Canaan Fire Rescue Department
Contact
Emergencies Call 911
Canaan Fire Rescue Department
Cfdchief@canaannh.gov
Fire Rescue: 603-523-4850
62 NH Route 118
Canaan, NH 03741
Interim Fire Chief: Stephen Kulacz
Assistant Chief: Hue Wetherbee
Deputy Chief: Alton Hennessy
If it’s burning outside, you probably need a permit: NH STATE BURN LAWS!
Seasonal Campfire Renewal & Burn Permits
Seasonal Campfire Permits must be renewed annually beginning in January. Even if you have a permit from the previous year and have not changed the location or size of the campfire ring, it still needs to be renewed each year.
Permits may now be renewed online at this link for a fee of $5.50 each!
If you are getting a first time permit, your campfire ring will need to be inspected by a warden before a permit is issued; call to make an appointment to do so. Construction Details are available from the NH Division of Forest & Lands.
If you are interested in getting a brush permit, the brush pile will need to be inspected before a permit is issued. Please click the link above for complete details on what may be burned. Do not call a warden before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to obtain a permit for a brush permit. Remember that brush permits are issued when the weather is favorable for burning but not during periods of high fire danger. For brush permits in permissible weather, please contact Hanover Dispatch at 643-2222 for the name of a warden.
To obtain a permit, make an appointment by calling 643-2222.
Canaan
- Fire Department Office: 603-523-4850 – Please leave a message.
- John Hennessy: Canaan Warden 603-523-7448
- Bill Bellion 603-523-7184
- Rick Colburn – 603-304-8517
- Alton Hennessy 603-523-7448
- George Lazarus 603-632-5462
- Dillon Mock 603-780-4963
- Matt Bunten 603-667-0776
- Jim Cole 603-530-4517
- Dan Quimby 603-523-9666
- Jim Rancore 603-523-7486
- Chris Thurston 603-523-7390
- Hue Wetherbee – 603-523-2159
Orange
- Brent Stevens: Orange Warden 603-523-9923
- Bill Bellion 603-523-7184
- Jim McAlister 603-523-4920
Dorchester
- Jay Legg, Warden: 603-786-2139
- Graydon Legg
- Rachel Legg
The Fire Department regularly responds to structure fires, fire alarm activations, motor vehicle crashes, brush fires, search and rescue, EMS assists, vehicle fires, trees and wires down, public assists, hazardous materials situations, and mutual aid calls to other communities. The Fire Department also provides contract services to the Town of Orange and half of the Town of Dorchester. We also conduct fire prevention activities in our school district and day cares as requested.
Total Calls 2022: 418
Total Calls 2021: 347
Total Calls 2020: 363
Total Calls 2019: 278
Total Calls 2018: 192
Total Calls 2017: 174
Total Calls 2016: 194
Total Calls 2015: 185
Total Calls 2014: 202
More Info & Photos
on Facebook!
The Canaan Fire Department and its members are dedicated to protecting and serving our community and residents. The Department operates to the best of its ability given our resources of staff, equipment, and training. The Fire Department does not employ any full-time personnel; members are on call status, which means that they are compensated for the calls to which they respond. Once a call is received via pagers firefighters carry, they respond to the station to staff the fire apparatus and respond to the emergency.
Members are constantly training, either locally, at state fire academy programs or out of state, to keep up with the constant changes that we encounter.
Canaan Fire Rescue Roster
Stephen Kulacz – Interim Chief/Paramedic
Hue Wetherbee – Assistant Chief/EMR
Alton Hennessy – Deputy Chief/AEMT
Chris Thurston – Captain
William Bellion – Captain/EMT
Mark Wilson – Lieutenant
Theodore Mackwood – Lieutenant/AEMT
Tod Guilford – Firefighter
Brent Stevens – Firefighter
Dillon Mock – Firefighter/Paramedic
Lorraine Hennessy – EMT
Mason Tucker – Firefighter
Hawk Shawn – Firefighter/Paramedic
John Babiarz – AEMT
Matt Jordan – Firefighter
Mitch Evans – Firefighter
Meghan Cattabriga – Firefighter
Don Himsel – Firefighter/EMT
Sam Frank – EMT
Bryce Cadreact – Firefighter
Terri Kulacz – Firefighter/Paramedic
Alan Gove – Firefighter
Jim Cole – Firefighter
Bob Scott – Firefighter
Wesley Mansur – Firefighter
Michael Evans – Firefighter
Phil Call – Firefighter
Jeff Reed – Paramedic
Enzo Plaitano – Paramedic
William Stone – Firefighter
Ethan Neily – Paramedic
Lincoln Tracey – Paramedic
Sherry Kendrew-Bean – EMT
Bethany Bayuk – AEMT
Allyson Tessier – EMT
Jacob Moran – Firefighter/AEMT
Kathy Lund – AEMT
Francesco Dembinski – AEMT
Kris Colburn – AEMT
Michelle Desilets – AEMT
Megan Woods – EMT
Heather Hunter – EMT
Kym Williams – EMT
Ryan Teffner – EMT
Megan Joyce-Root – EMT
Dan Quimby – Firefighter
Members of the Canaan Fire Department attend training and or education meetings at least once month and often more frequently. Training can consist of learning how to operate the water pumps on Engines 1 and 2 and the Tanker as well as learning how to drive these pieces of apparatus. They learn how to fill the SCBA bottles and how to maintain the bottles, masks and regulators and the cascade system that is used to fill the bottles.
Other instruction includes training for day and night search and rescue calls and practicing GPS skills for these calls. Members of the Canaan Fire Dept also regularly attend training sessions outside of their monthly training and education time at the Canaan Fire Station. They take advantage of furthering their education whenever they can. Some of the fire fighters are even crossed-trained to provide Emergency Medical assistance as First Responders and EMT’s.
Thank You, Emergency Service Volunteers!
The Canaan Fire Rescue Department hosts a Cadet program for Mascoma High School students, ages 16-18. Our Cadet program originally started as a Fire Explorer Post in #2092 in 1992. The Explorer Post was active until the early 2000s. After years of inactivity the Post was reestablished in 2013. In 2020, the Explorer Post was transformed into the Canaan Fire Rescue Cadet Program.
The Cadet program provides a safe and interactive learning environment for young individuals seeking to gain knowledge and basic experience in the fields of firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services. The Cadet program is considered a stepping stone to teach students and prepare them for future careers in public safety fields, whether it be a full time career or volunteering with a department in the future after high school.
Cadets are given opportunities to learn various training topics including: pumps, hose line operations, wildland firefighting, search and rescue, water supply, first aid and CPR, protective equipment, fire behavior and combustion, fire extinguishers, apparatus and equipment maintenance, etc.
Cadets are assigned protective equipment and can respond to emergency calls, alongside our firefighters and EMS providers. Cadets are directly supervised while on emergency calls and perform job tasks specific to the Cadet program that do not place them in danger. Cadets will work in a team environment alongside other Cadets.
Cadets can also participate in public events such as touch-a-truck, parades, open houses, and fundraising events with the Canaan Firefighters Association.
We always welcome new applicants for the Cadet program.
Cadets can submit an application for the program and will undergo an interview/Q&A session prior to becoming an active Cadet program member.
The Cadet program is a great way for students to learn more and give back to their community. Please reach out to us if you are interested in joining.
Current Members:
Jenna Danyow
Ethan Lewis
Paxten Roberts
Department Contact:
Alton Hennessy, Deputy Chief
William Stone, Firefighter
Engine 1 – 2011 E-One Tradition. 1250 GPM pump, 970 gallon water tank, 30 gallon foam tank.
Engine 2 – 1998 International/Smeal. 1250 GPM pump, 1000 gallon water tank.
Rescue – 2000 International/E-One. On board cascade system. Outfitted for vehicle extrication, water rescues, technical rescues, wilderness rescues, and scene lighting.
Interesting History Tidbit: 1890 hose cart.
Canaan’s first piece of firefighting equipment.
We are asking EVERYONE in our local communities to enroll in the GENASYS Emergency Notification System.
It is absolutely FREE. GENASYS allows us to notify you in an emergency. Your home “landline” is already enrolled, but mobile devices are not. With the increased prevalence of mobile device only homes, we need to be able to let you know if there is an emergency.
Be sure to also visit our Emergency Management Page and the ReadyNH website to learn how to prepare for emergencies.
To register for a 9-1-1 address, please see the Building Inspector’s Page
Street Numbering Ordinance
All houses must display their 9-1-1 address in a way that is visible from the road. The Fire Department has signs and mounting brackets for sale. The sign alone with the numbers is $15. With the bracket, it is $20. These can be mounted on your home, your mailbox, or a post visible from the road. This is a great way to increase your ability to be found in an emergency and support the local Fire Department. Call them at 603-523-4850 and leave them a message that you would like to get a sign!
Ambulance
Canaan F.A.S.T., Inc was incorporated as an all volunteer ambulance in 1976. The purpose of the corporation has been to provide emergency medical care for the citizens of Canaan and, by mutual aid agreements, the surrounding towns. The operating budget has consisted of donations from the towns it covers and from private individuals. In 2005 the Incorporation began “Soft Billing” as a means of financing the increasing costs of operations and transferring some of the fiscal responsibility to the specific individuals being served. This, along with the continued donations from the towns being served and the squads fund raising efforts, enabled the service to improve the vehicles and equipment provided to the community.
As F.A.S.T. entered an increased usage phase,it became necessary to employ one full-time EMT and one on-call EMT for daytime coverage. The remainding operating hours are covered with volunteers who receive a stipend when it becomes necessary to transport the ill or injured individual to a medical facility to receive emergency care. Members do not receive financial incentive or reimbursement for the majority of the continuing education hours mandated by the State of New Hampshire and the National Registry of Emergency Technicians. Thus the members are to be commended for their many hours of dedication to the community.
Our ambulances are being properly decontaminated after calls. We are doing what we can to make our community safe.