now been named the Harold "Pete" Pringle Memorial Fire Station and was dedicated in his memory on October 2, 1977.

The department purchased their first piece of apparatus from the Lebanon Fire Department. It was a 1939 Ford cab-over-engine and the department paid $1,500 dollars for it. In 1962 the department purchased a second engine, a brand-new American LaFrance International with a 750-gallon per minute pump and a 500-gallon tank. In 1971, a 1956 Mack engine was purchased to replace the original 1939 Ford engine. The 1939 Ford was then auctioned off to a collector, and the funds were used to help purchase the Mack engine. The department bought their first tanker truck in 1975, and with three apparatus, the department decided it was time to build a new addition to better house them, giving birth to the present-day Meriden Volunteer Fire Department station. In 1979 a 1971 Seagraves 65 foot aerial ladder truck was purchased to meet the needs of accessing the academic buildings and dormitories of Kimball Union Academy in an emergency situation. The Seagraves truck remained in service until 1989, when a 1963 Maxim 85 foot ladder truck was purchased from New Jersey with a donation from Kimball Union Academy. In 1988, the current Meriden Engine 1 was purchased to replace the Mack engine and tanker truck. It features a 2,000-gallon tank and 1,000-gallon per minute pump. On June 3rd, 1989 it was dedicated to G. Gardiner MacLeay, Jr. and John H. McNamara Sr. for their many hours of faithful service to the community. The department now maintains four pieces of apparatus; Engine 1, Engine 2 (1995 International 4900),
Utility 1 (1987 Chevrolet 3500 Custom Deluxe), and Ladder 1 (1980 American LaFrance).

Over the years since its founding, the department has seen many great people fill in the roles of firefighters and officers. The following individuals have served as fire chief:

Harold "Pete" Pringle
G. Gardiner MacLeay, Jr.
Arthur Thompson
Douglas Grearson
Douglas Chapman
David Best
Frank Currier

The department has also seen several volunteers move to full-time firefighting careers throughout the country. The following individuals have pursued a career in the fire service:

Mark Beliveau                     Lebanon Fire

Jason Best                            Durham Fire

Larry Best                            Salem Fire

Nathan Cash                        Cincinnati, Ohio Fire

Doug Chapman                   Durham Fire

                                            Lebanon Fire

                                            Portsmouth Fire

Cullen Downing                 Claremont Fire

Meridith Forbes                  Midewin Hotshots

Bill Lapan                          Lebanon Fire

Mackie MacLeay               Claremont Fire

Deanna McDevitt               Boston, Massachusetts Fire