HCR 278

R-336  Page 1 of 1
2026
No. R-336. House concurrent resolution congratulating the Vergennes Fire
Department on its 150th anniversary.
                                        (H.C.R.278)
   Offered by Representatives Birong of Vergennes and North of Ferrisburgh
   Offered by Senators Hardy and Heffernan
  Whereas, the history of firefighting in Vergennes originated with a set of private sub
municipal hook-and-ladder and hose companies dating from at least 1847, when the
General Assembly approved the charter of the Vergennes Hook and Ladder
Company, and
   Whereas, at the start of 1876, the Vergennes Hook and Ladder Company, along with
four other companies, the Volunteer Hose Company No. 2, the Stevens Hose Company
No.1, the Otter Creek Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, and the Independent Hose
Company, maintained five operating locations at city hall, the Stevens House, two at the
Shade Roller Factory, and one at Cota’s Factory, and
   Whereas, on January 3, 1876, the Court of Common Council for the city of Vergennes
(the Council) began a new era in local firefighting, enacting an ordinance establishing a
citywide Vergennes Fire Department (VFD), and
   Whereas, this transformation of firefighting in Vergennes constituted a major
institutional and cultural change, and marked the city’s progress and modernization, and
   Whereas, on April 9, 1878, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to the VFD,
adopting “An Ordinance for the Prevention and Extinguishment of Fires,” which set a
$6.00 annual salary for each firefighter, and
   Whereas, over the last century and a half, the VFD has continuously updated its
equipment, support systems, and headquarters, and it extinguished historic blazes in
1890, 1929, 1958, and 1969, and
   Whereas, although the private company’s firefighting role has long ceased, in 2002,
the Stevens Hose Company was reestablished as a nonprofit organization with a mission
of “banding together for the purpose of supporting the fires service as voted on by … [the
members of the VFD],” and it has financed additional equipment, for which the City of
Vergennes has not budgeted, and, currently, it is in the process of fundraising to restore
the historic 1925 Boyer pumper, now therefore be it
   Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
   That the General Assembly congratulates the Vergennes Fire Department on its 150th
anniversary, and be it further
  Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Vergennes Fire Department Chief David DiBiase.
                                                                           VT LEG #389287 v.1