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The Westford Fire Department will be celebrating 100 Years of dedicated service to the citizens of Westford, MA. In 1908, the Town Meeting voted to establish a Fire Department,  a Board of Fire Engineers to oversee the Department, with Firehouses in each village equipped with the proper firefighting equipment, and Firefighters for each. In 1908, the Westford Fire Department
was established with Firehouses in Westford Center, Graniteville, and Forge Village. 20 Firefighters were assigned to each Firehouse with alternate call Fire fighters assigned as well.  The first Center Firehouse was actually located in a Boston Road Barn up until 1917 when the old Westford Academy was moved to its current location and renovated into the Center's Firehouse. The cottage next door was home to a permanent Fireman assigned to the Firehouse, who took care if the building and equitment in exchange for the housing. The cottage then became home to
the Westford Fire Department Communications/Dispatch Center. The cottage not only had the Dispatching Office in it, it was home to the Dispatchers Family and served as their main residence up until 1987 when the last Family moved out and the Dispatch Office moved to it's current location in the new Fire Headquarters which was built in 1976. The cottage is now the offices of the Westford Historical Society. Graniteville's first firehouse was really one of JA Healy's Barns up until 1914 when the Graniteville Company moved into a new Firehouse on Cross Street. Brookside
Mill in Nabnasset already had a Firehouse with Fire equipment approved by Town Meeting in 1907.
Over the 100 years, many have dedicated themselves to service to the town, many injured, two killed in action. The Fire Department started Emergency medical serives with it's first Ambulance in 1947 and is now one of  the oldest active municipal EMS services in the area. For more information on the History of the Fire Department check out the History page on this site . You can
also visit the Westford Museum, which is the former Fire Headquarters, and see the items they have on display. More details will follow of celebration events that will take place in 2008.
Minutes to the first meeting of the Abbot Hose Co #1 in Westford Center, March 25, 1908
Click to enlarge all Images
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