Marlow has a long history and information about its early fire department is difficult to come by. Town reports mention fire district taxation as far back as 1889, although this is likely to have been an different “fire department” altogether—men whose job it was to keep the oil lamps around town lit!

By 1915, Marlow had officially obtained a 1910 soda-acid cart for use in firefighting. It, along with a “ladder truck” of some type, were housed first at a residential barn and then later at another residence in town. These pieces of equipment were the only pieces available to fight a large fire that tore through town on August 20^th, 1916, when half of Main Street burned down. The Keene Sentinel reported that “there was no fire engine or powerpump and the two chemical tanks owned by the town were disabled or outclassed.”

As the town rebuilt itself from the ashes, it focused on bolstering its fire suppression capabilities. In 1924 it purchased an Ajax chemical engine and in 1934 a Reo/American LaFrance pumper. It was this year that the modern Marlow Fire Department was established. A two-bay fire station was built on Church Street behind the town hall in 1937. In the late 1930s a resident donated a 1931 Ford Huckster to the department. Following World War II, department members converted it into a small brush truck. It had no tank (although a 350 gallon tank may have later been added), just hand tools, and was assigned to Engine 3.

By 1955, apparatus had been moved from the station on Church Street and into the Marlow Garage, a car repair business owned by a firefighter. In 1959, it obtained an old school bus from the town for use as some sort of apparatus. In 1962 they joined SWNH as a mutual aid participant. The following year the department disposed of the 1931 Ford Huckster. In 1965, it bought an International/Maxim pumper with 750 GPM pump and 500 gallon tank for Engine 1, and the following year it disposed of the 1934 Reo.

In 1970, the town bought a lot for a future new fire station, but a station was never built. In 1973, it bought a 12-foot aluminum boat. At some point the department took ownership of a 1952 Reo 6×6 that had previously served the Civil Defense Department. It was used as a tanker. In 1977, the department obtained two 1964 Dodge M43 ambulances; one was from the Marine Corps and would be painted red and used as a rescue, while the other was used for parts.

In 1982, the town voted to make the Marlow Garage building that was housing its fire trucks into the permanent fire station. To renovate the building, it was raised 28 inches higher so a better foundation could be poured. (In 1984 a 1962 International truck of some sort was mentioned in the town report, but it’s unclear what this unit was.)

In 1984, the department purchased a 1963 GMC with 750 GPM pump and 1000 gallon tank from Easton, CT. It was assigned to Engine 3. In addition to this purchase, a Ford/American pumper with 1000 GPM pump and 1000 gallon tank was purchased for Engine 2, replacing the Reo, which was being housed at the town garage. And by the end of the 1980s additional apparatus on the roster included a 1952 Dodge 4×4 as Engine 4 (a forestry unit, likely replacing the department-built forestry).

In 1990, Engine 3’s pump was refurbished. In 1995 the department built an addition for its two forestry trucks, which would allow trucks housed at the town garage to be moved to the fire station on a full-time basis.

In 2000 it sold Engine 3 and placed into service a 1955 Mack M54 brush unit. It was built out by the department with a portable pump and 1200 gallon tank. In 2004, a Kenworth/Valley pumper was placed into service as Engine 1, replacing the 1965 International. This was equipped with a 1250 GPM pump and 1000 gallon tank. In 2008, the 1985 Ford of Engine 2 did not pass inspection and was retired.

In 2009, it replaced the 1955 Mack with a 1989 International/KME ex-United States Air Force tanker. It had a 750 GPM pump and 2000 gallon tank. They also placed a 1998 Chevrolet/Supreme work van into service as Rescue 1. A 1964 Dodge M37 was placed into service as Brush 1 around this time.

In 2012, the town built a pole barn at the highway garage for various town equipment, including the brush trucks during the winter months. That same year the pump on Engine 1’s Kenworth was rebuilt.

Until 2016, ambulance service was provided by Marlow EMS, a separate agency even though it housed ambulances in the fire station. This year, the town integrated the fire and EMS departments into one organization, Marlow Fire & EMS. This gave the department a 2002 Ford/Marque ambulance.

In 2019, the Dodge being used by Brush 1 was replaced with a 2001 GMC Sierra that included a used forestry skid unit with 250 gallons of water and 50 gallons of foam. The Dodge was assigned to Brush 2 for a time before being returned to the state. It also replaced Ambulance 1 with a 2009 Chevrolet/PL Custom unit that had previously served in Keene. The 2002 Ford was sold to Alstead’s ambulance service.

In 2020, the department bought a used 2009 Freightliner tanker that had been refurbished by Deep South in 2019. Assigned to Engine 2, it had a 1250 GPM pump and 2500 gallon tank and replaced both the USAF tanker and Chevrolet rescue van.

In 2022, a new forestry skid was purchased for Brush 1 because the old one’s pump failed. In 2024, a Spartan cargo trailer and 2015 Polaris Ranger were purchased for off-road emergencies.

Marlow NH Fire Department website
Marlow Fire & EMS Department Facebook page

Much of this history relies on town records, fire buff websites, and community memory. If you have photos, documents, or personal recollections related to the Marlow Fire Department—especially from prior to 2000—we’d be grateful to hear from you. Please feel free to email nhfirehistory (at) gmail (dot) com with any information you’d like to share.