Underhill Jericho Fire Department

About

Underhill Jericho Fire Department (UJFD) -this not an official UJFD facebook page-

Story

The UJFD is located in the northeast corner of Chittenden County, Vermont. The department provides emergency and fire protection services to Underhill, Jericho, West Bolton, part of Westford, and mutual aid coverage for surrounding towns. The department responds to approximately 200 emergency calls per year. We service all types of calls, from fires and auto accidents to floods and electrical problems. The firefighters perform enough work to fill a 40-hour workweek, yet perform their duties as a part-time job (including attending training courses and committee work). The UJFD has always been a forward thinking department developing modern fire fighting techniques and programs. The department works hard to keep pace with growth of the towns we serve. The department continually examines the type of services needed and works to provide them. We currently maintain three dry hydrants in our towns.

Mission

The mission of the UJFD is to preserve life and property through fire suppression, fire education, and fire prevention.
The UJFD does much more than just respond to alarms. Each year there are dozens of projects the department is involved. The department believes that every week is fire prevention week and work very hard on community fire education. The department’s fire prevention committee works all year long visiting school children and teaching stop drop and roll, and continually reminding people to call 911 in an emergency. We strive to make fire safety issues a fixture in the mind of every young person in the towns of Underhill and Jericho. Department members also provide safety talks at community groups and perform demonstrations at special events.

The department has been the proud sponsor of Boy Scout Troop #627 for 40 years. Troop #627 is the largest troop in Vermont. The department assists the scouts in working to achieve merit badges and well as introducing them to the fire service and what emergency service is all about. In addition, the troop helps to maintain the fire station.

The department participates in the national smoke alarm initiative that provides smoke alarms to all people that need them. Members of our community should call the station (899-4025) to schedule a time for one of the firefighters to come to their house and install up to five smoke alarms (at no charge). We also provide sandbags for residences that are experiencing flooding and conduct woodstove inspections. When there is an emergency, we respond (this includes accidents with hikers, animals that are in trouble, and medical assists).

The department is also involved in projects outside of our local community. Members serve on the county fire training committee that provides firefighters training to all departments in the county. We also have members that serve as executive board members of the Vermont State Firefighters Association that deal with state and national fire issues.

The Ladies Auxiliary of the department was organized in 1972. At the end of 2002 the Ladies Auxiliary ended after thirty years with two charter members still on the roster, Kitty Clark and Cis Dumas. Even though it sounds like a sad event it was really a turning point with the formation of the Auxiliary coming under the Fire Department's direction. Now male and female members give the Auxiliary a new direction and purpose. The Auxiliary takes on responsibilities for which the members have been properly trained and they continue to provide aid to firefighters in emergency situations and drills by supplying food and water. The auxiliary organizes numerous department activities each year, including family picnics, potluck suppers, sliding parties, holiday parties, children’s visits with Santa Claus, and they help promote fire prevention and safety education in the community.

Complimenting our efforts, department members spend many hours training on emergency operations, the use of fire equipment, and attend special fire schools to improve their knowledge and skills (in the year 2000, firefighters spent 3850 hours in training and meetings, and 2918 hours at emergency calls). The men and women of the UJFD are a group of individuals that are totally devoted to the service they provide. We believe that our department is an exceptional organization with appropriate goals, clear policies, and stringent requirements that help distinguish us from other organizations. Our firefighters are well trained and the department is looked upon as a leader and an innovator in the fire service; indeed, it is admired throughout the State of Vermont. Department members have received statewide honors as firefighter, officer of the year, and chief of the year. The UJFD is the highest decorated department with eight of these awards since 1982. In 2000, the UJFD hosted the Chittenden County Fire Training School.

The success of our department is a direct result of the intense work of our membership. It takes a special person to fill the boots of a volunteer firefighter, someone with a desire to do something important for the community, someone with courage and dedication that isn’t afraid of hard work and is willing to accept the challenge of a difficult job. We proudly participate in the Memorial Day parade, the Cambridge and Richmond Fourth of July parades, and the Vermont Firefighters annual conference.

The UJFD installed Emergency 911 Call Boxes at both fire stations. These call boxes were purchased and installed by the UJFD Fireman's Fund and the boxes are dedicated to the memory of the 343 FDNY firefighters that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

We are an organization with a clear vision and a passion for the future. Our goal is to be the best community-based, not-for-profit, volunteer fire fighting and emergency response team in the state of Vermont.