St Albans Fire Department

10/03/2026

Mutual Aid Structure Fire – Corinna

This afternoon, St. Albans Fire Department responded to a structure fire in Corinna through automatic mutual aid, providing fire apparatus and SCBA-qualified firefighters to assist.

09/26/2026

The St. Albans Fire Department has been awarded a $698,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to help purchase a new fire truck. With a required town contribution of $34,900, federal funding will cover more than 95% of the $732,900 project.

The new truck is planned to replace two aging vehicles: Engine 1, which is 31 years old, and Tanker 2, a 38-year-old homemade tanker. Because St. Albans has no municipal fire hydrant system, dependable trucks that can bring water to a fire are essential.

The new truck will carry water, fight fires, and bring more firefighters to the scene together. It will also support our neighboring communities when they need mutual aid.

We are grateful to our elected officials for their support of fire service funding, particularly Senator Susan Collins for her longstanding support of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

Our department wrote the grant application in-house, with no outside grant-writing fees. We’re grateful for this opportunity and for the continued support of St. Albans residents as we take the next steps toward purchasing the truck.

Media Contact:
Andrew Doughty, Deputy Chief
St. Albans Fire Department
Phone: 207-355-5353
Email: [email protected]

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

Next up in our apparatus spotlight series is Squad 5, one of the busiest and most versatile pieces of equipment in the St. Albans Fire Department fleet.

Squad 5 is a 2001 Ford F-550 that has served St. Albans for 25 years. It is equipped with a 300-gallon water tank and 250 GPM auxiliary pump, allowing it to provide limited fire suppression capabilities while remaining small and maneuverable.

The real strength of Squad 5 is the amount of capability packed into one truck. It serves as our primary medical response vehicle, carrying our advanced EMS equipment, while also responding to motor vehicle crashes with our battery-powered extrication tools. It carries SCBA and structural firefighting equipment, allowing its crew to support operations at structure fires, vehicle fires, and other emergencies.

Squad 5 also plays an increasingly important role in our wildland and rural response capabilities. With Forestry 4 permanently out of service and being prepared for sale, its forestry equipment has been consolidated onto Squad 5. This allows one apparatus to support medical calls, vehicle extrication, structural firefighting, and wildland incidents while still being much more maneuverable than our larger engines.

That versatility is why Squad 5 has become one of the most frequently used trucks in the department. Whether the call is a medical emergency, motor vehicle crash, brush fire, wires down, or a working structure fire, there is a good chance Squad 5 will be part of the response.

One of the other challenges the department faces with our current fleet is a lack of seating capacity. Most modern fire apparatus seat 4–6 firefighters. Currently, the department only has the ability to respond with 2 firefighters per truck, which requires firefighters to frequently respond in their personal vehicles.

At 25 years old, its age is something we have to consider as we plan for the future. In the meantime, we continue to maintain and upgrade Squad 5 carefully so it can safely and reliably perform the many jobs we ask of it.

25 years, countless different assignments, and still answering the call. Thank you, Squad 5!

09/23/2026

Next up in our apparatus spotlight series is Engine 3, the newest fire apparatus in the St. Albans Fire Department fleet.

Engine 3 is a 2017 International E-One pumper equipped with a 1,250 GPM pump and 1,000-gallon water tank. It carries a full complement of fire hose, SCBA, RIT equipment, ice rescue equipment, and BLS medical equipment, making it one of the most versatile and important pieces of equipment we operate.

As our primary structural engine, Engine 3 responds to everything from structure fires and fire alarms to vehicle fires and mutual-aid incidents. Since arriving in St. Albans, it has provided the department with a reliable, modern platform for delivering firefighters, water, hose, and equipment to an emergency.

Engine 3 also demonstrates the value of planning ahead for apparatus replacement. The Town recently completed the final payment on this truck, representing a significant investment by the community and years of financial commitment. While Engine 3 still has many years of service ahead of it, several other pieces of apparatus in our fleet are considerably older.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) develops nationally recognized fire and life-safety standards and guidance used throughout the fire service. NFPA guidance recommends departments seriously evaluate apparatus once they exceed 15 years in first-line service and recommends replacement of apparatus over 25 years old. These recommendations recognize that even a well-maintained older truck may lack many of the safety features and capabilities incorporated into newer fire apparatus.

The St. Albans Fire Dept takes the maintenance of our apparatus very seriously. We are diligent about preventative maintenance, inspections, repairs, and making practical safety and equipment upgrades to extend the useful life of the Town’s investment. We are also very fiscally conscious about our equipment. Fire trucks are major investments, and our goal is to take care of what we have, upgrade equipment when practical, and plan ahead so future apparatus needs can be addressed responsibly rather than waiting until a truck fails.

We’re fortunate to have Engine 3 serving our community.

Nearly a decade of service, with many more years ahead. Thank you, Engine 3!

09/21/2026

This past weekend, members of the St. Albans Fire Department had the opportunity to attend the Maine State Fire Convention in Skowhegan.

Engine 1 made the trip and represented St. Albans in the convention parade. This marked the first time in quite a while that our department and apparatus have participated in the parade, and we were proud to once again represent our community alongside fire departments from across the state.

Thank you to the members who took the time to attend and represent St. Albans Fire Department!

09/21/2026

Next up in our apparatus spotlight series is Tanker 2, the longest-serving piece of equipment in the St. Albans Fire Department fleet.

Tanker 2 is a 1988 Ford that carries 2,000 gallons of water and is equipped with a 500 GPM pump. In a community without a municipal pressurized hydrant system, the ability to move large amounts of water to a fire scene is extremely important. For nearly four decades, Tanker 2 has helped provide that water supply both here in St. Albans and while assisting our neighboring communities.

At 38 years old, Tanker 2 comes from a very different generation of fire apparatus. The truck has a two-person cab, a manual transmission, and a locally constructed fire body. Unlike a modern pumper-tanker, it carries no attack hose and has limited firefighting capabilities beyond transporting and supplying water.

Despite its age, Tanker 2 continues to fill an essential role in our department. Our members work hard to maintain our equipment and get as much useful service life from the Town’s investment as possible. However, as apparatus of this age continue to serve, maintenance, parts availability, reliability, and operational limitations become increasingly important considerations.

Replacing fire apparatus requires planning and significant financial preparation. By sharing information about our fleet now, we hope to give our community a better understanding of the equipment we have, what it does, and the challenges we will face as we plan for the future.

38 years of service and still carrying water when it’s needed. Thank you, Tanker 2!

09/17/2026

Over the next several weeks, we want to introduce you to some of the apparatus that serve the Town of St. Albans and give everyone a little more information about the equipment our firefighters rely on.

First up is Engine 1, a 1995 Ford E-One pumper that has served St. Albans for more than 30 years. Engine 1 carries 1,000 gallons of water, has a 1,250 GPM fire pump, and continues to respond as part of our structural firefighting fleet.

For more than three decades, this truck has answered calls throughout St. Albans and provided mutual aid to communities across the region. Our members have worked hard to maintain it and keep it available for service.

As Engine 1 continues to age, maintaining older apparatus becomes increasingly challenging. Parts availability, repairs, reliability, and the capabilities expected of modern fire apparatus have changed considerably since this truck was built in 1995. With only a two-person cab, it also represents a very different era of fire apparatus design and often requires additional firefighters to respond separately to an incident.

Engine 1 still has a job to do, and we’ll continue taking care of it for as long as it remains part of our fleet. At the same time, responsible long-term planning means understanding the age and condition of our equipment before replacement becomes an emergency.

31 years of service and counting. Thank you, Engine 1!

09/15/2026

Come join us at our annual Truck or Treat!

October 31
7 Water St., St. Albans

09/11/2026

NEVER FORGET — SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Today, the St. Albans Fire Department remembers the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, including the 343 FDNY firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while answering the call.

On that day, our nation witnessed extraordinary acts of courage and selflessness. Firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel, and ordinary citizens ran toward unimaginable danger to help complete strangers, many knowing they might never return home.

Their heroism represents the very best of the fire service and the very best of our nation. Twenty-five years later, their sacrifice carries a responsibility for every generation of Americans who followed.

As a nation, we must never allow September 11th—or those who gave everything that day—to be forgotten.

343 — Never Forgotten. We will never forget.