In a town such as Candia, many people are unaware as to how their emergency services are provided.  This page is intended to increase the knowledge of the citizens of Candia in regards to how their lives and property are protected by the Candia Fire-Rescue Department.

Are There Firefighters At the Station All the Time?

No.  In fact, most of the members respond from their homes when a call for service comes in.  Occasionally, a standby crew may be at the station, but usually when you see cars or personnel at the station, this means they have come down either for a call or for some type of training or duty activity.

There aren't people at the station all the time, so how is the equipment cared for?

There is a "Duty Crew" which occurs every Sunday.  Each member is expected to attend their "Duty Sunday," which occurs for a particular member about every three weeks.  During these Sunday mornings, personnel check and maintain all of Candia Fire-Rescue's equipment.  Apparatus is usually sent out for maintenance during the week.  If repairs need to be made to the station, a member must be in attendance to let the repair crews into the station.

Does Candia Fire-Rescue have an ambulance?

No, Candia Fire-Rescue does not have an ambulance.  Personnel provide first-responder medical aid until an ambulance arrives.  Currently, ambulance service is contracted to American Medical Response (AMR), meaning an ambulance responds from Manchester when a call for service comes in.  If an ambulance is not available from AMR, then mutual aid is requested from Raymond or another service.

How are inspections and other administrative duties performed?

Currently, citizens must call the fire station and leave a message requesting an inspection or other type of non-emergency service.  A fire officer will contact them when they receive the message.  As there are no full-time personnel at the station, this may take a couple of days.  When an officer is available, such as on a day off or if they get out of work early, the inspection or other duty is performed.  Other administrative duties, such as paperwork and site plan reviews, are handled during officers' time off from their regular jobs.

What happens when I call 911?

As a citizen in the Town of Candia, your 911 call is routed to a public access point in Concord, NH.  The specially trained call takers at this facility will take the information for your call, such as the nature of the incident, and can provide you with instructions to care for an injured or ill person prior to the arrival of EMS crews.  Your address (if calling from a home phone) is automatically displayed when you are connected with 911.  Information from the 911 center is transmitted via computer to the Rockingham County Sherriff's Department in Brentwood, NH.  The dispatchers there determine which resources or departments are needed and dispatch them via radio.  Special tones, unique to every department in the area, are broadcast, setting off Candia Fire-Rescue personnel's pagers.  Available members will respond to the station and staff the appropriate piece of apparatus, be it an engine, tanker, rescue, or other truck.  Sometimes, members may respond directly to the scene in their own vehicles, especially if the location of the call is between where they are and the fire station.  Apparatus responds and arrives at your location to assist you.  Generally, either a piece of apparatus or a member of Candia Fire-Rescue arrives at a scene within 5 minutes of dispatch, or about 7 minutes after the 911 call is initiated.