* Fire
Department Organization
* Fire Chiefs
* Fire Station History
* Fire Apparatus History
* Major Fires & Incidents
History
* Run Stats History
FIRE DEPARTMENT
ORGANIZATION
Early MMR
The Massachusetts Military Reservation was first established in 1935. A small
fire brigade was established in that era. In 1938 the reservation was named Camp
Edwards. It had a small air strip at that point that became known as Otis Field.
In 1940, with WWII, the Federal Government leased the base from Massachusetts.
The base grew tremendously including the construction of 7000 foot paved
runways. During construction, fire protection was provided by the private
contractor doing the work.
Camp Edwards 1941
The Camp Edwards Fire Department was established by the Army in 1941. The fire
department built several fire stations to protect the thousands of troops that
were stationed here on Cape Cod.
Fire Stations
Station 1 (headquarters) was located on the rotary at Connery Ave on the NW
corner of the approximately 1 mile x 1 mile cantonment area.
Station 2 was built on South Outer Road at the SW corner of the cantonment area.
Station 3 was built on South Outer Road at the SE corner of the cantonment area
near the road to the Falmouth Gate.
Station 4 was built outside the cantonment area on East Hospital Road to protect
the sizable hospital on base.
A fifth station, the "Crash Station" was built on the flightline at the NE
corner of the cantonment area. The US Navy operated fire protection initially at
the Crash Station.
Otis Air Force Base 1949
With the establishment of the Air Force in 1949 came the establishment of the
Otis Air Force Base Fire Department. At that time, active duty Air Force
personnel operated from the crash station and station 3, while an all civilian
US Army Camp Edwards Fire Department operated from Stations 1, 2, and 4.
In 1955 the two departments were merged into the Otis Air Force Base Fire
Department which continued to operate with a combination of military and
civilian personnel.
New Crash Station 1960
In 1960, the Air Force built a new combination Crash & Structural Station on
Reilly Street near the control tower, across the air field from the original
crash station. At that time, headquarters was moved to the new station. The
original Station 1 continued to operate as a structural station. The original
Station 2 was closed and the old crash station was utilized by fire prevention
and fire extinguishers shop.
JFK Presidency 1960-1963
The base fire department played a very active role in protecting President
Kennedy when he made frequent trips to Cape Cod and Hyannisport from 1960-1963.
Otis personnel and apparatus would be relocated to Hyannisport as the President
would leave Air Force One at Otis and fly in the Marine One helicopter to
Hyannisport. Apparatus would be housed in the Hyannis Fire Station sometimes for
days while JFK was in town.
Bomarc
Another small fire department and station was created in 1960 at a Bomarc
missile defense site north of the cantonment area at the base for a period of
time.
Largest SAC Base
During the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, Otis AFB was the largest Air
Defense Command base in the world with over 7,000 military personnel assigned
and over 12,000 dependants living on base. It was a very busy base at that time.
In 1970, the USCG Air Station Cape Cod was established on base.
The 1970s ANGB
By the 1970s the missions of the base had wound down considerably. The old
Station 1 was closed, as was the Bomarc department. By the end of 1973 the Air
Force officially deactivated Otis AFB. The Massachusetts Air National Guard took
over management of the base by the late 1970s. The base officially became Otis
Air National Guard base in 1980. By that time operations were from the Crash
Station and Station 4 with the other facilities being shut down.
NASA Shuttle
Interestingly, during the NASA Shuttle years, Otis was one of the primary
emergency landing strips for the Space Shuttle. Each time there was a launch,
OTIS FD personnel would position ARFF equipment adjacent to runways until the
shuttle was safely in orbit.
County Apparatus Numbering
In 1998, apparatus at the base, previously numbered with traditional base
vehicle numbers (Truck 3, Engine 4, Rescue 11, etc) was renumbered with
Barnstable County fire radio numbers in the 400s range.
September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, F-15 fighters from Otis played a significant role in
responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
New Fire Headquarters 2007
In 2005 construction began on a new fire headquarters station at the end of
Richardson Road, once again across the runway from the previous crash station,
and actually close to where the original crash station had been. This $13
million, 40,000 square foot modern fire station opened in 2007 and allowed for
the closing of the second station on East Hospital Road. The entire base now
being protected from a single station for the first time since it was built.
Barnstable County Communications Center 2007
The Barnstable Sheriff's Department and the Otis Fire Department had come to an
agreement that space within the new fire station would become the new BSO
Communications Center, allowing operations to leave their outgrown space in old
Barnstable village "radio shack." The move took place on July 11, 2007 with the
Comm Center actually going online before the fire department moved into the new
station on August 22, 2007. Otis personnel dispatched Otis FD along side BSO
dispatchers for the first several months with BSO dispatchers taking over in
December 2007. The BSO dispatches for 10 of the Cape's fire departments as of
2013.
Base Mission Change 2008
Unfortunately, shortly after the station opened, the 102nd Fighter Wing with
their F-15s and their mission of protecting the Northeast of the USA was
relocated to Barnes ANGB in Westfield, Massachusetts. The once very busy
airfield was no longer busy. The USCG Air Station Cape Cod took over airfield
operations.
MMR Fire Department 2008
The Otis Air Force Base Fire Department was disbanded on September 28, 2008 and
the Massachusetts Military Reservation Fire Department was established by the
Commonwealth to provide fire protection for the area within the reservation.
Over the years, particularly when the base was most
active, the department operated many pieces of apparatus and had a rather large
number of personnel. Fires and aircraft incidents were frequent events. Large
forest fires were common in the many wooded acres of the base and mutual aid
agreements between the base and area fire departments led to a great deal of
cooperation between the various agencies.
The Fire Department today operates a variety of ARFF,
structural, and brush apparatus although with a much smaller compliment of
personnel. The fire department responds along with a USCG clinic ambulance to
EMS calls on the base.
Joint Base Cape Cod Fire Department 2013
The Massachusetts Military Reservation was renamed Joint Base Cape Cod in July
2013. The fire department name changed once again, to the Joint Base Cape Cod
Fire Department.
FIRE CHIEFS
Past
Fire Chiefs
2023-
Acting Chief Dennis Ragazzini (May 31, 2023)
2020-2023.......Chief Jackson Emery (JBCC)
2007-2020...... Chief Walter Stecchi (Otis FD / MMR FD)
1997-2007...... Chief Del "Tim" Stephenson (Otis FD)
1991-1997...... Chief Robert Shultz (Otis FD)
1986-1989...... Chief Andrew Backman (Otis FD)
1985-1986...... Chief Charles Bown (Otis FD)
1982-1984...... Chief Ray Porter (Otis FD)
1972-1982...... Chief Calvin Hitchcock (Otis AFB FD / Otis FD)
1955-1972...... Chief George Cahoon (Otis AFB FD)
1940s-1955.... Chief George Lee (Camp Edwards FD)
1941-1940s.... Chief Elmer H James (Camp Edwards FD)
1940-1941..... Chief Clarence Gibbs (Walsh Construction Co. FD)
DEPUTY
2023-Present.. Actg Deputy Eric Weston
2020-2023... Deputy Dennis Ragazzini (JBCC)
2017-2020...... Deputy Todd Beaulieu (JBCC)
-2017...... Deputy Paul Bethoney
(Otis/MMFD/JBCC)
FIRE STATIONS
HISTORY
FIRE APPARATUS HISTORY
1995 Apparatus Roster
Station 1 - Crash Station
Chief 1
Car 11 - 1988 Chevy Suburban Fire Chief Robert Shultz
(blue)
Chief 2
Car 10 - 1986 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Asst Chief (lime)
Truck 2 Truck
2 - 1975 Oshkosh 6x6 1200/1500/180 P-4 Crash Truck (red)
Truck 3 Truck
3 - 1994 Teledyne 8x8/E-One 2000/3300/500
P23 Crash Truck (lime)
Truck 5 Truck
5 - 1986 Oshkosh 4x4 1000/1000/180 P-19Crash truck (lime)
Engine 7 Eng 7
- 1991 KME 4x4 P-24 1000/600/55 Pumper (lime)
Breaker 8 Breaker 8
- 1983 ('95) AM Gen Mil 6x6 300/950 Brush Breaker (red)
Rescue 11 Res 11
- 1989 GMC / Landoll Rescue Truck (Jaws) (lime)
Truck 12 Truck 12
- 1986 Dodge Ram/Firetec Ramp Truck (lime)
Tanker 13 Tanker 13
- 1978 AM Gen/1980 Gibson 1000/5000/800 TT Tanker (lime)
Truck 14 Truck 14
- 1987 International / KME 500/2000 Tanker
Truck 16 Truck 16
- 1987 International/Nordic Dual Agent Unit
Truck 18 Truck 18
- 1980 Dodge Pickup Ramp Truck (lime)
Car 20
Car 20 - 1994 Ford Pickup Truck (blue)
Station 4 - East Hospital Road
Engine 4 Eng 4
- 1982 Ford CF / FTI 750/300/55 Pumper (lime)
Engine 6 Eng 6
- 1989 Ameriteck 4x4 tm 1000/600/72 Pumper (lime)
Breaker 9 Breaker 9
- 1976 ('95) Gibson 6x6 Mil 300/950 Brush Breaker (red)
Ice Boat
- Ice sled
USCG Clinic
Rescue 310 Res 310
- 1990 Ford F350/Wheeled Coach Type I Ambulance (EMS 310)
Rescue 311 Res 311
- 1986 Ford E350/Wheeled Coach Type II Ambulance (EMS 311)
--------------------------------------------------
1992 Apparatus Roster
Station 1 - Crash Station
Chief 1
Car 11 - 1985 Chevy Suburban Fire Chief Robert Shultz
(blue)
Chief 2
Car 10 - 1986 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Asst Chief (lime)
Truck 2 Truck
2 - 1975 Oshkosh 6x6 P-4 1200/1500/180 Crash Truck (red)
Truck 3 Truck
3 - 1982 Quality 8x8 P-2 1400/2300/200 Crash Truck (lime)
Truck 5 Truck
5 - 1986 Oshkosh 4x4 P-19 1000/1000/180 Crash truck (lime)
Engine 7 Eng 7
- 1991 KME 4x4 P-24 1000/600/55 Pumper (lime)
Breaker 8 Breaker 8 - 1968 Kaiser Mil 6x6 250/1500 Brush Breaker (lime)
Rescue 11 Res 11
- 1989 GMC / Landoll Rescue Truck (Jaws) (lime)
Truck 12 Truck 12
- 1977 Dodge Pickup Ramp Truck (lime)
Tanker 13 Tanker 13 - 1968 Gibson
/ 1980 1000/5000/800 Tractor Trailer Tanker (lime)
Truck 14 Truck 14
- 1987 International / KME 500/2000 Tanker
Truck 15 Truck 15
- 1975 Oshkosh 6x6 P-4 1200/1500/180 Crash Truck (red)
Truck 18 Truck 18
- 1980 Dodge Pickup Ramp Truck (lime)
Car 20
Car 20 - 1985 Dodge Pickup Truck (blue)
Station 4 - East Hospital Road
Engine 4 Eng 4
- 1982 Ford CF / FTI 750/300/55 Pumper (lime)
Engine 6 Eng 6
- 1974 Ford CO / Ward LaFrance 750/300 Pumper (lime)
Breaker 9 Breaker 9
- 1972 AM Gen 6x6 / T Young 250/1500 Brush Breaker (lime)
Ice Boat
-
Ice sled
USCG Clinic
Rescue 310 Res 310
- 1986 Ford Type I Ambulance (EMS 310) (white/orange)
Rescue 311 Res 311
- 1986 Ford Type I Ambulance (EMS 311) (white/orange)
--------------------------------------------------
Early 1980's Apparatus Roster
Crash Station
Chief 1
Car 11 Otis Fire Chief Raymond Porter
Chief 2
Otis Deputy Chief
Engine 6 Eng 6
1982 Ford C / FTI 750/500 Pumper (yellow)
Truck 2
1975 Oshkosh 6x6 P-4 1200/1500/180 Crash Truck (red)
Truck 3
1982 Quality 8x8 P-2 1400/2300/200 Crash Truck (yellow)
Truck 5
1976 Oshkosh 6x6 P-4 1200/1500/180 Crash Truck (red)
Truck 8
Truck 8 1968 Kaiser Mil 6x6 500/1500 Brush Breaker (red)
Truck 12
1974 Dodge Pickup Ramp Truck (yellow)
Truck 13
1980 GMC Tractor Trailer 1000/5000/800 Tanker (yellow)
Truck 14
1974 Dodge Pickup Ramp Truck (yellow)
Rescue 11
1974 Dodge Club Cab Rescue Truck (Jaws) (yellow)
Station 4 - East Hospital Road
Engine 4
1968 Ford CO / Ward LaFrance 500/500 Pumper (red)
Engine 7 Eng 7
1974 Ford C / Ward LaFrance 750/300 Pumper (red)
Truck 9 Truck
9 1972 Kaiser Mil 6x6 500/1000 Brush Breaker (yellow)
--------------------------------------------------
Old Crash Station
New Fire Station built 2007
MAJOR FIRES &
INCIDENTS HISTORY
Fires and Incidents
1986 - Mar 31 - A huge forest fire burned approximately 2,000 acres in a two
mile long area near south of the "impact area" in the base training
area. Flames over 100' high were battled by some 200 firefighters from 14
towns using some 30 brush breakers and support apparatus.
1986 - April 20 - 700 acres were burned in the second major fire in a month,
occuring north of the impact area. 17 brush breakers and military
helicopters fought the fire over 24 hours.
1988 - April 22 - Another major forest fire in the area of the PAVE PAWS
military radar site burned about 1600 acres.
INCIDENT HISTORY -
RUN STATS
Incident History
Year
Fire
EMS
Total
1950
1960
1970
1975
1980
410
0
410
1985
1990
1,143
0
1,143
1992
951
46
997
1993
1,129
119
1,248
1994
1,347
130
1,477
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
886
2001
805
2002
903
903
2003
880
2004
867
2005
793
2006
796
2007
739
2008
863
2009
955
2010
859
2011
893
2012
812
2013
804
2014
799
2015
820
2016
889
2017
873
2018
897
2019
761
2020
784
2021
838
2022
861
--------------------------------------------------
Previous MMR Fire Dept Patch
Previous Otis Fire Dept Patch
Updated June 4, 2023
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