Manchester Fire Calls Top 10,000 In 1st Year After Merger

MANCHESTER, CT — Manchester fire officials this week released the first set of statistics for the combined fire department, 12 months after the official merger.

The merger between Manchester Fire Rescue EMS and the Eighth Utilities District was official on July 1, 2023. From that date until June 30 of this year, the Manchester Fire Department responded to 10,396 incidents from 7 stations, with a shift strength of 23 firefighters, creating a daily average of 78 unit responses.

The combined Manchester Fire Department was the result of about 12 months of discussions between municipal officials and the two organizations and public input at informational meetings. Eighth District voters then approved the move and it was endorsed by the

in February endorsed the move. The Manchester Board of Directors approved the merger agreement. As part of the merger agreement and the adopted fiscal year 2024 budget, all full-time Eighth District employees as well as part-time fire marshal staffers joined the town roster.

The town has also hired several new firefighters to "ensure that all seven fire stations under the new unified Manchester Fire Department will be fully staffed with fire and paramedic coverage."

All stations were fully staffed by March 2024 after training.

Former Eighth Utilities residents are no longer receiving separate tax bills for fire coverage.