The History of the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department

The organization was formed February 14, 1920, with Fred Bryant being elected the first Fire Chief; G.D. Anderson Assistant Chief; R.D. Lawless Secretary; Mert Kellam Treasurer; Fire Police O.L. Trosper and Charles Ackerblade. The Department membership consisted of 30 active and 39 honorary members at the time of it's formation. Regular meetings, to which visitors were always welcome, were held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and were originally held at the I.O.O.F. Hall on east 20th Avenue. The Department began service with an old high wheel horse cart with a fire bell. The first motorized truck was a 1919 Chevrolet truck with pumper. In 1924 the Chevrolet was replaced with a brand new International truck. In 1934 the International was replaced with a 1934 Ford, now fully restored and still in the Torrington Fire Department. In 1939 the Torrington Fire Department added a second Ford truck with dual pumpers to serve both the rural and city needs. In 1949 a new Dodge 2 1/2 ton truck was added to the fleet. From that time until now, many units have been added and replaced until at present, the Torrington Volunteer Fire Department has a totally modern fleet of trucks to serve the needs of the 21st Century. TVFD currently has 34 active members and some 15 or so reserve and active retired members.  Torrington's first Fire Hall housed three pieces of equipment and was located just west of the present day fire hall. The present day fire hall was completed in 2009 and houses the 15 plus pieces of equipment used by members of the Torrington Fire Department .