The Fairfield Community Fire and Emergency Medical Services is a public, all volunteer company located in southern Adams County, Pennsylvania. We protect the 8,000 citizens of the boroughs of Fairfield and Carroll Valley, and Hamiltonban, Liberty, and Highland Townships with fire, rescue, extrication, hazardous materials, and emergency medical services. The first due ambulance coverage also extends into Franklin Township as we provide ambulance protection for neighboring departments that do not operate ambulance services. This coverage area spans an area of 80 square miles. We operate out of one station that protects a primarily rural area and we have an ISO rating of 6/9.

Fairfield Fire and EMS was created in July 1999 as the result of a merger between the Fairfield Community Fire Company and the Fairfield AmVets Community Ambulance Service. This merger was the result of many months of hard work between the two companies to bring their operations together as one to help end the duplicate costs involved in operating the individual companies, as well as reducing cost to the community, and combining personnel, stations, facilities, equipment, and resources. Although the legal/official name of the organization is still the Fairfield Community Fire Company, Inc., both companies agreed prior to the merger that the combined organization would be commonly known as Fairfield Fire & EMS, to adequately recognize both aspects of the company.

Prior to the merger, the Fire Company and Ambulance Corps were housed in separate facilities across the street from each other. With this merger, all emergency response apparatus is now housed in one station, with the ambulance corps building being used as a training facility. To facilitate the move, several minor modifications were made to the Fire Company engine house, which included converting the computer room to the EMS office where all business of the EMS line officers could be conducted. The installation of a computer system for logging trip sheets and maintaining EMS data was also necessary.

At the present time, 7 units (2-ambulances, 2-engines, 1-tanker, 1-brush, and 1-car) are housed inside the 5-bay station. Currently in the planning stage is the addition of a new community hall, which will include a new dining facility and kitchen, several new offices, and bunk rooms for the EMS duty crews. A washroom and decon room for gear and two additional apparatus bays will also be added to the rear of the current apparatus bay at that time.

In conjunction with this new construction, the old community hall, which was built more than 60 years ago, will be razed since it can no longer accommodate critical fund raising activities such as weekly bingo, raffles, wedding receptions, parties, etc., which are a primary source of income for the company. In addition to the old community hall, the french fry stand which was used primarily for the company carnival will also be leveled as it stands where the new hall will be built. Demolition of this stand has already begun and this major renovation project is scheduled for completion in late 2001.