50 years later, Bridgewater Fire Brigade still serving community

Fire Chief Donny Atwood was one of the creators of the Bridgewater Fire Brigade five decades ago, and at Saturday’s 50th anniversary celebration, he was honored with a plaque commemorating his hard work.

“I definitely didn’t know this was coming, but I guess when you’ve been here as long as I am there is the chance for something like this,” said Atwood, who is also coming up on 14 years as chief. “This is an honor.”

On Saturday, residents were invited to the Bridgewater Fire Department to celebrate 50 years of the brigade, where they could feast on burgers and hot dogs, mingle with fire and police personnel, check out equipment and vehicles, and view demonstrations by firefighters.

Anniversary Committee Chair Linda Fischer, who is an EMT with Bridgewater and the EMS chief for Hebron Fire Department, said the event was a success. She said it was a great chance to honor Atwood and the other living charter members — Chuck Hemphill and Terry Murphy — while also providing a little fun for the community.

EMS Director Jake Fogarty made the presentation to Atwood, which included honoring him with a commemorative brick to be placed at the memorial garden of the New Hampshire Fire Academy. The brick will be in the walkway in the garden to remember anyone lost in the line of duty, according to Fischer.

Fogarty also spoke about the formation of the brigade, and how far it has come. He noted that when it started, there were only 16 calls a year, and now they average upwards of 200 calls.

“There is a lot that goes into this department,” Fogarty said. “We train just about every Monday night, and there’s usually a handful of us with most of us going to every call. There’s a lot of time that goes into this. I’m lucky to be the full-time EMS director, but everyone else is part-time and on call putting their time in.”

The festivities then moved outside to where firefighters Joe Marsinelli and Dylan Keeler were putting on forcible entry demonstrations. The two firefighters had a door set up and showed how they would pry it open if needed.

There was also a Mobile Simulation Lab from the NH Fire Academy and EMS, where inside an ambulance there were mannequins used for training for medical and trauma-related scenarios. Justin Romanello, the chief of the Bureau of EMS, said this is offered to all 360 departments in the state. It is not only a cost effective way to offer training, but good for the public to see a little of what they do through events like this.

Bridgwater resident Elissa Rader and her three children Nolan, Norah, and Elaina were among the first to arrive. They meandered through the fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers on display in front of the fire station, carrying balloons and talking with personnel.

“Who doesn’t love checking out a good fire truck?” Elissa said.

There was also a tree carved from wood set up in the back, where children could take their try at using a hose to put out a “fire,” which was orange painted pieces of wood that fall over when hit by water. One firefighter-in-training was 9-year-old Raelynn Malone, who was visiting her nana and papa and wanted to come with her sister Brooke Montecalvo to see the fire trucks.

Atwood spoke about the evolution of the Bridgewater Fire Brigade, which got its name simply to differentiate itself from Bristol firefighters who wore “BFD” on their helmets. Since 2012, the Brigade has been the official fundraising arm, Atwood said, making the brigade and the department “two separate entities within itself.”

“I was the last one to sign the charter when we started this,” Atwood said. “At first, all we did was put water on fire. Nowadays we are doing ice water rescue, cold water rescue, extrication at accidents, and much more stuff that isn’t fire-related. We started an ambulance in 2002, and that has really taken over. It has changed immensely over time, which hasn’t been too bad for me, because I have worked right into it.”

Atwood said the Bridgewater Fire Brigade is constantly growing in their focus and capabilities, which involves ample training for a devoted group of part-time, per diem firefighters.

“It is just continuously changing here,” Atwood said. “We just recently got swift water gear and new suits for ice water rescue. Our new ambulance and extrication tools involve a whole lot of training, and that’s just for EMS. That is so important now, because that is what we are doing a lot of.”

He spoke highly of the firefighters in Bridgewater, saying they put their hearts and souls into the department. The department is always looking for new firefighters and EMTs, as well.

“The amount of time that they have to give to the department to help people is incredible,” Atwood said. “Everybody here wants to help people, and that is what they’re doing.”