Mission Statement
Our Mission is to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Canton by providing the highest possible level of service through fire prevention, public education, fire suppression, emergency medical services and mitigation of the effects of man-made and natural disasters.
History and Background
The Canton Fire Department was formally organized in 1885 and has been protecting Canton’s residents for over 130 years. Canton’s first permanent Fire Chief, John Farrington, was appointed in 1961. The rest of the department consisted of one Deputy Chief, four Lieutenant’s and ten Firefighters. The Board of Fire Engineer’s was abolished after seventy-seven years of service. In 1974 the Canton Fire Department was one of the first fire departments in the Commonwealth to be licensed to provide Emergency Medical Services and is still providing medical care to its residents at the Advanced Life Support level, staffing two ambulances 24 hours per day.
Today, the department is staffed with 53 career members including the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Captain of Training and Safety, Fire Prevention Lieutenant, EMS Coordinator and Administrative Aide. There are four working groups with 10 Firefighters, one Captain and two Lieutenants assigned to each group. Canton has two Fire Stations with its headquarters and administrative offices located at 99 Revere Street. The department responds to over 4,000 calls for service per year and transports over 2,400 patients to area hospitals.