MASSACHUSETTS FIRE DISTRICT 8

Massachusetts Fire District 8 is a tactical organization of fire departments in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts developed to provide specialized assets and an organized response structure to emergencies as part of the Statewide Mobilization System. Whenever an emergency requires resources beyond what can be provided by a single fire department, the District 8 mutual aid network ensures that the needed resources are rapidly dispatched in a coordinated manor.

Massachusetts Statewide Fire Mobilization

The Massachusetts Statewide Fire Mobilization System is in place to provide an efficient, effective and coordinated third level of mutual aid to all Massachusetts communities and adjacent states after they have exhausted their normal mutual aid agreements and to integrate all types of specialized fire rescue resources into a comprehensive and workable plan. Mutual aid will not be limited by boundaries but will be based upon professional and educated decisions. We will respond to any type of assistance including fire, EMS, natural or manmade disasters and terrorism

Mobilization Inventories and Runcards

District 8 Specialized Services

Technical Rescue

The D8 Tech Rescue Team is specially trained to handle complex incidents involving high-angle rescues, trench rescues, structural collapse and other situations that require specialized tools, training and equipment.

Dive Rescue

The D8 Dive Team is capable of performing underwater and under-ice rescue and recovery operations. The Dive Team is trained and equipped for underwater searches in almost any open water scenario.

Fire Investigation

The D8 Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) assists local fire departments in identifying cause and origin of fires involving injury or property loss.

Mutual Aid

D8 provides a framework for fire departments in northern Worcester County to dispatch and recieve requests for mutual aid fire and EMS resources.

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District 8 Dive Team
Swiftwater Rescue
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District 8 Dive Team
Rescue Divers and Support Personnel
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District 8 Tech Rescue Team
High Angle Rescue
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District 8 Tech Rescue Team
Tech Rescue Equipment Caches
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District 8 Tech Rescue Team
High Angle Rescue
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District 8 Dive Team
Dive Team Boat Deployment

MA DCR Fire Towers

During brush fire season, the fire tower on top of Mt. Wachusett in Princeton is key to locating fires in some of the more rural areas of Fire District 8. Operated and maintained by the DCR, Wachusett Tower is one of 43 active fire towers that the DCR operates in Massachusetts. When smoke is observed from the tower, the tower operater takes a compass bearing on the location of the smoke and triangulates that bearing with readings taken from other towers in order to precisley identify the location of the fire.

DCR Fire Tower Mapping Tool

District 8 Communities

Below is a map that shows the communities that make up Fire District 8

ROYALSTON WINCHENDON ASHBURNHAM ASHBY TOWNSEND ATHOL PHILLIPSTON TEMPLETON GARDNER WESTMINSTER FITCHBURG LUNENBURG SHIRLEY DEVENS PETERSHAM HUBBARDSTON PRINCETON LEOMINSTER STERLING LANCASTER HARVARD BOLTON BERLIN CLINTON BOYLSTON WESTBOYLSTON HOLDEN PAXTON RUTLAND OAKHAM BARRE NEWBRAINTREE HARDWICK
District 8 Control Points
Fitchburg Fire Dept. - 978-345-9660
Rutland Reg. Dispatch - 508-886-4033