Department Profile
Nashua, NH is a city of 89,000 residents, located along the banks of the Merrimack and Nashua Rivers at the southern border of the state. There are many factories and several large old mill buildings located along these two rivers. The city is approximately 36 square miles in size, and bordered by the towns of Merrimack, Hollis, and Hudson, NH, as well as Tyngsboro and Dunstable, MA. The F.E. Everett Turnpike (Route 3) runs through the middle of the city. This six-lane highway keeps Nashua Fire Rescue very busy with accidents and other calls. One of the busiest airports in the state, Nashua Municipal Airport, is located in the northwest part of the city. The fire department provides crash-fire-rescue protection to the Nashua Airport.
Some important landmarks, industries, and points of interest in Nashua include: the F.A.A. Regional Air Traffic Control Center, several buildings owned by the Hewlett Packard, BAE Systems (located in the south end of the city), two colleges, two hospitals, and a large railroad switching yard. Apartment and condominium complexes are spread throughout the city. There are also many shopping malls. The Pheasant Lane Mall is the biggest, with one million square feet of retail space under one roof.
Nashua Fire Rescue, under the direction of Fire Chief Brian Morrissey and Assistant Chief Keith Anderson, command a fire fighting force of 176 career members, with the following command structure: one Chief, one Assistant Chief, four Deputy Chiefs, six Captains, 30 Lieutenants, and 108 firefighters. The Safety/Training division is staffed with 4 Safety/Training Lieutenants and Superintendent of Training Joseph Freire. The Superintendent of Fire Alarm is Craig Adams. The Fire Alarm division is staffed by Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Audette, and 8 dispatchers. The Superintendent of the Mechanical Division is Tom Stepney and the division consists of Assistant Superintendent Phillip Pichette and Mechanic David Powell. The Fire Marshal's office is staffed with Fire Marshal Richard Wood with Fire Inspectors Charlene Brouillette and Cynthia Bautista. All members below the rank of Deputy Chief are represented by Local #789 of the International Association of Firefighters. The local president is Lieutenant Tim Soucy.
Ninety four percent of the city is protected by a hydrant system. This system is owned and maintained by the Pennichuck Water Works Company. Rockingham Regional Ambulance Corp provides private EMS service to the city with three advanced life support ambulances. The fire department responds to most medical emergencies with an engine or ladder company to begin primary care.
The Fire Alarm division and communications center is located at the intersection of Lake and Chestnut Streets, is staffed 24 hours a day by two Fire Alarm Operators. This is the old quarters of Engine and Ladder Company 2. The building was renovated for the Fire Alarm Office in 1999, after Engine and Ladder Company 2 were relocated to their current house at 177 Lake Street, on the corner of Linwood Street. A Gamewell Class B municipal fire alarm system monitors the city's 800 street and master boxes. Tappers are located in each of the city's firehouses. The department now operates an 800 Mhz digital radio system, and simulcasts on 151.250 Mhz. All of Nashua Fire Rescue apparatus also operate Mobile Date Terminals.
Normal responses to a building fire are three engine companies, one Ladder Company, and the Deputy Chief. Street and master boxes receive two engine companies, one Ladder Company, and the Deputy Chief. The Safety division responds to all working incidents. Still alarms are assigned one engine company or one engine and one ladder company (for car and dumpster fires or water problems). Nashua Fire Rescue is the regional hazmat response team for the Soughegan Valley. In 2005 Nashua Fire Rescue established an emergency dive team and in conjunction with the Nashua Police department for recovery.
The City of Nashua's Emergency Management is co-directed by Fire Marshall Richard Wood.
A total of six engine companies, two ladder companies, and one tower company protect the city from six fire houses. The duty Deputy Chief is the shift commander. Companies responded to approximately 7,685 emergency calls in 2009. The busiest companies were Engine Company 2 with 1754 calls, Engine Company 1 with 1669 calls, Ladder Company 2 with 903 calls. Engine 4 is the city’s mutual aid engine responding to all out of town incidents.