Fire Department · Combination
Rehoboth Fire Department
Rehoboth, MA · Bristol County
Approximately 60 paid on-call members; Fire Chief is the department's only full-time employee. Annual operating budget is roughly $80,000, or about $6.15 per resident.
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Department careers page ↗Rehoboth sits in Bristol County along the Rhode Island line, a mostly rural and wooded town crossed by Interstate 195 and State Routes 6, 44, and 118, with a mix of farms, single-family homes, and industrial and commercial property to protect. The town has no municipal water system, so the department leans heavily on tanker shuttles and drafting operations to move water to fire scenes, alongside a fleet of brush trucks built for its extensive wooded terrain.
The RFD is organized as roughly 60 paid on-call members spread across three stations - Station One (Center/Headquarters) on Anawan Street, Station Two (North) on Tremont Street, and Station Three (South) on Pleasant Street. Fire Chief Peter Graves is the department's only full-time town employee, supported by three deputy chiefs overseeing operations, EMS, and maintenance. The apparatus fleet includes engines, three tankers carrying a combined 9,600+ gallons of water, several brush trucks, and a special-hazards unit.
Membership is drawn from residents in all lines of work - farmers, tradespeople, IT managers, public servants, and full-time firefighters elsewhere - who train together through the Massachusetts Fire Academy's recruit program and a Junior Firefighter program for local teens. The department runs on a lean annual budget of about $80,000, which it describes as the lowest per-capita cost among departments in the area.
MissionThe focus of the department has been, and will continue to be, valuable service to the residents and visitors of the community; professional development of a well-trained and competent membership; and the safety of our citizens.
Rehoboth Fire Department is an all paid-on-call/volunteer department that recruits residents (or those who work in town with employer permission) age 18 and up, with no upper age limit, to serve as on-call firefighters across its three companies.
Requirements
- Minimum age 18 (no upper age limit)
- Valid driver's license
- Pass a physical examination and agility test
- Pass an extensive background check
- Live in Rehoboth, or work in town with an employer willing to permit response to calls
Hiring process
- Submit a standard application for employment
- Pass a physical examination and agility test
- Pass an extensive background check
- Complete a 5-month recruit training course (January-May) through the Massachusetts Fire Academy to reach Firefighter I and II
- Complete Company-level training with an assigned station to learn equipment, apparatus, and response routes
- Begin service: attend monthly Company drills, pull one duty shift per month, and respond to calls when available
Benefits
Firefighters are compensated for hours spent on actual incidents, training, and one duty shift per month. The department supplies all training materials and personal protective equipment for recruits at no cost, though recruits are not paid during the initial academy training period.
New recruits must reach Firefighter I and II through the Massachusetts Fire Academy - an intensive 120-hour, 5-month course held Monday and Wednesday evenings plus some weekends, running January through May, provided free of charge to the town by the state Department of Fire Services.
Who can join the Rehoboth Fire Department?
Anyone 18 or older (there is no upper age limit) who lives in Rehoboth may apply as an on-call firefighter; you may also join if you work in town and your employer allows you to respond to calls.
What training is required to become a firefighter?
New recruits must complete Firefighter I and II certification through the Massachusetts Fire Academy - an intensive 120-hour, 5-month course held weekday evenings and some weekends from January to May - before becoming full members.
How are on-call firefighters compensated?
Firefighters are paid only for hours actually spent responding to incidents, training, and one 3-hour duty shift per month; recruits are unpaid during initial academy training but are supplied textbooks and PPE at no cost.
Does the department have a program for young people interested in firefighting?
Yes - the Junior Firefighter Program is open to local youths ages 13 to 17, who train alongside members, become certified in CPR and First Responder emergency medical training, and support at incidents such as brush fires.
How is the department staffed and funded?
About 60 paid on-call members serve across three stations on an annual operating budget of roughly $80,000 (about $6.15 per resident), with the Fire Chief as the department's only full-time employee.